Cheer Season 3 - Here's What We Can Tell Fans So Far
"Cheer" on Netflix has captured fans' imaginations for two seasons now, letting viewers in on the seriously competitive world of cheerleading through the eyes of Navarro College's Bulldogs Cheer Team.
The first season introduced us to the crew, with the likes of Gabi Butler, Morgan Simianer, Lexi Brumback, La'Darius Marshall, and, of course, cheer coach Monica Aldama, gaining worldwide attention. But it wasn't all positive, though Monica gained more notoriety when she teamed up with Valentin Chmerkovskiy for Season 29 of "Dancing with the Stars," cheerleader Jerry Harris found himself in the middle of serious allegations, pleading guilty to child pornography charges in February 2022. Those allegations played a big part in Season 2, with a whole episode dedicated to how Jerry's Navarro College cohorts reacted to the news of his arrest.
The second season also put a spin on the first season's plot, as it introduced us to Trinity Valley Community College's cheerleading team and took us behind the scenes at Navarro's biggest rivals in their home state of Texas.
The second season ended with (spoiler alert!) Trinity Valley National winning the coveted Cheerleading Championship in Daytona, Florida, leaving the Navarro gang heartbroken. But if there's one thing we know about the Lone Stare State team, it's that they won't give up without a fight — so can we expect to see more action in a Season 3?
When will there be more episodes?
As of March 2022, Netflix is yet to officially confirm if "Cheer" will get a Season 3, which means we're still waiting to hear an update. However, that's not exactly unusual for the streaming hit. Season 2 of the addictive reality show came a bit without warning, with the official trailer dropping in December 2021 which announced new episodes would be available from January 12.
If the show has decided to film the run-up to the Daytona, Florida, Cheerleading Championships again, it's likely filming will have already begun. The big annual event (which was canceled in 2020 due to COVID) is set to take place between April 6 and April 10, according to Varsity, meaning it's fairly likely that's when the finale will be filmed.
As for when we can probably expect to see new episodes? Fans could be in for another long wait, as January 2023 seems like a safe bet. Season 1 debuted on the streaming site in January 2020 while Season 2 followed suit in January 2022, with a two-year gap due to the coronavirus pandemic which put a halt to filming.
What will the new episodes be about?
It's pretty likely any new episodes of "Cheer" will follow the same format of documenting all the hard work that goes into the cheerleaders preparing for the Cheerleading Championships throughout the years, showing the whole process from Monica Aldama and her team coming up with the routine to all the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into learning it.
Unlike Season 1, Season 2 also showed what was going on behind closed doors in Navarro's rival Trinity Valley's training room, meaning it's certainly possible a potential Season 3 could once again focus on both colleges again — or dial in a little closer on one.
It's also likely the new episodes could continue to deal with the fallout of Jerry Harris' trial. While Season 2 featured an episode that saw his teammates discussing the allegations made against him as well as allowing his alleged victims to speak out, the episodes wrapped filming and airing before it was reported on February 22 that he had pled guilty to "receiving child pornography and soliciting sex from minors," per Sky News.
Jerry is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28, 2022, suggesting if the cameras are rolling then that his former co-cheerleaders may have a lot to say.
The returning cheerleaders
Exactly who will appear in a potential Season 3 of "Cheer" is pretty hard to pin down. As fans who have seen the first two seasons will know, it's pretty common for those who have graduated to pop back up and return to the team, despite only attending the college for three years.
Fans shouldn't expect Morgan Simianer to back for more with Navarro though, as she told Marie Claire in January 2022 she had to do "double school" in order to cheer for Navarro again. "I had to open up new majors that I wasn't passionate about and paying student loan after student loan. It didn't make sense to go back to Navarro just for cheer because at that point school wasn't what I needed," she said.
Another fan-favorite who's gained a whole lot of notoriety from the show could potentially return, though. "Technically I do have one more year [at Navarro]," Gabi Butler told Marie Claire. "At a junior college you can only do three years; 2021 was my third year. But because of COVID they gave everyone one more year of eligibility...so, yes? I'm not really sure what I'm doing with my life right now but just stay tuned."
Other familiar faces confirmed their fate during the Season 2 finale, per Just Jared, with Maddy Brum and Gillian Rupert confirming they'll be back. On the flip side, Cassadee Dunlap is also out for any new episodes, as is Trinity Valley's superstar Jada Wooten.