Sunderland secured their return to the Premier League with a win over Sheffield United at Wembley
Leo Pearlman says he is unlikely to try and revisit Sunderland 'Til I Die following the club's promotion to the Premier League.
Pearlman is Co-CEO at Fulwell Entertainment, the company behind the hit series. A lifelong Sunderland fan, he also sits on the board as a non-executive director and is the driving force behind the Crown Works Studio project in the city.
Pearlman appeared on The Athletic FC Podcast to discuss the series, and says that he thinks the story ended perfectly with the win over Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley in 2022.
"Honestly, I've been asked it a thousand times since Saturday and the answer is no," Pearlman said.
"Nothing is perfect but I think that as a TV show, I think that the moment of winning at Wembley [in front of fans] for the first time since 1973, winning the play-offs with most of our fans having been there eight times to see us lose, beating Wycombe and having that moment... I think that felt like the perfect ending to our story.
"It's not the end of the story of Sunderland AFC of course, but as for Sunderland 'Til I Die, that felt like the ribbon. I'm not sure I want to go back, I'm not sure what more we could do. If we'd been there on Saturday and told the story of this season then of course, winning promotion back to the Premier League would have wrapped up in a bow because we started with relegation. But the truth is, I wrote a piece before the final and I truly believed it, it mattered whether we won or lost but that wasn't the key factor. The key factor was the fans having the club back and that's what it feels like now. There's something to be incredibly proud about again and the credit for that goes to Kyril, Kristjaan Speakman, David Bruce and all of the staff who have worked unbelievably hard to get us back to this place. Wycombe was that moment, so I'm happy with what we did."
Leo Pearlman reflects on Sunderland's promotion back to the Premier League and why he's 'quietly confident' for next season
Pearlman praised the club's ownership for delivering promotion to the Premier League one year ahead of their schedule, and believes the Black Cats can surprise people and be competitive next season.
"The toughest thing about getting out of the Championship is undoubtedly that the teams coming out of the Premier League have this incredible wealth and if you can keep a few of those Premier League players and buy the very best of the Championship, then the stats show that the majority of the time you'll finish in the top three,” Pearlman said.
"I look at Sheffield United and the options they had up front in that final, it was incredible that they could have Ben Brereton Diaz and Tom Cannon on the bench. I think that really is the biggest challenge, it is a true testament to a plan and I really believe that. They [Sunderland] had a five-year plan to get back to the Premier League, we did it one year early. I thought five years was a stretch personally, but to do it while selling our best player in Jack Clarke last year, it's testament to everyone at the club. I think they'll surprise a few people in the Premier League, I genuinely do. It massively helps having a Stadium like that, 47,500 people buzzing from the first week. I'm quietly confident."
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