America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys: Everything we know so far

America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys ​​​​​is a docuseries that revisits the Dallas Cowboys’ transformative run during the 1990s. The eight-episode series, set to premiere on August 19, 2025, is directed by Chapman and Maclain Way, combines archival footage with new interviews to document how the franchise navigated ownership changes, roster moves, championship victories, and internal conflicts.

By tracing the team’s rise under Jerry Jones and its impact on the NFL, the series provides a comprehensive look at one of the league’s most pivotal decades.

Netflix’s America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys revisits the Dallas Cowboys’ defining 1990s era

Release date, creators, and production team

America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys is launching on Netflix. The eight-part series is produced by Chapman and Maclain Way best known for Untold and Wild Wild Country.

The executive producers are David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jason T. Reed, Jon Weinbach, Ross Ketover, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Keith Cossrow, Chapman and Maclain Way, and John Skipper. Adam Goldberg and Dan Marks are co-executive producers. 

The production uses archival game footage and behind-the-scenes footage intertwined with first-hand accounts from players, coaches, and others affiliated with the franchise.

The timeline format captures the Cowboys' journey under the ownership of Jones in chronological order.

Featured interviews and perspectives

America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys includes contributions from those whose lives are key components of the story of The Cowboys.

Contributors include team owner Jerry Jones, former head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, and key players Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Deion Sanders, along with members of the public and business leaders associated with the Cowboys' time, including former U.S. president George W. Bush and Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

These various perspectives help to document the organizational decisions, challenges in the locker room, and game plans that designed the team's rise and fall.

The series helps to lend multiple perspectives to articulating the external and internal aspects of influence on the Cowboys throughout the decade.

The Cowboys’ 1990s journey

Jerry Jones purchased the Cowboys in February of 1989 for $140 million, after the team had just experienced a 3–13 season in 1988 and was in a downturn in terms of team development.

Coach Tom Landry had been replaced, as Jones hired coach Jimmy Johnson and thus began a new era. The transition proved difficult, as the 1989 season was capped off with a 1–15 record.

However, once some key roster moves were made, the team's trajectory changed. The trade of Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings was key (even though it was highly controversial at the time), as it generated enough draft picks to build a framework for success.

An offense of Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith built a trio that became known as “The Triplets.” With these three players forming the core of the players Jones was depending on for an offensive attack, they were able to build a productive offensive strategy.

In the four seasons from 1992 through 1996, the Cowboys won three Super Bowls and put a stamp on NFL history. Deion Sanders would bolster the roster even more, playing both defense and special teams.

Unfortunately, off-the-field issues were escalating, namely due to contrasting styles and philosophies, especially between Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson.

The Cowboys' professional separation in 1994 changed the course of the organization, and ultimately, the Cowboys hired Barry Switzer (from the University of Oklahoma), who won the Super Bowl in 1995.

After hitting the peak, the Cowboys stalled. Changes in players, team dynamics, and competition from the other franchises were beginning to lead to a decline in dominance by the late 1990s. 

Stay tuned for more updates.