ABC has been a country music hub for music and stories for a few decades now. From the yearly CMA Awards and CMA Fest television specials to many ABC News reports on the industry and its stars, country music has had a place to shine on the network. That tradition continues, just on Hulu with a brand new special covering the hottest voice in country music.
Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country is a new ABC News special all about Wilson’s rise within country music. It tracks her humble upbringing in small town Louisiana all the way to her victory at the 2023 CMA Entertainer of the Year. Along the way, Robin Roberts pops in for absolutely no reason at all, so that’s fun!
The hour-long docuspecial doesn’t do much outside of the normal format; we follow Lainey from the beginning of her interest in music up to the present. Interviews with Wilson and members of her family and team are paired with performance footage and social media videos. While her journey was a long one, fighting for recognition within Nashville, her meteoric rise over the past year has been astounding to witness.
Wilson is an endearing figure and a kind soul throughout the special, but I’m not entirely sure what’s the goal of the documentary. She has a very understandable and documented rise to stardom, putting in the work and struggling day-by-day to have her music and voice heard, there’s no question there. However, as we make it to the current day and see her most recent successes, we take a detour into Wilson speaking out against AI during a committee meeting. It’s a moment, while understandable, doesn’t fit at all within the confines of the documentary.
Also, as previously mentioned, Robin Roberts appears for all of one total minute, not adding anything to the proceedings. I’m not sure if it was a contractual obligation due to her producing the special, but Roberts deserves a break and didn’t need to be present.
All-in-all, this short-and-sweet special is an interesting look at Lainey Wilson and her successes, while also simultaneously not understanding its inherent goals. This a great watch for fans of Wilson getting to see her start (especially her princess-party-Hannah Montana beginnings), but not a solid welcome for possible new fans.
Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country is now streaming on Hulu.