ESPN Is Premiering Its Epic Michael Jordan Documentary Early
Few television channels have been hit as hard by coronavirus as ESPN. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is missing one entire element of its name, as there are almost no live sports taking place anywhere in the world right now. To fill the void, ESPN has turned to airing old installments of WWE’s WrestleMania, as well as sports movies from its parent company, Disney.
With no new sports coming on the immediate horizon, ESPN will next fill a big chunk of the programming void with something legitimately exciting: Its long-in-the-works documentary miniseries about NBA legend Michael Jordan. Titled The Last Dance, the ten-part film was originally scheduled to premiere in June. Instead, the first installment will debut on ESPN in just a few weeks. The series begins on April 19, with subsequent episodes airing on Sunday nights through May 19.
The news was first reported by the New York Post, and then confirmed online by ESPN through its social media channels:
ESPN has produced numerous excellent documentaries in recent years, most through its 30 For 30 label. Their miniseries on O.J. Simpson, O.J.: Made in America, even won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for 2016. The Last Dance was directed by Jason Hehir, who previously directed several 30 For 30s, including Bernie and Ernie and Down in the Valley, as well as the recent HBO Sports documentary on WWE legend Andre the Giant.
Michael Jordan is a subject rich for exploration, so The Last Dance should be must-see television. The episode about Space Jam alone should be epic. (We assume it is given at least an entire episode all on its own. There’s so much to discuss there.)
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