As had been widely hoped for, ESPN has moved up its documentary about the Michael Jordan-led 1990s Chicago Bulls.
The ten-hour ESPN 30 For 30 documentary series “The Last Dance” — about the final year of Jordan’s Bulls in the 1997-98 season — will debut on Sunday, April 19, ESPN announced Tuesday. The New York Post was first to report the decision Monday night.
The series will air on five consecutive Sunday nights through May 17.
The documentary was originally set to debut in June to coincide with the NBA Finals. The move to April helps fill the unprecedented void left by the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in the cancellation or postponement of nearly all sporting events.
April 19 was originally going to be the first Sunday of the NBA Playoffs. No NBA games are expected to be played until June, at best.
Since the rash of cancellations earlier this month, ESPN programming has primarily consisted of old games and previously-aired documentaries. Outside of its usual studio shows, the network has not aired any original programming since a live UFC event on March 14.
There had been a significant push on social media for ESPN to move up the documentary, a move made difficult by the fact that it was still not complete as of two weeks ago.
[News from NYP 3.30]
