ESPN Announces Early Debut of the Highly Anticipated Michael Jordan Documentary, ‘The Last Dance’

ESPN has announced that the premiere of The Last Dance, the highly anticipated 10-part documentary series about NBA legend Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, will air on Sunday nights over five weeks, starting April 19 through May 17. The documentary series, which was originally scheduled to debut in June, will also be available outside of the U.S. on Netflix.

“As society navigates this time without live sports, viewers are still looking to the sports world to escape and enjoy a collective experience. We’ve heard the calls from fans asking us to move up the release date for this series, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve been able to accelerate the production schedule to do just that. This project celebrates one of the greatest players and dynasties ever, and we hope it can serve as a unifying entertainment experience to fill the role that sports often play in our lives, telling a story that will captivate everyone, not just sports fans,” ESPN says in a written statement.

The series, which was directed by Jason Hehir (The Fab Five, The ’85 Bears, Andre the Giant), chronicles one of the greatest sports icons and one of the most successful teams in sports history, the 1990s Chicago Bulls. It features never-before-seen footage from the 1997-98 season in which Jordan and the Bulls pushed to pursue its sixth NBA championship in eight years.

“Michael Jordan and the ‘90s Bulls weren’t just sports superstars, they were a global phenomenon,” said director Hehir. “Making The Last Dance was an incredible opportunity to explore the extraordinary impact of one man and one team. For nearly three years, we searched far and wide to present the definitive story of an era-defining dynasty and to present these sports heroes as humans. I hope viewers enjoy watching our series as much as we enjoyed the opportunity to make it.”

The Last Dance Episode 1 is slated to premiere Sunday, April 19 at 9 p.m. ET. Episode 2 will premiere that same night at 10 p.m. ET.