Highly-anticipated ten-part documentary series that follows the plight of basketball legend Michael Jordan and iconic team, Chicago Bulls, The Last Dance, has recently announced its debut set on Netflix beginning on Monday, 20 April, featuring two new episodes weekly. The series will also be available in the U.S. on ESPN.
The series, directed by Jason Hehir (The Fab Five, The ’85 Bears, Andre the Giant), chronicles one of the greatest icons and most successful teams in sports history, with never-before-seen footage from the 1997-98 season as the team pursued its sixth NBA championship in eight years.
In the fall of 1997, Michael Jordan, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and head coach Phil Jackson agreed to let an NBA Entertainment film crew follow the team all season long. The result would be a remarkable portrait of the iconic player who would then lead a celebrated team – a vibrant portrait only now being revealed, more than two decades later.
Weaving its way through the tumultuous 1997-1998 season, viewers will be transported back to how it all began – from Jordan’s childhood roots, the Bulls’ dire circumstances before the player’s arrival and how the team was built to its championship caliber after drafting Jordan in 1984, to the struggles that eventually led to the team’s first NBA championship. As the series takes the audience through the Bulls’ first five championships, the series will also explore off-court challenges, struggles and triumphs that built the culture-shifting phenomenon created by Jordan and the Bulls.
The historic season serves as a backdrop for the inside tale of the 1998 championship run, with extensive profiles of Jordan’s key teammates including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr, head coach Phil Jackson, and featuring dozens of current-day interviews with rivals and luminaries from basketball and beyond, where the tension and conflict that defined that final championship run are very much on display.
“Michael Jordan and the ‘90s Bulls weren’t just sports superstars, they were a global phenomenon,” said director Jason 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 full episodic documentary will debut on Netflix outside of the U.S. and on ESPN in the U.S. as follows:
NETFLIX
Monday, 20 April – 12:01 a.m. PT – “The Last Dance” Episodes 1 and 2
Monday, 27 April – 12:01 a.m. PT- “The Last Dance” Episodes 3 and 4
Monday, 4 May – 12:01 a.m. PT- “The Last Dance” Episodes 5 and 6
Monday, 11 May – 12:01 a.m. PT – “The Last Dance” Episodes 7 and 8
Monday, 18 May – 12:01 a.m. PT- “The Last Dance” Episodes 9 and 10
ESPN
Sunday, 19 April
9 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 1
10 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 2
Sunday, 26 April
7 p.m. ET – Re-air of “The Last Dance” Episode 1
8 p.m. ET – Re-air of “The Last Dance” Episode 2
9 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 3
10 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 4
Sunday, 3 May
7 p.m. ET – Re-air of “The Last Dance” Episode 3
8 p.m. ET – Re-air of “The Last Dance” Episode 4
9 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 5
10 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 6
Sunday, 10 May
7 p.m. ET – Re-air of “The Last Dance” Episode 5
8 p.m. ET – Re-air of “The Last Dance” Episode 6
9 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 7
10 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 8
Sunday, 17 May
7 p.m. ET – Re-air of “The Last Dance” Episode 7
8 p.m. ET – Re-air of “The Last Dance” Episode 8
9 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 9
10 p.m. ET – Premiere of “The Last Dance” Episode 10
See full trailer here:
Image courtesy of Netflix