Our prayers have been answered.
With the coronavirus condemning us all to our couches indefinitely, the world as we know it will never be the same again. Thankfully, ESPN has stepped up to be the hero we need during these perilous times and announced that its highly anticipated 10-part docuseries, The Last Dance, will debut on April 19 instead of its original June release date.
The Last Dance puts Michael Jordan’s final season with the Bulls under the microscope and according to The Athletic, it will air on ESPN every Sunday night from April 19 to May 17—two episodes at a time.
With professional sports leagues experiencing an unprecedented work stoppage that has turned ESPN’s programming schedule into a nightmare, this isn’t a perfect replacement, but it’s a damn good alternative to watching nothing at all.
“As society navigates this time without live sports, viewers are still looking to the sports world to escape and enjoy a collective experience,” ESPN said in a statement. “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.”
ESPN continued, “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.”
Considering some of our favorite shows and most-anticipated movies have either been canceled or derailed entirely by this pandemic, who do we have to thank for this timely miracle?
Fans have been clamoring for weeks for ESPN to move up the date, and during a recent appearance on Richard Jefferson’s Road Trippin’ podcast, LeBron James echoed their sentiments.
“If they release that thing right now? The views on it?” James said. “Listen, if I’m Michael Jordan, I’m going in there and I’m making a conference call and I’m like, ‘OK, what’s the reason that we’re going to hold on to it until June now? Compared to now when everybody is at home?’ Because it’s done [being edited]. It’s done. Yeah, it’s done.”
And as for the new release date, it’s safe to assume that it’s been met with universal acclaim.
Much like everyone else, I can’t wait to revisit my disdain for all things Michael Jeffrey Jordan—anyone care to remind him that my team, the Orlando Magic, gave him that work in the ‘95 NBA Playoffs?—and that the 19th can’t come soon enough.
Check out the trailer for The Last Dance below.