Originally, Philly-born Hollywood producer Mike Tollin says, The Last Dance was supposed to come out in the slow, sweltering days of summer 2020—when it would have competed against baseball, the Olympics and the NFL’s pre-season.
Then we got a pandemic, and lost every sporting event for the foreseeable future.
Now, ESPN has jumped in to fill the sports void with Tollin’s moving
As Tollin told Deadline magazine last month, “When the world stopped spinning Friday the 13th, the clamor began almost immediately on social media. ‘Put on the Jordan show, we have nothing else to watch.’”
Now eight episodes in, the documentary immediately became the most popular thing on television, coalescing a nation’s withdrawal from live sports into a nostalgic look back at an unbeatable team with star power that resonates even 25 years later.
The film includes interviews with the 57-year-old Jordan himself, as well as every other major teammate, coach and opponent—and a season’s worth of never before seen footage.
Take a look at the trailer for a taste of the show you should be watching every week:
On Wednesday, in partnership with Fitler Club, Citizen co-founder Larry Platt hosts a virtual conversation with Tollin, a Havertown native known for Varsity Blues, Coach Carter, Arli$$ and the Academy Award-nominated documentary Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream.
Expect to hear what it was like working on The Last Dance, how Tollin “builds character” by keeping his Philly sports love alive in Hollywood, and about his new passion project—a long look at former Phillies great Dick Allen.
Yes, you have to wait longer to watch and talk about live games. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still escape into the world of sports.
Register for the event here.
Wednesday, May 13, 6-7pm, free but register here for a link to join the CrowdCast event, virtually wherever you are.