Michael Jordan Series ‘The Last Dance’ Is ESPN’s Most Watched Documentary
Last weekend, ESPN debuted the first two episodes of the anticipated documentary seriesThe Last Dance, a chronicle of NBA superstarMichael Jordanand theChicago Bullsas they made a run for what would become their final championship season. The premiere was bumped up to April from June since ESPN is desperate for programming due to the lack of sports happening around the world, and it worked out rather well for them since it’s now their most-watched documentary ever.
ESPN has a press releaseannouncingThe Last Danceratings, which averaged 6.1 million viewers for the first two episodes on both ESPN and ESPN 2 (the latter airing a more family friendly version with less salty language). The first episode started off with 6.3 million, but apparently some people didn’t keep up for the second episode, which dropped a little to 5.8 million viewers. It was still enough to make it the series premiere the the two most-viewed original content broadcasts on ESPN Networks since 2004, and it had no problem surpassing the 2012 documentary filmYou Don’t Know Bo, which nabbed 3.6 million viewers.
When it comes to 2020,The Last Danceis now the most-viewed program since the college football National Championship Game, which pulled in a gargantuan 25.5 million viewers. That makes it the most watched telecast across broadcast and cable in the key demographics 18-49 since sports stopped last month.
It should come as no surprise that the top market forThe Last Dancewas none other than Chicago, followed by Raleigh-Durham (since Michael Jordan played college ball in North Carolina) in the #2 slot. Charlotte, where Michael Jordan owns the professional basketball team the Charlotte Hornets, was also in the top five markets.
If you haven’t watchedThe Last Dance, it’s a must-see television event. DirectorJason Hehirhas put together afascinating chronicle of one of the most exciting times in professional basketball, following the greatest basketball player of all-time, when he was surrounded by some of the most talented players the sport has ever seen. It serves as an incredible, warts-and-all look at the legacy of the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s.
The Last Dancewill continue with new episodes every Sunday on ESPN and ESPN2 at 9:00 P.M. EST through May 17.
