Michael Jordan's The Last Dance bags Outstanding Documentary award at the Emmys

In April, Netflix and ESPN released a ten-part docu-series which chronicled NBA legend Michael Jordan's career with the Chicago Bulls. The Last Dance, mainly focusing on the Bulls' 1997-98 season, showed fans a never-seen-before side of Jordan, including controversial topics like his father's murder and Jordan's infamous first retirement in 1993. This week, the Netflix documentary won the "Outstanding Documentary" award at the Emmys, beating Netflix's Tiger King and other popular titles. 

Also read | The Last Dance parent guide: Why is Michael Jordan-based docuseries rated TV-MA?

Michael Jordan's The Last Dance Emmys 2020 "Outstanding Documentary award

An Emmy winning story 🏆

Congrats to everyone involved in the making of ‘The Last Dance,’ which won Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. pic.twitter.com/Ix5cIvBu4C

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 20, 2020

While PBS’ American Masters and HBO’s McMillions were also competitors, The Last Dance was going head-to-head with Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. Starring Joe Exotic, Tiger King was another documentary released during the COVID-19 lockdown which was loved by the audience and critics both. The Last Dance, which brought over 6 million viewers in the USA, is also ESPN's first win at the Emmys under the documentary or nonfiction category. ESPN has also been nominated for their 30 for 30 documentaries. 

Also read | Emmys 2020: 'Succession' wins Outstanding Drama Series title

In his speech after winning the award, director Jason Hehir thanked Michael Jordan for giving them "his time, his honesty and his candour". While he thanked his partners – Netflix, ESPN, NBA and Mandalay Sports Media – Hehir also expressed his gratitude towards the 105 people who helped create the docuseries. "I hope we brought a little bit of brightness to a dark and difficult year and I hope you all stay safe and be well,” Hehir added. The documentary was released and aired while sports were on a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was one of the reasons for its immense success. 

Also read | Michael Jordan's The Last Dance records 23.8 million viewers outside the US on Netflix: Michael Jordan documentary

As of now, The Last Dance is currently ESPN's most-viewed documentary. As per reports, The Last Dance averaged 5.648 million views over the 10 episodes. The first episode garnered 6.34 million, while the lowest numbers were recorded by the eighth episode (4.918 million). Outside the USA, the documentary reportedly recorded 23.8 million viewers on Netflix. In an interview after the documentary aired, Hehir revealed that Jordan decided to start the series after his GOAT status was questioned when LeBron James was on his way to the lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship.

Also read | Michael Jordan's The Last Dance brought in an average of 6.1 million viewers: Michael Jordan documentary

(Image credits: Chicago Bulls Twitter)