Seen on Screen: ESPN’s The Last Dance Hits the Stage on April 19; Fox Sports Debuts New At-Home Game Show

Seen on Screen provides a roundup of the current sports programming landscape as networks deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In this week’s edition, major networks like NBC Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN are combating the silence of no live sports with previously-released, taped, or archival content. Many networks have also continued producing live studio content – often with on-air talent located remotely.

To maintain the authenticity of interviews and footage throughout the upcoming documentary series, The Last Dance, ESPN will air two versions of the highly anticipated 10-part project about Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls. A version containing strong adult language will air on ESPN (TV-MA) while an alternate option edited for that language will air simultaneously on ESPN2 (TV-14-L).

The documentary series premieres on ESPN in the U.S. on Sunday nights over five weeks from April 19 through May 17. The series will also be available outside of the U.S. on Netflix. Schedule airdates can be found here.

The following parental warnings will appear at the start of each episode:

ESPN version (TV-MA)
The following program contains mature language. Viewer discretion is advised.

ESPN2 version (TV-14-L; Episode Four will be TV-14-DL)
The following program has been edited for mature language. Viewer discretion is advised.

There will also be two versions for weekly re-airs of the previous week’s episodes so each time there is an episode containing strong adult language on ESPN, there will be a simultaneous version edited for language being offered on ESPN2 so that viewers always have a choice of which to watch.

The Last Dance, 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, Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls, and features never-before-seen footage from the 1997-98 season as the team pursued its sixth NBA championship in eight years…

Fox Sports: The Home Game debuted on Thursday, April 16, at 11:00 PM ET on FS1 and was produced remotely. Host Chris Myers will joined each week by two celebrity guests who compete against one another to answer sports and pop culture trivia questions. This week, Big Noon Kickoff analyst Brady Quinn went head-to-head with Fox NASCAR analyst Jeff Gordon…

…In honor of what would have been the culmination of the 2020 NCAA Gymnastics season, ESPNU is paying tribute to the gymnasts who gave their all this year with the ‘Best of 2020 Gymnastics,’ airing on Saturday, April 18 beginning at noon ET. In addition, several initiatives featuring the gymnastics community will be highlighted on multiple ESPN platforms throughout the weekend.

Twelve straight hours of tumbling and tuck jumps will take over ESPNU, with a dozen nationally ranked squads set for the spotlight. No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Utah, No. 5 Michigan, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Denver, No. 8 Alabama, No. 12 Georgia, No. 14 Missouri, No. 18 Arkansas and No. 19 Nebraska are salto-ing into Saturday, with plenty of flips, full-outs, and all-around action showcased on ESPNU.

Click here for a full schedule…

…Fox Indoor Soccer returns Sunday, April 19 at 6:30 PM ET on FS1 and is produced remotely. Fox Sports’ Rob Stone hosts alongside analysts Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden to answer fan questions and discuss topics including the U.S. vs. Mexico rivalry, World Cup Qualifiers, and more. Fox Sports analyst and former U.S. WNT star Heather O’Reilly, Seattle Sounders’ Jordan Morris, and Atlanta United’s Brad Guzan drop by to share stories and insight on this week’s show…

…ESPN will be airing the Madden NFL 20 Celebrity Tournament, featuring athletes, celebrities, and ESPN talent that will start Sunday, April 19 with a bracket reveal show at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2, before all matches move to ESPN digital and social platforms, including ESPN Esports Twitch and YouTube, ESPN Twitter, and the ESPN app. Matches will air each day at noon ET starting on Monday, April 20.

The tournament, executed and produced with PlayVS and Nerd Street Gamers, is a single-elimination bracket played on the latest installment in the popular EA SPORTS Madden NFL franchise, Madden NFL 20. The winner will receive a donation to Feeding America in their name following the championship on April 26 at 12 p.m., airing on ESPN2 and hosted by ESPN’s own Field Yates and Arda Ocal.

The tournament is also part of ESPN’s commitment to bringing the sports community together through its #oneteam initiative and EA’s “Stay Home. Play Together.” initiatives, helping the gaming community find more ways to connect through play during a time where people need to be physically apart.

Click here for a full list of participants…

…As part of #MLSUnites, a league-wide platform designed to educate communities, entertain fans, and elevate heroic efforts taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, Major League Soccer and Univision’s TUDN sports cable network will air Lo Mejor de la MLS, the best matches in MLS history as selected by TUDN. Each match will be condensed to a 60-minute version with select matches to feature exclusive commentary and participation from key personalities involved in the game. The Lo Mejor de la MLS games will be aired Monday through Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET.

An exciting new way for fans to re-live nearly 50 of the best matches in MLS history, the Lo Mejor de la MLS series began airing on TUDN, TUDN.com, and the TUDN App on Wednesday, April 15 with the first-ever MLS match between the San Jose Clash and D.C. United, played on April 6, 1996.

Through this series, a number of MLS games will be broadcast in Spanish for the first time ever.  Half of these matches will air on the Univision family of networks for the first time, with accompanying small box commentary exclusive to MLS broadcasts on TUDN’s air.

The series – which will include all El Trafico games ever played – will be enhanced with TUDN’s renowned broadcasters calling the game, including Jose Luis Lopez Salido, Tony Cherchi, Nico Cantor, and former MLS stars Carlos Pavon and Marcelo Balboa…

…Fox Sports has added the ABB Formula E Race At Home Challenge, a nine-week esports competition featuring all teams and drivers from the fully electric ABB FIA Formula E Championship, as well as a selection of top gamers, beginning Saturday, April 25, at 10:30 AM ET on FS1 with the first points race.

Using rFactor2 simulator software, which includes the latest generation Formula E car, up-to-date liveries of all teams and iconic virtual streets tracks from around the globe, racers begin accumulating points on April 25, contributing to the overall standings in the build-up to the Grand Final on Saturday, June 13. The eight point-scoring events follow the traditional Formula E scoring system with extra points for Julius Baer pole position and fastest lap. Double points are available at the final race.

All points races air live on Saturday mornings at 10:30 AM ET on FS1. Check FOX Sports Press Pass for replay schedule.

World feed commentator Jack Nicholls, Formula E pitlane reporter Nicki Shields and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti form part of a fully remote presentation team, adhering to social distancing measures from their own homes.

The new ABB Formula E Race At Home Challenge joins Fox NASCAR iRacing’s Sunday coverage of the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series and Wednesday Night iRacing in the FOox Sports virtual motorsports programming lineup.