To the surprise of no one, The Last Dance is a ratings smash. The 10-part documentary about the dominant Chicago Bulls team of the 1990s was always going to be a ratings draw thanks to its popular subject matter and 90s nostalgia, but during a time when we're not only stuck inside but there are also no sports, The Last Dance is water in the desert. The first two episodes premiered this past Sunday and easily became ESPN's most-watched documentary content ever. The first episode averaged 6.3 million viewers and Episode 2 averaged 5.8 million viewers.

Check out the press release below for the full numbers run down. I'm a little behind on The Last Dance, but the reviews have been glowing so I'm hoping to catch up before the next episodes air.

Fans missing sports tuned to ESPN and ESPN2 in droves to watch the first two episodes of “The Last Dance,” the 10-part documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ quest to win a sixth NBA title in eight years. “The Last Dance” averaged 6.1 million viewers for episodes 1 and 2 across ESPN & ESPN2 from 9-11 p.m. ET. Of those 6.1 million, 3.5 million were in the 18-49 demo. Episode 1 (9-10 p.m.) averaged 6.3 million viewers and episode 2 (10-11 p.m.) averaged 5.8 million viewers. In addition to viewership, “The Last Dance” dominated the conversation on social media.

 

On ESPN alone, the two hours averaged 5.3 million viewers, with episode 1 delivering 5.7 million viewers and episode 2 delivering 5 million.

 

The premiere episodes rank as the two most-viewed original content broadcasts on ESPN Networks since 2004, surpassing the 2012 film “You Don’t Know Bo” (3.6 million). This year, it is also the most-viewed telecast on ESPN since the CFP National Championship Game. Additionally, “The Last Dance” ranks as the most-watched telecast among adults 18-34 and 18-49 since sports halted across broadcast and cable networks.

 

The top 5 metered markets ESPN and ESPN2 included: Chicago (12.1 rating), Raleigh-Durham (6.5 rating), Norfolk (4.9 rating), Charlotte (4.7 rating), Greensboro (4.7 rating).

 

The West Coast Prime re-airs at 12am ET averaged an additional 794,000 viewers, of which 414,000 were in the 18-49 demo. Episode 1 averaged 903,000 viewers and episode 2 averaged 685,000 viewers.