‘The Last Dance’ already sets record for ESPN original content

The first two episodes of “The Last Dance,” the 10-part documentary about Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Bulls, averaged 6.1 million viewers Sunday across ESPN & ESPN2. Episode 1 averaged 6.3 million viewers, and Episode 2 averaged 5.8 million, according to the network.

The episodes rank as the two most-viewed original content broadcasts on ESPN since 2004, when it began producing such shows, surpassing the 2012 film “You Don’t Know Bo” (3.6 million).

It was the most-viewed telecast on ESPN since the CFP national championship, and it ranks as the most-watched telecast among adults 18-34 and 18-49 since sports halted because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Not surprisingly, Chicago was the top local market with a 12.1 rating. Raleigh-Durham was next at 6.5.