What you need to know
- Apple TV+ docuseries They Call Me Magic will air on April 22.
- Magic Johnson says his new series only came about because of the success of The Last Dance.
- The Last Dance told the story of Michael Jordan's career.
The upcoming Apple TV+ docuseries They Call Me Magic might never have happened if it wasn't for Netflix and its Michael Jordan series, The Last Dance.
That's the story that Magic Johnson told following the screening of the new Apple TV+ docuseries during the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
Variety has the quotes.
"The reason we did it is because when Michael did 'The Last Dance,' my phone just started ringing," the former Los Angeles Laker said in a post-screening discussion. "They said, 'When are you coming out with yours?' And we got some great investors, great partners, great producers, and they really took it to another level."
Despite that, Johnson was apparently keen to make sure that his docuseries was its own thing rather than a carbon copy of Jordan's. And while Johnson says that The Last Dance was all about Jordan's achievements on the court, his own series is going to be different.
"[My family] said, 'What's gonna be different from you and Michael Jordan's [documentaries]?'" he continued. "And you can see. Michael — who I love, that's my dear friend — but ['The Last Dance'] was driven by his great accomplishments on the basketball court. [In 'They Call Me Magic,'] you're seeing my family, friends, everybody involved. You're going to see every episode be a different journey in my life. That's what makes me proud."
Jordan does make an appearance in the very first episode of They Call Me Magic, but those expecting a clone of The Last Dance are set to be disappointed. The new four-part series will land on Apple TV+ on April 22 so it won't be too long before we get to see what all the fuss is about for ourselves.
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