
Coming soon are a retrospective on the 2004 World Series championship and a docuseries on the 2024 season.
By Dana Barbuto/Boston Movie News
Move aside, “Dynasty.” The streaming spotlight is shifting from the Patriots to the Red Sox as Netflix steps up to the plate with two new projects centered around the team.
The streaming giant announced that it will give viewers an all-access pass to the 2024 season with the Red Sox in a docuseries slated to air sometime next year. Netflix film crews have been embedded with the team since the start of spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., and will continue to capture moments on and off the diamond until the last out of the 162-game regular season campaign. The title of the series is to be determined.
The upcoming series aims to showcase the team’s journey as it rebounds from a last-place finish in 2023 and navigates the highs and lows of another grueling season under intense fan and media scrutiny. So far, there have been more lows than highs this young season. As of posting, the Sox are coming off a forgettable homestand against Cleveland. With an 11-10 record, the hometown team is tied for last place in the AL East with Tampa Bay. Though, the bats came alive last night in an 8-1 win over Pittsburgh.
Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner touted the series in a press release from Netflix as a “groundbreaking endeavor that will provide an inside look at the lives and personalities of today’s Red Sox players.”
For its second swing, Netflix is delving into the annals of sports history with a 20th-anniversary documentary on the 2004 Red Sox, a team that pulled off one of the most remarkable comebacks in sports history. Overcoming a 3-0 ALCS series deficit against the Yankees, they clinched the franchise’s first World Series title in 86 years. Werner described the ’04 championship run as “one of the most magical stories that forever changed this franchise.”
Colin Barnicle, son of former Boston Globe columnist Mike Barnicle, directs the film. This documentary marks Barnicle’s second project with Netflix, following his work on “This is a Robbery,” which focused on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist.
Meanwhile, Netflix offers a solid rotation of other Boston-focused documentaries:
‘Bill Russell: Legend’: Director Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”) helms an in-depth documentary on late Celtics legend Bill Russell’s life and legacy. The two-part film features the last interview with Russell before his death on July 31, 2022, as well as commentary from Larry Bird, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jayson Tatum, and more. Russell won 11 championships during his 13 seasons with the Celtics. The documentary is narrated by actors Jeffrey Wright and Corey Stoll.
‘American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing’: The three-part documentary artfully immerses viewers in the intense emotions that swept through Boston and beyond during the tumultuous five days of April 2013. Through a blend of archival footage, chilling reenactments, and poignant interviews with law enforcement officials, survivors, and those directly affected, filmmaker Floyd Russ crafts a compelling narrative. From the harrowing moment of the initial explosion on Boylston Street to the dramatic capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the boat in a Watertown backyard, the documentary meticulously traces every pivotal moment.
‘The Monster of Wall Street’: The rise and fall of of financier Bernie Madoff, who orchestrated one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in Wall Street history, is a New York narrative with a Boston subplot. Harry Markopolos, the investment analyst from Whitman, worked for years to expose Madoff’s scam to authorities. Markopolos tells his story in director Joe Berlinger’s four-part true cime documentary.