Once Upon a Time in Queens
Once Upon a Time in Queens, a four-part documentary series set to air on ESPN in 2021, is centered on the 1986 Mets, one of baseball’s most dominant and iconoclastic teams, whose legendary World Series comeback was merely the climax of an epic tale of ambition and swagger set in a city that was synonymous with excess.
Executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel, Sal “Cousin Sal” Iacono, Kimmelot’s Scott Lonker, ITV’s Jordana Hochman, MLB’s Nick Trotta, and ESPN Films, and directed by Nick Davis, the multi-part documentary will feature hours of never-before-seen footage of the ’86 Mets team, a team of larger-than-life characters whose exploits on and off the field symbolized a unique moment in time for New York City and baseball history.
A companion book, Once Upon a Time in Queens: An Oral History of the 1986 Mets, is forthcoming from Hyperion Avenue.
PRESS
ESPN Press Release (July 2020)
Variety, “ESPN Sets Launch of Mets Documentary, ‘Once Upon a Time in Queens,’ for 2021” (April 2021)
Wall Street Journal, ‘Once Upon a Time in Queens’ Review: Meet the Mets (September 2021)
NY Daily News, ESPN doc on 1986 Mets, ‘Once Upon a Time in Queens,’ for more than just fans says director (September 2021)
Awful Announcing, ESPN’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Queens’ a rollicking tribute to the unforgettable 1986 New York Mets(September 2021)
Lithub, Triumph and Tragedy: On Being a Mets Fan... and Being a Mankiewicz (September 2021)
WABC-TV', Once Upon a Time in Queens' details love affair between NYC, 1986 Mets (September 2021)