The Last Dance inspired TNT's Inside the NBA's four-part docuseries on itself

The Athletic

Even though Inside the NBA premiered in 1989, the docuseries The Inside Story is celebrating 30 years on the air, examining the evolution of the show and its lead cast members — Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. “The Last Dance inspired the opportunity for longer form for us,” said Craig Barry, the chief content officer at Turner Sports. “I think originally we were asking ourselves what’s too long, what’s not enough, what’s too much? After The Last Dance, we looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s do whatever the story dictates.’ I think that’s what The Last Dance did really well. They let the story dictate the length of the documentary. From a documentary standpoint, it reset the stage for sports documentaries. It energized the genre and the platform.” The Inside Story runs Thursday through Sunday on TNT.