2024 World Series Apple TV+ Docuseries Reinvents Archaic Film Formula
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 30: The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate with the trophy after defeating ... More the New York Yankees 7-6 in game 5 to win the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium on October 30, 2024 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by)
The 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees featured two iconic franchises whose financial privilege is challenging Major League Baseball to answer competitive balance questions and outcries for a salary cap. Amid the uproar regarding the Dodgers' latest spending spree and dominance in acquiring elite Japanese ball players, Apple TV+ is set to globally release on March 28th a three-part docuseries entitled, Fight For Glory: 2024 World Series. Excellence in storytelling has created a cinematic experience that has never been seen in eight decades of World Series films. Each episode serves as a reminder how baseball imitates life while its beauty is manifested through humility and perseverance.
Instead of a highlight reel celebrating the thrill of victory, Major League Baseball and Imagine Documentaries wanted to reinvent the World Series film. Imagine Documentaries is the home to award-winning filmmakers and producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. An all-star team of executive producers were assembled beginning with Derek Jeter and his CAP 2 Productions company. Alongside Grazer, Howard and Jeter, the trio were joined by Sara Bernstein, Mark Blatty, Marc Gilbar, Elise Pearlstein, Trevor Smith, Nick Trotta, Justin Wilkes and Justin Yungfleisch.
Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler of This Machine was asked to direct the docuseries and serve as an executive producer. Cutler approached the project through a character-driven perspective with the 2024 World Series serving as the story's background. 'I saw a series of two titanic teams where game after game was one swing of the bat away from the other team winning,' said Cutler.
A baseball fan with allegiance to the New York Mets, Cutler grew up watching 1986 World Series highlights on a VHS tape that followed an archaic formula. Major League Baseball began producing World Series films in 1943 to entertain troops who were engaged in battle overseas during World War II. Cutler wanted to capture the difficulties of baseball and how it could humble one of the greatest ball players on the planet such as center fielder Aaron Judge of the Yankees. He strived to tell a story that was delicious, dramatic and emotional while celebrating the humanity of baseball.
Appropriately titled, the docuseries goes well beyond two large market franchises with payrolls of more than $300 million and a World Series rivalry that dates to 1941 when the Dodgers called Brooklyn their home. It demonstrates a sense of urgency while managing lofty expectations. Brian Cashman, senior vice president and general manager of the Yankees, explains in the docuseries how pressure is a privilege, and why it is a part of the franchise's brand. He takes it a step further by saying fans command and demand the Yankees to be excellent on an annual basis.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 29: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated by ... More Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of Game Four of the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on October 29, 2024 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by)
Amid a galaxy of superstars, two of the most fascinating ball players are right fielder Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers. Freeman's perseverance through multiple injuries and his youngest son's battle with Guillain-Barré syndrome allows viewers to experience feelings of empathy. The bedrock upon which Betts' ethical code has been built begins with the sacrifices made by his mother who stressed the importance of humility and teamwork as his little league coach. Betts and Freeman are anomalies given how they subscribe to the act of selflessness amid the high-octane environment and narcissism in professional sports.
Baseball's beauty is evident in the docuseries' usage of slow motion, camera angles, music and strategic placement of microphones. Two moments of distinction are Freeman's grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game One and the Yankees' implosion in the fifth inning of Game Five. The inning-by-inning approach when analyzing key situations was done with meticulous attention to detail. As radio broadcasts have been the heartbeat of both franchises for generations, their incorporation as a visual component enhances the storytelling experience.
Cutler wanted viewers to feel the agony of defeat as evident in Judge's pain on the Yankees falling short and why losing the 2024 World Series will stay with him until death. 'When I heard him say that I turned to one of my colleagues and said that's it,' said Cutler. Regardless of Judge's vast achievements and popularity, Cutler captured a moment where the captain of the Yankees felt as if he was a failure for not winning the 2024 World Series. 'Most of us have to contend with our characters and the nature of our lived experience being defined by setbacks along with successes and that's what baseball gets you,' said Cutler.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 25: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees reacts at the end of ... More the top of the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game One of the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 25, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by)
Fans of a certain age will be overcome with joy as British composer John Scott's 'Gathering Crowds' makes a cameo in the docuseries. The instrumental has long been recognized as the closing theme song to This Week In Baseball, a popular television program which premiered in 1977 hosted by Mel Allen, a longtime broadcaster for the Yankees. The spirit of the Bronx is evident through the eyes of the Bleacher Creatures, courtesy of Marc Chalpin or in camera shots inside Billy's Sports Bar across the street from Yankee Stadium. The same could be said for Dodgers' fans watching the ball games from Cosm Los Angeles, the Japanese city of Ōshū and the Shibuya ward in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
If the 2024 World Series were a baseball card and the average fan flipped it over to review the statistics, there would have been a lot of boldface type in black ink representing excellence. According to Major League Baseball, the 2024 World Series attracted more than 30 million combined average viewers in North America and Asia. In the United States alone, there was a 67% increase in viewership from the previous year. It was the most-watched World Series ever in Japan averaging 12.1 million viewers. The postseason pool derived from gate receipts set a record of nearly $129.1 million with a full postseason share for the Dodgers valued at $477,440.70 and $354,571.67 for the Yankees.
While some might view the 2024 World Series as a disappointment given how the Los Angeles Dodgers dominated the New York Yankees over the course of five ball games, R.J. Cutler would be the first to disagree with that sentiment. 'The biggest takeaway for me about the game was its humbling nature. I've always known it about baseball, but I got to experience and see it in its blood flow,' said Cutler. Baseball's perfection and beauty was brilliantly portrayed by Cutler as he reinvented the formula when it comes to World Series films.
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