MLB and X are teaming up to revive the classic "This Week in Baseball" franchise, giving a serious jolt of nostalgia to fans of a certain age and giving younger fans a new way to track the sport's highlights and storylines.
And, yes, the iconic theme music is returning, too.
Starting this week and continuing through the postseason, the MLB account on X (formerly Twitter) will show a new short-form episode of the re-imagined "TWIB" each Friday at noon ET to highlight the biggest plays, amazing moments and fun stories of the season -- all while keeping the vibe that made "This Week in Baseball" a hit with fans for decades.
"For a generation of fans, 'TWIB' is etched in their minds and hearts. The music, the highlights, and the positioning of the game’s stars were groundbreaking in many respects," said Kenny Gersh, MLB executive vice president for media & business development. "To this day, fans speak with profound fondness about how the series shaped their connection to the game. So now, after thoughtful development, our goal is to deliver a show that pairs the vibe and signature style of the original franchise with a modernized format designed for today’s younger, social media savvy generation."
The revival series was developed by the Emmy-winning MLB Studios and is produced in collaboration with the Emmy-winning MLB Network to give fans a fast-paced and easily digestible way to track the latest happenings around baseball.
Each show will be hosted by Kait Maniscalco and include highlights from the previous week, player profiles, historical flashbacks, bloopers and more. In addition to the show's memorable music, the revival will also bring back the fan-favorite "TWIB Notes" segment, along with other classic elements to push the nostalgia buttons of longtime fans.
"This Week in Baseball" debuted in April 1977 as a weekly 30-minute highlight program to showcase standout moments from around the league in the days when baseball highlights were usually limited to brief segments on local newscasts. The show was hosted by Hall of Fame broadcaster Mel Allen and quickly grew into one of baseball's most recognizable and celebrated franchises. The original run lasted until 1998, with a revival version airing from 2000-11.
"Bringing back the iconic 'This Week in Baseball’ as an X Original seamlessly bridges baseball’s rich heritage with today’s biggest platform for sports fandom and real-time conversation,” said Mitchell Smith, X's global head of content partnerships. "We’re thrilled to team back up with MLB and empower them with the creative freedom to deliver fresh, engaging content that lets longtime fans relive the nostalgia and new generations discover the excitement of the game."
The first "TWIB" episode debuts at noon on Friday on MLB’s X account. Follow @MLB and @XOriginals for updates.