1986 Mets doc airs tonight, tomorrow

September 14th, 2021

The 1986 Mets remain one of the most iconic teams in history, and it’s a big week for those who still can’t get enough of the club that, for a moment in time, took over the New York City sports scene.

The new 30 for 30 documentary “Once Upon a Time in Queens” premieres tonight on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET and continues Wednesday on ESPN at 8 p.m. as part of a two-night extravaganza. The documentary chronicles the wild on- and off-the-field storylines surrounding the 1986 World Series-champion Mets while also examining the origins of how the club rose from a struggling franchise in the late 1970s to a National League power.

The doc is packed with exclusive interviews with star players including Lenny Dykstra, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Kevin Mitchell, Darryl Strawberry and Mookie Wilson, along with New York celebrities and luminaries to give a vivid depiction of how the Mets captured the hearts and minds of the Big Apple.

“The characters and events captured in this documentary are so outlandish it is hard to believe this documentary isn’t a work of 80’s-era fiction,” said late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, an executive producer of the film. “Whether you are a New Yorker, a Mets fan or even a fan of baseball makes no difference. This is the definitive, must-see story of a team and a time whose antics and even existence now seem unimaginable.”

Each part of the documentary will be available to stream on ESPN+ and the ESPN app immediately after it premieres on television.