Once Upon a Time in Queens

If you’re a fan of sports, you’ll want to check out ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 documentary, Once Upon a Time in Queens. It focuses on the 1986 Mets, a raucous team with swagger to spare that memorably defeated the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

It’s a fun, if at-times-unfocused look at an all-time entertaining team. The clunky attempts to tie it into New York references are annoying, but the story is still a lot of fun.

How to Watch

ESPN's newest '30 for 30' documentary, 'Once Upon a Time in Queens', celebrates the meteoric rise of New York's Major League Baseball team. The four-part series is directed by Nick Davis and boasts a slew of interviews from baseball stars like Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, and Mookie Wilson.

The doc starts with a high-profile release of ailing mafia capo Joseph Scoleri (Paul Sorvino), who has served 20 years in prison and is hoping to reconnect with his estranged daughter Rita (Renee Props). He lives in a humble row house in a Queens neighborhood where he's been a fixture for the past several decades.

Once Upon a Time in Queens is a solid entry in the long and storied line of baseball documentaries, but it's not without its qualms. It's at times a little too opulent and over the top, with too many attempts to make its story bigger than it is.

Nevertheless, the movie has some of the best soundbites from sports stars and famous New Yorkers alike. It's also a pretty solid watch, particularly if you're a Mets fan or just enjoy a good ol' baseball movie.

One thing to watch out for is the film's aforementioned "Mirror Mori"-like one-upsmanship, with multiple mentions of the team's most swashbuckling moments, including Bill Buckner's wild Game 6 throw in the World Series.

It's the brash and bombastic omissions that nudge Once Upon a Time in Queens over the top in our book, although it's still a solid documentary that is well worth a look. It's not the most thorough or the most interesting baseball documentary ever made, but it is a fun and engaging piece of media that you won't want to miss.

Streaming Options

For the Mets fans who remember that era of their team, ESPN’s new “30 for 30” documentary Once Upon a Time in Queens is a fascinating trip down memory lane. The four-part series chronicles the journey from hopeless losers to World Series champions and focuses on the 1986 Mets.

It is impossible to watch this documentary and not feel a surge of nostalgia for that iconic season. The Mets were a team of talented players who took the franchise from mediocrity to legend. Once Upon a Time in Queens tells the story of how this came about, from drafting young stars like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden to trading for veteran leaders like Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter. The movie also details the hiring of manager Davey Johnson, who helped keep this volatile group together and allowed them to grow as a team.

The documentary includes interviews with a wide array of players and celebrities, including Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Mookie Wilson, and Keith Hernandez. The film also features archival footage and fan videos, which helps bring the team’s history to life.

While the documentary is a bit bloated in parts, it’s still a fun and informative look at a legendary team of baseball greats. Once Upon a Time in Queens traces the history of the Mets from the late 1970s through the 1980s, and the documentary is incredibly rich and affectionate at times.

There are several different ways to watch Once Upon a Time in Queens online. If you are in the US, you can watch it on Hulu or Netflix. If you are outside of the US, you can also stream Once Upon a Time in Queens on Sling TV. The latter has a one week free trial available so you can try it out before signing up.

The network premiered Once Upon a Time in Queens last week and Jimmy Kimmel, who is a huge Mets fan, was on the red carpet looking mighty proud. He even posed with the cast, including Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry.

Availability

Once upon a time in queens, the latest installment of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, tells the story of the 1986 New York Mets and their storied run to a World Series. It focuses on the team’s rise from being one of the worst teams in baseball to perennial contenders and ultimately, champions, and it shows how they came to represent everything that was good about the city during that era.

Directed by Nick Davis, the four-part documentary will premiere on September 14 on ESPN. It will also be available on ESPN Player in select territories across Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

The four-part ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “Once Upon A Time In Queens” is a spirited look at the 1986 Mets. It traces the team’s booze-fueled, drug-fueled, and raucous journey to a World Series championship. It’s a rip-roaring tale of how the Mets captivated a nation and secured Big Apple bragging rights over their rivals, the Yankees.

It’s a re-telling of a fascinating, memorable and often overlooked piece of sports history. Once Upon A Time In Queens is a great addition to the ESPN 30 for 30 catalog, which also includes such celebrated documentaries as “The Last Dance” and “Curveball.”

Executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel, Sal “Cousin Sal” Iacono, Kimmelot’s Scott Lonker, ITV America’s David George and MLB’s Nick Trotta, Once Upon A Time In Queens is directed by Nick Davis. It features a variety of interviews with current and former players, including Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Mookie Wilson, Tom Seaver, and more.

Once Upon A Time In Queens is part of the 30-for-30 film series on ESPN Films, and will air on the network later this year. It’s the latest entry in this series and it will be shown on the network’s cable channels as well as ESPN Plus.

Guests at the premiere included Julie Bowen, Maria Menounos, Anna Camp, Oscar Nunez, Mark Feuerstein, Guillermo Rodriguez, and ESPN Film’s senior director of development Adam Neuhaus. They were joined by director Nick Davis, who grew up watching the Mets and wanted to capture that team’s essence in a new way.

Final Words

If you want to watch a baseball documentary, ESPN has got the latest entry in their 30 for 30 series with "Once Upon a Time in Queens." This four-part docuseries is meant to do for the 1986 New York Mets what last year's acclaimed "The Last Dance" did for the Chicago Bulls and the NBA.

Directed by Nick Davis and featuring a host of former Mets players looking good 35 years later, the docuseries covers the 1986 team's amazing run to the World Series and their improbable comeback victory against the Boston Red Sox. Though it's not the best baseball film out there, Once Upon a Time in Queens offers a genuinely fascinating glimpse into the Mets' history and underdog status in New York after the Dodgers and Giants moved west.

It also takes a good look at the Mets' historic rise from the late 1970s and early 1980s, which included their first World Series win since 1957 and a trip to the World Series playoffs for the first time in three decades. While it's a bit bloated with half-hearted references to New York City and its cultural scene of the day, Once Upon a Time in Queens still delivers plenty of memorable moments.

One of the highlights of Once Upon a Time in Queens is the incredibly detailed look at the Mets' incredible comeback against the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. This is a rare baseball movie that actually pays attention to the details, and it should be can't-miss viewing for anyone who remembers the amazing season.

Another highlight of Once Upon a Time in Queens, which is being released by ESPN Films as part of its "30 for 30" documentary series, is that it features a cast of real-life characters who helped shape the franchise in 1986. Strawberry, Gooden, Hernandez, Johnson, and Ojeda are among the stars who appear in this movie to provide commentary and insights into their teammates' exploits during that historic season.

While Once Upon a Time in Queens doesn't quite scale the heights of the previous "30 for 30" series, it's a must-watch for any sports fan who wants to watch a good story and get an inside look at the world of professional baseball. It's a fun and entertaining watch, and it will appeal to fans of all ages.