The Red Sox will soon have a starring role on small screens across the world.
On Wednesday, Netflix announced two projects that will feature the team: a behind-the-scenes docuseries following the squad throughout the 2024 season, and another documentary that will come out later this year looking back at the team’s 2004 World Series championship run.
It’s the first time a Netflix crew will be with an MLB team for a whole season — and it comes in the wake of two back-to-back last place finishes in the AL East for Boston. But the franchise is looking forward to the potential exposure both projects will bring.
“The partnership between MLB, Netflix and the Red Sox will have a significant impact on growing the game of baseball,” Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner in a statement. “The reach of Netflix is profound and these docuseries are ambitious. One will relive one of the most magical stories that forever changed this franchise, and the other is a truly groundbreaking endeavor that will provide an inside look at the lives and personalities of today’s Red Sox players.”
Filming will begin next week as spring training gets underway, and the docuseries on the 2024 season will come out next year.
Netflix will have final cut on the project, objectivity that Adam Grossman, chief marketing officer for the Red Sox, told GBH News is important for the end product.
“We have to be, as an organization, and those who are featured, OK with that. Which we are. And we know that ... it’s not gonna all be polished,” Grossman said. “And that’s the reality of what goes on throughout a season as well.”
Grossman said that discussions on how baseball could get involved with Netflix and the world of sports docuseries started around three years ago. The Red Sox and Netflix started talking about the opportunity about 18 months ago.
Still, the chance to bring the game to a potentially massive audience was too big of an opportunity for the team to pass up.
“It’s not a financial project for us at all,” Grossman said. “This is purely about marketing, exposure — growing the game, and providing our players and our organization with the best opportunity, and one of the largest opportunities, to showcase their personalities and talent on a truly global platform.”
For Netflix, which has been the home of a number of recent sports-focused docuseries that include “Last Chance U” and “Cheer,” the shows give a chance to look at the past, present and future of the franchise.
“Our fans love that our sports series focus on the drama of sport and nothing was more dramatic than the 2004 Red Sox season, especially having witnessed their comeback from the bleachers during Game 7 against the Yankees,” said Gabe Spitzer, vice president of nonfiction sports for Netflix, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with this iconic franchise to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the greatest sports comeback ever, while also looking forward to the team’s future with inside access to their 2024 campaign.”
