Muhammad Ali (miniseries)

{{Infobox television

| image =

| caption =

| developer =

| writer = Sarah Burns
David McMahon

| director = Ken Burns
Sarah Burns
David McMahon

| narrated = Keith David{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2021/09/18/muhammad-ali-documentary-greatness-flaws-ken-burns/8371690002/?gnt-cfr=1|title='Muhammad Ali' documentary doesn't shy away from boxer's flaws|work=USA Today|date=September 18, 2019|accessdate=January 28, 2022|first=Scooby|last=Axson}}

| composer = Jahlil Beats

| country = United States

| num_episodes = 4

| executive_producer = Ken Burns

| producer = Sarah Burns
David McMahon
Stephanie Jenkins
Ken Burns

| cinematography = Buddy Squires

| editor = K.A. Miille
Woody Richman
Ted Raviv
Aljernon Tunsil

| runtime = 7 Hours 53 minutes

| company = Florentine Films
WETA-TV

| network = PBS

| first_aired = {{Start date|2021|09|19}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2021|09|22}}

}}

Muhammad Ali is a 2021 four-part documentary miniseries about Muhammad Ali. The series was directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/09/arts/television/muhammad-ali-documentary-ken-burns.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/09/arts/television/muhammad-ali-documentary-ken-burns.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=limited|title='Muhammad Ali' Explores the Many Layers of 'the Greatest'|first=Finn|last=Cohen|date=September 9, 2021|website=The New York Times}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/entertainment/muhammad-ali-review/index.html|title='Muhammad Ali' lets Ken Burns go four fascinating rounds with the champ's life and legacy|first=Brian|last=Lowry|website=CNN|date=2021-09-17}}

The documentary had its premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/telluride-film-festival-lineup-2021-1234661272/|title=Telluride 2021 Lineup: 'The Power of the Dog,' Kristen Stewart, Plus Tributes to Ahmed, Campion, and Dinklage|work=IndieWire|date=September 1, 2021|accessdate=January 28, 2022|first=Eric|last=Kohn}} It later premiered on PBS on September 19, 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ken-burns-muhammad-ali-documentary-the-takeout/|title=Ken Burns discusses his Muhammad Ali documentary - "The Takeout"|website=www.cbsnews.com|first=Jacob|last=Rosen|date=2021-09-17}}

Episodes

{{Episode table |total_width=auto |overall= |title= |titleR={{cite web |title=Muhammad Ali, Full Documentary by Ken Burns|url=https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/muhammad-ali/|website=PBS|accessdate=January 28, 2022}} |airdate= |viewers= |country=US |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=1

| Title=Round One: The Greatest (1942–1964)

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2021|9|19}}

| ShortSummary=

| Viewers=}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=2

| Title=Round Two: What's My Name? (1964–1970)

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2021|9|20}}

| ShortSummary=

| Viewers=}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=3

| Title=Round Three: The Rivalry (1970–1974)

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2021|9|21}}

| ShortSummary=

| Viewers=}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber=4

| Title=Round Four: The Spell Remains (1974–2016)

| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2021|9|22}}

| ShortSummary=

| Viewers=}}

}}

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 100% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=Muhammad Ali|id=muhammad_ali/s01|type=tv|access-date=January 28, 2022}} According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 9 critics, it received "universal acclaim".{{cite Metacritic|id=muhammad-ali/season-1|type=tv|title=Muhammad Ali Reviews|access-date=January 28, 2022}}

Jeremy Schapp of ESPN called, "It is a stupendous achievement."{{Cite web |title=Press {{!}} Muhammad Ali {{!}} Ken Burns {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/muhammad-ali/press |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=PBS |language=en}}

Finn Cohen of The New York Times called it, "A sweeping achievement."{{Cite news |last=Cohen |first=Finn |date=2021-09-09 |title='Muhammad Ali' Explores the Many Layers of 'the Greatest' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/09/arts/television/muhammad-ali-documentary-ken-burns.html |access-date=2022-10-16 |issn=0362-4331}}

Peter Keough of The Boston Globe called it, "Exhilarating."{{Cite web |last=Keough |first=Peter |date=2021-09-09 |title=Documenting this fall's documentaries - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/09/09/arts/documenting-this-falls-documentaries/ |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}}

Adam Buckman of MediaPost wrote, "The most satisfying, riveting and moving TV experience of the year."{{Cite web |last=Buckman |first=Adam |date=2021-09-14 |title=Burns' Ali Documentary Might Be The Greatest TV Show This Year |url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/366726/burns-ali-documentary-might-be-the-greatest-tv-sh.html |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=MediaPost |language=en}}

References

External links

{{IMDb title|tt6719950}}

Category:PBS original programming

Category:2020s American documentary television series

Category:Documentary television series about sports

Category:Cultural depictions of Muhammad Ali