As the Olympics wind down, NBC goes into storytelling mode with three fascinating documentaries either related to the host country of Russia or to the Olympics themselves.
Two will air on Saturday and the final one, the most anticipated film, Tonya & Nancy will be shown before the Closing Ceremony on Sunday.
The first, “Lokomotiv” will be shown Saturday as part of NBC’s daytime coverage. This focuses on the tragic 2011 plane crash that took the lives of 44 people including 37 team members, coaches and staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in the Kontinental Hockey League. Narrated by the familiar voice of HBO Sports’ documentaries, Liev Schreiber, Lokomotiv looks at how the hockey community banded together with the city to bring the team back.
The next will be “Long Way Home: The Jessica Long Story” which will transition NBC to coverage of the Paralympics next month. Jessica Long is one of the country’s most decorated Paralympic swimmers. She was adopted from Russia to a family in Baltimore. This documentary which will air on NBC’s Saturday primetime program will focus on Long’s journey to find her birth parents in Russia.
NBC has released two trailers:
And Tonya & Nancy airs Sunday at 7 p.m. ET before the Closing Ceremony. Mary Carillo talks with both Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, the two main players in a soap opera that played out 20 years ago during the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Both Harding and Kerrigan talk about their memories about the incident that made them household names.
Here’s NBC’s press release.
NBC OLYMPICS TO AIR THREE DOCUMENTARIES THIS WEEKEND CULMINATING WITH “NANCY & TONYA” ON SUNDAY AT 7 PM ET ON NBC
Nancy & Tonya Premieres Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on NBC on 20th Anniversary of 1994 Winter Games Figure Skating Competition
Lokomotiv, a Documentary on Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Hockey Team Tragedy, Debuts Tomorrow within NBC’s Afternoon Olympic Coverage
Long Way Home: The Jessica Long Story, Tells Adoption Story of 12-Time Paralympic Gold Medalist Jessica Long & Premieres Tomorrow Within NBC’s Primetime CoverageSOCHI, Russia – February 21, 2014 – NBC Olympics will present three documentaries as a part of its coverage of the final weekend of XXII Olympic Winter Games from Sochi, Russia: Lokomotiv, which chronicles the tragedy surrounding the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey club (airs tomorrow within NBC’s afternoon Olympic coverage); Long Way Home: The Jessica Long Story, which profiles Paralympic athlete Jessica Long’s quest to find her Russian birth parents (airs tomorrow within NBC’s primetime coverage); and Nancy & Tonya, which examines the events surrounding the ladies’ figure skating competition at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games (debuts Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on NBC – immediately prior to the Closing Ceremony).
This weekend’s NBC Olympics documentary schedule:
Date Time Documentary Saturday, February 22 Within NBC daytime coverage, 2:30/1:30c Lokomotiv Saturday, February 22 Within NBC primetime coverage, 8/7c Long Way Home: The Jessica Long Story Sunday, February 23 Airs at 7/6c Nancy & Tonya “Storytelling has always been at the heart of everything we do at NBC Olympics,” said Mark Levy, SVP, Original Prodution & Creative, NBC Olympics. “And with every Games, we search for opportunities to share stories — some new, some old — that will resonate with viewers. This weekend’s films are inspiring, momentous, and astonishing. We think all are unforgettable and important stories to tell.”
In primetime Sunday, February 23, beginning at 7/6c, NBC presents the documentary Nancy & Tonya, in which Mary Carillo looks back at the events leading up to, during and following the ladies’ figure skating competition at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games. The documentary features an exclusive sit-down with Nancy Kerrigan and a one-on-one interview with Tonya Harding. For more information, click here.
Lokomotiv, narrated by Liev Schreiber, chronicles the tragic events surrounding Sept. 7, 2011, when an airplane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), crashed outside the Russian city of Yaroslavl, killing 44 of 45 people on board, including 37 players, coaches and staff. The documentary examines the tragedy, as well as the rebuilding of the team when the worldwide hockey community banded with the Russian city to revive one of hockey’s richest traditions. Lokomotiv premieres Saturday, February 22, during NBC’s daytime coverage at 2:30/1:30c. For more information, click here.
Long Way Home: The Jessica Long Story premieres within NBC Olympics primetime coverage on Saturday and profiles Jessica Long, a world-class swimmer, 12-time Paralympic gold medalist, and 21-year old American from a Baltimore suburb, who was born in Russia and adopted by American parents. The feature tracks Long’s journey from the States to Siberia – Baltimore to Bratsk – to meet her birth family.
There you have it.
