The Best Episodes of 30 for 30 Season 3
Every episode of 30 for 30 Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of 30 for 30 Season 3!
30 for 30 is the umbrella title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN and its sister networks and online properties. The series, which highlights people and events in the sports world that have generally received small amounts of attention, has featured two "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011-2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website.
Season 3 Ratings Summary
The best episode of "30 for 30" season 3 is "Trojan War", rated 7.1/10 from 736 user votes. It was directed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and written by N/A. "Trojan War" aired on 10/13/2015 and is rated 0.4 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "The Prince of Pennsylvania".
7.1/10 736 votes#1 - Trojan War
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 10/13/2015
A profile of the rise and fall of USC Trojans football during Pete Carroll's coaching tenure in the 2000s.
Director: Aaron Rahsaan Thomas
Writer: N/A
7.5/10 839 votes#2 - The Prince of Pennsylvania
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 10/20/2015
An exploration of the turbulent relationship between Olympic wrestling brothers Mark and Dave Schultz and their eccentric benefactor, John du Pont, culminating in the murder of Dave by du Pont.
Director: Jesse Vile
Writer: N/A
6.9/10 446 votes#3 - The Gospel According to Mac
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 11/3/2015
A look at how Bill McCartney mixed two religions—college football and evangelical Christianity—while serving as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes in the 1990s, a tenure that included a national championship.
Director: Jim Podhoretz
Writer: N/A
7.5/10 938 votes#4 - Chasing Tyson
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 11/10/2015
A look at how Evander Holyfield spent years (1989–91 & 1995–96) trying to arrange his first fight with Mike Tyson in an effort to gain the respect he knew he could only gain by defeating Tyson in the ring.
Director: Steven Cantor
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 1,435 votes#5 - Four Falls Of Buffalo
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 12/12/2015
A profile of the Buffalo Bills teams of the early 1990s, when the franchise became the first team to play in—and lose—four consecutive Super Bowls.
Director: Ken Rodgers
Writer: N/A
8.2/10 1,010 votes#6 - The '85 Bears
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 2/4/2016
A 30-year retrospective on the 1985 Chicago Bears, from how they were assembled to their swaggering, dominant run to Super Bowl victory.
Director: Jason Hehir
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 1,254 votes#7 - Fantastic Lies
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 3/13/2016
A 10-year retrospective of the Duke lacrosse case, in which a party thrown by members of the school's men's lacrosse team led to an accusation of rape—a claim that, though later proven to be false, ignited both a firestorm that damaged the school's prestige and an investigation that ruined careers.
Director: Marina Zenovich
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 1,215 votes#8 - This Magic Moment
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 4/14/2016
A profile of the Orlando Magic teams of the mid-1990s, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, who gained prominence both on the NBA hardwoods and in popular culture, before Shaq's departure to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency and injury issues for Penny ended the Magic's budding dynasty before it could ever take flight.[62]
Director: Gentry Kirby, Erin Leyden
Writer: N/A
7.3/10 733 votes#9 - Believeland
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 5/14/2016
A look at the sports curse that befell Cleveland since the NFL's Browns last brought a major pro sports championship to the Ohio city in 1964. The film debuted one month before LeBron James and the Cavaliers' won the 2016 NBA Finals, after which the film was re-released with an updated ending on June 30, 2016.[64]
Director: Andrew Billman
Writer: N/A
7.2/10 632 votes#10 - Doc & Darryl
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 7/14/2016
The connection between the lives and careers of former New York Mets Dwight "Doc" Gooden and Darryl Strawberry.
Director: Michael Bonfiglio, Judd Apatow
Writer: N/A
6.9/10 605 votes#11 - Phi Slama Jama
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 10/18/2016
A profile of the iconic Houston Cougars men's basketball teams of the 1980s, fronted by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, whose explosive play and highlight-making slam dunks earned the team the nickname Phi Slama Jama.
Director: Chip Rives
Writer: N/A
6.8/10 414 votes#12 - Hit It Hard
Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 11/1/2016
A look at John Daly's rise from obscurity to two major golf championship wins and fall back to mediocrity.
Director: David Fine, Gabe Spitzer
Writer: N/A
7.2/10 660 votes#13 - Catholics Vs Convicts
Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 12/10/2016
A look at the notorious 1988 Notre Dame–Miami football game and its personal and cultural impact. Creadon was a senior at Notre Dame when the game took place; his roommate that year was one of the people behind the controversial t-shirt that gave the game and the film its name. (2 hours in length)
Director: Patrick Creadon
Writer: N/A
7.2/10 777 votes#14 - This Was the XFL
Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 2/2/2017
Two longtime friends, pro wrestling impresario Vince McMahon and NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol (Charlie Ebersol's father), team to form the XFL; the film follows the league's rushed development, its innovative approaches to televised football, and its rapid implosion. The ending foreshadows McMahon's plans to launch a new XFL in 2020 and the Ebersols' upcoming involvement in the competing Alliance of American Football in 2019.
Director: Charlie Ebersol
Writer: N/A
6.8/10 431 votes#15 - One and Not Done
Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 4/13/2017
The life and career of John Calipari, one of the most polarizing figures in modern college basketball, weaving his story around that of his 2015–16 Kentucky team.
Director: Jonathan Hock
Writer: N/A
8.2/10 879 votes#16 - Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies - Part 1
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 6/11/2017
A three-part series, initially airing on consecutive nights, exploring the Celtics–Lakers rivalry, focusing mainly on the 1980s era of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson but also examining the entire history of the NBA through the rivalry. (Parts 1 & 3: 2 hours in length; Part 2: 1 hour in length)
Director: Jim Podhoretz
Writer: N/A
8.2/10 787 votes#17 - Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies - Part 2
Season 3 Episode 17 - Aired 6/13/2017
The Celtics-Lakers rivalry ramps up in the 1984 Finals as a cast of characters–led by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson–who changed the NBA finally went head-to-head for a title. Directed by Jim Podhoretz and produced by Jonathan Hock.
Director: Jim Podhoretz
Writer: N/A
8.2/10 725 votes#18 - Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies - Part 3
Season 3 Episode 18 - Aired 6/14/2017
Conclusion of a look at the 1980s Celtics-Lakers rivalry, focusing on the three years after the 1984 NBA Finals, as the teams’ disdain for each other gradually turns to respect while meeting in two more Finals. From filmmakers Jim Podhoretz and Jon Hock.
Director: Jim Podhoretz
Writer: N/A
6.1/10 432 votes#19 - Mike and the Mad Dog
Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 7/13/2017
The careers of Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, their stormy 19-year partnership on New York City radio; and the duo's influence on their Big Apple audience and sports talk radio in general.
Director: Daniel H. Forer
Writer: N/A
7.1/10 943 votes#20 - George Best: All by Himself
Season 3 Episode 20 - Aired 7/20/2017
George Best, Northern Ireland's legendary star, remains one of the most naturally gifted soccer players ever. Best's skill and exuberance lifted Manchester United, but his career was essentially over before he turned 29, the result of his battle with alcoholism.
Director: Daniel Gordon
Writer: N/A
7.2/10 440 votes#21 - What Carter Lost
Season 3 Episode 21 - Aired 8/26/2017
In any other year, the 1988 team from Dallas's Carter High School would have gone down as one of the greatest in Texas football history, featuring 28 players who received college scholarship offers, eight of whom would eventually play professional football. Fighting off racial prejudice and a grades controversy—not to mention the team that would overshadow them in book and film (Odessa Permian)—Carter would claim the state title, only to be rocked to their core when six of their players were involved in an armed robbery that's affected the community's reputation to this day; the grades controversy would ultimately lead the UIL to strip the team of the title.
Director: Adam Hootnick
Writer: N/A
7.3/10 449 votes#22 - Year of the Scab
Season 3 Episode 22 - Aired 9/12/2017
During the 1987 players' strike, the Washington Redskins field a roster of replacement players that goes 3–0 and helps pave the way for the Redskins' Super Bowl victory. Thirty years on, those players bear the stigma of being dismissed as "scabs" by fans in general and Redskins management in particular.
Director: John Dorsey
Writer: N/A
7.3/10 537 votes#23 - Tommy
Season 3 Episode 23 - Aired 9/13/2017
The unlikely rise and sudden fall of boxer Tommy Morrison.
Director: Gentry Kirby, Erin Leyden
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 1,245 votes#24 - Nature Boy
Season 3 Episode 24 - Aired 11/7/2017
The life and times of professional wrestling legend Ric Flair.
Director: Rory Karpf
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 615 votes#25 - The Two Bills
Season 3 Episode 25 - Aired 2/1/2018
A look at the relationship between NFL coaches Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. Co-produced with NFL Films.
Director: Ken Rodgers
Writer: N/A