The Bronx is Burning

Based on Jonathan Mahler's non-fiction bestseller Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is Burning, this eight-part miniseries recounts baseball's triumph over the turmoil and hysteria of 1977 New York City, and how one team - the New York Yankees - came to embody all of the hopes and fears of an unforgettable summer.

Yankee superstar Reggie Jackson and manager Billy Martin are locked in a perpetual state of warfare. Jackson was a perfect foil for the scrappy Martin, the hero of New York's fed-up working-class and a powerful reminder of the team's - and the city's - less complicated past. While owner George Steinbrenner was providing General Patton-style leadership, he was intent on keeping his promise to the people of New York of delivering a World Series title.

The series will also focus on the grip of hysteria caused by "Son of Sam," New York's first serial killer in 40 years; a bitter mayoral race involving Ed Koch, Mario Cuomo and Bella Abzug; and a city-wide blackout in the middle of a scorching summer heat wave. All these braided stories tell the narrative history of a time of survival but also one of hope. Just when it looked like New York was down for the count, the city rose from the dead, motivated by an inspirational climax one late October night. (Source: ESPN)