With the Mike and the Mad Dog ’30 for 30′ documentary on the way, it looks like we’re getting another reunion between former WFAN talk radio partners Mike Francesa and Chris Russo.
The event will take place July 6 at the SiriusXM studios, according to a release. It will take the form of a town hall meeting, with Francesa and Russo fielding questions from host Chazz Palminteri.
July 6th at 6pm ET- It's the Mike & the Mad Dog Town Hall featuring @MadDogUnleashed and Mike Francesa with guest host @chazzpalminteri!
— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) June 29, 2017
Our first thought here is that it’s a bit odd for Francesa and Russo to require a semi-famous moderator to stand between them, given that they’re both professional radio hosts. Maybe Palminteri, an Oscar-nominated actor, will be there to pull the two apart in case any disputes get heated.
The ’30 for 30′ documentary, which is set to air July 13 on ESPN, will likely be a central focus of conversation of this show. The film explores the origins of Mike and the Mad Dog, the sometimes rocky partnership between Francesa and Russo and the allegedly messy breakup in 2008.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu0A0oAfUvY
Pretty much since Francesa and Russo went their separate ways, viewers have been speculating about reunions and then—after getting some reunions—speculating about more reunions or even a renewed partnership.
Francesa and Russo have appeared on each other’s shows a handful of times over the years, most notably on simulcasts in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, they hosted a reunion show at Radio City Music Hall.
On one hand, it seems a little silly that Francesa and Russo are still promoting these joint shows, even nearly a decade after their breakup and several years after their first reunion. But to many New Yorkers who listened to Mike and the Mad Dog for years, there’s something magical about hearing their voices in the same place. That’s why this documentary exists, why Francesa and Russo keep getting together and why people somehow continue to care about them.
