‘Homecoming: The Tokyo Series’ Set as CNN’s First Exclusive Streaming Release

In an exclusive release for CNN’s new streaming service, Homecoming: The Tokyo Series is set to make its streaming debut on Friday, March 27, delivering the tale of a sport that stirs global passion directly to audiences’ living rooms.

Directed and produced by Jason Sterman, the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker known for his work on series like The Bear (2022-present) and films including the critically lauded 2016 documentary 13th, Homecoming: The Tokyo Series grants baseball fans an inside look into how America’s national pastime became a Japanese cultural tradition molded by ritual, discipline, and devotion.

Set against the backdrop of Major League Baseball’s Tokyo Series, where world-famous players like Shohei Ohtani return to their home turf to play in season-opening games, the documentary offers a cinematic, ground-level portrait of the players, fans, craftspeople, and families who nurture baseball’s enduring legacy. Capturing intimate moments across generations and communities throughout Japan, Homecoming: The Tokyo Series reveals the ways in which baseball has been reimagined and infused with uniquely Japanese values. As the series unfolds, these human stories merge with anticipatory emotions, highlighting the sport’s boundary-transcending power.

“MLB’s Tokyo Series reminds us that baseball’s borders keep expanding, and this film is about what happens when a game becomes a culture,” said Sterman. “From master craftsmen to Little League families, the people we filmed don’t just play baseball, they’ve transformed it into something deeply their own. It’s a story that transcends sport, and CNN films has always known how to bring stories like this to audiences.”

As the first feature documentary to premiere exclusively on CNN’s new streaming service, Homecoming: The Tokyo Series highlights baseball’s global resonance: “At CNN Films, we’re drawn to projects that reveal something essential about the world, and Homecoming does that through the lens of sport,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent at CNN Originals and creative development for CNN Worldwide. “This film captures how baseball extends beyond the field, connecting cultures and communities around the world.”

Homecoming: The Tokyo Series will begin streaming on Friday, March 27, exclusively for CNN subscribers. Watch the trailer above.