First Call: ESPN's 'Lance' documentary isn't 'The Last Dance.' And that's OK.

For Monday’s “First Call,” we review Episode 1 of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about Lance Armstrong.

“Lance” depicts the complicated story of the cancer-beating, EPO-using, self-absorbed cycling champion-turned-cautionary tale.

And if you are coming to the 9 p.m. Sunday time slot to find the sequel Michael Jordan’s “The Last Dance” documentary, look elsewhere.

That’s not what this is.

That doesn’t make it bad. Just different.

This is much more a profile of Armstrong, specifically, as opposed to a chronicle of an era.

That’s as expected. Jordan was the ultimate individual star in a team sport. Armstrong was an individual athlete on a “team” in only the most loosely interpreted way. He was an individual icon. Period.

Hence, the dynamic of storytelling is completely different. Maybe that’s why ESPN is producing only two, two-hour installments as opposed to the 10-hour epic the network rolled out for “The Last Dance.”

On one hand, Armstrong is almost as compelling as Jordan in his storytelling. They do it in a very similar way.

Both men can spin a yarn with a lot of color, clarity and conviction. They both brashly — and shamelessly — embrace their own narcissism while giving it a big, wet, opened-mouthed kiss.

Inherently, though, this program is disadvantaged compared to the Jordan piece. For a few reasons.

It’s a program about one guy. And while Armstrong is almost as compelling as Jordan, no one really knows anything about the people around him in the piece.

Sure. If you really paid attention to the Tour de France back in the day, the names Frankie Andreu, George Hincapie and Tyler Hamilton may produce a fleeting memory.

Yet Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson helped move that story along. They are almost as recognizable as Jordan himself — let alone cameos from the likes of Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson.

Essentially, the supporting cast of that show was almost good as the leading man himself. The other cyclists in the Armstrong piece have been intriguing and remarkably well-spoken. Unfortunately, we barely know who they are.

Secondly, there’s one major thing that the Jordan documentary had going for it that Armstrong’s doesn’t.

Video.

Jordan’s filmmakers had 15 years of stunning highlights of him soaring through the air and making remarkable shots. His YouTube reel ostensibly was a visual soundtrack. A binding thread that heightened the emotions of the series and advanced its pace.

Especially those early highlights from pre-championship years. That’s when Jordan was at his most dynamic. They were so long ago — and not overplayed — that we may have forgotten about a few of them.

In other words, the “B-sides” of Jordan’s best albums are almost as good as his greatest hits.

What does “Lance” have? Lots of footage of him cycling around European countrysides.

Yawn.

One other thing. Jordan was simultaneously “Space Jam” superhero and totalitarian dictator. That was interesting to watch unfold. There’s a lot of that in Armstrong, too.

“The Last Dance” was chock full of other “bad guys” to help add depth. Isiah Thomas, Miller, Jerry Krause, the Knicks, the media.

Even renowned evil ogres LaBradford Smith and George Karl.

Who knew!?

Who are the other antagonists in the Armstrong doc? More or less, it’s just the institution of cycling as a whole.

Meh.

Again, none of this makes the Armstrong story bad. It isn’t. At all. I liked it a lot. And I’ll be watching the second part next Sunday.

But this is its own thing. Not the 11th episode of the Michael Jordan story.