HBO’s “Hard Knocks” sports docuseries is expanding its scope for this year’s in-season edition. Unlike the three previous years, which followed one squad, the 2024 edition will follow an entire division’s worth of teams during the regular season.
“Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North” will chronicle the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL Films and HBO made the announcement on Monday.
The AFC North is a good choice to start this new format because it was the only division last season in which all four teams finished above .500 and three of them won 10 or more games, led by the Ravens’ conference-best 13–4 record.
The official release from NFL Films provides a reminder that three NFC North teams also have previous “Hard Knocks” history. The Ravens were the first team to be featured on the show in 2001. The Bengals appeared twice, in 2009 and 2013. And the Browns got the training camp showcase in 2018. For the Steelers, this will be their debut.
“Hard Knocks” began an in-season edition of the show during the 2021 season, following the Indianapolis Colts. Subsequent seasons have chronicled the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins. In two of those three cases, the show was fortunate to have chosen a team in a playoff race.
The 2024-25 NFL campaign will have three seasons of “Hard Knocks,” with the New York Giants being featured in the offseason, the Chicago Bears during training camp and the in-season edition following the AFC North.
Source Agencies
