HBO's 'Hard Knocks' to feature entire NFL division for first time, will follow AFC North race
Something new is coming to the in-season iteration of Hard Knocks in 2024.
The popular HBO series that typically charts the progress of one specific NFL team will for the first time feature an entire division, the AFC North. HBO and NFL Films announced the move Monday in a news release, and said the show will debut Tuesday, Dec. 3, with subsequent episodes airing the following Tuesdays.
The series will track the race for the AFC North title through the final six weeks of the 2024 regular season. The show will also extend into the postseason for coverage of the division winner and any wild-card representatives to come out of the AFC North. This also marks the first time that the Pittsburgh Steelers are involved in the production of a Hard Knocks series.
"Last season the AFC North became the first division ever to have all four teams finish with a winning record, making it the perfect place to launch this new approach to 'Hard Knocks,'" NFL Films vice president and head of content Keith Cossrow said Monday in a statement. "We thank the Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers for the opportunity to showcase some of the greatest rivalries in football and present the intensity of a playoff chase from all four corners of this incredibly competitive division."
The Ravens were the first team to ever be featured on Hard Knocks in 2001, while the Bengals (2009, 2013) and Browns (2018) have also been featured.
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This presents the latest expansion of the Hard Knocks franchise, which will also feature an offseason iteration this year, following the New York Giants. That version of the series premieres July 2, while the popular training camp version will debut Aug. 6, and will follow the Chicago Bears.