For the first time ever, television's most acclaimed sports documentary franchise will chronicle an entire NFL division with "Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North," debuting Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. on HBO and available to stream on Max. New episodes will premiere on subsequent Tuesdays through the end of the NFL regular season and continue into the NFL playoffs in January 2025.
"Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North" will document the battle for the AFC North crown during the final six weeks of the NFL season, as well as a playoff run for the division-winner and any AFC North Wild Card teams.
"We don't think — we know — this is the best division in football," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. "I understand why it's an attractive pick for Hard Knocks and it's an honor to be part of a division that people think so highly of. We have an exciting team with a lot of really talented players and good team guys. They are players that the league is excited about, so this exposure is a positive."
"Last season, the AFC North became the first division (since 1935) to have all four teams finish with a winning record, making it the perfect place to launch this new approach to Hard Knocks," said Keith Cossrow, NFL Films vice president and head of content. "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 Baltimore Ravens were the first team featured on the original "Hard Knocks" training camp series in 2001. Since then, the Cincinnati Bengals have starred in the summer show in 2009 and 2013, and the Cleveland Browns in 2018, while the Pittsburgh Steelers will be making their debut appearance.
Last month it was announced that "Hard Knocks" will now be covering the NFL offseason with "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants," debuting Tuesday, July 2, and will feature the Chicago Bears on the long-running training camp edition of the show, "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears," debuting Tuesday, Aug. 6. With this announcement, "Hard Knocks" will officially cover every part of the NFL season: offseason, training camp, regular season and playoffs.
