'Hard Knocks' Makes History in Upcoming Season 24

Mike Bloom

23 November 2024 at 10:54 am·4-min read

Hard Knocks has become synonymous with the NFL since the turn of the 21st century. Over 23 seasons and guided (most of the time) with expert narration from Liev Schreiber, it's granted football fans the opportunity to follow their favorite teams and players off the field. 2024 has already been an experimental year for the HBO series, for the first time covering a team in the off-season as well as training camp. And that unprecedented streak continues, as the upcoming Season 24 will depict not only one team, but four.

Here's everything to know about Season 24 of Hard Knocks, including the premiere, stars, and if we're bound to see any Travis Kelce cameos.

When does Hard Knocks Season 24 premiere?

Hard Knocks Season 24 kicks off on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

What team will be the focus of Hard Knocks Season 24?

Hard Knocks history is being made! Branded Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North, the docuseries will actually focus on a staggering four NFL teams. In the spotlight will be all the teams in the AFC North division, which sports the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Ravens have a long history with Hard Knocks, the first team featured in the original training camp series in 2001. The Bengals made two appearances in 2009 and 2013, while the Cleveland Browns were featured in 2018. This season will mark the Steelers’ Hard Knocks debut.

"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," Keith Cossrow, VP and Head of Content at NFL Films, said. "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."

When do episodes of Hard Knocks air?

New episodes of Hard Knocks air Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

When is the Hard Knocks Season 24 finale?

A finale date for Hard Knocks Season 24 has yet to be announced. However, HBO has said they plan to run episodes into January 2025, covering at least some of the postseason in the lead-up to the Super Bowl.

Will Hard Knocks Season 24 cover the Super Bowl?

If one of the AFC North teams makes it all the way to the end of the postseason and the Super Bowl, there's a good chance Hard Knocks will cover at least the majority of the journey there. But all rights to the "big game" lies with CBS and Viacom this year, meaning there's only a slim chance we'll see any fallout from the NFL season-ender.

Will Travis Kelce be on Hard Knocks?

Becoming perhaps the most famous player in the NFL today, fans of "Tayvis" will unfortunately not be able to check out much of a spotlight on Travis Kelce on Hard Knocks. However, Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs will play the Browns on Dec. 15 and the Steelers on Christmas Day, meaning the Super Bowl Champs will get at least a little bit of airtime on the series.

What teams have never appeared on Hard Knocks?

Across 24 seasons, only seven have never appeared as the focus of Hard Knocks. They are: New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders. The Steelers had previously not appeared on the series until this upcoming season.

Has any team that's appeared on Hard Knocks won the Super Bowl?

Surprisingly, no! There's a bit of a "Hard Knocks curse" in the NFL, in that no team that is the focus of a Hard Knocks season has gone on to win the Super Bowl that year. In fact, no team has even made the Super Bowl when they get spotlighted on the HBO series.

Do NFL players get paid for Hard Knocks?

Yes! In addition to the salary they make for their efforts on the gridiron, any NFL players shown as the focus of a season of Hard Knocks are compensated for the coverage. That means HBO will be doling out four times their usual payments for this season!