HBO and NFL Films have announced that the Chicago Bears will be the featured team on this summer’s training camp edition of Hard Knocks. The five-episode series will premiere on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and will also be available to stream on Max. New episodes will debut on Tuesdays through Sept. 3 ahead of the start of the NFL’s regular season. Liev Schrieber will narrate the Bears’ edition of the series, which marks his 18th season on the program.
“We are honored to feature such an iconic NFL franchise on ‘Hard Knocks,’” Shannon Furman, senior director and supervising producer at NFL Films, said in a statement. “The Chicago Bears have a talented roster, coaching staff and front office all determined to match the expectations of a hungry fanbase. We are thankful to the entire organization for opening their doors to us for what is sure to be an exciting training camp.”
“‘Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears’ will provide our passionate fans across the world the ability to experience this unique and critical time in the history of our franchise,” Kevin Warren, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Bears, said in a statement.
The Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft and aim to qualify for the NFL Playoffs for the first time since 2020 with a dynamic young core and skilled veterans. In the year prior, the team had traded the No. 1 overall draft selection to the Carolina Panthers and received several draft picks in return, one of which ended up being the No. 1 selection in this past draft. Entering the 2024 season, the team is coming off three consecutive losing finishes and trying to execute a rebuild with the hope of securing its second Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
Aside from the Chicago Bears, the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos were the other two teams eligible for being forced to participate on the show. The National Football League recently refined its criteria by narrowing the timeframe from having previously participated from 10 years to eight, along with removing the exception made for teams that have recently made the playoffs.
This summer’s iteration of the show will mark the first time the Bears franchise is featured on Hard Knocks, which follows editions of the show last year featuring the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. Moreover, the New York Giants were revealed to be the featured team as part of the first offseason edition of the series, which premieres on July 2 at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
“The 2024 training camp will be big for us in preparation for achieving our season goals,” Ryan Poles, general manager of the Chicago Bears, said in a statement, “and we look forward to bringing the fans at home along for the journey.
“Our players, coaches and staff are excited to continue the process of building for the 2024 season,” Matt Eberflus, head coach of the Chicago Bears, said in a statement.
