For the first time in its history "Hard Knocks," the Emmy-winning collaboration between HBO and NFL Films, is going to feature two professional football teams: the one that belongs in Los Angeles and the one that's renting in Los Angeles.
The Rams and Chargers will both have camera crews outlining their training camps as they prepare for the 2020 season. The Rams were on the show in 2016. This is the first appearance for the Chargers but they have one very important person involved who's been through this before.
“Having been part of "Hard Knocks" before when I was with the New York Jets (in 2010), my biggest takeaway from that whole experience was that you get out of it what you put into it,” says Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn. “We didn’t have a problem providing access because we built a relationship with the crew. There was a mutual trust that exists to this day with those people, and many of them will actually be working on this year’s show. Broadcasting your internal business all over the world isn’t something you regularly want to do, but in a year with as many challenges as this one has had, I’m glad we can be part of bringing football back to the fans this summer.”
One of the agreements teams make when they consent to be on the show is to allow access to areas that NFL franchises usually guard like Fort Knox. Camera crews get to go to players’ and coaches’ meeting rooms, training rooms, living quarters, offices and practice fields. Basically every aspect of life in the facility is recorded.
“We are looking forward to having Hard Knocks in our camp this year,” says Rams Head Coach Sean McVay. “Hard Knocks always offers a rare opportunity for our fans to see our players’ hard work to prepare for the season, as well as gives them a peek behind the curtain to observe these guys off the field, too. This year will be special because the show will also get an unprecedented look at SoFi Stadium, Stan Kroenke’s vision for professional football in L.A.”
As for how much of each team will be featured during every one hour program, that will likely be determined as training camp progresses. The show is edited as it's shot, following story lines as they unfold so there's really no script to follow. The most interesting and colorful characters and compelling position battles will get the most air time.
The 2020 season of "Hard Knocks" will be five episodes long, starting, August 11 and ending on September 8.
