The beloved Hard Knocks series has unfortunately seen a downturn in recent years as teams become more and more resistant to the groundbreaking innovation and insights that the behind-the-scenes filmmaking promised.
The most recent version last training camp featuring the Buffalo Bills felt restrictive and unsatisfying, almost to the point where it could have been produced by the team itself. And it has everyone asking whether the series has lost its juice, especially considering the fantastic offseason version was too candid for its own good and has yet to return.
With the NFL well coming up dry, NFL Films is taking Hard Knocks in a completely different direction – towards the world of golf.
NFL Films will partner with PGA Tour Studios on a brand new original production that will center on this week’s edition of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. The unofficial fifth major is the flagship event of the PGA Tour and in a series of announcements surrounding the tournament, the PGA Tour revealed the new all-access show called Chasing Sunday.
PGA TOUR Studios and NFL Films are partnering on an original production, modeled after the successful “Hard Knocks” series, that will give fans an inside look at THE PLAYERS through unprecedented, week-long access to stars in the field who have agreed to be mic’d up before and during the competition. A teaser trailer for the all-access showcase of the TOUR’s flagship event will air on Championship Sunday across PGA TOUR and NFL channels featuring the complete roster of participating stars. Fans should stay tuned to PGA TOUR channels on Sunday morning, March 15, for even more exciting updates from PGA TOUR Studios.
The PGA Tour has done a lot in recent years to try to market the game better and make it more accessible. This is another step in that direction. While it hasn’t reached the cultural heights of Formula 1’s Drive to Survive, the Full Swing docuseries on Netflix has been a great platform for the tour and its players to build better relationships with fans, both hardcore and casual alike.
The timing of Chasing Sunday and just how quick NFL Films and the PGA Tour will turn it around remains to be seen. And it will be interesting to see where it will be broadcast – whether on HBO like the original Hard Knocks, Netflix, or one of the tour’s other television partners. While the NFL may seem like it has washed its hands of the concept, at least other sports are still willing to let the cameras in for some intimate storytelling.
But as always in modern sports documentaries, it will only be as good as the filmmakers allow it to be. If it’s a finely dressed PR fluff piece, it will be completely forgettable. But if it authentically shows the drama, tension, triumph, and heartbreak of the tournament without sugarcoating any of it, then it could be appointment viewing.