Inside the NFL premieres on The CW Tuesday, September 5. It is the 47th season of the weekly program, and the first on The CW.
The show debuted on HBO in 1977, moved to Showtime in 2008, then Paramount Plus in 2021. So it is Inside the NFL’s first time on a free-to-all broadcast network, and Ross Ketover, executive producer, said the new home means “by far the most homes we’ve ever been on.” He also said its CW base represents “an opportunity for us to reinvent the show.”
Ryan Clark, who was a safety in the NFL from 2002 to 2014, then an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, is the new host. He is joined by former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder, former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnston and former Rams defensive end Chris Long, son of Howie Long.
Ketover, senior executive at NFL Films, said Clark “did an incredible job” at ESPN, and comes to Inside the NFL full of ideas, and with strong relationships around the league. “He has the insights and the passion to do something different that’s unlike anyone we’ve worked with before,” said Ketover. “He calls every day with new ideas.”
Ketover has been with the show for 28 years. For the first time, he said, it is fully produced at NFL Films, outside Philadelphia, after it previously had the studio portion produced by its partner network. The staples of Inside the NFL, including “smart talent making interesting commentary on the NFL,” remain the same, Ketover said. But producing the entire show, Ketover added, means enhanced access to players and coaches, including players wearing wires and coaches’ locker room speeches.
“Little tidbits of access,” he said, “can turn into a big, long conversation.”
Not many shows have had 47 seasons. Among the longer-running series, General Hospital has had 60 seasons and Sesame Street has had 53. The Simpsons will start season 35 this fall. NCIS has had 20 seasons and Grey’s Anatomy has been around for 19.
When The CW announced it had acquired Inside the NFL, Dennis Miller, network president, said: “For almost five decades, Inside the NFL has been an industry leader in showcasing can’t-miss weekly highlights, unprecedented behind-the-scenes content, exclusive access to players and lively discussion. By combining this premiere NFL content with our robust broadcast audience, we look forward to bringing this legendary sports series to more fans than ever before and to advertisers for the first time.”
With scripted shows hard to come by amidst the strike, Inside the NFL is a timely unscripted offering focused on a topic that viewers are wildly interested in.
The CW affiliates appear to be pumped about the rookie program. “Any time you put the NFL shield up on a product, you’re going to have people go find it, especially in this town,” KDAF Dallas VP and general manager Marc Hefner said. “It may take people a minute to find it, but once they find it, it’s appointment television.”
Ketover said “the incredible storylines don’t seem to end” in the NFL. “Everyone in every city feels like they have the most important storyline to cover.”
He has some thoughts on why the NFL remains a standout draw among American viewers. It is on just a couple days a week, it is America’s own contribution to the sports world, it is both physical and strategic, and weather adds to the “cinematic” nature of the game, Ketover said.
And most any team can beat its opponent on a given Sunday. “Any team, any year, can win a title,” Ketover said. “That fills every fan base with hope this time of year.”
