HBO has settled on the Miami Dolphins as the subject for its behind-the-scenes reality series Hard Knocks,the network announced Tuesday.
The five-episode series, which follows an NFL team through its preseason training camp, will kick off its seventh season on Aug. 7. Subsequent episodes of the series, which previously aired on Wednesdays, will air on consecutive Tuesdays this season, said HBO.
The Dolphins, which will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its perfect season, join the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets as teams profiled on the Sports Emmy Award-winning series. The Dolphins agreed to appear on the show after other teams such as the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins reportedly turned down invitations to appear on the series.
"We are delighted that Hard Knocks will be returning this summer and placing the spotlight on the Miami Dolphins, a venerable franchise that had an exciting off-season activity," says Ken Hershman, president, HBO Sports, in a statement. "This marks the first time that the series has featured a first-year head coach (Joe Philbin) and we are extremely grateful to both Coach Philbin and the entire organization for agreeing to participate. As always, there will be plenty on the line for veterans, free agents and rookies."
