If you’ve ever thought, “Man, I’d love to see a Hard Knocks-style series on a college football team,” Showtime and Notre Dame are ready to oblige.
Filming for A Season with Notre Dame Football is set to begin immediately, presumably with the start of two-a-day practices in South Bend on Wednesday. The series will consists of 12 half-hour episodes, debuting on Sept. 8, following the Fighting Irish’s home opener versus the University of Texas on Sept. 5.
“A Season With Notre Dame” premieres 9/8, chronicling a full season with the @FightingIrish @ASeasonWith #TCA15 pic.twitter.com/c6atvzdVNe
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) August 11, 2015
According to FootballScoop, Showtime will run the show on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET, following Inside the NFL. Though the SEC and Big Ten have let cameras follow a team through camp or during a particular week, this is the first time a college football team will have an entire season chronicled in a series.
“We’re honored and thrilled to be granted access to profile a college football program with a legacy as storied and as fascinating as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish,” Showtime Sports executive vice president and general manager Stephen Espinoza said in an official release. “The passion of the players and head coach Brian Kelly will make for a compelling television series that will appeal beyond hardcore college football fans to all viewers who appreciate great storytelling.”
Kelly seems like a coach that could be fascinating to follow in a documentary series, if he opens up a bit to the cameras. Showtime crews will almost certainly catch him blowing up at practice, but watching how he works with his quarterbacks and details game plans might make for some compelling television.
Of course, it’s the players that usually make these types of shows entertaining, whether through their personalities or individual stories, either detailing their backgrounds or their journeys through a training camp and season. Hopefully, Showtime won’t have to force the issue by trying to make someone more interesting than they might actually be. Following college players will also include an on-campus and classroom component that we haven’t seen on Hard Knocks.
Last year, Notre Dame went 8-5 and returns 19 starters for this season. The Fighting Irish begin the season ranked No. 11 in the coaches’ poll. The 2015 schedule also includes a game at Fenway Park for the annual match-up with Boston College.
Showtime and Notre Dame athletics have teamed up before, with the network following the Fighting Irish basketball team as it prepared for last season’s NCAA Tournament in a documentary titled Hoops U.
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About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.