Hard Knocks is sticking around for the long haul.
HBO Sports, NFL Media and NFL Films announced Monday that they have agreed to a long-term extension of the popular television series.
"The Hard Knocks franchise continues to thrive as the preeminent sports reality series," said HBO Sports executive VP Peter Nelson, per Medium.com. "The partnership between HBO, the NFL and its teams, along with NFL Films, has consistently produced unrivaled and groundbreaking television programming. We are thrilled that HBO will remain the series' home."
Debuting in 2001, Hard Knocks has become the most-acclaimed sports reality franchise on television, giving fans an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at how NFL franchises operate from the ground up.
"HBO is really the perfect home for Hard Knocks, and we couldn't be happier to continue our partnership with them around this award-winning franchise," said NFL Films Senior Executive Ross Ketover. "Hard Knocks prides itself on inside access and production excellence, and those are two qualities that both HBO Sports and NFL Films try to focus on in all of our programming."
With this year's five-episode season scheduled launch on Tuesday, Aug. 8 -- with a team still yet to be named -- fans of Hard Knocks can rest assured that the wildly successful show is here to stay.