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Fingers crossed that the reported Notre Dame ‘Hard Knocks’ show is green-lighted

By Jonathan Bass

Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish mascot Leprechaun waves the team flag on the field against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish mascot Leprechaun waves the team flag on the field against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Notre Dame and Showtime are reportedly in talks for a Hard Knocks-type show.

UPDATE (3:03 p.m.)

The Notre Dame show is a go. Getcha popcorn ready, because on September 8 we could be in for a goodie.

ORIGINAL POST

The world of invasive football programing might be getting that much better, and with and Old School feel, to boot. Scott Rousel over at FootballScoop has reported that Showtime is in the final stage of negotiations with Notre Dame football to produce a Hard Knocks style documentary series.

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According to Rousel the show will start filming immediately, in order to catch the final three weeks of fall camp, and will debut on September 8. Airings of the proposed show would create a Tuesday night football block on Showtime, as it would bookend Inside the NFL.

Okay, let’s take a step back for a second, catch our breath and really dissect how awesome this is.

Program: B+

Of course it had to be the Irish. First off, Notre Dame has previously worked with Showtime on something similar with its basketball team. Secondly, Notre Dame is the big bad independent team slanging wherever it can. There is still (and likely will forever be) an interest in the Fighting Irish. It’s an iconic brand, and the name alone brings eyeballs.

Timing: C

Had filming begun, oh, a month ago this would’ve been absolutely incredible. We could’ve witnessed Everett Golson’s transfer parade play out from the inside. With only a few weeks left, much of the offseason drama is over. Sure, there are camp battles, but compared to many other programs across the nation, the Irish are rather blasé. Also, watching preseason camp footage three days after the team’s season-opener is a bit dull.

Intrigue: A+

There is strong boom-bust potential with this year’s team. They could land anywhere from being in the College Football Playoff finalist to sitting at 3-4 heading into the October 24 bye week. Notre Dame opens at home against Texas, a game whose outcome will go a long way to showing just what the team is made of.

Overall: B+

Watching Brian Kelly turn blue in the face is never not good television. And with him heading into a possible make-or-break season, that ups the ante. If Notre Dame goes on a serious run, then we have an insider’s look at the making of a potential champion. If they fall flat, then we have the television equivalent of a slow-motion car crash. All-in-all it’s a voyeur’s dream.

Teams we would’ve liked to have seen

  • Ohio State: Defending champion, quarterback battles, Urban Meyer videobombs galore
  • Florida State: Peek behind the curtain of a top-flight program that can’t keep off the back page
  • Alabama: One episode alone on Nick Saban’s robotic schedule would be worth an entire season
  • Michigan: All Harbaugh all the time

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