There’s a lot of hype surrounding the Buffalo Bills, and the Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills premiere captures most of it. Episode 1 of the HBO and NFL Films series will hook sports fans who know nothing about the team or even the NFL—yet the premiere understandably is just scratching the surface.

Groundwork needs to be laid to explain who the Bills are and how their training camp is established to anyone who isn’t a die-hard football fan, and Episode 1 does that with reasonable efficiency. Audiences follow along as players arrive at St. John Fisher University and get settled into their dorm rooms, with the obligatory scenes of who packed what for their home away from home. If the point of the Buffalo Bills training camp is for the team to go “back to school,” as narrator Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) says, Episode 1 does a fantastic job at making the audience feel like they’re part of the class, too.

Hard Knocks has a well-established template by now, and the show’s editors are particularly on their A-game, as Episode 1 has a clear arc. Fans get to sit in on an opening-day meeting led by head coach Sean McDermott, in which he reminds his team of the values that have made the Bills champions of the AFC East. They also watch samples of meetings on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The process is just as important to the Bills’ success as individual talent, and the premiere doesn’t skimp on that. When it comes to off-field moments, the episode never lingers too long; these scenes add to the whole, rather than feeling like detours.

On that personal side, viewers won’t be surprised that Josh Allen is the first player to appear on-screen, even before the opening credits roll. Allen’s marriage to Hailee Steinfeld is mentioned near-immediately, and photos from the big day are seen in the episode. This is well-mined ground for sure—but Hard Knocks is playing to a wider audience that has been buzzing about Allen and Steinfeld for a long time. Allen handles the mention of his nuptials with his usual grace, and producers quickly pivot the focus back to football, as if to say “Got that out of the way, now let’s get back to what really matters.”

Much more time is spent with offensive tackle Dion Dawkins and his family, and as per usual, Dawkins lights up the screen whenever he appears. Dawkins will garner even more fans among TV viewers with his trademark high energy and just how genuine he is. A few minutes of screen time are devoted to his other passion of drift racing, which is fun (although fellow motorsports fans will laugh at Hard Knocks‘ use of the Motley Crue song “Kickstart My Heart,” which is currently FOX’s theme for the NTT IndyCar Series).

The best part of Episode 1, though, is bittersweet: it’s the relationship between first-round draft pick Maxwell Hairston and returning veteran Tre’Davious White. White is welcomed back to Buffalo with open arms, and he has a unique rapport with Hairston; the two are pushing one another, but White has been exactly where Hairston is. That spirit of cooperation even within competition is emblematic of the Bills—and when Hard Knocks captures Hairston’s injury, it’s heartbreaking because viewers have already become excited about this dynamic duo.

What Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills does best is capture the warmth that is throughout the organization, whether it’s from Allen, Dawkins, White or general manager Brandon Beane. That is what makes the Bills must-see TV. Hard Knocks Episode 1 establishes that while this squad is insanely talented, why people should care is because of the quality of people that they are. The series, just like the team, has its heart in the right place—and that’s why this has the potential to be the best season of Hard Knocks yet.

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and streams on HBO Max. Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.