Bear Digest

McCaskeys Succeed at Keeping Hard Knocks 'G-Rated'

Analysis: Bears ownership eventually allowed Hard Knocks at Halas Hall but the program is being cleansed of foul language to suit the McCaskeys' tastes.

Gene Chamberlain

Hard Knocks has cleaned up this show's language at the request of the McCaskey family, according to CHGO sports.
Hard Knocks has cleaned up this show's language at the request of the McCaskey family, according to CHGO sports. / Gene Chamberlain Photo | BearsOnSI
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One of the attractions about HBO in its early days was the ability to watch programming unedited for television, with cursing, sex and graphic violence included.

Over the course of time, other cable networks and programming, and streaming, some of this novelty wore off. But it's still largely true.

The Bears have apparently been able to clean it all up.

According to a report by Adam Hoge of CHGO, HBO's Hard Knocks has been cleaned up to not use profanity at the request of the McCaskey ownership family.

"I'll be honest, this team curses much less than any other team I've been around, but it is out of respect for the McCaskey family," Hard Knocks director Shannon Furman told Hoge. "It's something that they don't do and wouldn't want to see it, so it's kind of a decision that was made out of respect for them letting us in their house and wanting to be respectful to them."

Considering how long the Bears and McCaskeys wanted to avoid the show, it's a good move by HBO and what's wrong with a little decency for a change?

"People in the Midwest are just really nice," Furman told CHGO. "Different audience than the New York audience we had last year."

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Whether there is less cursing with the Bears than other teams is a matter of opinion, although there have certainly been teams they had in the past that definitely were more foul-mouthed.

If they have more people considerate enough to clean up the programming, maybe they won't need TV-MA in the future.

The first Bears episode was the second-most watched premere, and Forman called it "shocking," considering they went up against the Olympics and that the ratings generally are not as good since the streaming era started.


Forman said it showed her how passionate Bears fans are.

"I knew they were but that really kind of hammered it home," she told CHGO.

The fourth episode of the five-episode season airs on Tuesday night after the third one might have been the best overall of the three to have been aired.

The show's behind-the-scenes look at Ryan Poles' attempt to trade for Matthew Judon provided real clarity on the situation beyond some of the sketchy reports that came out earlier claiming the former Patriots edge rusher didn't want to go to Chicago and wanted to go to Atlanta. Poles made it clear he wasn't finalizing a trade if they couldn't get the extension done because he didn't want a holdout possibility.

Also of interest in the third episode was the Caleb Williams meeting with Matt Eberflus, excellent footage from the rainy practice with the Bengals and how Williams couldn't hear plays being sent in during Saturday's game with Cincinnati because the helmet mic went out ... once again.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.