'Hard Knocks in Season: The Arizona Cardinals' finds an unlikely TV star in Budda Baker

Good TV is dependent upon good characters.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a prestige drama like “Succession” or one of the ever-growing number of “Real Housewives” reality shows. If viewers don’t have someone to care about, the show is sunk.

That’s always been true of the “Hard Knocks” franchise, the HBO Max series that goes behind the scenes of a different NFL team each season during training camp. This season it was the Detroit Lions.

Last season the network also introduced a mid-season version, and Wednesday night “Hard Knocks in Season: The Arizona Cardinals” kicked off. (The Indianapolis Colts were featured last year.)

It’s a somewhat uneven episode, not surprising since it starts in the middle of the season and follows a team that, let’s face it, isn’t very good right now. The show casts about a bit, seemingly searching for a compelling storyline involving a team that isn’t exactly overflowing with them.

Tuning in: How to watch 'Hard Knocks in Season: The Arizona Cardinals' 

Even with Kyler Murray and J.J. Watt, Budda Baker stands out

The Cardinals are currently 3-6 and sitting in the basement of the NFC West, but one thing they do have is star power. Kyler Murray is the franchise quarterback, an exciting player who signed a gargantuan contract. J.J. Watt is a future Hall of Fame defensive end who seems to be the definition of a good dude. So, who would step up in the first episode?

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Budda Baker.

The Cardinals’ safety emerges as the sleeper star. Baker comes off as the kind of player you want, on the field and off. Whether it’s coaches and teammates marveling at Baker’s work ethic and on-field savagery, or him talking to his younger sister about her desire to go to Arizona State University.

After the Cardinals’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Baker sits on the couch with his sister after the game. She tells him she's starving.

“I’m not hungry at all,” he says. “I’m mad. We lost.”

'Hard Knocks': DeAndre Hopkins, Budda Baker among highlights in Episode 1 with Arizona Cardinals

The film followed the Cardinals from their 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 30 through their preparation for and play against the Seahawks on Nov. 6. There is a lot of talk about the urgency of a victory against Seattle, about how important it is that the team gets hot at this point in the season.

“Really, the season comes down to the next three games,” Dave Pasch, the Cardinals’ great radio play-by-play announcer, says during the broadcast of a game.

“There’s no more leeway, no more wiggle room,” Kliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals’ head coach, says.

Then a dose of reality from the narrator: “The hard truth is that so far the 2022 Cardinals haven’t been good enough.”

Good call: At home with Dave Pasch in Arizona:  'Ready for anything'

Finally, we get a look inside Kliff Kingsbury's swell house

If Baker is the lead actor here, Kingsbury has a major supporting role. We see him inside the house made famous for football fans on draft night in 2020, when Kingsbury sat watching TV and computer monitors in front of a spacious glass wall.

It’s a pretty swell place — Kingsbury paid more than he wanted to for it, he says, laughing.

A quick aside: It seems as if there is always someone who curses a lot every season. Kingsbury fills that role and then some this time, tossing around F-bombs like partygoers tossing beads at Mardi Gras. It’s hilarious.

All the preparation and personality pieces built up to the game on Sunday. The Cardinals start out fast but fade, losing 31-21 and robbing Baker of his appetite.

Unfortunately the Cardinals also lost Baker, who will be out at least through the team’s upcoming game with the LA Rams on Sunday with a high ankle sprain. It’s a devastating blow to the Cardinals on the field. But depending on how the show incorporates his injury and rehab, it could be compelling viewing, watching him try to come back as soon as possible.

That’s the nature of reality TV, and the nature of “Hard Knocks.” You need some kind of storyline, something to follow, something to keep you hooked. The Cardinals are going to struggle to provide that on the field. But even when injured, Baker might provide enough reason to keep watching.

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'Hard Knocks in Season: The Arizona Cardinals'

8 p.m. Arizona time Wednesdays on HBO and HBO Max.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Hard Knocks in Season: The Arizona Cardinals' has an unlikely star