Getty Browns QB Deshaun Watson stands on the field with head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The Cleveland Browns‘ revamped docuseries “Unleashed” premieres on Tuesday, March 21, but fans can get a sneak peek in the official trailer that was released on March 16 on the Browns’ YouTube channel. It is also embedded below.
‘Unleashed’ Docuseries Is a Revamped ‘Building the Browns’
According to Browns’ executive vice president of media and digital content J.W. Johnson, “Unleashed” is the revamped version of “Building the Browns,” the behind-the-scenes docuseries that has won several local Emmy Awards. The reason for the revamping of the docuseries is because of the natural evolution the Browns themselves have made in recent years and they want to docuseries to reflect that change.
Johnson made the announcement about the rebranding on Cleveland Browns Daily, saying that “Building the Browns” is going in an exciting new direction.
“We’re really excited. Obviously, we’ve had a great show that we’ve had since 2013 in ‘Building the Browns,’ a five-time Emmy Award-winning show. Really the first club in the NFL to create their own ‘Hard Knocks’-style, full-season access show that’s been on our YouTube channel, it’s been awesome. Obviously, it’s a great show, but all good things come to an end or evolve. We’re excited that we’re going to re-tweak and re-tool ‘Building the Browns’ and call a new program called ‘Unleashed,’ which will be out here soon,” said Johnson, adding, “We’re just excited about the new program.”
Johnson also revealed that head coach Kevin Stefanski, who joined the Browns in 2020, was instrumental in the revamping of the docuseries because he thinks the team has emerged from its rebuilding era.
“Coach Stefanski has been pretty adamant that when we have the show called ‘Building the Browns,’ he’s like the Browns have been built, so can we change the name of the show? So I think Kevin may have had a little bit of influence on this,” said Johnson with a laugh.
Johnson added that he “totally agrees” with Stefanski, saying, “We feel like we’re ready to compete and ready to compete now, and we’re excited about ‘Unleashed.'”
Indeed, in the trailer for the first episode, Stefanski says in voice-over, “We got a long way to go and we got a lot of work to do, but I believe in this group right here.”
He adds in an interview, “The offseason’s always a big puzzle and as we know, there are big pieces and small pieces, but they’re all really important. And without each one of those pieces, you can’t put the thing together.”
‘Unleashed’ Will Air at Least 8 Episodes in the Offseason
https://www.youtube.com/live/-6dt20Xi4jM?feature=share&t=1211
As part of the announcement, Cleveland Browns Daily revealed that “Unleashed’s” first season will air at least eight episodes in the offseason. They will highlight the “tentpole” events, like the NFL Combine, free agency, the draft, training camp and so on.
Johnson also revealed that the first episode was filmed at the NFL Combine and will highlight the Browns’ trailblazing assistant GM Catherine Raiche, who is the first female assistant GM in NFL history.
“The first show will highlight the combine and kind of focus on what we like to call our ‘trailblazer,'” said Johnson. “Catherine’s our assistant GM and first female assistant GM in the NFL and we’re really excited about people hearing her story and excited about her trajectory here with us and obviously throughout the league.”
He continued, “She’s great, she’s done a really nice job. Great football acumen and then just her demeanor and the way she handles everything besides the player personnel stuff. She’s been great and we’re just lucky to have her.”
In the trailer, Raiche is interviewed at the Combine and says she’s “excited for the future of this team and where we’re heading.”
Johnson also said that they are paring down the episodes to be eight to 12 minutes long instead of the 22-minute length that can be aired on the local ABC station. He did not say how that would affect airing the show on broadcast TV in the Cleveland area, but the shortened length does seem to imply that the show will only air online now.
The first episode of “Unleashed” drops on Tuesday, March 21 on the Cleveland Browns’ YouTube channel and mobile app and also on ClevelandBrowns.com.