CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) - HBO's "Hard Knocks," a reality series which brought viewers into the NFL training camps of the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys the past two seasons, will not return this summer for a third season. An HBO spokesman confirmed the news last week saying the network could not find a "perfect fit" for another installment.

Various insiders believe that it simply came down to the fact the teams HBO was interested in following declined to be part of the show. The pay channel said it would try again in 2004 to revive the series, a joint production of HBO and NFL Films.

Meanwhile in other HBO news, the cable channel has found a female lead for its upcoming series "Marriage." Julianne Nicholson ("Presidio Med," "Ally McBeal") is set to play wife to Jonathan Cake in the drama, which is executive produced by Steven Bochco and Alison Cross. Oscar-nominee Jill Clayburgh ("Leap of Faith") has also been tapped to join the project in a recurring role.

The show, which has a 13 episode commitment, is described as an intimate look at the life of a husband and wife (Cake, Nicholson) five years into their marriage and is set entirely in the couple's apartment. The project is set to bow some time in 2004.