"Friday Night Lights" (2006) TV series 2006-????

Creator:

Peter Berg

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Every day counts. One night matters.

Plot:

In the small town of Dillon, Texas, one night matters: Friday Night. Eric Taylor has recently been hired...

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | High School | Coach | Texas | Based On Film

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 3 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Kyle Chandler	...	Eric Taylor (56 episodes, 2006-2009)
Connie Britton	...	Tami Taylor (56 episodes, 2006-2009)
Zach Gilford	...	Matt Saracen (56 episodes, 2006-2009)
Taylor Kitsch	...	Tim Riggins (56 episodes, 2006-2009)
Jesse Plemons	...	Landry Clarke (56 episodes, 2006-2009)
Aimee Teegarden	...	Julie Taylor (56 episodes, 2006-2009)
Minka Kelly	...	Lyla Garrity (50 episodes, 2006-2009)
Adrianne Palicki	...	Tyra Collette (50 episodes, 2006-2009)
Blue Deckert	...	Mac Macgill / ... (44 episodes, 2006-2009)
Derek Phillips	...	Billy Riggins (42 episodes, 2006-2009)
Gaius Charles	...	Brian 'Smash' Williams (41 episodes, 2006-2008)
Scott Porter	...	Jason Street (39 episodes, 2006-2008)
Brad Leland	...	Buddy Garrity (36 episodes, 2006-2009)
Louanne Stephens	...	Mrs. Saracen (30 episodes, 2006-2009)
Stacey Oristano	...	Mindy Collette / ... (30 episodes, 2006-2009)
Liz Mikel	...	Corrina Williams (28 episodes, 2006-2008)
Nieko Mann	...	Noannie Williams (24 episodes, 2006-2008)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG (season 1) (season 2) | Netherlands:6 (season 1) | Netherlands:9 (season 2) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

NBC Universal Television

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Heroes Unmasked: Opening Pandora's Box (#3.1)" (2008)

Touchdown for Friday Night Lights ( Part Two by Klzim)

The acting in this show may be good, but the cinematography is a little off. The camera will zoom in on parts that are not necessary. It makes me dizzy to watch and is hard to follow sometimes because the shot will be blurry. I agree completely with Rob Owen from the Pittsburgh Gazette when he says, "Scenes at the football game are rough and violent, filmed in a close-up, visceral style that makes NFL games on TV appear tame by comparison." When there are scenes from a football practice, the camera shots are quick and bounce around everywhere. I feel that David Boyd, the Director of Photography, is trying to create the element of a realistic football practice; football practices are fast-paced and full of activity. While Boyd is trying to create this element, he is making his viewers nauseous.

The story lines in this show need to be rethought and rewritten. There are not many progresses in the story lines. It is like watching a soap opera, where a viewer has to watch a weeks' worth of episodes to get only one important event. For the most part, Friday Night Lights contains one important event per episode. In addition, the "fairy tale ending" of each episode, needs to be rethought. Every episode that I have watched has ended with the Panthers winning the game and everyone is happy. For example, the episode in which Smash (the star running back) plays horrible and Tim steps up his game to lead the team to victory. If the writers want to keep their viewers in suspense and wanting to watch the next week, they need to create a cliffhanger ending for each episode.

Because important events happen in each storyline in every episode, the show needs to be watched in sequence. Like many television dramas, a viewer is likely to be lost if they do not watch each episode in sequence. A viewer will be lost jumping into Friday Night Lights because important information is revealed in each episode. I began to watch this show in the middle of the season, and I am unclear about what is going on in many of the story lines. I jumped in on an episode in which Jason was suing Coach Taylor. I was puzzled by why Jason would sue the coach, but I later found out that there has been a football accident. After watching three more episodes, I still have not figured out what the football accident is or how it involves Coach Taylor. Having a show that is not in sequence will make it hard to gain viewers. A person may start watching the show, be confused about what is going on, get frustrated, and never watch the show again.

Although the show has its low points, I believe it will last for at least one more season. The story lines in the show are not all based on football; therefore, viewers will most likely get hooked on them. For example, Grey's Anatomy is a show based on the medical field, but the millions of viewers that tune in every week are not hooked on the medical element; they are hooked on the story lines and drama. People get hooked on the plots and story lines of the drama, not just the framework. Tim Goodman from the San Francisco Chronicle takes the words right out of my mouth when he says, "If you don't care for football, or high school football in particular, or even the concerns of a bunch of high school kids and their fanatical grown-ups -- which plenty of viewers probably don't -- Berg makes you care. That's why "Friday Night Lights" is more than just a surprise in a crowded field of mostly good dramas."

Goodman, Tim. "Friday Night Lights" defies expectations and has something to offer all comers." San Francisco Chronicle 2 Oct. 2006. 12 Jan. 2007 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgif=/c/a/ 2006/10/02/DDGPOLFJMH1.DTL&type=tvradio.

Owen, Rob. "Friday Night Lights' isn't just about the gridiron." Pittsburgh Post- Gazette 11 Oct. 2006. 4 Jan. 2007 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06274/726170- 237.stm.