FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: The Son

I have played a variety of roles in my life. Before I was ever a student, co-worker, or friend, I was a son. Born into a crowded house with two older siblings, I was fortunate to enjoy the spoils of a childhood filled with love and affection. My parents taught us to value hard work, education, and friendship. Those lessons stayed with me every day, no matter how far I wandered from home.

On Sunday, May 24, 1992, my Mom died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. Losing a parent is a life-changing tragedy, whether you are fifteen (as I was at the time) or fifty-five. There is no better or worse time for it to happen, no paint-by-numbers method to deal with the aftermath. The biggest challenge in the wake of such loss is accepting the realities of your altered universe.

Read more

Friday Night Lights | 8pm on NBC

Julie, Landry, Coach, and Tami rally around Matt in a time of crisis; Vince endangers his rising star as a football player by engaging in criminal activity in order to support his family; Becky and Tim grow closer. [GMMR: Be prepared. This episode will rip your gut out. Keep the tissues close by….there will be crying.]

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: A Sort of Homecoming

Who is on your team? If you had to put together a starting lineup of friends, who would make the cut? It is becoming difficult to identify our inner circles, especially when social networks now extend far beyond our hometowns. I relish in the temporary satisfaction of having a virtual friend “like” my Facebook status or retweet one of my jokes. Yet, I can count the number of true confidants in my life on one hand.

On this week’s Friday Night Lights, some of Dillon’s most recognizable faces learned that allegiances can shift instantly. The game of perception cannot be mastered, so you have to go to battle with people you trust. It is as simple as Coach Eric Taylor says. “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”

Read more

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Reruns to Air on ABC Family

ABC Family has acquired the basic cable television rights to the Emmy® Award-winning television series “Friday Night Lights,” in a deal with NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.

The deal gives ABC Family the rights to five seasons of the critically acclaimed series. ABC Family is tentatively set to begin airing the series’ first season in September 2010. The fourth season of “Friday Night Lights” is currently airing on NBC (Fridays, 8 p.m. ET/PT.)

Read more

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: After the Fall

This episode began under the most dire of circumstances. Coach Eric Taylor had thrown in the towel, ending East Dillon’s first game of the season via forfeit. Principal Tami Taylor was caught squarely between an angry mob of parents and the arrogant boosters running her athletic department. Tim Riggins arrived home seeking the comforts of his hometown, but was left without a roof over his head or an identity to cling to.

The dividing line between Friday Night Lights and the rest of prime time television becomes crystal clear when times are toughest. In Dillon, heroes do not cry out for attention or perform miracles to make themselves whole. They pull up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and work to earn the respect of their neighbors. Want to know who is a good guy or a bad guy on FNL? The answer is common courtesy. Follow the “pleases,” “thank you’s,” and “yes, ma’am’s,” and you will find the folks worth rooting for.

Read more

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: East of Dillon

Dillon, Texas is a special place. From a distance, it can be mistaken for a truck stop on the highway to suburbia. When the fanciest restaurant in your town is an Applebee’s, locals have to live with being judged as simple or unsophisticated. The uniqueness of Dillon cannot be measured by economic indicators or census data. In fact, for six days a week, the naysayers could point to this speck on the map and rightfully ask, “What’s all the fuss about?”

All that changes on Friday.

On Friday nights, the religion of high school football holds open mass across the state of Texas. For generations, Dillon has been a unified congregation. Sermons of past gridiron glory have been passed from fathers to sons, with the expectation to carry on the values of faith, family, and the Panthers. The rings commemorating state titles from years ago are as sacred as wedding bands. For the alumni of Dillon High School, nothing comes between their team and decades of future dominance.

Except for redistricting.

Welcome to Season 4 of Friday Night Lights, the best show on television. If you have been here since the beginning, the events of this year will feel like a show reborn. If you have jumped onboard based on sparkling reviews or word of mouth, do not fret. This is a world that you can jump into today, and never regret it.

Read more

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Fans…

Don’t worry…no spoilers.

I just had to pipe in and tell you that this season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, currently airing on DirecTV. is spectacular.  Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler continue to give Emmy worthy performances week in and week out.  And as always, the rest of the cast, including many new faces, bring authenticity to their characters without a moment of falsehood. With every minute that passes I’m reminded of why this is my favorite drama on TV.

Now I know we aren’t talking about the show until it airs on NBC next summer (airdate TBD), but I just had to tell you all how much you have to look forward to.

And if you have never watched an episode of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, put the first few seasons on your holiday wish list. I promise you won’t be disappointed. You have plenty of time to catch up on all the episodes to date before the NBC premiere of the new season. I’ve heard from many GMMR readers who have started watching FNL, after post after post of me praising it, and not one who truly gave the show a shot has been disappointed. I wouldn’t steer you wrong. This show is unlike anything else on TV. You can’t help but fall in love with Dillon, Texas.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 4 Promos

I wish I had DirecTV. The idea that some people are just a few weeks out from the return of the best show on television and I have to wait months and months just makes me sad.

If you just need a little FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS fix any way you can get it, check out these new FNL promos for S4, premiering October 28th only on DirecTV. The premiere date for S4 on NBC has not yet been released.

Read more

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Tyra’s College Essay

This is one of those moments that make me sure in my belief that FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is the single best television series I have ever seen.  I know others have their favorites, but for me this is it.

A little background for those of you who don’t watch the show, but are considering it. Tyra Collete, the narrator, has had a tough life. She’s a beautiful girl who until about two years ago thought that her looks were her only ticket to something more. Her well meaning mother never gave her daughter hope she could be more than she was. Her sister, a stripper, represented everything Tyra didn’t want out of life. But thhen she had people come into her life that believed in her and she started to believe in herself. Tyra’s past mistakes put college at arms length. She was determined to make it happen despite the odds. Everything was riding on the all important college essay. After many failed attempts, her best friend Landry urged to dig deeper and speak from the heart…this was the result.

Breaking News: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Gets Two Season Pick-Up

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts. Can’t Lose FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS…and we won’t!

The best drama on TV lives to see another day.  Well, lives to see two more seasons to be accurate.  It has been confirmed that FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS has been picked up for two more seasons by DirecTV/NBC!!  Each 13 episode season will work like it did this past year with DirecTV exclusively showing the season to its subscribers in the Fall and then NBC reairing the episodes in the winter.

This is the single best TV news I’m going to hear for quite some time. If you’re not yet watching FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS I’m not sure what I could possibly do to get you to watch.  I’ve shouted from the rooftops how incredibly special and important this show is.  It’s TV at its absolute finest.

Let’s hear it FNL fans!!!

Friday Night Lights | 9pm on NBC

The new quarterback, J.D. McCoy, becomes a victim of hazing; Matt and Julie get closer after spending some time together at the lake; a woman claims that Cash owes her child support.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Hello Goodbye

I feel like I owe you all an apology.  We are now a handful of episodes into this season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and we haven’t talked about it much here on GMMR.  See I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the entire season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and as a result it’s sometimes difficult for me to talk about the show and not be influenced by future events.  I avoid talking about it because I’m afraid I’m going give something away and spoil you all.  But I’ll try to do better by you starting this week, deal?

Last night’s episode was one of my favorite of the entire season.  Every episode of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is special in its own way, but “Hello Goodbye” was particularly emotional as we said farewell to Brian “Smash” Williams.  But it wasn’t just Smash’s goodbye that pulled at the heartstrings.  True emotion resonated in every scene of last night’s episode, and in the end I was left a wasted version of myself.  Yes, the show is that good.

(Watch the full episode of “Hello Goodbye”)

There is no way I could do any justice by recapping the intensity of the entire ep, so I thought maybe I could just share a few of my very favorite scenes with you.

If you are reading this post and you’ve never seen FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, I beg you to watch a few of these clips or the whole episode (posted above) and see what you have been missing.  I understand that everyone has different tastes and not everyone enjoys the same shows that I do, but I have yet to find one single person who has given FNL a fair try that does not see what a special program it is.

With that…a few of my favorite moments from “Hello Goodbye”

“You’re a molder of men”
Tami and Eric demonstrate why they are the best twosome on television today in a scene that on the surface is about football, but really is more about Eric’s passion for his players to succeed in life.  Tami and Eric Taylor serve as the foundation for Dillon, and as this scene demonstrates, there really is no couple better suited for the job.

Read more

Sneak Peek at the Premiere of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

[REPOSTING from January 12th]

Cancel your plans this Friday night. The NBC season premiere of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is this Friday, January 16th at 9pm and you don’t want to miss it.

In me personal opinion, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is the best drama on TV today. It doesn’t get the awards of recognitions outside of the voice of the critics and the love from its dedicated fans, but FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is the real deal. A beautiful, funny and important television show, the likes of which can’t be found anywhere else on television today.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen all of this season of FNL and I can say for certain that it doesn’t falter. Not once. Take note of the 13 episodes you will see this season because I’m not sure a show like this will come around again anytime soon.

For those of you who need a little FNL fix and just can’t wait until Friday’s premiere, here is an extended sneak preview of the premiere episode. The clip, which runs just over 14 minutes, isn’t the first minutes of the show but rather a montage of scenes from the episode. A lot is covered so please only watch it you are prepared to be spoiled.

Enjoy!

If you have never seen FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS you can start watching this Friday without issue. You’ll be compelled to watch the first two seasons, but you need not have watched them to fully enjoy this third season.

For all of you that are already fans then please do what you can to become an evangelist for the show. A fourth season doesn’t seem likely, but it doesn’t stand a chance without our support. Spread the word and show the love.

If you are planning on watching FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS for the first time tonight, give us all a heads up. We’d like to formally welcome you to the team!

When Will FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Be On NBC? I’ll Tell Ya…

NBC best drama, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, will finally be “chiming” in on the peacock network in mid-January. Can I get an AMEN!!

FNL, which has been airing its third season exclusively on DirecTV since early October, will air on Friday nights at 9pm on NBC starting January 16, 2009.

I’ve been very careful not to talk about this season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS on GMMR as I don’t want to risk spoiling anything for those of you who don’t have DirecTV. But I can say that this season is fantastic. I’m talking solid episode after solid episode. Everything that makes FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS such a special hour of television is well represented in what will most likely be its third and final season.

So January 16th is the date. If you have not experienced FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS I can’t stress enough how much you are missing out on. Don’t cheat yourself anymore. Go out and buy the DVDs and catch up on as much as you can before the third season premieres on NBC. I’ve received countless emails from GMMR readers who have started watching FNL as a result of my badgering nagging incessant pestering encouragement, and to date not one of those people have been disappointed.

As for all of you who are already fans of the show, start spreading the word.  Now is the time to get new viewers interested.  Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Loses Two Series Regulars

The following contains casting information about the upcoming season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS which to some could be considered spoilers. Read at your own discretion.

EW’s Michael Ausiello is reporting that two former stars of the Dillon Panthers will not be returning as series regulars when FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS returns for its third season this Fall.

Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »