Friday Night Lights: The Complete First Season

Yes, it was a book, then a movie, now it's a TV show. But let's be clear, there's nothing stale about Friday Night Lights. In fact, I'd be so bold as to say it's unique from any other drama on television right now and it's a shame viewers (and Emmy voters) have failed to realize it. Friday Night Lights is another case of a show lauded by critics and slaughtered in the ratings. What people might not know is that it's much more than a show about football.

There’s camera work that moves so covertly, you'd almost think someone decided to spy on the good people of Dillon, Texas and shoot a documentary on their lives. There’s dialogue so human in its stutters and pauses, you'd swear every line was spoken spontaneously. And there’s relationships ranging the gamut from knowingly affectionate to bitterly volatile to temptingly forbidden, you'd be convinced you've met these characters before.

Dillon is a community propelled by high school football, where winning a game could make or break a town's reputation, or a person's for that matter. It's a community where the coach has the most high-pressured job in town and the football jocks are treated like local royalty. It's a whole athletic subculture, a human character study, a peek into small town life. Now try calling it "just a show about football."

The acting in Friday Night Lights is top notch. As Coach Eric Taylor and wife Tami, Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton light up the screen together. Their chemistry as husband and wife is like nothing on TV today"”a couple who are in love with each other in a completely non-sappy way. They occasionally bicker and fight, but they also show that there can be marriages that just simply work.

They are also over-protective parents to their 15-year-old daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarten). Most TV show parents are either oblivious or missing in action. The family dynamic of the Taylors is an interesting change of pace.

Not only are the two adult leads superb, the cast of relative unknown young actors really shine as well. In particular, Taylor Kitsch as the troubled running-back Tim Riggins. He takes a character who may have otherwise been a stereotypical "bad boy" and turns him into someone who's much more intense and complex"”a vulnerable kid with self-destructive tendencies and abandonment issues, but with an underlying good heart.

Zach Gilford plays Matt Saracen, the self-doubting second-string quarterback of the Dillon Panthers who must step up as team leader when the star quarterback is seriously injured early in the season. Matt's awkward sweetness provides the show with some of its most real and relatable moments.

Other characters worth mentioning: Scott Porter as Jason Street, the star quarterback paralyzing injury is the season's most tragic turn of events. Porter does exceedingly well conveying the mixed-up emotions of a

young man who must face the uncertainty of his future and the fact that he can no longer walk. Gauius Charles is a bundle of energy as the cocky, confident Brian "Smash" Willaims, Jesse Plemons steals scenes as Landry the funny geek, and Adrianne Palicki brings a fierce sassiness to Tyra Colette.

There are a few weak spots to improve on, namely Minka Kelly's portrayal of Lyla Garrity, the beautiful yet flawed cheerleader. Kelly's acting leaves a little something to be desired as compared with the show's other bright stars.

On a superficial note, but yet another reason to watch, this is one good-looking cast!

The show tackles some heavy issues in its first season, including racism, steroid use, sexual assault, and handicaps. Socially relevant plotlines deal with a character's father who returns from Iraq and a displaced Hurricane Katrina survivor. Friday Night Lights also doesn't shy away from references to religion. It's a big part of these people's lives and adds to the show's realistic credibility.

Some winning episodes include Mud Bowl, which culminates in a rainy, messy game that will determine if the Panthers will enter the state championship, and Extended Families in which characters find themselves turning to some unlikely places for connection.

The extra features aren't much, some deleted scenes and a brief behind-the-scenes featurette, but the DVDs cost considerably less than most television box sets. (Some places are selling the 5-disc set for a mere $19.99!) This is certainly a good way to help viewers find this little-watched gem, so you might as well take advantage of it!

Friday Night Lights is a whole lot more than football. So here's the "game plan": Watch Friday Night Lights and discover what you're missing. (The show's second season starts Friday October 5th on NBC.) To paraphrase a part of the Panthers pre-game battle-cry"”you can't lose!

Season Grade: A

DVD Features Grade: B+

Overall Grade: A-