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Clear Eyes, Full Hearts: Friday Night Lights Overview
Every man at some point in his life is going to lose a battle. He's going to fight and he's going to lose. But what makes him a man, is that in the midst of that battle, he does not lose himself.
-- Coach Eric Taylor
What it is
Friday Night Lights airs on NBC on Friday Nights at 9pm EST. The show is based on the book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream published in 1990 and written by H.G. Bissinger. It details the 1988 football season of the Permian Panthers, a high school football team in Odessa, Texas. The book was adapted into a film of the same name that starred Billy Bob Thornton, and was directed by the author's cousin, Peter Berg. Berg wanted the chance to explore many of the interpersonal relationships between the characters in the book that did not make it to the big screen adaptation, and thought television would be the perfect medium. And thus, Friday Night Lights was born. Many elements of the book and film were changed for the move to the small screen, making Friday Night Lights distinctive and unique from the source materials.
Why you should be watching this show right now
Friday Night Lights is about football. And yet, it's not. The show takes place in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas, a sleepy town that lives and breathes its high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. As the show unfolds over the first few episodes, we meet the players, the coaches, their families and friends, and find that Friday Night Lights is about people. It's about hopes and dreams: The hopes of a coach under heavy pressure to bring his team to a state championship while his family adapts to life in Dillon, the dreams of players and cheerleaders eager for bigger and better things. The desires of parents to see their children achieve and excel. Dreams are crushed, hopes are dashed, life takes unexpected turns and sometimes there are moments of glory. It's a story about family and friends and accepting your circumstances while rising above them, about growing and changing and just being alive.
Friday Night Lights is filmed in a unique manner that gives it a realistic, documentary style feeling that pulls you in immediately. First, the show is filmed on real locations, with no sound stages. Filming is done with three cameras that move with the actors, rather than the actors having marks. Actors are encouraged to improvise, and there are no rehearsals and minimal blocking. Scenes are filmed in their entirety, and what makes it to print is often the first take. This adds an immediacy to the show that is rare in television. With outstanding performances by both veteran and younger actors, the emotional depth of the writing and the unique camera work, Friday Night Lights is truly must-see tv.
The Dillon Panthers
Coach Eric Taylor (played by Kyle Chandler) Eric Taylor is the varsity football coach for the Dillon Panthers. Season one is his first year with the Panthers, and finds him under immense pressure from the entire town to lead the team to a state championship. The specter of losing his job hangs over every win or loss of the football team, sometimes leaving him conflicted between wanting to be a true mentor to his players and doing whatever it takes to win.
Jason Street (played by Scott Porter) At the start of season one, Jason is varsity quarterback and headed to play college ball for Notre Dame. He's young, handsome, and plans to marry longtime girlfriend and head cheerleader, Lyla Garrity. Jason is headed for glory until life takes a devastating and unexpected turn.
Matt Saracen (played by Zach Gilford) Matt is the second string quarterback and has done little but warm the bench during his football career, until events bring him to the forefront and suddenly the team, the entire town, is counting on him. Shy and artistic, Matt lives with his grandmother, who suffers from dementia, while his father is serving in Iraq.
Tim Riggins (played by Taylor Kitsch) Fullback for the Dillon Panthers and best friend to Jason Street, Tim is a talented player with little ambition. He's being raised by his older brother Billy, as both boys were abandoned by their alcoholic parents. Tim wrestles with his own addiction as he struggles to plan for his future.
Smash Williams (played by Gaius Charles) Running back for the Panthers, Smash is ambitious and talented and dreams of glory as a professional player. Raised by a single mother, Smash craves fame and fortune and is willing to do anything to achieve his goals.
Family and Friends
Tami Taylor (played by Connie Britton) Coach Taylor's wife and later Dillon High's guidance counselor. Tami and Eric have a loving, supportive relationship but often butt heads over what's best for the player's academic careers vs. their football careers. The voice of reason in her household, Tami balances out Eric's more high strung personality and the dynamic between these two characters is one of the things that makes this show magic.
Julie Taylor (played by Aimee Teegarden) Daughter of Eric and Tami Taylor. A sophmore at the beginning of the first season, Julie prefers books to football and is a bit jaded from moving from town to town as her father's careeer dictates.
Lyla Garrity (played by Minka Kelly) Daughter of Buddy Garrity and girlfriend of Jason Street, Lyla is head cheerleader during season one. Lyla seems to have her life all mapped out, marrying Jason and following him to Notre Dame, but things quickly take many unexpected turns in Lyla's life.
Buddy Garrity (played by Brad Leland) Owner of Garrity Motors and one of the most prominent businessmen in Dillon, his financial backing of the Dillon booster club has a strong influence on team decisions. Coach Taylor is very aware that his job hinges on Buddy's opinion of his performance, but over time the two men become friends.
Tyra Collette (played by Adrianne Palicki) On again - off again girlfriend of Tim Riggins, Tyra is fed up with small town life and dreams of bigger things. She struggles against her upbringing by a single mother in a string of bad relationships to find a way to bring those dreams to fruition.
Billy Riggins (played by Derek Phillips) Older brother of Tim Riggins, has raised his brother since Tim was ten years old and their father took off. Billy was an athlete in high school but has never escaped Dillon, working low paying jobs and occasionally selling pot to support his brother and himself. He tries to be a stable influence on Tim while still having a life of his own.
Landry Clarke (played by Jesse Plemons) Landry is front man for Christian speed metal band Crucifictorious and best friend to Matt Saracen. Smart and nerdy, Landry often provides comic relief in the first season, but quickly evolves into a fully realized character as the season unfolds.
On the Web
Official Website, where you can watch all the episodes for free
Friday Night Lights on Myspace
Friday Night Lights Online: Fansite
Friday Night Lights Gallery
Friday Night Lights on Wikipedia, where a lot of the info for this overview came from
On Livejournal
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
dillon_panthers Friday Night Lights Newsletter
fridaynight_tv Friday Night Lights Community
fridaynight_fic Friday Night Lights Fic community
-- Coach Eric Taylor
What it is
Friday Night Lights airs on NBC on Friday Nights at 9pm EST. The show is based on the book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream published in 1990 and written by H.G. Bissinger. It details the 1988 football season of the Permian Panthers, a high school football team in Odessa, Texas. The book was adapted into a film of the same name that starred Billy Bob Thornton, and was directed by the author's cousin, Peter Berg. Berg wanted the chance to explore many of the interpersonal relationships between the characters in the book that did not make it to the big screen adaptation, and thought television would be the perfect medium. And thus, Friday Night Lights was born. Many elements of the book and film were changed for the move to the small screen, making Friday Night Lights distinctive and unique from the source materials.
Why you should be watching this show right now
Friday Night Lights is about football. And yet, it's not. The show takes place in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas, a sleepy town that lives and breathes its high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. As the show unfolds over the first few episodes, we meet the players, the coaches, their families and friends, and find that Friday Night Lights is about people. It's about hopes and dreams: The hopes of a coach under heavy pressure to bring his team to a state championship while his family adapts to life in Dillon, the dreams of players and cheerleaders eager for bigger and better things. The desires of parents to see their children achieve and excel. Dreams are crushed, hopes are dashed, life takes unexpected turns and sometimes there are moments of glory. It's a story about family and friends and accepting your circumstances while rising above them, about growing and changing and just being alive.
Friday Night Lights is filmed in a unique manner that gives it a realistic, documentary style feeling that pulls you in immediately. First, the show is filmed on real locations, with no sound stages. Filming is done with three cameras that move with the actors, rather than the actors having marks. Actors are encouraged to improvise, and there are no rehearsals and minimal blocking. Scenes are filmed in their entirety, and what makes it to print is often the first take. This adds an immediacy to the show that is rare in television. With outstanding performances by both veteran and younger actors, the emotional depth of the writing and the unique camera work, Friday Night Lights is truly must-see tv.
The Dillon Panthers
Coach Eric Taylor (played by Kyle Chandler) Eric Taylor is the varsity football coach for the Dillon Panthers. Season one is his first year with the Panthers, and finds him under immense pressure from the entire town to lead the team to a state championship. The specter of losing his job hangs over every win or loss of the football team, sometimes leaving him conflicted between wanting to be a true mentor to his players and doing whatever it takes to win. Jason Street (played by Scott Porter) At the start of season one, Jason is varsity quarterback and headed to play college ball for Notre Dame. He's young, handsome, and plans to marry longtime girlfriend and head cheerleader, Lyla Garrity. Jason is headed for glory until life takes a devastating and unexpected turn. Matt Saracen (played by Zach Gilford) Matt is the second string quarterback and has done little but warm the bench during his football career, until events bring him to the forefront and suddenly the team, the entire town, is counting on him. Shy and artistic, Matt lives with his grandmother, who suffers from dementia, while his father is serving in Iraq. Tim Riggins (played by Taylor Kitsch) Fullback for the Dillon Panthers and best friend to Jason Street, Tim is a talented player with little ambition. He's being raised by his older brother Billy, as both boys were abandoned by their alcoholic parents. Tim wrestles with his own addiction as he struggles to plan for his future. Smash Williams (played by Gaius Charles) Running back for the Panthers, Smash is ambitious and talented and dreams of glory as a professional player. Raised by a single mother, Smash craves fame and fortune and is willing to do anything to achieve his goals.Family and Friends
Tami Taylor (played by Connie Britton) Coach Taylor's wife and later Dillon High's guidance counselor. Tami and Eric have a loving, supportive relationship but often butt heads over what's best for the player's academic careers vs. their football careers. The voice of reason in her household, Tami balances out Eric's more high strung personality and the dynamic between these two characters is one of the things that makes this show magic. Julie Taylor (played by Aimee Teegarden) Daughter of Eric and Tami Taylor. A sophmore at the beginning of the first season, Julie prefers books to football and is a bit jaded from moving from town to town as her father's careeer dictates.Lyla Garrity (played by Minka Kelly) Daughter of Buddy Garrity and girlfriend of Jason Street, Lyla is head cheerleader during season one. Lyla seems to have her life all mapped out, marrying Jason and following him to Notre Dame, but things quickly take many unexpected turns in Lyla's life. Buddy Garrity (played by Brad Leland) Owner of Garrity Motors and one of the most prominent businessmen in Dillon, his financial backing of the Dillon booster club has a strong influence on team decisions. Coach Taylor is very aware that his job hinges on Buddy's opinion of his performance, but over time the two men become friends. Tyra Collette (played by Adrianne Palicki) On again - off again girlfriend of Tim Riggins, Tyra is fed up with small town life and dreams of bigger things. She struggles against her upbringing by a single mother in a string of bad relationships to find a way to bring those dreams to fruition. Billy Riggins (played by Derek Phillips) Older brother of Tim Riggins, has raised his brother since Tim was ten years old and their father took off. Billy was an athlete in high school but has never escaped Dillon, working low paying jobs and occasionally selling pot to support his brother and himself. He tries to be a stable influence on Tim while still having a life of his own. Landry Clarke (played by Jesse Plemons) Landry is front man for Christian speed metal band Crucifictorious and best friend to Matt Saracen. Smart and nerdy, Landry often provides comic relief in the first season, but quickly evolves into a fully realized character as the season unfolds. On the Web
Official Website, where you can watch all the episodes for free
Friday Night Lights on Myspace
Friday Night Lights Online: Fansite
Friday Night Lights Gallery
Friday Night Lights on Wikipedia, where a lot of the info for this overview came from
On Livejournal
dillon_panthers Friday Night Lights Newsletterfridaynight_tv Friday Night Lights Communityfridaynight_fic Friday Night Lights Fic community
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Excellent overview of television's most awesomeest tv show ever!
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But seriously, a cool show and a nice overview. Thank you!