...the show isn’t about football, it’s about life.
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In 1990, H.G. Bissinger wrote Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream about the 1988 Permian High School football team in the town of Odessa, Texas. The book focused on how the town hitched their hopes and prayers on their team as they attempted to win the state championship. The book in turn inspired the 2004 film directed by Peter Berg and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Berg, along with producer Brian Grazer, believed there was more to the story and launched the concept into a television drama on NBC. If you´ve never read the book or seen the film, you have nothing to worry about; the series is its own beast with a brand new cast of characters. Even more important, if you know nothing about football; you can still jump in. The show is about middle-class life and small-town community. The ensemble cast is built on the traditional archetypes you usually find on this type of show; the star quarterback, the All-American girl, the bad girl, etc. What "Friday Night Lights" sets out to do is bring an added dimension to each character in order for them to grow past a simple, one sentence logline.
"Friday Night Lights" is set in the fictional town of Dillon where life revolves around the Dillon High School football team, the Panthers, and their Friday night games. Everybody in Dillon follows the exploits of their local Panthers. Even the ladies at the beauty salon watch the games as they get their hair done. To the townsfolk, there is nothing more important than God and football, or maybe it should be football and God. The inciting incident for the season comes during the team´s first game as starting quarterback Jason Street (Eric Porter) is paralyzed from the waist down following a terrible tackle. From there, the team and the entire town must pull together and come back from this tremendous blow. Kyle Chandler, best known as movie hunk Bruce Baxter in Peter Jackson´s "King Kong", plays the Panthers´ new head coach Eric Taylor. He´s recently moved to Dillon for his first head coaching job and has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Coach Taylor struggles with his duties to the team with his duties as a father and husband. He also has practically everyone in town playing armchair quarterback, offering their own suggestions on how to play the game. He suffers through empty smiles and glad handing, then sudden scorn and ridicule when he loses only the second game of the season. Taylor also finds himself at odds when his wife Tami (Connie Britton) takes a job as the high school counselor; they are conflicted by their views of what is best for the students.
With Jason down and out, backup quarterback Matt Saracen suddenly finds himself thrust into the position of leading the team to a winning season. It´s an unenviable task for the timid Matt as he also must care for his ill grandmother while his father is fighting in Iraq. Causing further headaches, Matt falls in love with Coach Taylor´s daughter, Julie (Aimee Teegarden). As Matt ascends in the football hierarchy, Jason must face his crippling injury and a town that seems to be moving on without him. His relationship with cheerleader, Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly), goes through a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Out of all the characters, Lyla goes through some of the biggest changes as she begins the season as a bubbly, optimistic, sweet-natured girl. Faced with the heartbreaking reality of Jason´s injury, Lyla sleeps with Jason´s best friend Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch). Though Jason and Lyla reconcile, Jason begins growing closer to another woman and at the same time Lyla learns about her father´s many adulterous affairs. It is at this point that Lyla moves past her dependence on other men to grow into a strong and independent woman.
Other members of this extraordinary cast include Tim Riggins, the brooding bad boy who can be found either on the playing field or drunk on his couch. Tim lives with his older brother as their parents abandoned them. He´s constantly at odds with Smash Williams (Gaius Charles), the fast-talking running back with an ego that´s bigger than his native Texas. As the season continues, Tim and Smash find they have more in common with each other than they ever thought. Tim´s on-again, off-again girlfriend is Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki), the town´s resident bad girl who tries hard to shed her reputation and get her act together.
There´s a strong sense of authenticity when it comes to "Friday Night Lights" as the show is shot in and around Austin, Texas. The creators also give their actors great freedom when it comes to interpreting and fleshing out their characters. Rehearsals and extensive blocking aren´t done. The actors are allowed to read their lines in the way they feel is the most germane and the camera operators are trained to follow them.
The episodes are as follows:
-Disc 1-
"Pilot" – Football season is on and so is the pressure as Coach Taylor has a lot to live up for. But, the town´s hopes may be dashed from the starting gate when star quarterback Jason Street goes down with a severe injury.
"Eyes Wide Open" – The citizens of Dillon rally around the injured Jason as Matt Saracen tries to step up as starting quarterback.
"Wind Sprints" – When the Panthers lose to their underdog opponents, Coach Taylor must deal with mounting animosity as Buddy Garity recruits a new quarterback in Ray "Voodoo" Tatum, a New Orleans native transplanted due to Hurricane Katrina.
"Who´s Your Daddy?" – Voodoo Tatum rubs everybody the wrong way on his first day of practice as the Panthers get ready for a big game against their longtime rivals, Arnett Mead.
-Disc 2-
"Git´Er Done" – Tatum gets the call to start against Arnett Mead and goes into business for himself, ignoring Coach Taylor and calling his own plays.
"El Accidente" – Coach Taylor must deal with an investigation into the illegal recruiting of Tatum as defensive player Bobby Reyes is arrested for assaulting another student.
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