Friday Night Lights -- Season Four

[Subotai]

Maybe the best show on television, and just about no one watches it. Not sure why - because it's set in Texas? Because there's football involved? So thank God for DirectTV, who cut a deal with NBC/Universal to help pay for the show and where season 4's 13 episodes will air first, starting tomorrow (10/28) and then later in the 2010 on NBC.

In the words of Patton Oswalt, a guy infinitely smarter and more articulate than me:

" "Friday Night Lights" is so fucking good! Oh my God, when that show came out I was like, "Football in Texas? Pass!" And all these people that I respect all came to me with the same thing like "Dude, this is going to sound really weird, but one of the best shows on TV right now is 'Friday Night Lights'." God damn. It looks like a show that should be on HBO. It's so complex and grey-area and unforgiving and nothing's ever resolved, everyone's good and evil, the stories are really complicated. They really capture-- you think it's just about jocks and high school, but it's like a novel. It's so rich, and they start off the first episode just about a football game, the homecoming game and the team, and then as the season goes on they just keep expanding wider and wider and wider and taking in more of this town and more of the people in it, and you realize it's just about middle America. Someone described it really well: it's not about, "Hey, America is great," and waving the flag and playing a Toby Keith song; it's about, "Please tell us we we're not the ones who did Abu Ghraib. Please tell us that, because we really want to believe in our country but things are testing our belief all the time." I can't stress to you how good that show is." http://pitchfork.com/features/guest-lists/6665-patton-oswalt/

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.

[Greg Hatcher]

When my wife and I were actually IN high school, we hated jocks, especially football jocks, with a passion. And we never miss this show. It is AWE. SOME.

It's not Texas or football. For us it resonates because I teach in the public school system and the stories for us are about dealing with kids facing real life issues and how that filters through into their school life. Moreover, believe me, they're only slightly less insane about sports up here.

[Shellhead]

I really enjoyed the first two seasons, though the writer's strike definitely hurt the second season. The weird cable deal left me out in the cold for the first half of the third season, and by the time they showed those episodes again on NBC, I had already given up on television. (The digital format switch screwed us, because we rent in a hilly area... can't install a big antenna on the roof, can't get a decent signal from broadcasters, and don't want to pay $70+ a month to the local cable monopoly.) So I look forward to watching FNL again someday via boxed season sets.

[Subotai]

I hear you. They really need to straighten this shit out somehow. The DVDs are pretty good, except as is par for the course these days, the excellent music is replaced with some generic scoring.

[tjarvis]

I thought it was a really good premiere last night. You could really feel the angst and hardships the characters were undergoing. Kyle Chandler really is one of the best subtle actors on television and the East Dillon Lions is a long way from the Permian Panthers.

Since we're on the two year plan now, I'm guess we won't see the Lions overcome the Panthers until next year.

And while I had sympathy for JT last year, he has now descended into full on douchedom. I was rooting for Matt to put a whipping on him.

[Calvin Government]

Clear eyes! Full hearts! Can't lose!

Very excited for FNL to be starting up again.

[Shade]

what a great start to the season. lots of built in tension but not over done and over wrought. same subtle yet brilliant acting and lots of new cast members to get behind and root for....or root against.

only downside is i had gone back and watched seasons 1-3 on dvd....and that makes it hard waiting week to week for these new episodes.

damn this show is fantastic.

[Shellhead]

I hear you. They really need to straighten this shit out somehow. The DVDs are pretty good, except as is par for the course these days, the excellent music is replaced with some generic scoring.

I hate when the music gets replaced like that. I can understand when it happens with an old show like WKRP, where they didn't cut a deal involving the music because they didn't anticipate the DVD format. But when it happens to a new show, that's just crappy. I hope they at least kept that song Devil Town from Bright Eyes for the finale of the first season dvd set.

Greg, I hear you. My friends who only watch the Syfy network get puzzled about how I became a fan of Friday Night Lights. I try to tell them, this show isn't about high school football in a small town in Texas, it's about the really important things in life, like love, loss, family, fear, willpower, and character. And the acting is excellent. But my lame friends would rather watch bad science-fiction than a great tv show that isn't science-fiction.

[Conn Seanery]

Wow, that was a powerful one last night, great episode. And damn the show for using Jose Gonzalez's version of "Teardrop" at the end, made me bawl.

I was really skeptical about the change of focus to East Dillon High this season, but it's absolutely amazing to see what Coach Taylor's doing with the team and community. Really inspiring, what a show.

[Shade]

Holy crap last night was the best most heart wrenching hour of drama I have seen on TV in years. Just really incredible stuff. Zach Gilford I'm sure will be ignored come awards time which is a real shame.

Damn this show is just so good.

[KarlE]

Last week's episode had me whimpering like a baby.

I like football (and love Taylor Kitsch) so there was no bout-a-doubt that I'd watch this show - - I just never thought it'd hook me as hard as it did. It's the only show where I actually think of the characters as real people (so much so that I wanted to slug Tim for returning to Dillon, throttle Matt's dad, kiss Buddy for his speech at the McCoy's, KILL McCoy, high five Tami, have sex with Tim) and a such, feel an unhealthy investment in their fictional futures.

Damn amazing show.

[Calvin Government]

Okay, why have Gilford, Britton or Chandler never won a damn award for this show?

That was heartbreaking.

[Nathan]

when it first came out i really enjoyed it but it was showen on a chanell here that no one watches and it got cancled i missed all season 2 & 3 but now im getting back into it man season 4 is going full pace im lovin it

[Deathstroke]

Though it is being denied by both NBC and the show's executive producer, there are reports that the cast has been told they will be free to look for other jobs after the conclusion of filming for Season 5.

[Subotai]

It might be for the best. They make it seem so easy to do great television but better to go out strong, always.

The S4 final was fantastic - no spoilers, but damn.

The role of John Carter is in good hands.

[Deathstroke]

I will be looking forward to the show starting on NBC.

[Shade]

Season 4 has it's plot holes but damn if the acting and cinematography aren't just so amazing that even the weak episodes are better than anything else on TV. I'm a little sad about season 5 being the last but agree that maybe it's better to go out strong then linger to long.

[Deathstroke]

Jesse Plemons is not returning as a series regular for Season 5.