It wasn't too long ago that HBO decided to pull the plug on the profound surfer drama, John from Cincinnati.  However, fans of the show's star, Austin Nichols, can get more of the actor as he is currently appearing on NBC's critically-acclaimed series, Friday Night Lights.

Nichols, whose multi-episode arc began last Friday, plays Noah, a new teacher at Dillon High.  Noah forms a special bond with high school student Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden), who happens to be the daughter of the school's guidance counselor, Tami Taylor (Connie Britton).

Warning: may contain spoilers.

In an interview with TV Guide, Nichols said that his character's relationship with Julie will go beyond appropriate student-teacher relations.

“In the beginning, my character doesn't even realize he's overstepping boundaries,” Nichols said.  “Or if he does, he chooses to ignore them.  It's blatant that he's crossing the line, but he doesn't feel any remorse until later.”

The 27-year-old actor also said that even if it might seem out of character for Julie to get involved with an older man, the fact that she's going through a lot of very real issues is enough to drive her to do something unexpected.

“Well, what's great about the show is that Julie is definitely sweet but, like all of the characters, she is so complicated,” Austin Nichols told TV Guide.  “She is very emotional and just going nuts with teen adolescence, fighting with her parents...  It's so true and so real.”

Aside from having an array of complicated characters, Nichols, a native of Austin, Texas, said that Friday Night Lights has successfully captured the essence of Texan football culture.

“I'll be perfectly honest — I had never seen the show, though I had heard it was great, and then they offered me this character.  I watched a bunch of episodes and I was in tears,” he said.  “The show resonated with me so much because I lived in that world and I know about it, but it probably resonates for anybody who watches it.  They definitely nail it.”

Although Austin Nichols has finished filming his guest-star stint on Friday Night Lights, his fans can rejoice in knowing that the actor may return to the series for another arc.

“I'm done for now, but I've heard they want to bring me back,” he said.  “I think it's in the works that Noah will come back.”


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TV Guide
(Image Courtesy of NBC)