Matt Saracen will have a lot on his plate to deal with as Friday Night Lights returns for a third season on October 1 on Direct TV and on NBC in 2009.  The shy and nervous former backup quarterback was thrust into the spotlight when Jason Street suffered a career-ending injury and now has to with the spotlight on and off the field, after being completely ignored by everyone for years.  As for his personal life, Matt lives alone with his grandmother, who suffers from senile dementia, and has a poor relationship with his father Henry, who is serving in Iraq. But all that might change as someone from his past re-enters his life.

According to TV Guide, Zach Gilford's character will be getting a mom this season and she comes in the form of Kim Dickens.

Perhaps best known for playing Joanie Stubbs on the HBO series Deadwood, Dickens has signed on to portray Matt's long-estranged mom and will first appear as Shelby Saracen in the second episode of the third season of Friday Night Lights.  After her stint on Deadwood, Dickens was cast as Jonelle Shakespeare on the series 12 Miles of Bad Road.  She also appeared as Cassidy Phillips on ABC's Lost and as Crystal Hoyle on the CBS procedural drama Numb3rs.

To date, Matt's relationship with his mother is unknown, although he has said that she lives in Oklahoma.  It has never been mentioned why she lives there, or how long she has been out of Matt's life.  And while he's led people to believe that she's miles away from him, she's much closer in reality than anyone thought.

Aside from Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights also stars Adrianne Palicki as Tyra Collette, Aimee Teegarden as Julie Taylor, Connie Britton as Tami Taylor, Gaius Charles as Brian "Smash" Williams, Jesse Plemons as Landry Clarke, Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor, Minka Kelly as Lyla Garrity, Scott Porter as Jason Street, and Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TV Guide
(Image courtesy of Wire Image)