Friday Night Lights

The best news of the television season may be the fact that NBC has renewed the critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights for a third year.  However, the network only brought it back after striking a deal with DirecTV that may upset some hardcore FNL fans.  The 13-episode season will air on an exclusive DirecTV channel beginning in October, and will then rerun on NBC beginning in February.  This means that if you're not a DirecTV subscriber, you may be the last person on your block to see the new season of Friday Night Lights.

Earlier today, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello spoke with executive producer Jason Katims about the deal.  What does it mean for the future of the series, and can fans expect anything beyond the initial 13 episodes?

In the interview, Katims made it very clear that season 3 will not extend beyond the initial 13-episode order. However, he admitted that he couldn't be happier with the decision.  "Typically, you get 13 episodes and then you may or may not get a back order; it's hard to plan ahead," he said.  "So I'm actually very excited because I know it's going to be 13 episodes and we can plan the season for that.  I also like the number 13 because it's about the amount of games in a high school football season.  It can be a way for us to outline the season, driven by the ups and downs of what happens during the year.  Another exciting thing about the 13 episodes is from the point of view of the producer of a show wanting your show to be seen.  Once these episodes get on the air, we're going to see 13 episodes in a row, much the way a show on HBO would air."

Katims also promised that, even with the new deal, the show will have the same cast, production values, and authentic Texas locations that fans have come to expect from the series.  He added that, "I wouldn't come back, nor would any of the producers come back, if we didn't feel we could deliver the same show."

Though it's far too early to begin speculating about the possibility of a fourth season, Katims said that he's planning a season, not series, finale for season 3.  "If at the end of these 13 episodes, everybody feels we have no more stories to tell, I'll write a finale and end the series," he said.  "But right now, I can't imagine there's any possibility of me feeling that way.  I don't feel we have only 13 more episodes, I feel we have way more than that."

As for possible storylines, Katims mentioned the importance of servicing every character on the series.  That includes Smash (Gaius Charles), who will have graduated by the start of the third season.  "The Smash story definitely creates a challenge for us," he admitted.  "He will presumably have graduated, so that's a challenge.  It's one of the things we'll be dealing with immediately once I get into the room with the writers and plan how we're going to make that leap from where we ended at the end of Season 2 and where we start at Season 3."

The one thing fans probably won't have to worry about next year is another murder subplot, which many people weren't fond of in season 2.  When asked if NBC handed him any creative notes for the third season, Katims joked, "All they said was, 'Please, god, don't kill anybody.'  I'm kidding."


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TVGuide.com
(Image courtesy of NBC)