Sure, the American Film Institute honors the best films of the past year--their Top 10 list this year includes box office darlings Up and The Hangover and critical faves like Precious and The Hurt Locker--but they also honor the best television of the past year, and their list this year has some interesting picks.The AFI will honor the following ten shows in a luncheon on January 15 in Los Angeles:  Read more »

For those who are watching Friday Night Lights at the moment and are admittedly anxious about how they‘ll cope with Zach Gilford‘s farewell arc--his father‘s death, his departure for Chicago, the lack of phone calls to Julie--well, there‘s possibly still hope.Entertainment Weekly‘s Michael Ausiello reports that Gilford has taken a major role in a drama pilot for ABC, called Matadors. Read more »

Looks like we‘ll be seeing the last of the Taylors soon.Entertainment Weekly‘s Michael Ausiello reports that the fifth season of Friday Night Lights, which will air in the fall on DirecTV, will be its last. While a representative for NBC insists no official decision has been made, several sources have reported that the network has told the show‘s cast that they can pursue other work after production wraps up in June. Read more »

Taylor Kitsch may have left Friday Night Lights at the end of season 4, but take heart: it seems we‘re getting someone who looks like him.Entertainment Weekly confirms that newcomer Grey Damon is joining the football drama‘s fifth (and likely final) season as Hasting Ruckie, a laid-back basketball player who ends up joining the East Dillon Lions as a wide receiver.  Read more »

After all that bashing Tami got in the past couple of seasons, it‘s nice to see that she‘s finally getting someone to lean to other than Eric.Entertainment Weekly reports that stage actress Lynn Blackburn is joining the cast of Friday Night Lights as Laurel, a teacher at East Dillon who meets up and befriends Tami. (I‘ve got spoilers after the cut!)  Read more »

Street‘s back, all right! Apologies for the ‘90s pun.Entertainment Weekly reports that Scott Porter is returning to the fifth season of Friday Night Lights, which is currently being shot and is set to premiere on DirecTV in the fall.  Read more »

The critically acclaimed drama returns to NBC this Friday for its fourth season, and BuddyTV needs help from one devoted Friday Night Lights fan. We‘re looking for a Fan Columnist to write weekly recaps for FNL that will highlight all the important drama. It‘s true, every second is important, but we‘re looking for a true fan that has a fun angle and can hone in on key moments. Want to give it a try? Write a recap of this week‘s season four premiere. We can‘t wait to read it!   Read more »

Regardless of whether you‘ve already seen the fourth season of Friday Night Lights on DirecTV, or are just getting to it tonight on NBC, welcome.Things have definitely changed over at Dillon. Or, shall we say, the school districts of West Dillon and East Dillon. This little Texas town suddenly has two football teams to look after, and while a face-off between the two is inevitable, there are more pressing issues for the people involved. Want to write about Friday Night Lights? BuddyTV is looking for a Fan Columnist>>> Read more »

Now that episode was a downer.I mean, we all know Friday Night Lights is getting a reboot of sorts, since most of the folks we‘ve been following at Dillon High graduated--and, to complicate things, Eric found himself sent to coach East Dillon since the town split into two school districts. Meanwhile, Tami is still at West Dillon and Julie wants to move to East Dillon, where Landry is. And Riggins went home, and Matt delivers pizza...  Read more »

Season four begins! HURRAH.It‘s August in FNL land, which means the little snowglobe of Dillon‘s been shaken up and set down.Coach‘s day does not start well. He has a new red "East" hat whose brim needs breaking in. He‘s scoping out new employer East Dillon High‘s facilities. The guy with keys, who thinks he‘s trying to break in (he is kicking the door), doesn‘t know or care who he is. You can watch "East of Dillon" here>>>  Read more »

Seems like ALL our friends in Dillon don‘t belong where they‘ve now found themselves.Tim‘s sleeping in the bed of his truck (alone) and a cop tells him he has to scram, after recognizing him. Then he‘s in Riggins Rigs at work under a car, hilariously wearing a brand new uniform shirt with its sleeves torn off, muscles bulging. Billy‘s yelling at him about a late part, and when Tim asks when he might get paid, Billy unspools his one speech, about how much pressure he‘s under, invoking his one measurement of time: "two seconds." (For sure he‘s suffered on Tim‘s behalf, but he needs a new speech.) Tim asks if he can borrow "that violin." LOL. A call for a tow comes in and guess who it is? Becky, the cougar‘s daughter, babbling on about how she missed the bus and she needs a ride to school cause her mom‘s MIA. I mean, Becky, these transmissions aren‘t going to fix themselves!Tim cannot believe he‘s sunken to chauffering an annoying HS kid (who eerily happens to look like the love child of Tyra and Lyla), but we see he‘s a little tickled that she‘s on his trail, more like the old days. And it‘s ludicrous that Tim looks so hot--humbled, shades on, driving a tow truck. Later he‘s at the bar (Smitty‘s, do we think?) where the cougar works, and it so happens she has a trailer behind her house which she‘ll rent to him for $100 a month. They agree there‘ll be no more hanky panky, although when she says she‘s calling her daughter, who wouldn‘t know Tim from Adam (uh, After the Fall? Adam? Subtle), Tim smirks, both intrigued and a bit worried that the little vixen will be a stone‘s throw away. When he enters the trailer, which has a lit wreath glowing warmly at its entrance, it seems like heaven for a minute, even with Becky taking in laundry like some Tennessee Williams character eyeing her prey.  Read more »

Looks like it‘s sooo hard being part of the East Dillon Lions.I mean, you lose your first game because your coach forfeits?  Of course you wouldn‘t show up for practice.  But if you‘re Eric, you had to forfeit -- your kids are getting banged up -- and now you have to convince them to come back because you still believe in them.  Of course, all‘s well that ends well.  I thought Landry going ballistic on him was the end.  Read more »

Okay, last week‘s recap was too long. I just get carried away, kind of like Coach‘s efforts to save his Lions this week. He has the team pushing a big junky car down the main drag in East Dillon, asking for donations--to raise awareness and interest, not money. Vince seems to be behind Coach now, holding his guys together. And Tim, Coach‘s new helper, says he‘s out of money because people are keeping it, so Coach gives him more to run "downfield" and seed the crowd. Just your ho-hum team morale booster. Last week, Coach‘s morale builder was burning all the uniforms, which seemed dubious, although we learn they were 30 years old. Ewww. Good riddance. But the Underarmour guy needs payment on new ones, so Eric makes out a personal check for $3000. Sure enough, we hear Tami‘s voice ominously in our heads, then for real later. Eric‘s arguing with the East principal, who says he just may end the team if they don‘t at least finish a game, implying he never thought Eric would take the job to start with--that the joke was on him. But do not doubt the resolve of Coach Taylor! Read more »

Well, things are finally unraveling on Friday Night Lights. The Lions are sort of coming together, the graduates are still grappling with life after high school, and loyalties are being tested -- say, Buddy finally giving up on the Panthers because Joe just took over and wrecked things. And then there‘s this important lesson that I learned after watching Eric and Tami argue about financial matters: don‘t ever burn your old clothes if you don‘t have the means to buy new ones.Indeed, it‘s hard getting established in a new place, and even more so if everybody seems to want you out...or worse, killed.  Read more »

Argh, this one was a killer. I‘ve been wondering where Matt‘s grandma has been, if he in fact didn‘t go to the Chicago Art Institute so he could care for her. We finally see her at the end, but first ... Matt‘s been working the counter at Panthers Pizza, and Riggs comes in for a slice, zinging that Matt‘s been "slinging dough and not 60 yard bombs," delivering ‘za (a Scrabble word he uses later), lugging scrap for the artist and hanging with Jules, who‘s busy applying to colleges almost anywhere but Texas. Riggs is also a fish out of water. Is he still working with Billy at the shop, or did it end because of no pay, or because Billy evicted him from their house, or both? In any case, he‘s still on good terms with Billy, who was supposed to go hunting with Tim. So when Tim bursts butt first through the front door, his huge biceps hoisting rifles a la Rambo, he scares the crap out of Mins, and once again pisses off Billy, who hadn‘t told Mindy. Hi-larious.  Read more »

Freshman comedies Modern Family and Glee, as well as critically-acclaimed drama Breaking Bad, lead the nominees for this year‘s Television Critics Association Awards.Modern Family got five nominations, with Glee and Breaking Bad following closely with four each. Also getting nods are critical darlings Party Down and Friday Night Lights, and surprise appearances from newcomers The Good Wife and Sons of Anarchy. Recently-concluded series Lost and 24 also scored nominations for the Heritage Award.  Read more »

Last week‘s episode of Friday Night Lights was a little bit slow. There‘s the gay bar story, and who Julie found there. There‘s Matt hunting with Tim. There‘s Tami still facing the wrath of Panther fans and still managing to pretend that it‘s all okay, all while Eric looks for Lions alums to rally his current crop of footballers. (Who thought the Lions were champions before? Yeah, I know, development can suck.)And then the bombshell: Matt‘s dad has died in Iraq.  Read more »

This is Matt‘s big episode in the aftermath of his dad‘s death in Iraq. Can‘t imagine even his eventual farewell will match up to this tour de force. How Zach Gilford‘s stoic face still conveys all the anger, confusion, hatred, and resentment on the part of his gram and mom, until he finally breaks down at the Taylors. The scene manifests itself as he reveals, in the course of trying to eat the meal Tami‘s prepped, that he doesn‘t like his food touching, and he doesn‘t like carrots, but worse than that, he hates to be rude. It‘s a simple, brilliant way to convey how duty and true emotion battle over his soul. Give him an Emmy already!The Taylors once again find themselves as de facto parents, and Eric‚ sensing the only option he has for settling Matt down -- walks him home, which is just the right thing to do. Tami takes charge when she goes with Matt to the funeral home. (As Julie puts it, she loves a crisis, putting a daughter‘s spin on our perfect Tami.) Matt gathers the strength to speak kindly of his dad in his eulogy, despite all the venom he built up for him, and realizes he directed all his hatred at him so he could be a better person for his grandma and Julie. The most powerful scene in perhaps the history of the series thus far -- Matt grabs the shovel from the gravedigger to finish burying his dad himself. My heart actually hurt watching this.  Read more »

So much heat: Tim and Lyla, coach pre-big game, Tami under the collar... This episode hearkens back to four (!) years ago, when the big Dillon game was being televised, and the players and coaches were being interviewed in director‘s chairs on the field, except now the East Dillon team laughs at the idea of winning against an undefeated team. Only Assistant Cach Stan promises a win before he unhappily clams up, obviously having been berated by Eric for opening his yap. The tv deal has everybody worked up -- Jess is stressed about her cheerleading routine; Vince‘s mom is excited for the first time, saying she‘ll attend the game all clean. And instead of being the star badass fullback**, Tim is just a guy living in a trailer. Until Lyla comes a-knockin‘. She decided to stay for a few days over mid-term break "to be with dad." They banter meaninglessly until Tim pounces for a hungry kiss and they stumble into the Love Cave. Apparently they broke up when Tim stopped calling and disappeared. I didn‘t realize how much I‘d missed Lyla until just looking at her made Tim light up like a bulb. All season he‘s been spiritually, romantically dead, and now he‘s beaming -- playful, starstruck. Except Lyla‘s leaving soon. "Three days... I‘m a moment-to-moment guy, so I‘ll just show you"  he growls, explaining how he can work with that, flipping Lyla on the bed. Just then Becky knocks, trilling "I know you‘re in there, Tim." "I do not have a girlfriend," he says firmly to a skeptical Lyla, straightening the briefs and tank we‘ve happily become accustomed to seeing him in this season.  Read more »

Cobra‘s dad is dead. No, wait, I know I shouldn‘t use Tim‘s nickname for Matt, but it‘s just funny. But still, the big story on Friday Night Lights last week was the death of Matt‘s father, fresh from duty in Iraq, and for someone who‘s had a lot of pent-up feelings for him -- abandonment, hate, whatever -- it is a whirlwind, having to address it.Like, suddenly you‘re the man in the house. You taking care of your grandma, and maybe your mom, well, it‘s now official. But you also have to confront whatever your dad did while he was on duty. Father was a funny man, and son didn‘t believe it. Thankfully everybody was there to see him through, but in the end, Matt himself had to do the dealing, and he did just fine.  Read more »

As the fifth (and possibly final) season of Friday Night Lights draws closer, more of the show‘s veterans are returning as if they never left in the first place.Entertainment Weekly reports that three of the show‘s original cast members -- Taylor Kitsch, Zach Gilford and Adrianne Palicki -- are confirmed to return in several episodes of FNL‘s fifth season, which airs in the fall on DirecTV. (I‘ve got possible spoilers after this paragraph!) Read more »

It‘s all change for the folks at Dillon, as Friday Night Lights begins its fourth season.  Season 4 sees most of the current crop graduating and leaving for college, and the town gets split into two new school districts.  Expect new faces, new problems, and a potential rivalry as season 4 of Friday Night Lights takes a look at how things change, but how other things remain the same.Friday Night Lights season 4 airs on NBC on Friday nights from 8pm. You can always check back here for the latest updates and episode guides. Read more »

I think Coach suddenly had to redefine the meaning of victory. When he was with the Panthers, they did great things. Now he‘s with the Lions, he‘s got to settle for scraps. Sure, he‘s still propping up his team‘s confidence so they can win big in the future, but it just feels a little odd. Sure, they almost defeated that big team whose name slips me last week--damn you, failed touchdown. The week before, they were, "at least we caught up a bit." Don‘t forget the "history of quitting" the reporter asked him about.I still believe the Lions will get there. It‘s only a matter of when, or how. Or whether it will involve J.D. McCoy getting his ass whooped, whether on the field or somewhere else. Now I just want to see that happen to him please please!  Read more »

Fathers. Can‘t live with ‘em, can‘t live (easily) without ‘em.Perhaps because of its continually tenuous renewal status, and the focus on high school kids, Friday Night Lights (this season in particular) has felt transitory, torn between the rich past and the unknown future. This week, the main story lines involved the new kids, as it should be, I say with reluctance. Damn you, show, for making us care so much about now-gone characters like Jason, Tyra, Smash, Matt...Ah, but we still have Tim, even if he‘s just reacting to those around him. Like Becky, whose trucker dad visits, bearing bad omens for Tim when he implies his now past HS football days are the highlight of his life, and that he should never get married or have kids. Tim overhears him talking about his second family that Becky doesn‘t know about, and that he‘d rather she never does. We suddenly get the sense that something similar happened with Tim‘s dad, and he was the scorned first family.  Read more »

We‘re back with a new episode of Friday Night Lights. We left the show with a big need for letting go, some filled and others, well, not so. So Landry‘s over Tyra, and he‘s actually convinced Jess that he‘s starting over. Sure, that‘s a good thing. It‘ll take a while before Becky (my new favorite character!) gets over the fact that her dad‘s not going to invest anything more in her anymore -- he‘s got a new family, after all.But Julie? I don‘t know who‘s at fault here. Well, love can be so confusing, so I‘ll give it that. She‘s doing everything to get over Matt leaving her -- how many clubs did she join again? -- but the bottom line is, it isn‘t going to be as easy as seven distractions. Then again, Matt left and didn‘t even get back to her. He called the family, but not his girlfriend? He didn‘t exactly break up with her, right?  Read more »

So many tests and interviews this week! Julie and Tami go to Boston to visit BC, which it seems that Tami would enjoy far more than Julie, even answering a question in a lit class they‘re observing and shaming Jules to death. I know they had to justify taking a crew to Boston, but it was kind of a long, boring thread. They fight incessantly, Julie mopes, but finally aces her interview, talking about how important Dillon is to her and surprising herself.More entertaining was Eric caring for Gracie, taking her out for ribs with the Lion boosters. Meanwhile, his team is gaining progress. Vince has a gun of an arm (let‘s hope that is not dramatic foreshadowing! altho previews involved some gunplay), and Luke is toughing out that nasty contusion he suffered corralling cattle, and taking too many painkillers. Aimless Tim is back helping Coach, mainly observing Luke (whom he -- "Threes" -- nicknames "Fours," awesomely) in pain. He hooks him up, hilariously, with a rubber stamp doctor who asks four questions which merit one word answers, plus a mention of his alma mater TMU, then writes a prescription. See, Tim has skills!  Read more »

Tim Riggins is going to be sooo screwed.I‘ve always had a feeling that anything he does will end up catching up with him in a bad way. Now he‘s joining his brother in that chop shop. I guess he needed the money. More importantly, his brother had a point, too -- he‘s doing it for the family. To get things right. Tim‘s got his sights on that tract of land. That should come close.  Read more »

Carroll Field is where the bad kids hang out and do their bad things, like shoot each other. Eric finds this out the hard way, going to look for Dallas, the sweet kid who helped Luke mend the fence, and witnessing a shooting (involving none of our protagonists). He and Buddy plan to try to restore the broken lights, one step toward cleaning it up. Buddy keeps saying they want to "take back the field," which of course pushes all the wrong buttons with Jess‘ dad, who runs Ray‘s BBQ, and the ex-con he‘s enlisted to act as community liaison for the white dudes, Eric and Buddy. They decide to get the lights turned on and arrange, what else, a football game between the Lions and the Gangstas. Ah, the balm that heals all wounds.Vince, with a perp record, can‘t get a job, so asks Eric to help him, which is a big step in itself. Who should step up but Jess‘ dad, Virgil, who hires him to bus tables, warning him to keep away from Jess. The gangstas stop by, basically demanding freebies, and get chased away by Virgil. Vince still gives Jess The Eye, and can‘t believe it when Landry shows up to help close up and "wash dishes." He and Jess seem to be cookin‘ along, smooching in his Impala. And Landry throws a pretty mean pass to Vince in a wildcat play in the game. Guy‘s multitalented.  Read more »

With the Emmy Award nominations being announced July 8, the races are heating up, and while people have their picks for the big categories like Outstanding Drama and Comedy Series, one smaller race is getting a lot of attention: Guest Actor in a Drama Series.Most of the attention is directed at Friday Night Light‘s star Zach Gilford.  Hollywood stars are lining up to sing his praises and a Facebook page dedicated to getting him an Emmy nomination is already up-and-running.  Anyone who saw his heartbreaking performance in "The Son" where his character, Matt Saracen, copes with the death of his father knows exactly why he has all this support.  Read more »