August 18, 2008
For exclusive on-set videos and hot features on the new TV season, check out BuddyTV's Fall 2008 Preview.
If a television show wraps up its season with a perfectly crafted, emotionally moving finale, chances are I'm going to be doing cartwheels when the series finally returns with new episodes. All of the shows listed below left me feeling extremely satisfied when they wrapped up their previous seasons. Some of them left me crying, some left me with my jaw stuck to the floor, and others left me with a big smile on my face after the credits rolled. All I hope for when I sit down to watch television is to be mentally and emotionally transported to another place. There isn't a lot of programming that has that kind of hold over me, which makes it all the more special when I find a series that does. The five shows below are the ones that are bound to shake up my world in one way or another when they return this fall.
August 18, 2008
For exclusive on-set videos and hot features on the new TV season, check out BuddyTV's Fall 2008 Preview.
Network: DirecTV
Premiere: Wednesday, October 1, 9pm
Considering that it spent its first two seasons on NBC, it's strange to think of Friday Night Lights as a cable show. After struggling through its second low rated season on network television, NBC made a deal with DirecTV to bring the drama back for at least 13 additional episodes. Unfortunately for those without the satellite service, the episodes will first air on The 101, which is a channel exclusive to DirecTV subscribers. The third season will kick off on The 101 on October 1, but won't air on NBC until early 2009. That technically makes Friday Night Lights a cable show, at least until mid-season.
Regardless of where the episodes air, I'm thrilled to have one of the best shows on television back for what's sure to be another emotional year.
August 11, 2008
With previous reports of the necessary DirectTV deal to save Friday Night Lights and the two recently sidelined characters from the show, fans may be disappointed that the new 13-episode season, which first airs on DirectTV beginning October 1 and in 2009 on NBC, might not be nearly as good as the first two. Nonetheless, Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims recently revealed that there will be new faces to feast on, come season 3.
Read on to find out who are the fresh recruits of Friday Night Lights!
August 1, 2008
Friday Night Lights is in a strange position as it moves into its third season. The show was renewed due to a deal made between NBC and DirecTV, which allows DirecTV to air all 13 episodes beginning in October. NBC, on the other hand, won't air the episodes until February. FNL has never done particularly well in the ratings, and one has to wonder if it will struggle even more due to this new deal. Will faithful Friday Night Lights fans who don't have DirecTV be willing to wait four extra months to see new episodes? Will they instead choose to illegally download season 3 online, and if so, will the show's ratings plummet on NBC? These are all questions fans have to worry about as the new season prepares to launch on October 1.
July 20, 2008
The survival of Friday Night Lights for a third season is a miracle. Nearly cancelled by NBC, a last minute deal with DirecTV brought it back for a shortened season 3 that will last for 13 episodes airing this Fall on DirecTV and will then air on NBC in the Spring.
At the Television Critics Association panel for Friday Night Lights, executive producer Jason Katims revealed season 3 will premiere October 1 on DirectTV (to tie in to the fact that it will air on DirecTV's channel 101). The NBC airings will begin in February.
July 8, 2008
It felt like a last minute miracle when NBC made an exclusive deal with DirecTV to help renew Friday Night Lights for a third season. The series has been critically acclaimed since its premiere, but it's also struggled to find an audience in the competitive primetime environment. While the Dillon Panthers will toss the football around for at least another year, it looks like they'll have to do it without two of the show's most beloved characters. According to Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly, actors Scott Porter (Jason Street) and Gaius Charles (Smash Williams) will be bumped down from series regulars to recurring guest stars in season 3. The reasons are both budgetary and creative, though series showrunner Jason Katims promises to bring both characters' storylines to a satisfying conclusion.
June 12, 2008
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How can you not love Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler), coach of the Dillon Panthers on Friday Night Lights? He's a state championship winning coach who acts like a surrogate father to many of his players. He gets along great with his darling wife in what is often the most satisfyingly beautiful marriage on TV. And he's a dependable father to Julie, trying his best to relate to a teenage girl. Eric Taylor is the kind of guy everyone wants, as a father, a coach, a husband, a friend, or an anything.
May 11, 2008
In honor of Mother's Day, BuddyTV has compiled this list of our 10 favorite motherly moments.
An important and difficult part in raising a child is the sex talk. How does a mother talk to her daughter about sex without sounding like a total prude? Might I suggest sitting your daughter down in front of a TV and popping in “I Think We Should Have Sex,” an episode from the first season of Friday Night Lights.