March 29, 2008
Fans of Friday Night Lights will be pleased to know NBC's Emmy Award-winning yet perennially on-the-bubble drama series will return for a third season, according to cast member Kyle Chandler. This information comes as a big boost to desperate fans following comments made by NBC chief Ben Silverman during the announcement of the second season DVD that strongly indicate that the show might be canceled.
In an interview taped Wednesday with David Bianculli, former TV critic for New York's Daily News, for National Public Radio's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Chandler revealed that a deal was already struck, and that it will spread costs and allow the series to continue.
March 20, 2008
Friday Night Lights had its Paley Festival panel last night, and the mood appeared to be optimistic. TV Guide's Michael Ausiello moderated the event. While the entire cast was unfortunately not on hand to speak about Friday Night Lights, there were more than enough familiar Dillon faces to please the fans in attendance. The big question hanging over the entire panel was, of course, whether or not Friday Night Lights would be returning for a third season. The fate of the series has been up in the air since it premiered in Fall of 2006, and the speculation hasn't stopped since. The recent announcement of a joint NBC/DirecTV deal that would allow Friday Night Lights to produce a third season has raised the hopes of fans. By the way the panel discussed that possibility, I think Friday Night Lights fans can feel pretty good right now.
March 6, 2008
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I'll admit it: sometimes I hear a piece of news that makes me squeal with glee. It's a very manly squeal of course, but it's loud and shrill nonetheless. This is the sound I made when I found out that NBC is very close to striking a deal to bring Friday Night Lights back for a third season. As we reported previously, NBC has been shopping the show around in an attempt to strike a deal with another company that would help alleviate the costs of the low-rated drama. Now it looks like DirecTV is ready to step in and partner with NBC to help bring the series back for another year. However, what will this mean for the loyal viewers of the underrated drama?
February 27, 2008
If there's anything that the followers of CBS' Jericho has taught us, it's that one should never underestimate the power of a loyal fan base. Keeping that lesson in mind, fans of NBC's Friday Night Lights are now rallying together to save the struggling football drama, resorting to several creative ways to get the network's attention.
As reported previously, a number of online save-the-show campaigns have been launched for Friday Night Lights, with the most popular ones being savefridaynightlights.tv and bestweekever.tv. The first site is encouraging fans to donate money that will be used to buy mini plastic footballs, which will then be sent to NBC. The second site hosts an online petition, offers Friday Night Lights banner graphics, and -- in keeping with their campaign motto, “Keep the Lights On” -- asks fans to send light bulbs with the words “Lights On” to the network.
February 21, 2008
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Friday Night Lights is one of the best shows on television, but like a lot of great shows it isn't watched by very many people. Each new episode in season 2 averaged only about six million viewers, which isn't a particularly spectacular amount for a major network like NBC. However, six million viewers would be considered a great number on networks like the CW, E!, G4, DirecTV, or TNT, which is why NBC is attempting to bring the show back for a third season by sharing it with one of these outlets. The network has been shopping the show around, trying to strike up a deal where, for a certain fee, one of these channels can broadcast repeats of Friday Night Lights episodes after they've aired on NBC. This isn't the only option NBC is looking into, but is it possible for this show to be saved?
February 20, 2008
Television star Taylor Kitsch, known most for his work on the NBC football drama Friday Night Lights, has signed on to appear alongside award-winning Aussie actor Hugh Jackman on the upcoming superhero movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Although there has been no official confirmation from the studios yet, several online sources are reporting that Kitsch has been cast in the role of Gambit, a mutant who has the ability to manipulate kinetic energy, and is known for his card-throwing skills.
February 12, 2008
Like other primetime underdogs, Friday Night Lights is now facing the possibility of cancellation, as expected, because of insufficient ratings. NBC has originally commissioned the series for a 22-episode order for the second season, but due to the WGA writer's strike, only 15 episodes were aired. And though there are still remaining episodes left in the order, comments made by NBC chief Ben Silverman during the announcement of the second season DVD strongly indicate that the show will not be renewed for a third season.
But while things may look bleak for the Dillon Panthers, avid viewers will be pleased to know that there are several fan-driven movements starting up in an attempt to keep the show on the air.
February 8, 2008
Previously on Friday Night Lights, Riggs (Taylor Kitsch) pined for Lyla (Minka Kelly); Jason Street (Scott Porter) got lucky with the waitress who saved him from his date from hell; Smash (Gaius Charles) lost his scholarship to TMU and was suspended for three games.
There's a lot of church in tonight's Friday Night Lights. Riggs is attending Lyla's megachurch regularly now, even dragging Billy along with him. On this particular Sunday, Riggs pokes Billy to pony up some cash for the offering basket that Lyla is toting around. At Smash's church things are more energetic with an electric keyboard as opposed to the crusty old organ. Smash leaves to make some calls to the other schools that were courting him. Not looking good, though. He even stalks the Alabama coach to beg him to take him back. Sadly, no cigar.