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Season 1:
The first season of Friday Night Lights accomplishes something that few television dramas are able to do: It betters the 2004 film (starring Billy Bob Thornton) on which the series is based. Set in Dillon, Texas, where football--even on the high school level--is everything, Friday Night Lights is a compelling drama with a football subplot. Poignantly and effectively touching on racism, rape, steroids, jealousy, infidelity, and life-changing injuries, the series presents the inhabitants of Dillon as real people who are flawed, but remarkable in their ordinariness. Though the series struggled to find an audience during its inaugural year, it was a critical favorite thanks to some fine acting by leads Kyle Chandler (as Coach Eric Taylor) and Connie Britton (who portrays his wife, Tami). Coach Taylor's career depends on his ability to get the Dillon Panthers to the state championship. If the team suffers a losing streak, he knows his family, which includes daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden), will no longer be welcome in Dillon. Britton, who also played the coach's wife in the film version, is a phenomenal actress who shares simmering chemistry with Chandler. Not content at just being the coach's wife, she lands a job as a counselor at the local high school. That position plays a pivotal role in the season finale, which leaves viewers wondering whether Eric will leave Dillon to accept a coveted coaching job with a university. Though the majority of the twentysomething actors appear too mature to portray high school students, they have the mannerisms of teens down pat. Gaius Charles is perfect as cocky running back Brian "Smash" Williams, who'll risk his health to make sure he gets a football scholarship to college. Local sweethearts Jason Street (Scott Porter) and Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) are the high school's golden couple. When a football injury leaves him paralyzed, he finds strength in what the future holds for him, but Lyla finds herself in a short-lived affair with Jason's best friend Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch). Once the relationship comes out in the open, their classmates' reactions to the "traitors" show that sexual inequality is rampant even in the teen set. Tim's teammates briefly ostracize him, but just as quickly forgive him, especially since he's so valuable on the football field. But Lyla becomes persona non grata to the girls at school who take too much glee in calling the head cheerleader a slut. The hits she takes verbally are no less lethal than the ones the boys take on the gridiron. And the tentative relationship between Julie Taylor and Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) is the best depiction of teenage love since Angela Chase fell for Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life. The actors do a wonderful job conveying the sweetness, pain, and hurt of falling in love without really understanding all of its implications. Peter Berg, who co-wrote and co-directed the film, has a strong presence as a writer on the series and evenly distributes the storylines between the kids and the adults. Friday Night Lights is a drama with teenage characters at its core. But the stories are universal. --Jae-Ha Kim
Season 2:
Friday Night Lights is deeply entrenched in the world of football and teamwork, but the series transcends sports and delves into rich, human relationships that at times are heartbreakingly real. A compelling drama, the show also features one of the strongest (and best looking) ensemble casts. The second season fulfills the promise of its debut. Full of drama, heart, and superb acting, the series is set in fictional Dillon, Texas--a town where everyone lives and breathes football. The first season had Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) accepting a college coaching job, while his pregnant wife Tami (Connie Britton) and their 16-year-old daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) stayed behind in Dillon. Unfulfilled by his diminished duties and cognizant of the fact that he no longer is the head guy who calls all the shots, Eric returns to the Dillon Panthers. Meanwhile, Julie breaks up with starting quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), who ends up finding love with a young nurse's aide. Paralyzed football hero Jason Street (Scott Porter) tries to find his place in the world, moving out of his parents' home and accepting--and then quitting--an assistant coaching job with the Dillon Panthers. And bad boy Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) gets thrown off the squad and ends up squatting in a meth dealer's home before Coach Taylor temporarily takes him in. But the strongest storyline belongs to Gaius Charles, who is pitch perfect as cocky star runningback Brian "Smash" Williams. Ensured a spot on a university with an elite football program, Williams believes that he is unstoppable. When a run-in with some racist kids turns into a media frenzy, the school rescinds its invitation and Smash finds himself scrambling to get into any school, regardless of its football program. A powerful actor who is equally adept at portraying a strutting football hero as he is a humbled teen, Charles conveys passion as well as numbing reality. Season two also deals with the aftermath of Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) and Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons), who try to cover up a murder. While the storyline is flawed and implausible, the actors do a stellar job with the material. It is also sweet to watch the couple's relationship--initially based on desperation--forge into a strong friendship and romance. Things don't always end neatly, but that only adds to the drama of Friday Night Lights. Look for series writer Peter Berg to guest star as Tami's former high-school boyfriend and Eric's nemesis. If the finale seems a little disjointed, it is because of the 2008 writers strike, which forced the series to truncate its episodes from a planned 22 episodes to just 15. The four-disc set also includes audio commentary and almost 40 minutes of deleted footage. --Jae-Ha Kim
The first season of Friday Night Lights accomplishes something that few television dramas are able to do: It betters the 2004 film (starring Billy Bob Thornton) on which the series is based. Set in Dillon, Texas, where football--even on the high school level--is everything, Friday Night Lights is a compelling drama with a football subplot. Poignantly and effectively touching on racism, rape, steroids, jealousy, infidelity, and life-changing injuries, the series presents the inhabitants of Dillon as real people who are flawed, but remarkable in their ordinariness. Though the series struggled to find an audience during its inaugural year, it was a critical favorite thanks to some fine acting by leads Kyle Chandler (as Coach Eric Taylor) and Connie Britton (who portrays his wife, Tami). Coach Taylor's career depends on his ability to get the Dillon Panthers to the state championship. If the team suffers a losing streak, he knows his family, which includes daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden), will no longer be welcome in Dillon. Britton, who also played the coach's wife in the film version, is a phenomenal actress who shares simmering chemistry with Chandler. Not content at just being the coach's wife, she lands a job as a counselor at the local high school. That position plays a pivotal role in the season finale, which leaves viewers wondering whether Eric will leave Dillon to accept a coveted coaching job with a university. Though the majority of the twentysomething actors appear too mature to portray high school students, they have the mannerisms of teens down pat. Gaius Charles is perfect as cocky running back Brian "Smash" Williams, who'll risk his health to make sure he gets a football scholarship to college. Local sweethearts Jason Street (Scott Porter) and Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) are the high school's golden couple. When a football injury leaves him paralyzed, he finds strength in what the future holds for him, but Lyla finds herself in a short-lived affair with Jason's best friend Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch). Once the relationship comes out in the open, their classmates' reactions to the "traitors" show that sexual inequality is rampant even in the teen set. Tim's teammates briefly ostracize him, but just as quickly forgive him, especially since he's so valuable on the football field. But Lyla becomes persona non grata to the girls at school who take too much glee in calling the head cheerleader a slut. The hits she takes verbally are no less lethal than the ones the boys take on the gridiron. And the tentative relationship between Julie Taylor and Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) is the best depiction of teenage love since Angela Chase fell for Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life. The actors do a wonderful job conveying the sweetness, pain, and hurt of falling in love without really understanding all of its implications. Peter Berg, who co-wrote and co-directed the film, has a strong presence as a writer on the series and evenly distributes the storylines between the kids and the adults. Friday Night Lights is a drama with teenage characters at its core. But the stories are universal. --Jae-Ha Kim
Season 2:
Friday Night Lights is deeply entrenched in the world of football and teamwork, but the series transcends sports and delves into rich, human relationships that at times are heartbreakingly real. A compelling drama, the show also features one of the strongest (and best looking) ensemble casts. The second season fulfills the promise of its debut. Full of drama, heart, and superb acting, the series is set in fictional Dillon, Texas--a town where everyone lives and breathes football. The first season had Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) accepting a college coaching job, while his pregnant wife Tami (Connie Britton) and their 16-year-old daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) stayed behind in Dillon. Unfulfilled by his diminished duties and cognizant of the fact that he no longer is the head guy who calls all the shots, Eric returns to the Dillon Panthers. Meanwhile, Julie breaks up with starting quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), who ends up finding love with a young nurse's aide. Paralyzed football hero Jason Street (Scott Porter) tries to find his place in the world, moving out of his parents' home and accepting--and then quitting--an assistant coaching job with the Dillon Panthers. And bad boy Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) gets thrown off the squad and ends up squatting in a meth dealer's home before Coach Taylor temporarily takes him in. But the strongest storyline belongs to Gaius Charles, who is pitch perfect as cocky star runningback Brian "Smash" Williams. Ensured a spot on a university with an elite football program, Williams believes that he is unstoppable. When a run-in with some racist kids turns into a media frenzy, the school rescinds its invitation and Smash finds himself scrambling to get into any school, regardless of its football program. A powerful actor who is equally adept at portraying a strutting football hero as he is a humbled teen, Charles conveys passion as well as numbing reality. Season two also deals with the aftermath of Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) and Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons), who try to cover up a murder. While the storyline is flawed and implausible, the actors do a stellar job with the material. It is also sweet to watch the couple's relationship--initially based on desperation--forge into a strong friendship and romance. Things don't always end neatly, but that only adds to the drama of Friday Night Lights. Look for series writer Peter Berg to guest star as Tami's former high-school boyfriend and Eric's nemesis. If the finale seems a little disjointed, it is because of the 2008 writers strike, which forced the series to truncate its episodes from a planned 22 episodes to just 15. The four-disc set also includes audio commentary and almost 40 minutes of deleted footage. --Jae-Ha Kim
From the Studio
Nineteen-disc set includes seasons 1-5 of "Friday Night Lights." **76 episodes on 19 discs. 56 hrs.**
Special Features
Deleted Scenes
Behind The Lights: Creating The First Season of Friday Night Lights
Audio Commentary - Last Days of Summer with Executive Producers Jason Katims and Jeffrey Reiner
Audio Commentary - Are You Ready For Friday Night with Stars Connie Britton and Aimee Teegarden
Audio Commentary - There Goes the Neighborhood with Stars Jesse Plemmons and Adrienne Palacki
William S. Paley Television Festival: Interview with Cast and Crew
Keeping Up Appearances Deleted Storyline
Tomorrow Blues Deleted Storyline
Tomorrow Blues Commentary with Executive Producer Jason Katims and Co-Executive Producer/Episode Director Jeffrey Reiner
Friday Night Lights... Camera, Action!
Peter Berg Intros
East of Dillon Commentary with Executive Producer Jason Katims
New Faces, New Places
Playbook
Yearbook
The Lights Go Out
Don't Go Commentary with Director Michael Waxman
Always Commentary with Executive Producer/Showrunner Jason Katims
Special Features
Deleted Scenes
Behind The Lights: Creating The First Season of Friday Night Lights
Audio Commentary - Last Days of Summer with Executive Producers Jason Katims and Jeffrey Reiner
Audio Commentary - Are You Ready For Friday Night with Stars Connie Britton and Aimee Teegarden
Audio Commentary - There Goes the Neighborhood with Stars Jesse Plemmons and Adrienne Palacki
William S. Paley Television Festival: Interview with Cast and Crew
Keeping Up Appearances Deleted Storyline
Tomorrow Blues Deleted Storyline
Tomorrow Blues Commentary with Executive Producer Jason Katims and Co-Executive Producer/Episode Director Jeffrey Reiner
Friday Night Lights... Camera, Action!
Peter Berg Intros
East of Dillon Commentary with Executive Producer Jason Katims
New Faces, New Places
Playbook
Yearbook
The Lights Go Out
Don't Go Commentary with Director Michael Waxman
Always Commentary with Executive Producer/Showrunner Jason Katims
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Katerine
I had watched the complete series over the summer and was so disappointed to learn that it had been cancelled. I felt like I was going through a break-up once I watched the final episode. I considered for a while before ordering the boxset as it was quite expensive but honestly, the show is great quality and worth buying. The boxset itself is well-made, not those cheaply made ones.
I truly recommend watching this series, even if you do not like football. Football is a methaphor for life itself. The caracters are so likeable and the acting is great. The storyline touches so many different subjects, always in a graceful manner. Truly a piece of art, I am going to watch it all over again!
I truly recommend watching this series, even if you do not like football. Football is a methaphor for life itself. The caracters are so likeable and the acting is great. The storyline touches so many different subjects, always in a graceful manner. Truly a piece of art, I am going to watch it all over again!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Scoopriches
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Time to play some football. But not really. Time to live life.
The last episode of one of my favourite shows ever airs tonight. The bittersweet occasion must be marked, nay, remembered for all time.
I am referring to Friday Night Lights. One of the finest series ever to grace the small screen, leaving us way before it's time.
FNL started as a non-fiction book by Pulitzer Prize winning author H.G. Bissinger. The book begat the movie, the movie begat the show. Bissinger spent time in the town of Odessa, Texas, where football is next to God, and Friday Night, when the High School team plays, is when everyone congregates. But what of the players, the coaches, the parents, the girlfriends and the townspeople? What happens after the game ends? What happens when the idolized players graduated to nothing?
This is that tale.
The show, which barely limped through through five seasons due to dismal ratings, was a raw, uncompromising look into these peoples lives. Quite often they would not even show the actual game for episodes at a time. In the first episode, the star player is paralyzed in a tackle. For the next three seasons you see him attempting to rebuild his life. In the third season, a wealthy donor to the team constantly locks horns with the coach. You grow to despise the donor and his smug look. And the season four game changer. More on this shortly.
Everything feels human on this series. The story bleeds reality.
And the reality centers around the one constant in this story. The Taylor family. Coach Eric Taylor, wife Tami who also works at the school in various positions, and their teen daughter Julie. Another daughter, Gracie Belle, is born in season two. Players come and go from Coach Taylor's life and each presents different challenges and dilemmas. Season one alone deals with unscrupulous recruiters, racism, drug use, economic disparity and Julie dating the new quarterback.
One of the major recurring themes is the players (and other characters) constantly chasing after a scholarship. Virtually none of them can afford an education, so football is their ticket out of town, and into a life of their own. The stress this causes passes through so many of them, it is painful to watch. It is also an indictment of the U.S. system where your entire future is dependent upon how well you play football for three years.
This leads to the multiple goodbyes the show has. People will leave when they graduate and many of the scenes where someone earns that magical scholarship are the most emotional. Smash Williams makes it and you cheer for him. Tyra becomes the first person in her family to go to University and you love her for it. And the long and winding path Tim goes on, in and out of high school, makes you want to smack him.
The big game changer was at the beginning of season four. After the town elders screw the Coach out of being the Coach, they plunk him into the reopened high school on the other side of town. New school, new students and players with too much attitude. Betsy starts out annoying but she quickly gains your love. Luke has parents who desperately need a reality check. Coach Taylor starts forming his team and molding them into a cohesive unit. From amidst the chaos, wonders grow.
Now FNL is a memory. The finale was a beautiful tribute to the people in the tale, a coda to the Taylor's time in the town. State Championship is on the line, and the final montage with its haunting song, bring you all the closure you need. Seeing the Ring on Jess's hand is one the moments of pure joy. Seeing Buddy with the golf cart makes you laugh. And the last scene, Eric and Tami together as the lights go out, move you beyond feeling.
Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose. That is the team slogan. You will end up saying it everytime they do. It becomes a part of your reality. You feel it permeate every aspect of the show, and you feel it gather inside of you as well. It's a good feeling.
Scoopriches
P.S. It took me 15 years to read To Kill A Mockingbird. I will read FNL before 15 years go by. That is a promise.
The last episode of one of my favourite shows ever airs tonight. The bittersweet occasion must be marked, nay, remembered for all time.
I am referring to Friday Night Lights. One of the finest series ever to grace the small screen, leaving us way before it's time.
FNL started as a non-fiction book by Pulitzer Prize winning author H.G. Bissinger. The book begat the movie, the movie begat the show. Bissinger spent time in the town of Odessa, Texas, where football is next to God, and Friday Night, when the High School team plays, is when everyone congregates. But what of the players, the coaches, the parents, the girlfriends and the townspeople? What happens after the game ends? What happens when the idolized players graduated to nothing?
This is that tale.
The show, which barely limped through through five seasons due to dismal ratings, was a raw, uncompromising look into these peoples lives. Quite often they would not even show the actual game for episodes at a time. In the first episode, the star player is paralyzed in a tackle. For the next three seasons you see him attempting to rebuild his life. In the third season, a wealthy donor to the team constantly locks horns with the coach. You grow to despise the donor and his smug look. And the season four game changer. More on this shortly.
Everything feels human on this series. The story bleeds reality.
And the reality centers around the one constant in this story. The Taylor family. Coach Eric Taylor, wife Tami who also works at the school in various positions, and their teen daughter Julie. Another daughter, Gracie Belle, is born in season two. Players come and go from Coach Taylor's life and each presents different challenges and dilemmas. Season one alone deals with unscrupulous recruiters, racism, drug use, economic disparity and Julie dating the new quarterback.
One of the major recurring themes is the players (and other characters) constantly chasing after a scholarship. Virtually none of them can afford an education, so football is their ticket out of town, and into a life of their own. The stress this causes passes through so many of them, it is painful to watch. It is also an indictment of the U.S. system where your entire future is dependent upon how well you play football for three years.
This leads to the multiple goodbyes the show has. People will leave when they graduate and many of the scenes where someone earns that magical scholarship are the most emotional. Smash Williams makes it and you cheer for him. Tyra becomes the first person in her family to go to University and you love her for it. And the long and winding path Tim goes on, in and out of high school, makes you want to smack him.
The big game changer was at the beginning of season four. After the town elders screw the Coach out of being the Coach, they plunk him into the reopened high school on the other side of town. New school, new students and players with too much attitude. Betsy starts out annoying but she quickly gains your love. Luke has parents who desperately need a reality check. Coach Taylor starts forming his team and molding them into a cohesive unit. From amidst the chaos, wonders grow.
Now FNL is a memory. The finale was a beautiful tribute to the people in the tale, a coda to the Taylor's time in the town. State Championship is on the line, and the final montage with its haunting song, bring you all the closure you need. Seeing the Ring on Jess's hand is one the moments of pure joy. Seeing Buddy with the golf cart makes you laugh. And the last scene, Eric and Tami together as the lights go out, move you beyond feeling.
Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose. That is the team slogan. You will end up saying it everytime they do. It becomes a part of your reality. You feel it permeate every aspect of the show, and you feel it gather inside of you as well. It's a good feeling.
Scoopriches
P.S. It took me 15 years to read To Kill A Mockingbird. I will read FNL before 15 years go by. That is a promise.
By Reader72
Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an awesome television series. The product arrived in great condition, in a punctual time frame. Many hours of viewing to go, but it is a delight to watch!
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful show
This show is beautiful beyond words, gripping and inspiring. I've never been so involved in a show as I have this one. The characters are relatable and likeable. Read more
Published 11 months ago by SPaps
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Series!
If you are looking for great entertainment for both sexes, then I highly recommend this complete series. A fantastic storyline that will keep you wanting to watch more! Read more
Published 16 months ago by Shirlgirl
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