'Friday Night Lights' is still in the game
Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 6:04 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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TV
"Friday Night Lights" and "Heroes" became the darlings of NBC's lineup in their first seasons. "Heroes" success was clear almost immediately, but "Lights" had to hang in there until May before it was assured of a renewal. Critics are big fans of both, and the cast and crew of "Lights" received a rare round of applause when they took the stage for a panel Tuesday.
NOT A FOOTBALL WIDOW
Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler play one of TV's most realistic married couples (our freelancer thinks both could win Emmys), and the actors' easy camaraderie and chemistry showed on the panel. When Britton was asked the first question of the panel, she joked that Chandler "is so mad right now," and he went along with the joke, saying "You ask her the first question, and it's about herself? Oh, my God."
While the characters were separated at the end of last season, with Britton's character remaining in small-town Dillon and Chandler's character moving to Austin to coach college ball, they'll reunite in the first episode for a very important reason: Britton's character will give birth in the season premiere. The new arrival makes it even more difficult for the two to be in different cities, says exec producer Jason Katims. He notes "This idea of this long-distance relationship that seemed like a great idea at the time suddenly doesn't seem like such a great idea. And they're wondering whether they made the biggest mistake of their lives."
PLOT TIDBITS:
With Coach Taylor in Austin, the Dillon Panthers will of course be getting a new coach. While that actor was not revealed, paralyzed Dillon graduate Jason Street will be working full-time on the Panther payroll as an assistant coach. There's also good news in the offing for Street: He gains back some movement, which leads him to pursue experimental treatment to try and relieve more of his paralysis. Also, the new coach, is definitely going to make some waves between Jason and his friends," said Scott Porter, who plays Jason Street.
Could Street be the character who finds religion in the new season? Unclear, but someone is. "We're going to have a pretty big religious (plotline)," said producer Jeffrey Reiner. "One of the characters is going to find God."
Tyra was almost raped in a horrifying scene near the end of last season. Katims revealed that her almost-rapist will return, and "something happens as a result of that that ties Landry and Tyra together." A new romance, perhaps?
The first-season DVD comes out in August (and a soundtrack album in late July). Hopes are high that viewers who've only heard about the show or seen an episode or two will buy or rent the discs, catch up on the plot, and be converted to regular viewers by season two's premiere. Said Katims "I think people hear that (the show is) somewhat serialized, and so the more that, you know, that people can catch up on it, you know, leading up to the release, the better."
