2010 was a hell of a a year for the Little Football Show That Could. Other than 2006, when Friday Night Lights aired its seminal first season and successfully fended off cancellation, this year was arguably the most important in the show's history.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show (and I don't blame you if you are, it hasn't exactly been easy to keep up with due to repeated scheduling snafus), here is a quick run-down: Friday Night Lights is set in the fictional West Texas town of Dillon and is loosely based on the Buzz Bissinger book of the same title. The show follows the lives of characters connected to the small town's storied high school football team. I know what you're thinking: how can a show about high school football be one of the best shows of the year? Well, because Friday Night Lights isn't really about football. It's about parenting, disappointment, making bad decisions, doing the right thing, isolation, determination, crime, redemption, love, war, birth, death, and a Christian garage-rock band called Crucifictorious. Okay, and it's about football.
For years, FNL has toiled in relative obscurity. While the show has always been respected (adored, even) by critics, it has continuously struggled to find an audience. The ratings were so poor that after the second season, NBC wanted to abandon the show. Luckily, DirecTV swooped in and saved the day, agreeing to air new episodes on its 101 Network first and allowing NBC to rebroadcast them months later.
The general TV-viewing public wasn't the only group generally ignoring the awesomeness of FNL as Emmy voters also refused to show the love as well. Anyone who watches more than 10 minutes of this show should be able to recognize the strength of the performances by nearly all of its actors. It would be foolish of me to argue that everyone on this show, or any show, deserves award recognition, but for Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton (the male and female leads) not to garner a single nomination for three whole seasons is an absolute crime. Thankfully the clowns at the Academy finally pulled their heads out of their asses and rewarded Coach and Mrs. Coach with a couple of Emmy nods (Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress in a Drama) in 2010. Only three years too late, but hey, who's counting, right?
Not only was 2010 the year that Emmy voters began to recognize Friday Night Lights, but big time news and entertainment publications got in on the act as well. In Entertainment Weekly, world famous horror author and part-time pop-culture columnist Stephen King said FNL, which he describes as "a beautifully crafted drama about decent people trying to live decent lives," was THE BEST SHOW OF THE YEAR. Of the show, he says "A lot of love and honesty has gone into Friday Night Lights, and it shows every week." Couldn't agree more.
Still not buying that this is one the best freakin' shows on TV? EW not a respectable enough magazine for you? How's Time Magazine? Heard of that one? Thought so. Time ranks FNL's Season Four episode "The Son" as THE BEST EPISODE OF THE YEAR. Here are a few quotes about the show and the episode from Time: "...may be TV's finest hour...", "the script gave us FNL at its emotionally honest best," and my personal favorite, "Gilford should have won an Emmy." Don't even let me get start on Zach Gilford and his lack of respect... I love you Seven. If you are a fan of this show and somehow missed "The Son," you MUST go back and watch it. If you don't get choked up by the end, you need to get your heart checked out.
The fact that Friday Night Lights finally seems to be getting the buzz it has always deserved is kind of ironic, considering that this is its final season. Everyone is realizing what they have been missing all these years, but it's too late. The show is halfway through its DirecTV run and the season has been fantastic so far. The show aired a great fourth season (probably its second best season to date) and is following it up with what appears to be an even better fifth season. And even though the show will wrap up in 2011, I think it's safe to say that 2010 was the year of Friday Night Lights.
FNL managed to continue to be top notch while seeing some of its brightest stars move on, a very rare feat on multiple levels to be sure. I thought that Season Four lagged a bit at times but overall produced some of the most emotional and powerful episodes of the entire run, including The Son and Mrs. Taylor's dealings with with school.
In our families' opinion, "Friday Night Lights" was the BEST TV show of the decade.
Best Looking...Best Actor...Kyle Chandler!
Fantastic show. The best on television. Kyle Chandler is great, but the heart of the series belongs to Connie Britton. Tami is such a great character.
Lucas, my choice would have to be Coach, particularly after the amount of turn over the series has seen by necessity over the years. He's the heart and soul of the show, and you'd have to think his "journey" and by extension his team's journeys are what propel the show along.
Going back though, Jason Street was an amazing character and I always his enjoyed his scenes with Riggins.
Lynz,
Unfortunately, I don't think cleaning house at NBC would help get us another season of FNL, mainly due to the fact that (I think) DirecTV is the company in charge of developing new episodes. It is my understanding that all NBC does is own the rights to air the show.
Eric,
The Street/Riggins dynamic was always great. Weren't you surpised that we didn't get a scene of Street visiting Riggs in jail when Jason popped up in Dillon in the last episode? I was totally expecting a through-the-glass-partition "Texas Forever". Maybe next week.