While no guest stars for Friday Night Lights‘ upcoming fourth season have been set yet, Connie Britton admitted she’s already campaigning for a visit by her friend Ron Perlman, whom fans of FX’s Sons of Anarchy know needs no introduction.

“It would be so fun if he came in and was some awful coach, a really hardass coach,” Connie said in an interview with E!. “Of course, Ron is busy doing Sons of Anarchy.”

Connie also said she would love to show up on Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims’ new NBC show Parenthood, but scheduling conflicts won’t allow it.

Similarly, the outstanding actress who plays Tami Taylor said. “At some point they were talking to me about doing some stuff on Californication, which I would really love. It couldn’t work out, scheduling-wise, but if it ever did, it would be fun.”

While Friday Night Lights star Connie Britton recently said the series’ two-season pickup would likely mean the end of the show in 2011, she now says, “You never know—if it does do really, really well, maybe they would go on for more seasons.” Either way, what do the next - and possible final - two seasons hold?

Peter Berg, who adapted the book and film of the same name for television, is directing the first episode, which will likely have a time jump similar to Season Two. Said Connie Britton of the new season, “I bet they will do it from that three-month ending to the beginning of the new school season, which would be September.” And if a sixth season of Friday Night Lights isn’t ordered after the fourth and fifth?

“Everybody is really embracing the idea of having two seasons and being able to be really specific with these arcs and know where we’re going to end up,” she said. “That’s exciting to be able to do that on a TV show. I really do feel like these two seasons are going to be really strong. I think it’s going to be a lot of change.” “I think it’s going to be really strong. Part of that is because they are thinking of it in terms of two seasons. In a way, it’s much more like a movie focus.”

So where would Connie want to see the Taylors end up?

“Julie would’ve graduated, so I’d love to see her off somewhere fantastic. I think it would be interesting to see [Coach and Tami] end up at the same school again, back to being on top a little bit, but even as I’m saying that I’m thinking, what if we end up moving away out of Dillon? That could be really interesting, too.”

Regardless, Connie’s extremely pleased with the fan support that brought Friday Night Lights back from within an inch of death for two consecutive seasons. “Our fans are so awesome. People who are watching this show are just so amazingly invested and passionate. It’s just a joy. Anytime I run into someone who watches this show, the investment is like a dream. It’s incredible. [It's] just so satisfying to work on something that people feel that strongly about, it’s the best.”

As we’ve previously reported, Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen) will not return as a series regular next season on Friday Night Lights. Nor will Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity), following in the footsteps of Gaius Charles (Smash) and Scott Porter (Jason), who left town.

As for Zach, how long will he be around before bidding farewell?

Michael Ausiello of EW says about five episodes, but possibly more. That’s not bad considering the whole season is 13, and it should give him ample time for an awesome goodbye story line.

We’re gonna miss Matt, but he would want to leave Dillon.

Friday Night Lights’ realism translates into its characters being written off the series when the time naturally comes for the youngsters to leave Dillon, Texas.

But might we see some old faces return later on?

Of his future with Friday Night Lights, Scott Porter, whose character Jason Street was a central component of Seasons 1 and 2 but left town last year, says:

“I may have a guest spot return to Dillon in Season 5. In the final episodes of the wrap-up season, we’ll put a bow on everybody. There are definitely some ways to bring Jason Street back.”

“If Tim Riggins gets in trouble, or if Riggins ends up getting married, then I’ll come back for that. [Street's return] is probably going to be Riggins-related, although since I’m a football scout now, I could probably come down and look at some of the new kids at East Dillon.”

Friday Night Lights has been picked up for two seasons, with the next beginning this fall on DirecTV. However, the stars have stated that those two will be the last. For now, Scott Porter filmed a Fox pilot called Masterwork about international art theft. It was filmed on location in Europe, and Porter plays an FBI agent.

A rather glorious thing happened in March, when TV’s acclaimed if undersampled Friday Night Lights was renewed for not one but two more seasons. Although the series’ NBC return is a small eternity away (summer 2010) and its DirecTV premiere is still “TBD,” we tackled the opportunity to speak with Connie Britton about Tami’s “roller coaster” past, and apparently finite future.

TVGuide.com: I want you to know that my wife got hooked on Friday Night Lights this past season — and I think it’s largely due to the tactile and real performances given by you, Kyle Chandler, et al.
Connie Britton: Aw, that’s so awesome! That’s what I’m talking about, that’s what we need to do.

TVGuide.com: Hey, every head counts. What was your favorite thing about playing Tami last year?
Britton: For me, it felt like a roller coaster. The whole aspect of being principal was really interesting, because when I first heard about that, I was heady with power! I was like, “This is the be-all and end-all,” Kyle was jealous. … It was fantastic. And then they were like, “Yeah, but you’re going to have a huge head-to-head issue with Buddy, and ultimately you’ll lose.” [Laughs] I was like, “No fair!”

TVGuide.com: What are the odds that Tami and Eric will be working at rival Dillon high schools next season?
Britton: Knowing our writers, I bet that’s the way they’ll go, because that will be so interesting and challenging. And that’s how we do it at Friday Night Lights.

TVGuide.com: Last season we said sad goodbyes to both Smash and Jason…
Britton: C’mon, admit it, you cried during those episodes.

TVGuide.com: Maybe. Will Season 4 serve up anything similar for Matt (Zach Gilford), Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) or Lyla (Minka Kelly), all of whom could be heading off to college?
Britton: The writers just now are concocting their story ideas, but I would think they do a little arc for all those characters — or at least the ones they can. All these actors are going off and doing awesome movies and stuff. We are the farm team for Hollywood, with our actors, our writers, our director…. It’s crazy.

TVGuide.com: Executive producers Jason Katims and Jeffrey Reiner have gone off to do other projects (NBC’s Parenthood and Trauma, respectively). How might their absences affect the mood on the set?
Britton: I don’t think it will be different at all. We’ll have some different players on the team, but we also will have a lot of the same players. There’s Michael Waxman, who was our First [Assistant Director] for a long time before starting to direct some episodes, and we just love him. I think he’s going to be picking up some of the Jeff Reiner slack.

TVGuide.com: Plus you’re going into this transition as one of the business’ best-oiled machines.
Britton: I really do think that’s true. We’ve always attributed the success and greatness of Friday Night Lights to its process, and that involves every single person, from every department.

TVGuide.com: What was the thinking behind a two-season pick-up? Was it financial?
Britton: I’m not involved in all those negotiations, but if I had to guess, the only reason somebody would do a two-season pick-up is if there’s a financial advantage. It impacts syndication, packaging….

TVGuide.com: So are you shooting Seasons 4 and 5 back-to-back? That’d be cost-effective.
Britton: No, I think there will be a little break between seasons, if for no other reason than to let the writers regroup.

TVGuide.com: Did you have your hand slapped at all for telling EW.com that after these next two seasons, the show is done?
Britton: No! I don’t think I’m out of bounds in saying that. I think that is the intention.

TVGuide.com: Hey, end dates are the new black — everybody is doing them.
Britton: Exactly, and we are all looking at it as an advantage. One of the things that’s so hard about TV is that time at the end of the season where it’s a guessing game of, “Will we ever see each other again?” That’s tough, man. So for us to have the luxury of knowing what we have in front of us and, frankly, knowing when we get to say goodbye, is great. Listen, if the show suddenly started making phenomenal amounts of money and gets phenomenal ratings and they’re like, “Let’s keep it going,” that would be great. But I have a feeling that this is a really good way to be really specific with stories.

The Friday Night Lights cast is currently in flux, as usual. Who’s still on it? Who’s leaving? Who’s in, but only for a farewell story arc a la Gaius Charles and Scott Porter?

Here’s the scoop on the new season of Friday Night Lights, which returns in the fall on DirecTV for Season Four, which will then air on NBC beginning in January 2010.

EW says the following all-stars will be back as full-time cast members: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Jesse Plemons, Taylor Kitsch, Aimee Teegarden, Jeremy Sumpter.

Meanwhile, these regulars for the first three seasons are moving up and moving on, but will be back for farewell acts: Adrianne Palicki, Minka Kelly, and Zach Gilford.

How do I love Friday Night Lights’ resplendent, Emmy-worthy leading lady (and Ausiello TV guest) Connie Britton? Let me count the ways…

1) She modifies her summer travel plans in order to appear on my fledgling web series.
2) She breaks major freakin’ news about FNL likely ending in 2011: “I think the intention is to do two more seasons and then that will be it.”
3) She says funny things that make me giggle. Like this: “I’m pretty sure in the next two seasons there’s a very strong possibility that Tami will have an affair with a student.”
4) She humors me when I offer her Emmy submission advice (and video evidence to back it up).
5) She breaks major freakin’ news about who will and won’t be back full time in season 4.

I could go on forever… or I could just direct you to our exclusive video Q&A after the jump. My typing skills suck so let’s go with option B. Enjoy!

Talk about a big break for Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch, at least for the movies. After a quick turn as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, he is set to take the much-coveted lead role in the upcoming Disney action flick John Carter from Mars.

The film, adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ book series, will be directed by Andrew Stanton. This marks his first live-action feature, after working on two of Pixar’s most acclaimed animated releases, Finding Nemo and last year’s critical darling WALL-E. This film revolves around a civil war veteran who finds himself transported to Mars all of a sudden–and ends up being involved in a war between races there.

The role is a big one for Kitsch: Disney, which hopes to turn the film into another franchise like the Pirates of the Caribbean series, spent quite a while auditioning young actors for the role. Jon Hamm and Josh Duhamel were among those who the studio considered, but Kitsch was ultimately selected, thanks to his work on FNL as well as his recent movie work.

Also taking a role in the film is his co-star in X-Men Origins, Lynn Collins. The former True Blood star is set to appear as Dejah Thoris, the heir to one of the kingdoms in Mars.

The film is slated to begin production early next year, although no release date is planned as of the moment.

In the pilot episode of NBC’s “Friday Night Lights,” after a star football player suffers an injury on the field, the new coach in town, Coach Taylor, narrates the end of the episode while members of the football community visit the hospital where that player has been moved. In a voiceover, he states, “Life is so very fragile…We must carry this in our hearts: that what we have is special–that it can be taken from us. And that when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls.” Several weeks ago, the third season of “FNL” was released on DVD and if you have not seen this program, this summer is a great time to catch up on this phenomenal show which showcases the daily tests that the characters in the community of Dillon, Texas face on and off the football field.

I only started watching the critically acclaimed program last year and since then I have purchased all three seasons on DVD. Readers and viewers might be familiar with the overall idea of the show because before there was a television show, there was a popular book and a feature film (with Billy Bob Thornton as the coach) with the same name. Even if you have not read the book or watched the film (and even if you do not like football), the show is well worth seeing.

“Friday Night Lights” takes place in Dillon, Texas, where at the beginning of the program, the new high school football coach arrives in the community with his wife and teenage daughter. The show revolves around the lives of Coach Taylor’s family, the football team, and members of the Dillon community who show up on Friday nights to watch the team play. Coach Taylor’s new football team is tested from the beginning of his tenure. For instance, Matt Saracen, who is played superbly by Zach Gilford and who is one of the stars of the football team, has faced many tests during the show. From the loneliness that he feels partly because his mother is not around and his father is in Iraq, to his daily responsibility of taking care of his aging grandmother, Saracen is seen throughout the show facing major tests that are easily relatable–this is one of the reasons the show succeeds. The characters are not stereotype jocks playing on a grassy field or sitting in the bleachers; they are well-developed members of the Texas community who often make mistakes and deal with the consequences of them.

Critics loved the first season and third season which concluded it’s run on NBC a few months ago. However, the much-criticized second season is worth seeing too because even though the plotlines did not live up to the expectations set in the first season, the show was always captivating and well written during that year.

“Friday Night Lights” is one of the best shows I have seen in the past couple of years but it has struggled to get big ratings (although it was recently renewed for two more seasons).

This show explores the personalities of its strong characters (played by great actors like Gilford, Kyle Chandler, and Connie Britton). The latter two of those actors deserve Emmy nominations according to Entertainment Weekly’s own Michael Ausiello who had them on his dream ballots for best actor in a drama and best supporting actress in a drama, respectively.

“FNL” is an often-brilliant depiction of a football community that often celebrates at the football field under the glare of Friday night lights.

Download first three Season DVD

We teased last week that when the next season of Friday Night Lights debuts this fall, Tim Riggins will be a central character on the show despite his graduation. Even though the Panters football star is off to San Antonio State next year, Taylor Kitsch says his character is willing to stick around Dillon - and probably will. Taylor told E! Online about next season, “Friday Night Lights has been been an incredible journey and a springboard for me, and I will never say no to them.”

“As long as they’ll have Riggins back, I’ll be back.”

High-five!