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.
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.”
TVGuide.com sat down with Chandler to talk about his alter ego’s journey on and off the field this past season, saying goodbye to some amazing characters (and actors) and what could be in store for Coach in Season 4.
TVGuide.com: Let’s go back to early in the season. Can you talk about how emotional it was for you to say goodbye to Smash and Jason the characters, and to Gaius Charles and Scott Porter the actors? Kyle Chandler: I’ve never been asked that question before, but basically, there’s four characters I had to say goodbye to: Scott and Gaius the people — that bordered on saying goodbye to friends — you just don’t know when you’ll hook up again. That was really difficult because the show itself… we were kind of like a band of brothers. We’ve just survived so much … we just all thought we were a part of something that wasn’t just already special, but we were a family that had survived the tough times. And then saying goodbye to the characters — in no way am I a father figure to these guys in real life, but as a coach I was. And as a coach it was like saying goodbye to your son. Gaius, with his character overcoming so much to achieve what I knew he could achieve — there’s that pride. And then of course the same thing with Scott Porter, but on a different level. It was such a tragic situation, and yet he was strong enough to overcome it, basically on his own. It was an awful lot of fun to play because it had all the drama to it from real life and our little pretend world.
TVGuide.com: How difficult was it for Coach Taylor to take the first-string quarterback from Matt and give it to J.D.? Chandler: It was difficult on the emotional side; it was not difficult on the reason side. It was obvious that skill [level] — plus the pressure Coach was getting — made that decision a little easier. It was a fun situation to play as well. I just love the coach character; I prefer to play characters where outside forces are punching them around. You’ve got all these obstacles you’re trying to figure out and overcome. And in this situation, Coach has got the Boosters, and J.D.’s father coming around who has a new quarterback trainer for J.D. This father’s got the money, the influence, he takes over the Boosters, he’s got Buddy Garrity’s ear… so that on top of [J.D.] having a tremendous amount of skill and the entire town of Dillon knowing it as well, it was something that had to be done.
TVGuide.com: It was probably much harder for Coach Taylor as a father to walk in on his daughter, Julie, in bed with Matt, right? Did you have a chat with Aimee Teegarden (Julie) about how you two should play that scene? Chandler: That was interesting. No, we didn’t talk about it beforehand. Originally, the script had Coach seeing them together, and what have you. I went to the set pleading, “Don’t let us see Coach inside the house. Leave it to the imagination of everybody.”
TVGuide.com: That was a brilliant choice, because the scene felt much more visceral by just hearing Julie’s scream as Coach walks in the house. Chandler: That’s the way I felt when I got to set and I just jumped out and said, “Listen, please!” And they were like, “That’s a fine idea but we already thought about it, so don’t worry about it.” [Laughs] I love that scene, and no, we didn’t talk about it; and it’s the perfect scene to not talk about. [After walking in on them], I made the walk to the car, and then got in the car, I couldn’t look her in the eye. That wasn’t even a choice; that was just me and the character… . I loved that the doors were locked and she couldn’t get in, and then I had to unlock the door to let her in! So, we copied that in each take because I loved that. It’s one of those perfect scenes.
TVGuide.com: Let’s talk about this season’s villain, Joe McCoy (D.W. Moffett). As unlikable as Buddy (Brad Leland) can be as a booster sometimes, we do feel sympathy for him and like him at times. But there’s really nothing sympathetic about Joe McCoy. Were you ever frustrated that, as Coach, you didn’t get to punch him out? Chandler: No, I like when Coach is limited by what he can do. It’s just another great obstacle for him. Actually, Brad and I play golf and we created characters that go way back and created scenarios about family life that gave us a certain connection. So out of creating these things, there’s a special bond between [Buddy and Coach] that was settled, where we owe each other in life. He didn’t want to be a character that’s hated, so he went the path that he plays so well — the sympathetic jerk, if you will… . Now with Joe, he’s a businessman and knows what he wants. He’s far more militaristic than Buddy. The first scene I ever did with D.W. was when he came to me with an offer of scotch and cigars, and at the same time speaking to me about how he’d like to see his son get in some practice time. I went to the director and said, “This guy creeps me out!” His character spooked me in real life, and Coach was humored by him, but threatened.
TVGuide.com: Now that the finale has aired, we know Coach Taylor has lost his job to Wade and is moving over to coach East Dillon High. What can you tell us about next how next season will unfold, and who will be back? Chandler: I don’t know much, but not only did Coach get fired and he’s moving to East Dillon, he has nothing left. [The Boosters changed all the district borders], so Buddy’s really screwed himself too, because obviously Buddy’s going to go with Coach. So not only are we at this dilapidated school with a pile of dirt for a football field, we have no players! I’m hoping what happens is that it’s going to be the poor part of town and… get those stories going. We’re going to be like a phoenix. We’re starting again from the ashes. We’ve basically got a few seasons to play with [after a two-season renewal] and I think that out of 26 episodes, with that scenario set up, it’s going to be really great. We’re going to have the opportunity to be a bit more gritty and a sense of really following the troubles of these kids. We’ll also have the opportunity to watch the kids grow again into these young men. Who knows what will happen in the last episode of the last season, but if they were able to win, I think that’d be great. It’s a whole new show, in my opinion.
TVGuide.com: Will we get to see East Dillon play the Dillon Panthers, or is it impossible since they’re in the same district? Chandler: I don’t know how they’re going to do that, but it’s great storytelling, so maybe they’ll bend the rules of reality. But then again, the town is split up now. The town’s got two teams and people are gonna be split up about it. There’s going to be all sorts of stuff going on there that I can’t even imagine. It’s going to be fun; I’m really looking forward to it, and I know the writers are too.
A quick note for those who STILL have not bothered to check out the best show nobody cares about, but NBC clearly values, having just given in a two-season pickup.
From executive producers Peter Berg (The Kingdom) and Brian Grazer (The Da Vinci Code), the third season of the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series Friday Night Lights, currently airing on NBC, is coming to DVD on May 19.
Inspired by the best-selling book and theatrical film of the same name, the show features a great ensemble cast led by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton and provides a heartfelt look at life, love and football in the small West Texas town of Dillon.
All 13 episodes of Season Three of Friday Night Lights will be featured on the four-disc set along with bonus features. Seasons Four and Five (2009-2010 and 2010-2011) will each contain 13 episodes as well, airing on DirecTV in the fall and NBC in spring.
CLICK HERE to download Full Episodes of Season 3 Friday Night Lights
NBC is not cancelling Friday Night Lights, as many fans had been fearing. It appears that the partnership with DirecTV, which has the show premiering on the satellite service first and costs shared by both parties, has made the show fiscally possible. Probably not all that profitable, but along with the tax incentives of shooting in Austin the show has garnered enough attention to warrant a purchase of two more seasons.
Technically the order is for just a little over a normal single season at 26 episodes, but they’ll be split into two 13 episode seasons. Similar to the way ABC stretched Lost out a little more, only this time it’s being done to help justify costs while still giving fans more of the show they love. We have no idea whether the new partnership with DirecTV will allow the series to live on after this. But now that the show will hit the syndication marker of 76 episodes you can expect to see a lot more of Friday Night Lights floating around the TV landscape.
Angela Bromstad, president of scripted programming at NBC, stated, “it was important to keep this beloved, quality show alive because, while we need a bigger and broader audience, it’s hopefully an indication of the type of shows we want to do at NBC.” With this kind of attitude NBC could bounce back in the coming seasons.
Friday Night Lights is officially a go for two more 13-episode seasons, airing first on DirecTV and later on NBC, reports Variety’s Cynthia Littleton. (Whee!)
Star Connie Britton recently told us about the possibility of a pickup for the perpetually on-the-bubble drama, “I am feeling optimistic about it and really hopeful. As much as you feel like, ‘OK, it’s time to move on,’ the reality is that to have the opportunity to create something new with [this show] every day is just the greatest gift. It would be great if we had another season.”
And Kyle Chandler spilled a little about the shape of the seasons to come (although you should skip this part if you haven’t finishing watching season three on NBC yet!)
Kyle says, “Coach has been moved into the poor part of town, and we have no pool to draw from for a football team. I think it opens up [the show] to be far more representative, having more Hispanics in the show, blacks in the show. And then also just being the underdogs going up against my old show where my wife is still principal.”
Any chance Tami Taylor will follow Coach to the wrong side of the tracks in seasons four and five? Connie Britton has her theories! “I think it would be interesting if she did, but it may be too difficult to depict in the show. It could also be interesting if I also go over there, and we’re both struggling at this school that is just falling apart.”
Mind you none of this is set in stone, as Connie is quick to point out, “We generally leave that stuff to the writers because their ideas are going to be 10 times better than anything I’d have an idea for!” Pshaw!
Sadly, most of the current castmembers, include Taylor Kitsch’s Riggins, Minka Kelly’s Lyla, Zach Gilford’s Matt Saracen and Adrianne Palicki’s Tyra, play graduating seniors who are likely to eventually exit and move on with their lives on and offscreen.
Says Kyle of the rotation, “They told us that that was going to be the case when we started the show—that people weren’t going to stay on the show for seven years and be freshmen. People who have gone off the show, they knew what was going on. It does give a chance for new people to come on and for the show to be far more organic in that way, although some of the folks who are leaving I really wish they weren’t, obviously.”
Tell us this isn’t the best news you’ve heard all day? No, seriously, tell us in the comments, and we expect you to prove, with facts and stuff, that something else better happened!
Season three of Friday Night Lights is now airing Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
