Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Last year I was super apprehensive about this show, there is even a FNL thread from last year where I believe it was Dids that tried to convince me how great this show is. Two things were going on at the moment: 1. I felt the FNL and Texas HS Football idea was overplayed and getting annoying and 2. I had seen the pilot and thought it wasn't anything special. The problem was that the show takes off after the first episode, the first episode set everything up and I didn't give it a chance.

I kept hearing how great the show was despite the ratings (ratings as we all know mean nil--take a look at Grey's, Ugly Betty etc.) so I watched about 8 of them online and caught up, I was now in love with the show.

I came across an article today that seemed like it was written by me it just so happened to be written by Bill Simmons. He too was skeptical and now is wanting as many people to watch this show b/c it is very likely to get canceled this season (almost didn't picked up for this season).

Bill Simmons FNL article

Who else thinks this show is pure greatness?

Oh, and watch this damn show.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

T - great to see you back in OOT man.

This show is very well executed (caught up with Season 1 recently). I posted a couple things in OOT during the 2006/07 In Season offering reasons for its weak ratings:

I think it's basically a "non-focused demo" issue - the show is perhaps a bit too sophisticated / not light enough for the OC demo, and too many kids as principals for the older crowd. Hopefully the ratings pickup 2007/08. I'm not at NBC, but I imagine the show returned largely on the strength of how damn good it is. And a belief that viewers will flock to quality.

From Simmons' article:

[ QUOTE ]
On Aug. 28, NBC released the American DVDs with a "satisfaction guaranteed" gimmick. Now if you continue to ignore FNL, it's only because you're trying to hurt me. If you do give it a shot, let me recommend the impeccable acting, the lively football scenes (although they tend to go overboard on exciting finishes), the risky story lines and especially Coach Taylor's family, the most authentic household in recent TV history. Every nuance is nailed, every hug seems genuine, every fight makes sense, every sarcastic barb and flustered reaction ring true.

[/ QUOTE ]

That really resonated with me, 100% agree. It does small, quiet moments really well - basically it feels real, no small achievement for a network TV show.

-Al

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Like I said a lot last season. IMO it was easily the best new drama of the year. If you ignore the really corny over dramatic end of game football stuff, the rest was great. Also the girls are [censored] insane hot. There's something for everybody.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Agreed with the horrible job they do dramaticizing the end of games.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

If it does get canceled, I hope that they see the potential in a Landry spinoff.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

[ QUOTE ]
Like I said a lot last season. IMO it was easily the best new drama of the year. If you ignore the really corny over dramatic end of game football stuff, the rest was great. Also the girls are [censored] insane hot. There's something for everybody.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this entirely

After watching FNL Season 1 (which I finished in one weekend, got addicted) and seeing the great writing, one of the best on-screen family dynamics I've seen written in a long time (the coach-wife-daughter) and just how down to earth and even touching it could be while being real, I made sure I recommended it to everyone.

Wow I just reread that last paragraph and it sucks, but I don't care. Kyle Chandler said in an interview that he's not even sure if it's going to make it the whole season, so they are doing what they can to promote it. EW loves it, Bill Simmons article is good, but seriously 2+2, please do yourself a favor and rent/buy season 1, it's great.

I think it was the best season on television last year. Actually scratch that, it's probably Wire season 4, then FNL seasons 1. The Emmy's of course didn't give it any love because somehow Boston Legal is witty or something... and god forbid we nominate Connie Britton who deals with the real human emotion as Patricia Arquette talks to ghosts.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Props to ESPN for letting Simmons run a full page add for another network in their mag. V. surprised that happened.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

FNL might be my favorite show right now

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

[ QUOTE ]
If it does get canceled, I hope that they see the potential in a Landry spinoff.

[/ QUOTE ]

Landry is the best character in the show, agreed

SPOILERS ABOUT SEASON 2 (just plot elements):

<font color="white"> Supposedly they fast forward 8 months for the start of season 2... and I'm a little feared how well the show will work with Chandler in another town. Lila finds Jesus (I keep thinking Mandy Moore in Saved!) Riggins parties more than usual (how is this possible?) and Smash lets the hype get to his head (all of this based on EW)</font>

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

I love this show.. Am def looking forward to the new season.. It starts next Monday right?

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

The fact that this show is even close to being canceled shows how moronic the general public is.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to catch up on recordings of The Biggest Loser.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

[ QUOTE ]
I love this show.. Am def looking forward to the new season.. It starts next Monday right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Friday October 5th. It moved time slots.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I love this show.. Am def looking forward to the new season.. It starts next Monday right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Friday October 5th. It moved time slots.

[/ QUOTE ]


I loved the show last year and hope it sticks around but
Friday nights are usually the last stop for a show before it gets cancelled. I have no idea what NBC's plan is for the show but maybe since Las Vegas has worked on Fridays that they are giving FNL a chance to pick up some of Las Vegas' audience.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

sigh friday is where tv shows go to die

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

I love this show. Plzplzplz don't let it get cancelled NBC.


Unnecessary Lyla Garrity pic:

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/954...lly2985go4.jpg

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

great show, thank you yeti and explosions in the sky for turning me on to it.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

ZOMG!!! When and why did I miss the thread about this show last season? I was the biggest fan of this last year. This is MUST SEE TV!

It has everything a drama is suppose to have. Plz every1 watch it so it won't get cancelled. IDK what else to say to convince ppl of its greatness.

Watch it!

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

I really liked it although not as much as people in this thread. I disliked the football scenes, the over dramatization, the fact every pass went to Smash or Riggins, etc. I'm very intrigued where they will go with season 2 since season 1 seemed like a fairly closed arc. That being said I thought the same for Dexter and the first two episodes of Dexter were incredible. BTW don't post the spoilers in response to that last bit even if I'm completely wrong.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Pudge,

The thing is that I think the reason the football sucks is that the writers appear to be clueless about football and great on the interpsonal stuff. I just feel like you can mentally fast forward through that stuff or pretend they won the game in a less stupid way and focus on everything else.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

The best news for this show is that it's on NBC, which has shown at least some ability to let a critically acclaimed show find an audience. Homicide ran for 7 years despite never really being a ratings winner.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

I imagine however, that Homicide was A LOT cheaper to make than FNL, which has gotta be pricey.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Pudge-

[ QUOTE ]
I really liked it although not as much as people in this thread. I disliked the football scenes, the over dramatization, the fact every pass went to Smash or Riggins, etc. I'm very intrigued where they will go with season 2 since season 1 seemed like a fairly closed arc. That being said I thought the same for Dexter and the first two episodes of Dexter were incredible. BTW don't post the spoilers in response to that last bit even if I'm completely wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought it was interesting that Simmons actually mentions Sopranos and The Wire in his article, though I am not saying FNL is on the same level as Sopranos, what I do like the most about the show is what I liked the most about Sopranos. FNL isn't a football show, football is the setting and the backdrop and a big part of it but it is just the vehicle that leads us to the bigger picture, such as dealing w/ our insecurities our hate and our confusion (racism, alcoholism, parent issues, adultery, mental problems, sex, drugs, injury/handicap). Sopranos was a lot like this, it was a mob show but the mob was just used to show us much more.

I agree w/ Dids, the football scenes are mostly just necessary and he put it well--when they get to be too much it is easy to just mentally fast forward that stuff.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

[ QUOTE ]
or pretend they won the game in a less stupid way and focus on everything else.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is really hard when the last play of the game is a fullback reverse that goes for 40 or so yards.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Tdarko and Dids,
I agree with you, however I still like good football scenes and as a general complaint it really bothers me that very few sports movies can have good in game scenes.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

my girlfriend went to school with the running back guy so she watches it

i can't get into it, just seems like a huge stretch

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

I loved the Simmons article too except for the whole not even saying what time the show is on. If he did, I didn't see it.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
or pretend they won the game in a less stupid way and focus on everything else.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is really hard when the last play of the game is a fullback reverse that goes for 40 or so yards.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never watched the show, but that just sounds hilarious. If you're going to base a show around a football team, have someone who knows something about football tell you when a scene is terrible. That's always bothered me about sports movies, especially serious ones that purport to be something more. I can handle a cartoonish game in Slap Shot because nothing about that movie is supposed be serious, but I really disliked the movie version FNL because I couldn't believe that there was an actual real football team at the center of the action.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

All i have to say is

" To Texas, Texas forever!"

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

I really liked season one. For network drama, this show is excellent. Some of the storylines are terrible but most of them actually come off genuine. Writers have a good feel for small town life IMO. The faux documentary look is something I could go either way on, at times it's effective but every now and then a more standard shooting method would work better. The football scenes are TERRRIBLE but very far and few between. I'm glad it's not really about football. Oh, and the show blows the movie out of the water. No contest.

When does season two start? Isn't everyone in the show going to graduate? Heh.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

I absolutely love this show but I wasn't convinced that it should come back for a season 2. I guess I am just worried about how authentic it is going to become when some of the cast graduates and people move and so on.

Im worried it wont work or it will become fake (too many "random occurances or people being around when they wouldn't IRL).

I hope they pull it off well, and Ill watch either way.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've never watched the show, but that just sounds hilarious. If you're going to base a show around a football team, have someone who knows something about football tell you when a scene is terrible. That's always bothered me about sports movies, especially serious ones that purport to be something more. I can handle a cartoonish game in Slap Shot because nothing about that movie is supposed be serious, but I really disliked the movie version FNL because I couldn't believe that there was an actual real football team at the center of the action.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dudd,

1. 22 episodes and there is less than 25 minutes of football minutes in the entire season--the bulk of which is in the first and last episodes.
2. There are many episodes a football game isn't shown.

Don't compare it to sports movies b/c it isn't fair to say that it is a sports show. Part of my apprehension before watching this show was b/c of watching FNL the movie, it was silly, overacted, strayed really far from the book and wasn't congruent with the book. The movie was just really bad. This show doesn't attempt to do the same thing, it isn't a sophisticated Varsity Blues.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Wow, no one here likes the movie FNL? I thought it was pretty good, and Explosions in the Sky is amazing.

Finally giving the show a chance after seeing this thread, and the Simmons article.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Oh man, pilot episode has Explosions in the Sky in it

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

um ya so do most eps

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Having read and loved the book, I thought FNL the movie missed the mark by a good margin and I just didn't enjoy it at all.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

Ahh haven't read the book yet, I'm sure I'll enjoy it alot more than the movie though. Pretty much always the case with a book that was made into a movie.

Also, on episode 4 of season one already, show is great!

Pretty much hated the scene where Lyla and Riggins kiss though.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

This show is so damn good, miles better than the movie. As a married guy I really appreciate the portrayal of the Coach and his wife - one of the most realistic depictions of a loving marriage I've ever seen on tv.

Since it's such a good show I predict it will get canceled to make room for another show where people try to remember song lyrics. We need a few more of those.

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose imo

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

The best sports book I've ever read. For you guys who've read it, any other recommendations?

Re: Friday Night Lights Season 2
 

What I've learned from this thread and others like it is that Dids watches a lot of TV.