Friday Night Lights

The fourth season of Friday Night Lights will feature a number of new characters, as viewers were introduced to Vince Howard on this week's premiere.

But fan favorites such as Saracen and Riggins are still around. What will they be up to this season? Producer Jason Katims spoke on these characters and more in a new interview with E! News...

On the future of Riggins: One of the things we've always talked about for Tim is he might be a guy who winds up in Dillon for life, but not necessarily in a sad way or tragic way. That's one of the notions that I've always liked, was the idea that maybe at the end of the show he might be one of the few people who end up in Dillon, but not in the way that "He never got out of the small town," but more in a way that "He loves that town and wants to embrace it."

On the return of Lyla: She comes back for at least two episodes this year, so far, visiting from college... she and Tim sort of rekindle their relationship and try to figure out what to do about that... they maybe realize it's not so easy to move on.

On Buddy's dilemma: Buddy certainly starts out a Panther - but things happen along the way that make him question his allegiance to the Panthers. Are they still the Panthers at all? And he also has a deep friendship and bond with Coach Taylor, so his journey this season is about which side is he on.

On Saracen's decision to remain in Dillon: That's very much a story this season, not only about his grandmother but his relationship with Julie. It's a story about somebody who has made a lot of choices about making those around him happy and then what comes into question for him is what is right for him?

Spoiler Alert: Friday Night Lights kicked off its fourth season on DIRECTV last night.

If you prefer to watch it and read about it when the show airs on NBC in the spring, this review isn't for you.

That said, if there's a sight on TV stranger than Coach Eric Taylor in the red of the East Dillon Lions, we're yet to see it.

The fourth season premiere - which you can read a full recap of NOW - drew some major battle lines this week. Dillon High School has been renamed West Dillion and is now the enemy. J.D. McCoy is your sterotypical, pompous ass; Mr. McCoy is worse than Buddy ever was; and Tami is caught in the middle.

Then there's Eric.

With jaw clenched tighter than ever and screams echoing through the dilapidated locker room of West Dillon, he constantly laid into the Lions. This team certainly won't win State, but there's an unlimited number of storylines available here.

Foremost, following this week's episode, is Vince. A troubled, quiet youth, he clearly seeks discipline and a father figure. Will Eric provide that for him? So far, so good.

The same can't be said on the field of play, however, as the Lions' play was the antithesis of good. It was atrocious. It actually led to a halftime forfeit. Among other aspects of the episode we loved:

• Landry as the wily, respected veteran on the Lions.
• Riggins. Pretty much anything to do with this character, who we have to imagine will end up as a West Dillon coach.
• The dark side of Matt Saracen. Did anyone else stand up and cheer when he jumped J.D.?
• Tami and Eric. Always the heart of this show. Even a brief kitchen scene, where she laments missing his first game, is more natural and more loving than anything else on television.

Life in Dillon, Texas is about to change.

When Friday Night Lights premieres on DIRECTV tonight, it will feature many of the same characters fans have fallen in love with over the years. But they'll be in very different places in their lives.

Eric is coaching at a different school. Riggins is a college drop-out. Saracen is delivering pizza.

For a look ahead, browse through our section of Friday Night Lights spoilers. For a look at a trio of promotional photos for the show, click on the pics below.

We're just a little over a week away from the season four premiere of Friday Night Lights on DIRECTV.

Considering the way season three ended - Coach Taylor fired by Dillon?!? Tyra and Riggins off to college?!? - fans have many questions as we head into a new set of episodes.

Producer Jason Katims provides a few answers in a new Entertainment Weekly features. Excerpts from it follow...

A community divided: "The whole idea of this season is about this town being divided in two because of this new team,” says Katims. “And over the course of the season, the lines are literally drawn between these two teams. At times it’s funny but it eventually gets really ugly.”

A New Eric Taylor: “He’s got to figure out how to make something out of nothing,” says Katims. “It’s tougher than he can even imagine because with all the obstacles he’s had in the past, it came with a group of football players who all wanted to please this guy. When he walked into a room, they took a knee. These guys don’t... It becomes less about winning a championship [than] winning a game.”

A New, Questionable Character: “[Vince is] trying to toe that line of becoming a rising star and at the same time doing whatever he needs to do to support his family while his father’s in prison,” says Katims. “And sometimes that puts him in [the position of] doing very questionable things.”

What About Luke? “He’s a charming, outspoken, upbeat guy who’s been put into a very difficult situation,” says Katims: “He immediately has conflicts with Vince on the team, and these two guys are like oil and water.”

On October 28, Friday Night Lights kicks off on NBC.

The show has released a few stills from the episode, each of which reveals something about the drama and where certain characters are at when it returns...

• East Dillon's main color appears to be red.
• Riggins is less than enthralled about life in college.
• Matt is still with Julie.

Check out a few promos for the series and click on the photos below to enlarge each one...

The new season of Friday Night Lights continues to expand its cast.

The latest addition is former The Practice star Steve Harris, who Michael Ausiello reports has booked a recurring role on the NBC drama.

The two-time Emmy nominee will portray Vernon Merriweather, an ex-football star and the father of East Dillon student Jess.

Friday Night Lights returns to DIRECTV on October 28. It will air on NBC some time in the spring.

When Friday Night Lights returns on October 28, viewers will meet a slew of new character, led by Michael Jordan's Vince.

But what about the old favorites fans have grown attached to? Producer Jason Katims spoke to E! News about a couple of big returns; and one possibly troubled marriage:

On the return of Tim Riggins: One of the things we've always talked about for Tim is he might be a guy who winds up in Dillon for life but not necessarily in a sad way or tragic way. That's one of the notions that I've always liked, was the idea that maybe at the end of the show he might be one of the few people who end up in Dillon, but not in the way that "He never got out of the small town," but more in a way that "He loves that town and wants to embrace it." That's partly the direction we're going in.

On the return of Lyla: She comes back for at least two episodes this year, so far, visiting from college. We will watch as she and Tim sort of rekindle their relationship and try to figure out what to do about that. The two of them have, in one way, really moved on, but once they see each other, they maybe realize it's not so easy to move on.

On the East Dillon Lions: We will absolutely see them play football, they might not play quite as well as the Panthers, but we will see them play. We will follow their season; that will be the show this year.

On Tami and Eric: The [town] split definitely creates some tense moments between them. The thing that I love so much about Coach and Tami, as they've been realized by Kyle and Connie, is what a beautiful relationship they have and how well they overcome obstacles. What's fun for us as writers is try to throw as many things at them to watch them emerge with their marriage intact.

We try to find new things to throw at them. We knew Coach was moving to this new school, so we decided to keep Tami at West Dillon and to have that be a story point throughout the season for these two people who are in these two very different worlds now and at certain times those worlds very directly collide.

Check out the first pair of Friday Night Lights season four promos NOW!

While NBC viewers need to wait until the summer of 2010 for new episodes of Friday Night Lights, DIRECTV subscribers can start to get excited about season four of this acclaimed series.

It kicks off on October 28.

According to one newly released promo for the drama, one town will change forever over the next few months, as Coach Eric Taylor takes his passion and intensity to East Dillon High School.

“This season opener is practically a pilot in itself. It puts Coach Taylor at the center of the action in a new school, with a new team, and many new challenges,” said executive producer Jason Katims. “In addition to the returning cast, we are introducing a host of new characters who will become integral to the fourth and fifth season of the show.”

Watch the following trailer for season four, which is narrated by Tyra's emotional reading of her college application essay:

Follow this article's jump for another Friday Night Lights promo.

It doesn't reveal any new scenes or spoilers, but anyone whose spine doesn't tingle while viewing it must lack clear eyes and/or a full heart.

Continue Reading...

Football players are suddenly trading in their cleats for acting shoes.

First, Jerry Rice appeared on One Tree Hill this season. Then, it was confirmed that NFL Hall of Famer John Riggins has landed a recurring role on the same CW hit.

Now, we can report that Oakland Raiders Pro Bowl corner Nnamdi Asomugha will make a cameo in an upcoming episode of Friday Night Lights.

The star player will try to appeal to Vince, a troubled member of Eric Taylor's new team. The character is played by Michael B. Jordan and this great series returns to DIRECTV on Octobeer 28.

When Friday Night Lights returns for a fourth season, Tyra will be in college.

While actress Adrianne Palicki might make a mid-season return, she'll have her hands full with Supernatural events in the meantime.

But, don't worry Landry fans, your man won't just sit around and pine for her. The character will be involved in a love triangle when the series kicks off on DirecTV on October 28.

According to TV Guide Magazine, Landry will fight over the same girl with African-American teammate Vince (played by Michael B. Jordan). The female in question? Jess (Jurnee Smollett), who works with her dad at a local hangout.

“It’s good to see mixed couples on TV,” Jesse Plemons said. “The last girl I dated [in real life] was mixed race. Texas has come a long way, but there’s still racism.”