Friday Night Lights

Conan O'Brien was the major loser in NBC programming debacle, which has resulted in the return of Jay Leno to 11:35 p.m.

The winners in this mess? Fans of Friday Night Lights, who will see that incredible drama return to NBC on April 30 (after it completes it current season four run on DIRECTV).

The network released its new mid-season schedule today, which will include new programming at 10 p.m. in place of Leno, starting March 1:

Mondays
8-9 p.m. Chuck
9-10 p.m. Trauma (beginning March 8 )
10-11 p.m. Law & Order (returns March 1 with two-hour episode, 9-11 p.m.; resumes in regular time slot March 8 )

Tuesdays
8-10 p.m. The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m. Parenthood (premieres March 2)

Wednesdays
8-9 p.m. Mercy
9-10 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (encores beginning March 3)
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (originals beginning March 3)

Thursdays
8-8:30 p.m. Community
8:30-9 p.m. Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 p.m. The Office
9:30-10 p.m. 30 Rock
10-11 p.m.  The Marriage Ref (premieres March 4; sneak preview Feb. 28)

Fridays
8-9 p.m. Who Do You Think You Are? (premieres March 5; Friday Night Lights, pictured above, returns on April 30)
9-11 p.m. Dateline NBC (begins March 5)

Sundays  (beginning March 14)
7-8 p.m. Dateline NBC
8-9 p.m. Minute to Win It
9-11 p.m. The Celebrity Apprentice

There might be great news for Friday Night Lights fans in the short term: Due to the cancelation of The Jay Leno Show, NBC may bring back this tremendous drama in March.

In the longer run, though, producer Jason Katims has confirmed what we reported in November: Taylor Kitsch won't be returning as a series regular on season five.

"Taylor is shooting a movie [John Carter of Mars] and it doesn't work out with his schedule to have him on as a series regular for FNL next season," Katims said.

However, the producer comforted fans a bit by telling E! News that Tim Riggins won't be saying farewell forever:

"I'm sure you will see Taylor next season. We are planning to have him come back toward the end of the season, and possibly do a couple along the way if we can work it out with production."

Friday Night Lights said goodbye to Zach Gilford earlier this season (which is airing on DIRECTV before moving over the NBC), though Matt Saracen is also expected to return at some point.

As for Jesse Plemons (Landry) and Aimee Teegarden (Julie)? Both graduate this year, but "they're going to have significant arcs" on season five, Katims said.

Phew. There's only so much sad casting news we can take at once.

On this week's episode of Friday Night Lights, the first new installment after a break for the holidays...

• ... Eric grows increasingly aware that problems in East Dillon run deeper than issues on the football field;
• ... Jess tries to decide between Vince and Landry;
• ... Luke’s injury continues to plague him;
• ... Tim makes a life-altering decision.

As always, the hour airs on DIRECTV before coming to NBC this summer. Check out the official promo for "Toilet Bowl" below:

Another week, another great episode of Friday Night Lights.

There were three main storylines this week, all of which we'll tackle (pun... intended!) below. First, read through our detailed recap of "In the Bag."

1. Shooting Down a Problem: Of all the times Eric has motivated a player or given him a talk about life outside football, this one left the most to be desired. It played out like a Pubic Service Announcement. It also felt like there were a few scenes missing.

Three of Vince's friends have been killed on the street? We understand this storyline was shot from the coach's point of view, but it would have been nice to have seen more of Vince's dangerous world before the issue was quickly resolved with him handing over his piece.

2. Sayonara-cen: After all the praise Zach Gilford (deservedly) received for his performances in the wake of Saracen's father's death, it's been easy to overlook Aimee Teegarden's work as Julie. But she stepped up her game this week, especially in two contrasting scenes of emotion.

In the first, around the table with Shelby and Grandma Saracen, she held back the tears - yet couldn't hide her vast disappointment - when she learned about Matt's phone calls. Then, she went in the opposite direction and let it all out at the Academic Smackdown debate. Great stuff all around.

3. From Panther to Father: Might Riggins make an even better father figure than running back? His interactions with Becky have been some of the best scenes of the season, as he's had to both resist her advances and comfort a young girl whose situation he can relate to far too well.

What's also been so refreshing about Riggins this season is how the series is handling his life in Dillon. This isn't a character stuck in a small town, yearning to leave, destined for a poor, sullen existence. Riggins actually embraces where he's from. He's proud of it, he's content with a simple life of fixing cars and drinking beer. Texas forever? It sure looks that way, based on the intriguing final shot of the episode.

There were also a trio of Friday Night Lights quotes that made us laugh out loud this week:

• When Landry mumbled to Jess that he might write a song about her someday;
• When Riggins told Becky's father he slept with his wife;
• When a dead serious Billy told Tim that holding the charity strip-a-thon at Riggins Rigs was the best idea he's ever had in his life.

Man, we love this show.

On this week's (okay, last week's, really... but these reviews will likely come later than most, due to the show's deal with DirecTV) episode of Friday Night Lights, characters dealt with change.

Most didn't handle it well.

Landry wanted to move on from Tyra, but his attempts at honesty and maturity were literally slapped down by Jess.

Tami was forced to recognize that Julie was growing up and would soon be heading to college. But while Connie Britton proved once again she deserves an Emmy, the character proved that she doesn't know how to let go very easily.

Lyla and Riggins rekindled their romance, but both acknowledged the harsh reality of their situations by the end of the episode: they may be perfect for each other in some ways, but they want wholly different things out of life in others.

The main storyline, of course, focused on the realization that came to both Julie and Matt simultaneously: he made a mistake remaining in Dillon. By the end of the hour, he was on the open road, a slight smile on his face, limitless possibilities ahead.

It was understandable the show didn't wanna reach into the heavy, emotional well for Saracen two weeks in a row - and any episode would be a let down after "The Son" - but this ending felt too ambiguous.

First, the series subtly changed Saracen's motivation for sticking around. At the conclusion of season three, he had decided to stay in Dillon to take care of his grandmother, remember? Now, however, it's supposedly all about Julie; a plot device that makes his exit more rational, sure, but it also changes the character a bit. It makes him more weak than heroic.

Also, while Zach Gilford is expected back on the show at some point, this was a major decision for the character. We needed to see some interaction with Grams before he left. That's one of our favorite relationships on the show (though nothing beats Tami and Eric, of course; their interactions in bed, with Tami freaking out and Eric acting supportive/scared/humored by it all, were classic).

Read our recap of "Stay" now and let us know your thoughts on this episode.

We apologize for not labeling this post with a Friday Night Lights spoiler warning - but even those waiting to watch season four on NBC next year most likely read many weeks ago that Zach Gilford was only booked for a few episodes.

The actor - who plays Matt Saracen and who gave the performance of a lifetime on the episode "The Son" - left the series this week.

He then spoke to The Los Angeles Times about his experience on the incredible drama. Excerpts are below...

On knowing Saracen well: After four years of doing the same character, you kind of know what you’re doing. That’s not saying you’re a great actor or anything, but you know when you’re doing something stupid, or doing something real. But I think we all have confidence we can go into any scene and make it real and not do anything where people will be like, "Really?"

On respect for Saracen: He’s always been the guy who put everyone ahead of himself, and this season he did it again. That’s why he was still in Dillon. His arc this year is figuring out that it’s time for him to put himself ahead of everyone else, and realize that it’s not going to be the end of the world if he does that.

On the future of Saracen: He heads up to Chicago, and he’s figuring stuff out, I guess you can say. It’s all a little vague. But [Jesse Plemons, Ladnry] and I are waiting to see what happens to his character. If he leaves, him and I are going to try and make a spinoff.

We know this review is a couple days late, but it took us this long to stop crying after watching the latest episode of Friday Night Lights.

Tears dry, we can discuss "The Son" at length and actually see the computer screen as we type.

We joke, but we're also deadly serious. What an incredible hour of television, as Friday Night Lights took what could have been a cliche-ridden event and turned it into an example of why this show is unlike any other.

How many programs have dealt with the death of a loved one? There's crying, there are speeches, jokes, a funeral. By the end of the episode, characters have typically gone through the stages of grief and are ready to move on.

But that's not what happened here.

Due to the documentary style of the show, it truly felt like a camera had subtly been placed around Matt Saracen and viewers were witness to true, raw emotion. That's what makes Friday Night Lights so special. You sincerely feel like you are part of the Taylor household, you feel like you're on the field of play and, in this case, you almost feel like your own father died.

Zach Gilford, unfortunately, is still leaving the show shortly. But "The Son" made his brief season four run worthwhile. He nailed every scene and every emotion, from Saracen's attempts to be polite mourners such as rambling Buddy Garrity to Saracen's breakdown with the Taylors.

While Saracen was the focus, his grief was also used to showcase the reactions of others. We saw Riggins deal with the fact that a football field beerfest isn't always the answer; we saw the door get closed in phony Joe McCoy's face; we saw Tami calmly handle the burial arrangements and Eric simply offer to walk Matt home.

That final example also illustrates what makes Friday Night Lights so real. How many other shows would have had Eric give Saracen some corny pep talk? The moment is made for an actor's Emmy reel.

But a major reason why this show has never been nominated for any awards is because it doesn't give in to those opportunities. As a coach and a father, Eric knew there was nothing he could say at that time. So he went with a simple gesture to show his support. It was perfect in every way.

Emmy voters may never take notice, but any fan of great television won't be able to hold it together when watching this episode.

He hasn't been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list, but Taylor Kitsch's status for season five of Friday Night Lights is questionable.

The incredible drama - which is currently airing on DIRECT and will premiere on NBC this spring - will start working on its likely final season in March.

But that coincides with Kitsch's filming schedule on the movie John Carter of Mars. As a result, he says Kitsch “will miss part” of the season, producer Jason Katims told Michael Ausiello.

“[But] we are communicating with the [John Carter] production to work out the schedule so that Taylor can be in as much of season 5 as possible," he said.

There’s been no official announcement that the show will go off the air after its fifth season, but Katims added that “everybody is operating under that assumption.”

As for the current season, which we've been watching on DIRECTV, we won't give away any Friday Night Lights spoilers, except for this: it's tremendous.

Last week's installment of Friday Night Lights ended with Coach Taylor wondering where he'll get money for new uniforms, after he and the Lions burned those of East Dillon.

It's unclear if the Taylors will foot the bill, but it is known that Eric and Tami will have it out over their finances on Wednesday's new episode.

The (incredible!) show is currently airing on DIRECTV and will return to NBC some time in 2010. For those following it now, however, check out the official promo below.

It hypes growing tension between East Dillon's top two players, Luke and Vince:

Better late than never, right? We know Friday Night Lights airs on Wednesday evenings, but we were unable to get to this review until today.

Still, rather than give up on it entirely, we're following Coach Taylor's advice to the Lions and we're finishing this fight!

Friday Night Lights, perhaps more than any show on television, has always focused on its characters. There have rarely been major, suspenseful storylines (we're gonna pretend like the Landry killing never happened) to drive a season, just an in-depth look at various characters we've grown to love, played by incredible, gifted actors.

But the East Dillon storyline has given the series something new and exciting: a battlefield. There's clear good versus evil. Even when Buddy was a foil to Eric early in the show's run, there was always a lovable, vulnerable side to the character. But the same can't be said for Joe McCoy and Wade Aikman.

These guys are true antagonists and it's been a pleasure to watch Eric - and Tami! - square off against them so far. We laughed out loud at her ending line about telling them off... and drinking wine.

A smile was also plastered on our face during the brief interaction between Tim and Eric. These two were both so happy to see one another and nothing pleases us more than future scenes of Riggins on the field, helping the Lions, where he belongs.

Also: kudos to the show for slowing integrating news characters. The snippets we got of Luke and Jess this week made us anxious to learn more about them.

Check out our recap of "After the Fall" now and let us know your thoughts on the episode.