Friday Night Lights

Just a week after Friday Night Lights concluded its fourth season on NBC, DirecTV has announced the premiere date for its fifth and final season. It will kick off on October 27.

A couple years ago, a deal between these networks saved the critically-beloved show from cancellation. For the third season in a row, it will air 13 episodes on DirecTV, followed by a second run-through on NBC.

Anchored by Emmy nominees Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, the show has mostly restocked its regular cast.

But long-time Friday Night Lights favorites such as Scott Porter, Taylor Kitsch, Zach Gilford and Adrianne Palicki will all return for the show's final season.

Like Julie when in the presence of Matt, I can't stay mad at Friday Night Lights.

The season four finale tried to cram a whole lot into just one hour, as the first half was filled with so many scenes, involving so many characters and storylines, that I had to grab my neck to keep my head from spinning. It all felt a bit jumbled, which goes along with one criticism I've had throughout this ambitious season:

Characters and developments didn't fully come together. It almost seemed out of place for all those people to even be together at Thanksgiving (though well worth it for Eric and Tami's discussion over Buddy's invitation alone), as the show had so many individuals to service this year - from new students and a new community to the tying up of long-time character arcs - that it sometimes lacked a flow.

But the superb performances and these Dillon residents I've grown to know so well made up for all shortcomings. In the end, I still found myself drying my eyes over where certain people ended up...

Matt and Landry are off to Chicago. Jesse Plemons won't be a series regular on season five, so this was his major farewell. Let's assume he does actually return to finish off senior year and this is akin to a real life recruiting trip. I can easily buy his desire to join forces with his best friend in the Windy City.

These two have enjoyed great chemistry from the outset, as I laughed out loud at Landry's quick acceptance of Matt's friendship please. Did you see my 72-year field goal? Great stuff.

Tim is off to jail. It's hard to imagine Friday Night Lights without Taylor Kitsch, but fans will have to do so next season. He'll appear again, but it might actually be from behind prison glass. That will be a jarring scene.

For viewers that watched a self-centered Riggins bed his (paralyzed) best friend's girl early in season one, it's a satisfying arc to watch him end his regular appearances on the show with a truly selfless action. It does make me wonder if Billy and Becky will be around next year, however. These two have very loose connections with any main character aside from #33.

Tami is off to East Dillon. This also felt like a proper conclusion to a tricky storyline. Kudos to FNL for tackling the topic of abortion, the third rail of storylines for almost every other primetime series.

While those on both sides of this debate could find areas of concern in how it was addressed - were pro-lifers demonized too much? Did Becky's decision and Tami's emphasis on the welfare of her students send an implicit message on where the writers stand? - let's hope viewers are mature enough to simply appreciate the challenge FNL accepted in focusing on such an issue.

And, of course, as always, Connie Britton's work throughout it all.

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Luke may have been the Lions player to leave tonight's episode with a hip flexor, but he was far from the only casualty on an installment aptly titled "Injury List."

First, of course, there was Tami, who seemed utterly taken aback by the notion that she did anything wrong. This is someone whose number-one trait is her empathy - and here was a school board, prompted by Luke's mother, that wanted to punish her for being empathetic.

As the incredible Connie Britton conveyed, Tami wasn't even riled up by this injustice; she was simply in shock over it. You could read the thoughts in her mind, as she didn't even celebrate the maintaining of her job. How can anyone question my intentions here?!?

Then, there's Eric. He wasn't there for his wife at the conclusion of the episode because he was experiencing a different kind of emotion: guilt.

Luke may have been hiding his injury, but Eric knows it's his job to know everything that's going on with his football team. He missed this one, and it didn't just cost the Lions a game. It could cost Luke a shot at his scholarship.

Elsewhere, there are few funnier pairings on TV than Buddy and Eric. I can't get enough of the speechless exasperation the coach shows every time Buddy starts going off in the way only he can.

From there, we move to Vince. Michael B. Jordan simply kills any scene in which he cries, always starting off with an attempt to be strong and then just losing it. Without giving us any real background into the history between him and Jess, the show has done a tremendous job depicting their bond.

Sometimes, it's just a stare. Other times, more of a major action, such as Jess visiting Vince's mom in the rehab center. But nothing spoke more to the connection between these two than the fierce, desperate way Jess hugged him once she heard about Calvin.

It's hard to root against Landry, but even he might not be able to compete with the history between these two. (How great was the Landry/Jess dinner scene, with the former's mother asking Jess her take on Obama?)

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Do you think I'll go to Hell if I get an abortion? - Becky to Tami

Wow. I never thought I'd see the day when a TV show actually went through with an abortion for a character. This is not a political forum and I don't wish to focus too much on such a hot button topic, but I never understood why it's the third rail of storylines.

Granted, it's a delicate, controversial subject. But it's also legal and common and supported by approximately half the population. Therefore, I can't help but give credit to this week's episode of Friday Night Lights for actually going there. It takes a brave, confident, well-written series to do so.

Becky's decision may cause an uproar to some, but you don't need to agree with it. You just need to acknowledge that it was portrayed well by all involved and was a realistic depiction of what this situation is often like.

Moving on to more light-hearted fare: Kyle Chandler was (finally!) nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Drama this week - but perhaps he should be up for a comedic award instead.

Coach Taylor's sense of humor, even when it's often unintened, never fails to crack me up. This week, he expressed shock over the possibility that Riggins knocked up Becky ("Tim Riggins is gonna be a father?"); stumbled around hungover; and tried to make sense out of Ryan's awkward presence at dinner (rain during a football game? That is very weird!). Great stuff all around.

My single favorite moment of the episode took place at the bar between Virgil and Eric. There's still a lot we need to learn about the former, as he's jumped aboard the Lions' bandwagon pretty quickly and it's still unclear why he got off it to begin with.

But I loved watching him interact with Eric, as these two tried to get to know each other and seemed to be arguing... only for Eric to order another round of drinks in the middle of their heated exchange. Friday Night Lights pulls off mature relationships and conversations better than any show on TV.

You legitimately feel as if you're simply a bar fly on the wall of this establishment as these two interact.

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Tami and Eric are almost a tad too perfect, aren't they?

Easily the most admirable couple on television, their relationship faced what would have been a season-long crisis on many other programs this week. After all, another man kissed Eric's wife!

But the matter was settled in the course of one brief conversation in bed on "The Lights of Carroll Park," an episode we're reviewing now because, hey, even the most complete TV site around must take off a holiday weekend now and again!

For the most part, I can't get enough of the maturity, confidence and independence each side of this couple shows on a weekly basis. But even though viewers know the incident with Glenn was utterly harmless, it seemed like even Tami and Eric would spend more more than a few seconds on it before essentially moving on.

That tiny complaint aside, this installment managed to give each character a solid platform within the course of an hour. It was a chance for new FNL players to shine.

Similar to how the series first got us to fall in love with Riggins, Vince isn't given a lot of lines. But Michael B. Jordan does an excellent job portraying how torn this quarterback is between the life he knew before and the one he's trying to hold on to now.

His scene with Landry, pictured above, was classic. Sometimes, a couple pats on the chest mean a lot more than any long speech ever could. Hopefully Landry figures that out soon (although I laughed out loud at his reaction: "What does that mean?")

Then, of course, there was Becky.

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On December 16, DIRECTV aired one of our favorite Friday Night Lights episodes of season four.

Last night, "In the Bag" was shown again by NBC.

The installment focused on Julie's reaction to Matt leaving; Eric naming Vince the starting quarterback; and Riggins showing that he may actually be an even better father figure than he is a running back.

Re-read our original review NOW and chime in: What did you think of the episode?

As NBC rolls out season four of Friday Night Lights, we have major, exciting casting news on what will likely be the final season of this incredible drama.

Despite their characters having exited Dillon for various reasons over the last year or two, the following actors will make appearances on season five of the show, which is currently filming in Austin:

• Scott Porter will reprise the role of Jason Street on episode seven.
• Adrianne Palicki will return as Tyra for the final two installments.
• As Riggins, Taylor Kitsch will make the ladies swoon for four episodes.
• Zach Gilford (pictured), who is receiving Emmy buzz for his performance on "The Son," will appear for a multi-episode arc as everyone's favorite former quarterback.

Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly talked with Gilford this week about his Emmy attention, FNL return and more. Excerpts from the interview are below:

On Emmy consideration: It’s nice to draw this kind of attention to the show. We’ve got a lot of street cred, but we’ve never really gotten the industry recognition. It’s nice that people are so excited and determined to get us [some Emmy love].

On shooting The Son: In my opinion, it’s the best script we’ve ever had... We have a lot of freedom to improv on our show and stray from the dialogue. We’re given the story and then we come up with the words. But with this one, we stuck pretty close to the script. It helped a lot to not have to be worrying about, 'How can I adjust the dialogue to make it seem more real or less cheesy.'

Why will Matt return to the show? I think it’s his relationship with Julie. They don’t tell us anything. I just found out last week that I was coming back for sure.

Will season five be the final season? To my knowledge, it’s pretty much done and they’re writing an ending to the show. I know a lot of people were not satisfied with the Lost finale - I personally loved it - but I think it’s nice when they can write towards a [series finale]. If you have a finite amount of episodes then you can come up with a satisfying ending.

Friday Night Lights viewers said hello and goodbye on this week's episode.

Titled "Stay," the installment originally aired on DIRECTV and was replayed tonight on NBC.

During the emotional hour, we were treated to a few great scenes between Lyla and Tim, while Tami was forced to accept the fact that Julie would soon be leaving home - and Julie was faced with the departure of her first love.

Go back read our original review NOW and sound off on the episode yourself: What did you think?

DIRECTV originally aired "The Son," the fourth episode of the fourth season of Friday Night Lights, in December. NBC showed it this week.

Simply put, it's one of the best hours of television, anchored by one of the strongest performances, you'll see all year.

If only Emmy voters paid attention to this incredible drama, Zach Gilford would earn a nod for his portrayal in this episode alone. He made viewers feel every ounce of grief Matt Saracen experienced while laying his father to rest.

And, like usual, the show itself avoided all sappy cliches and over-produced segments. It simply placed the camera alongside Matt and those around him and let us inside their mourning periods. It was powerful, moving stuff and we talked about in-depth at the time.

Read that review NOW and chime in with your thoughts on "The Son."

For three seasons, Friday Night Lights made an impression on viewers by depicting fascinating, layered characters and their lives in a small Texas town.

On last night's fourth season premiere (on NBC, least, the show has already finished its run on DirecTV), however, it may have accomplished something even more extraordinary: in the course of one episode, it made Dillon High School into the enemy.

With Eric's move to East Dillon, FNL has replaced Panther pride with Lion... something. Who knows what? The program is too dilapidated and poor to even have a tagline just yet. Forget a full heart and clear eyes.

Eric will just settle for a complete roster at the moment.

Granted, the series had to take a few creative liberties to set up the extreme dichotomy between West and East Dillon. J.D. McCoy, so quiet and underdeveloped last year, is a full-fledged, stereotypically pompous quarterback now. ("This is my Dillon now!" he yells at one point, almost cartoonishly so.)

But his father has always been an ass, so it's not hard to see this personality rubbing off on his son.

As for the characters we've known for so long, life isn't great for Saracen or Riggins. Neither is happy at college, but Tim actually does something about it: he drops out.

With no room at home for him, Tim lands on his feet by landing in bed with a local bartender. Are we to assume that he and Lila are over because each has gone in a different college direction? I can buy that. I'd rather make that assumption than think Riggins would cheat on the lovely ex-cheerleader.

Tim's exploits allow another new character to enter the fray: Becky Sproles. Let's hope Riggins can keep it zipped up for this young student, no matter what signals she gives off down the line.

Then there's Vince. It should be interesting to see how Friday Night Lights handles the topic of race, something that hasn't received much play in the past. What's been so enthralling about this drama is not that it puts a fresh or unique spin on such issues; just that it takes us so fully into the minds of the characters involved in them.

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