Friday Night Lights

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.”

While NBC viewers will need to wait until the summer of 2010 to watch season four of Friday Night Lights, DirecTV subscribers will be privy to new episodes starting on October 28.

For the second year in a row, that network's channel 101 will show new episodes of the acclaimed drama, commercial-free, on Wednesday nights.

Following the events of the third season finale, during which coach Eric Taylor took a job at East Dillon high school, fans will meet new members of his school and his team.

“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.”

Get to know a few of these characters below...

• Vince (Michael B. Jordan): Great speed, undisciplined skills and unpredictable temper.
• Luke (Matt Lauria): Running back, former Dillon Panter, now a member of the Easy Dillon Lions due to new redistricting lines.
• Jess (Jurnee Smollett): Daughter of a former NFL hopeful.
• Becky (Madison Burge): Fifteen-year-old beauty queen, very popular at school.

Have we seen the end of Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights?

Yes and no. Minka Kelly is finished as a series regular, with her character having completed high school in Dillon and moving on with the next phase of life.

But producers are talking to Minka about a two-episode return as Lyla halfway through the season - coincidentally, around when things heat up with Riggins.

Tim will be making a move on Dillon’s resident Lolita, Becky (new guest star Madison Burge). That will make for some interesting scenes between he and Lyla.

Then again, it's Riggins. Are you surprised?

Kim Dickens absolutely killed as Shelby last season on Friday Night Lights, as that show's tremendous guest stars (and regular cast members) seem to always do.

Friday Night Lights moles say that Dickens will be back for at least some of Zach Gilford’s final seven episodes on Friday Night Lights' fourth season this fall/winter.

She's said to be appearing on at least two episodes. She was certainly a terrific part of the third season, and we can't wait to see what Kim has in store for us next.

Kim Dickens will reprise her role as Matt's mom on Friday Night Lights.

Meanwhile, Janine Turner is not being used as a cast member in the fourth season of Friday Night Lights. Turner was introduced last season as Katie McCoy, but “so far we don’t have her in any stories,” executive producer Jason Katims says.

But the actors who play Katie’s husband Joe (D.W. Moffett) and quarterback son J.D. (Jeremy Sumpter) will play heavily in the new season: “Joe has basically replaced Buddy Garrity as the presence at West Dillon High,” says Katims.

In addition, the show-runner says: “There will also be huge tension between Joe and Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) over a new player named Luke (Lipstick Jungle’s Matt Lauria).”

What do you think of this Friday Night Lights scoop?