There’s nothing wrong with being late to a party.
Not if it’s still a bloody great party, you don’t have to battle traffic to get to it, and Connie Britton is on the dancefloor, whipping her magical hair back and forth.
Welcome to Friday Night Lights. It’s not been in production since 2011, but anyone with access to Netflix can leap in and discover the glory that awaits the Dillon Panthers and all who play for them, work for them, live near them, have maybe been to one of their games once…
Rosie Waterland has just discovered it and is the grip of a full-blown obsession. And she made it her recommendation on The Binge this week.
There will be people who don’t want to watch it, or will tell you they will never watch it, because FNL is about football.
Friday Night Lights is not really about football. Yes, high-school football team the Panthers are the central premise, but the whole ‘football obsessed small town’ thing is just a trojan horse.
Friday Night Lights is a show about life. The good bits. The bad bits. And the bits you just need advice from Connie Britton on.
And it’s bloody brilliant.
The best advice.
In this corner of Texas, life revolves around football (that's gridiron to you, Aussie). The football team, the Dillon Panthers, are basically gods and every member of the community has an opinion on what they should be doing.
The team's Coach, Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) is the hero of the show. Coach is the heart of FNL, and he is a solid, solid man. He’s a mentor. A father figure, and someone who knows how to get the best out of people.
If he's the heart, Tami Taylor, his wife, is the blood. Yes, yes, she is often called Mrs Coach, but she is actually a glorious feminist goddess who solves the small town's troubles, one giant glass of white wine at a time. They have a teen daughter Julie. Tami is a high school counsellor and all-round wise woman (of course she is, because she is played by Connie Britton/Rayna James - who could possibly be playing herself). She delivers some of the best quotes and is wonderful to watch.
Top Comments
I loved this show!!! I bowed out partway through Season 4 (most of the mains had left, and there were a heap of new characters I wasn't invested in) but I highly rated it. It's also good for watching with your partner (if you have trouble finding shows you both agree on)-he gets the sport, you get the relationship drama! Sosososo good! I dislike Rayna because she has NOTHING on Tami Taylor.
PS-also, watch Hart of Dixie. It has Jason Street and is soooooo good-the happiest show in the world! And it GETS BETTER after season 1!!
Fantastic first season, went down quick after that.