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'Friday Night Lights' Renewed, Times Two

Posted by Matthew Gilbert March 31, 2009 05:40 AM

fnlhug.jpg


After a few weeks of rumors, it's official. NBC and DirecTV are partnering up again for two more seasons of "Friday Night Lights." Yeah, TWO SEASONS. Both seasons will be 13 episodes long and, like this current season, they will air first on DirecTV satellite (without commercials) and then on NBC.

Am I happy? Extremely. I love this series and have confidence that its writers will be able to carry on the story without much strain. The character ensemble will inevitably change as students graduate, but Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton have long-term contracts and will remain the central figures. The upcoming third-season finale (no spoilers here) opens up lots of potential for new storylines. And 13-episode seasons -- the general length of cable series -- are a good way to try to ensure that quality will not be threatened by quantity.

Also, I think this cost-splitting approach to TV production is a great step forward. It's new way to help a less-than-blockbuster but extraordinary series such as "FNL" survive, since the stakes are a little lower for all involved, and everyone benefits. With "FNL," NBC -- in the midst of an identity crisis -- holds onto a tad of prestige TV; DirecTV gets the promotional attention it is looking for as it expands; and the passionate fans get more of what they love.

"The only thing we'd love for 'Friday Night Lights' in the next two seasons is to get the awards attention it deserves," said Angela Bromstad, NBC president of prime-time entertainment. "Although it's received several Emmy nods and won a trophy for casting, it's been overlooked in the best drama and acting categories." I second that emotion.

Are my fellow "FNL" fans pleased?

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87 comments so far...

  1. yee-hah

    Posted by Lee Glickenhaus March 31, 09 06:53 AM

  1. Oh my gosh, this is the best news EVER!!! Such a fantastic show--I wish more people would watch it. I feel like they're missing out on so much. I want to save the DVDs for when my children are old enough to watch it. Then we'll watch it together. Best news of the week! (month? year?!)

    Posted by fnlmom March 31, 09 07:07 AM

  1. Good news - it's authentic in every way: The teens talk and think like teens (even though the actors are in their 20s), the Texans act like Texans, and the football people are all about football.

    Posted by Frank57 March 31, 09 07:12 AM

  1. Beyond thrilled... Love the show, Love the actors, Love the scripts... Keep em coming!!

    Posted by FNLfan March 31, 09 07:16 AM

  1. This is the best news of the week, month and year! Hands down one of the best shows on TV and years down the road it will still be a classic show to watch over and over on DVD.

    Posted by FNL March 31, 09 07:17 AM

  1. Great show, glad to see that enough people are watching it to keep it on the air!

    Posted by zagnut March 31, 09 07:19 AM

  1. So happy! It is the best show on tv :)

    Posted by lovesFNL March 31, 09 07:23 AM

  1. Finally, a good decision by a network. Great show. Great cast.

    Posted by Bob March 31, 09 07:27 AM

  1. Ah, great news! Since season 1, I've been telling anyone in any discussion that turns to TV that they're missing the best show on TV if they're not watching this one.

    Posted by JM March 31, 09 07:43 AM

  1. I love this show! This is great news and I keep trying to tell more people to watch Friday Night Lights. I am a reality show junkie, but this show is far better than anything else on TV right now. Kyle Chandler and the whole cast is amazing. Keep Them Coming!

    Posted by HeartFNL March 31, 09 07:44 AM

  1. great show. i am the only one i know that actually watches it.

    Posted by tony March 31, 09 07:50 AM

  1. Fantastic News!! This is the best show on TV. We have to keep trying to spread the word about how great this show is.

    Thanks NBC and DircecTV!!

    Posted by Don Ablone March 31, 09 07:54 AM

  1. Best show on TV. Hut, hut, hike!

    Posted by mmm_in_ma March 31, 09 07:59 AM

  1. FNL is one of the best shows on TV. This is OUTSTANDING news!!!

    Posted by cjbski March 31, 09 08:03 AM

  1. So happy/relieved! I never miss it - the characters are so real - nobody overacts. It makes my Friday nights...

    Posted by Nance March 31, 09 08:07 AM

  1. Sooooooooooo happy. I love this show!

    Posted by FNL Fannnnnnnnnn March 31, 09 08:10 AM

  1. This makes me so happy, finally NBC does something right. Week after week the acting and writing on this wonderful show is superb. Connie Britton is amazing and I hope she get recognized for her work soon. The major networks should take a queue from the cable stations and think about shortened schedules like FNL. Maybe shows like Life on Mars would not have been canceled. We do not need 22 eps a season anymore. 13 eps of quality TV is much more preferable.

    Posted by mutant_enemy March 31, 09 08:15 AM

  1. I love this show and how well they keep it real. It's as if this were a real town in Texas that you could actually visit. Great news NBC and DirectTV!

    Posted by oceanfoam March 31, 09 08:23 AM

  1. Great news. It's a tremendous show. I was hooked after watching the first show!! The production, acting, story line etc are all top notch. I find that people that watch it really LOVE it and the people that don't, know NOTHING about it. Strictly our gain and these other people's loss.

    Posted by HES March 31, 09 08:33 AM

  1. Maybe now that they have two years to play with they can inject more underaged drinking, sleeping around, school skipping and ridiculous last second wins into the storylines. They don't have nearly enough of those...

    Posted by Scott Gibson March 31, 09 08:37 AM

  1. This is a wonderful show. I am excited about the news. It is the first show on TV in a long time that is not afraid to explore the controversial issues and reach the deep, raw emotions of the charact ers.

    Posted by lR March 31, 09 08:38 AM

  1. At every turn Friday Night Lights is perhaps the most stunning effort ever seen on network television. To read this morning that we will be gifted with two more 13-episode seasons is beyond - FAR beyond - the best news we FNL fans could ask for.

    Posted by Bob March 31, 09 08:40 AM

  1. Great news!!! I love, love, love this show. I, too, wish more people would tune in and watch. But, I can't even get my family to watch with me! And, yes! How about some Emmy recognition for these terrific actors?!

    Posted by Bugaboo March 31, 09 08:43 AM

  1. Yay, best show on tv!

    Posted by HoorayForTV March 31, 09 08:45 AM

  1. This is very good news. I love watching this show on DirectTV and then again on NBC. My teens love it too.

    Posted by bennnie March 31, 09 08:54 AM

  1. i am a religious viewer - this is awesome

    Posted by minch March 31, 09 09:07 AM

  1. It's really nice to see quality television stick around for a change! Everything about this show is excellent.

    Posted by MFJ March 31, 09 09:14 AM

  1. this is the best show on TV!!! i am so happy !!!

    Posted by biggest fan March 31, 09 09:19 AM

  1. Great news about a great show. Glad they are keeping Coach and Mrs Taylor as the central figures to the show.

    Posted by Bulavinaku March 31, 09 09:20 AM

  1. hope for the 1 hour drama at last
    long live the dillon panthers

    Posted by tbonedaddy March 31, 09 09:22 AM

  1. Love this show! The actor who plays Matt Saracen deserves an Emmy.

    Posted by love FNL March 31, 09 09:25 AM

  1. So happy! Can't wait to see how this season will end. More real then any "reality" shows out there. I think NBC needs to promote it better and maybe take it out of the Friday night line up.

    Posted by NoRegrets March 31, 09 09:28 AM

  1. Texas Forever!!!!

    Posted by loveloveloveFNL March 31, 09 09:28 AM

  1. I could not be happier!!! Love this show, love the storylines and love, love, love the actors. I wish some recognition would come their way -- truly, one of the best shows on television. Congrats FNL!

    Posted by FNLFAN March 31, 09 09:30 AM

  1. awesome, awesome, awesome! Best show BY FAR on TV. I'm psyched!

    Posted by Pete March 31, 09 09:31 AM

  1. I'm not one for getting attched to a TV show, but this one "had me at hello". I am ecstatic about this news. I hope the writers find a way to bring back the old characters occasionally. I will miss Riggins, Saracen, Lila and the gang.

    Posted by Dooley March 31, 09 09:41 AM

  1. INDEED ... best show on TV ... has something for everyone!

    Posted by Lee March 31, 09 09:51 AM

  1. THRILLED!!!
    This show is fantastic and Britton and Chandler are so real!

    Posted by Christina March 31, 09 09:51 AM

  1. Great news IF they can introduce new characters to match the quality of the ones leaving or who, given the story lines, should be leaving: Smash, Street, now Tyra and Lyla, maybe even Matt. This year's new characters don't have the same depth as the originals, JD, his dad and Madison are weak....mostly two-dimensional....but Berg and the writers still have put together the three best years of weekly drama ever done on TV...so maybe they'll pull it off again...If so: .Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!

    Posted by DillonTed March 31, 09 09:52 AM

  1. Hooray!!!! I continue to try to sell all my friends on this wonderfully acted show. Kudos to all the cast members, who week after week leave me on the edge of my seat, usually in tears!

    Posted by Paula Mackin March 31, 09 09:55 AM

  1. great show!

    Posted by spencer99 March 31, 09 10:02 AM

  1. awesome! great show

    Posted by spencer99 March 31, 09 10:04 AM

  1. Great show! One of the best ever on network TV.

    Posted by Roy Krants March 31, 09 10:05 AM

  1. We love FNL!

    Posted by jlamie March 31, 09 10:07 AM

  1. Texas Forever !

    Posted by Joe Coffey March 31, 09 10:12 AM

  1. Terrible news. More incentive for Americans to sit on their bottoms, stuff their face, and watch others "living" their lives.

    Kill your TV and adopt a pair of walking shoes, a set of dumbells, a deck of cards, or a board game to play with other humans.

    Posted by Hoss March 31, 09 10:13 AM

  1. This is great, great news. I have never understood why this show has not received the recognition it so deserves. Anyone who watches it becomes a fierce fan, for very good reason! Looking forward to another two seasons and hopefully more!

    Posted by Maureen Condon March 31, 09 10:16 AM

  1. YES

    Posted by Paul March 31, 09 10:24 AM

  1. Great news, great show. They need to though find new characters that are as good as the characters who had left although they do have a good core with
    the coach & his family

    Now if only it could be given some Emmy love in the acting categories

    Posted by Steve March 31, 09 10:25 AM

  1. This show has had 15 year olds drinking, skipping school, and sleeping with single mothers - or housekeepers - or anyone in their school. Two of the kids collaborate on a murder and its cover-up. Is it any wonder that there are declining values in our society today. I agree that the acting is very good, but the show props up every kind of bad behavior a kid can get involved in. I hope they clean it up.

    Posted by David H March 31, 09 10:42 AM

  1. Hallelujah! This is a wonderful, uplifting, thoughtful show, which I've often thought was misnamed. If you associate FNL with football, you're turned away when you discover it's not really about football. If you don't get the football connection, you might not check it out at all. The title misses the much wider scope of the series.
    Luckily, I read the rave review in the GLOBE at the beginning and have watched most episodes since then. Thanks Matthew.

    Posted by E. McLaughlin March 31, 09 10:42 AM

  1. Best show on TV!!!

    Posted by scottdaddy March 31, 09 10:44 AM

  1. WWRD

    What Would Riggins Do?

    Re-Up for 2 more Seasons. Personally, I think another awesome show would be to follow Riggins through his career at San Antonio State! I would definitely watch that!!!!

    Posted by FNL Fan March 31, 09 10:50 AM

  1. Clear eyes, full heart, CANT LOSE!!!

    Posted by Dan March 31, 09 10:59 AM

  1. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!

    Posted by a-mac March 31, 09 11:05 AM

  1. Why should the students graduate? They have had the same starters for three years. The show doesn't care about football or small-town culture, becoming more of a soap opera, and one of NBC's executives went out of his way to point out that he sees it as a "women's" show. And I actually liked the first season, until they decided to make it a soap opera in the second season. NBC cheapened the show to the point that I don't care that it has been renewed.

    Posted by John C March 31, 09 12:01 PM

  1. Now Matthew can continue to keep FNL in the Critics Corner for two more years! This is my favorite show on TV and the two year renewal definitely put a smile on my face. I just wish NBC would take advantage of this GEM and start promoting it as heavily as "Howie Do It" or the new "Southland." There's no promotion whatsoever on this show - it's amazing so many of us ARE watching....I'm hoping they can introduce some good characters to make up for the loss of the graduating seniors.

    Posted by Gingerale March 31, 09 12:02 PM

  1. Echo the call for awards. Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler should have to be using wheelbarrows to cart around their emmys from their work on FNL

    Posted by FNL Fanatic March 31, 09 12:06 PM

  1. Great news! Let's hope that NBC and especially its advertisers realize FNL is probably one of the few opportunities to catch the eye of educated and affluent consumers. Not to say that only this demographic appreciates this show, but without advertising revenue, the best of shows are doomed to die. It is about the only tv show that I watch religiously.

    Ad buyers, are you listening?

    Posted by Tom March 31, 09 12:13 PM

  1. #50, please. Who is going to watch a show where everyone behaves perfectly? This is how kids behave. I certainly did when I was in high school.

    Anyway, I agree with the person who said the actor playing Matt Seracin should get some kudos, too. I'm not sure there are too many kids who could deal with the pressures that kid is under. Don't remember the actor's name but he nails it every week.

    Posted by Bob March 31, 09 12:42 PM

  1. This is one of the best written shows on television. We look forward to watching it every week. Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler are outstanding, and this show deserves recognition.

    Posted by Kate March 31, 09 12:43 PM

  1. This is one of the best written shows on television. We look forward to watching it every week. Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler are outstanding, and this show deserves recognition.

    Posted by Kate March 31, 09 12:43 PM

  1. Wonderful news! This is my favorite series; the writing is terrific and the acting is on par with very good filmmaking. On the whole, the cast is one the most overlooked and under-appreciated of any I can think of in recent history. It's time for the Hollywood establishment to start recognizing the talent and quality found on FNL.

    Posted by Laura March 31, 09 12:54 PM

  1. When FNL is good, it is great - at times, it is the best written show I have ever watched outside of The Wire. But too many times, especially over the last two seasons, FNL has lost me with story lines and characters designed just to try to get attention. Hopefully with a little security, the writers and producers won't feel the need to water-down the product in attempt to get a few more viewers.

    Posted by Ben M March 31, 09 12:55 PM

  1. We are ecstatic!!!!! My husband and I watch FNL faithfully and always comment to each other how realistic the story lines are. Each character captures our attention and our hearts; there are real life lessons experienced in each show and more t.v. shows should emulate FNL. Boo to anyone who has anything negative to say about it. I taught in a high school for years and yes, folks, this is what teens do and how they act. KUDOS to keeping it going

    Posted by JJ Winn March 31, 09 01:00 PM

  1. So exicted! Love this show. I don't think many people realize what an amazing show this is! Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!

    Posted by chambs17 March 31, 09 01:00 PM

  1. This is my favorite series on TV, with exception of LOST. I just am never home on friday nights to watch it so I always DVR it...I hope that counts in the stats for ratings!

    Posted by Steve March 31, 09 01:08 PM

  1. I'm so happy the show is on. I never miss it and when I do am sooooo sad!

    Posted by samantha March 31, 09 02:10 PM

  1. High shool kids don't drink, sleep around, skip school? Maybe Scott Gibson is hoping for a Saved by the Bell to make a return?

    By the way, the Panthers have lost their share of last minute football games...

    Posted by Screech March 31, 09 02:35 PM

  1. It's better than winning "State"

    Posted by John from boston March 31, 09 02:44 PM

  1. WOW! Someone in television actually did something smart (unlike those at ABC who canceled Life on Mars). This is television at its finest. No where on the tube are there characters more real than they are in fictional Dillon Texas. And Chandler and Britton are fabulous . . . I thought this show was in trouble when Tyra and Landry killed her attacker, but they seem to have recovered very nicely. The exits of Smash and Jason Street were very well done - although in Street's case a little too compacted. Looking forward to seeing where they take it. And us.

    Posted by Jayhawk61 March 31, 09 02:49 PM

  1. Fabulous news . i truly enjoy this show. Kyle Chandler is terrific.

    Posted by Tom Rushmore March 31, 09 02:58 PM

  1. very pleased and pleasently surprised. Love the charcacters and the acting is first rate - everyone of them - you genuinely care about them. What a series is supposed to do for the viewer.

    Posted by dp March 31, 09 03:02 PM

  1. Type your comment here...

    This show gives parents great role modelling in dealing with real life situations with their teens. So Realistic. It hopefully helps kids see things in a different perspective to help with difficult choices and decisions.
    Great show. Love it! Was just talking about how good it was while at work today!!

    Posted by paul March 31, 09 03:17 PM

  1. THRILLED for more of this show!!!!


    Posted by kt Swift March 31, 09 03:22 PM

  1. YAY!!!! We love Tim Riggins!!!!!

    Posted by lg March 31, 09 03:34 PM

  1. this show is great even though Texas is a bunch of redneck dorks

    Posted by nycheats March 31, 09 04:04 PM

  1. The best show on TV! If you're missing it, you're missing out.

    Posted by Pbrown 107 March 31, 09 04:08 PM

  1. YEAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

    Posted by MAX March 31, 09 04:46 PM

  1. Soooooo happy right now!! This is the best show on tv- great ensemble, awesome camera work, unique stories. Yaaay!

    Posted by fnl_fan March 31, 09 05:27 PM

  1. I am so happy!! I LOVE this show more than any show on TV right now! As a Texan, I think this show is pretty darn true to the way Texans take Friday night football. I even love to watch the opening credits because it has that Texas feel as well! LOVE THIS SHOW! Thank you NBC!!

    Posted by Cara March 31, 09 09:26 PM

  1. phew! love the show..

    Posted by Bonnie April 1, 09 12:36 AM

  1. BEST SHOW ON TV - hands down! I'm a high school teacher and think this show portrays teenagers, teachers and families more realistically than any show has since My So-called Life. It's also superbly acted, shot, edited and scored. Yippee. Thanks Mathew for championing it so vigorously.

    Posted by Michele April 2, 09 06:10 PM

  1. In response to the person who wrote: "Terrible news. More incentive for Americans to sit on their bottoms, stuff their face, and watch others "living" their lives. Kill your TV and adopt a pair of walking shoes, a set of dumbells, a deck of cards, or a board game to play with other humans."

    With all due respect, you're blogging on an a web site about a tv show while sitting on your bottom in front of a screen. A tad hypocritical, don't ya think???

    Posted by Michele April 2, 09 06:16 PM

  1. Love this show. Grew up in west Texas and this is pretty close to the real deal! The cast and the stories are terrific!!

    Posted by Bill P. April 3, 09 09:18 PM

  1. I remember rolling my eyes when I learned FNL would be developed into a TV show after the movie. I inadvertantly watched season 2 to see how bad it would be. The show was fantastic! I imediatey went and purchased season 1 on DVD. If someone would have told me that in the future my favorite thing to watch would be a TV show about Texas football I would have laughed. How this show has only recieved mild recognition makes me wonder about the industry.

    Posted by Lou April 4, 09 02:42 PM

  1. I am 63 years old and watch little TV , but this is one show I never miss, it brings back so many memories, and the actors are fantastic, so glad it is renewd, definitly should be nominated for awards.
    PS Can'tell you the people in my community over 60 that also love this show,
    Congrad's for picking up 2 more seasons

    Posted by Manuel Reis April 12, 09 09:11 PM
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Matthew Gilbert is the Globe's TV critic.
Joanna Weiss is the Globe's pop culture reporter and critic.
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