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‘Friday Night Lights’ returns to Austin on Aug. 6
Got DirecTV? If so, you’ll see the third-season premiere of “Friday Night Lights” on Oct. 1.
If not, you’ll have to wait until February. But will loyal fans be willing to wait four months for more Dillon drama?
Probably not. Hard-core “FNL” fans (and, really, is there any other kind?) are likely to steal the episodes off the Internet. We live in a viral video world after all. And if that happens, who will be left for the NBC run?
“Go ahead and download, but out of good conscience, wait and see them on NBC,” offered Zach Gilford, aka Panther quarterback Matt Saracen.
Nobody seems to know how this strange new arrangement will work for “FNL.” On the brink of being canceled due to low ratings, the Austin-based show was saved in the spring when satellite company DirecTV stepped up to the plate to help finance the new season in exchange for an exclusive first-run in the fall.
Executive producer Jason Katims told TV critics at lunch Sunday that the 13 new episodes may be slightly different from the ones that will air on NBC. Without some of the content restrictions of broadcast TV, the stories may have racier content and dialogue, and they could run longer.
Presumably NBC would then have to whittle and edit them for the February premiere. Nobody seems to know exactly how it’s going to work.
“FNL” begins shooting in Austin on Aug. 6, so we can expect to see most of the cast back in town at their usual hangouts. Many of them live in South Austin, and South Congress Avenue is a frequent destination during downtime. Be sure to wave and say hi.
Gilford and Jesse Plemons (Landry) insist they’re not worried about shooting Panther football scenes in 100-degree heat. They say they’re looking forward to getting back to Austin.
As reported earlier, two cast members will be part-timers in the new season. Last year’s seniors Smash Williams, played by Gaius Charles, and Jason Street, played by Scott Porter, will have graduated and moved on to new lives. But both actors will have recurring roles.
And what about Tyra, Lyla and Riggins, who seem to be the same age as those graduates? They’re still at Dillon High.
“We blurred the lines a little bit,” Katims said. But if the show continues beyond the third season, another wave of seniors will graduate, and new kids will arrive at Dillon High.
Kyle Chandler, who stars as Coach Taylor, provided a few plot teases:
“I’ll continue to have marital problems and problems with my teenage daughter,” Chandler said, prompting Connie Britton, who plays his wife, to roll her eyes and mutter, “Yeah, that’s for sure.” (These two may have the most genuine chemistry of any married couple in TV history.)
Plemons said he hopes Landry doesn’t commit any more murders but joked that maybe he and Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) should “start robbing stuff.” And Minka Kelly, who plays Lyla, says her character’s born-again Christian phase is over, and she and Riggins (played by Taylor Kitsch) will be “out” as boyfriend-girlfriend.
“FNL” has lived on the brink of cancellation almost since its debut, in spite of glowing reviews and a devoted (but small) fan base. When the writers’ strike prematurely ended their second season in December, after only 15 episodes out of 22 were finished, the end seemed certain.
But then DirecTV tossed NBC a lifeline. You’d think all the stops and starts would be devastating to morale of this close-knit group, but they just keep plugging along.
“Maybe it’s the advantage of shooting in Austin,” said Connie Britton, who plays Tami Taylor, “because once we’re there and filming, we don’t pay attention to what’s going on. We’re just down there in our little Texas heaven and not worried about the future.”
Welcome home, Panthers. We can’t wait to see you.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment Categories: Holloway in Hollywood
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By Riggins
July 22, 2008 2:54 PM | Link to this
I am super hot. You know you can't wait to watch me in action.
By Doug
July 22, 2008 9:14 AM | Link to this
Carrying this show early was a big part of our decision to move to DirectTV from Time Warner cable. My thanks to DirectTV for coming up with money to keep the show going. I can't wait to see the return!
By Smash
July 21, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this
It's all about the Smash, baby!!!
By AustinAngela
July 21, 2008 10:26 AM | Link to this
Go Panthers!
I love this show, and I am very thankful to have DirecTV already! If I didn't, I'd be dumping TW in a heartbeat! :)
Can't wait to see the Dillon team in action again!
By VooDoo Tatum
July 21, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
Put me back on the show