Friday Night Lights is Fantastic

I am not supposed to want to stay home on Friday nights, but "Friday Night Lights" really makes me want to do just that. It is has been a long time since I have watched a show as well written, as cleverly acted, and as captivatingly shot as "Friday Night Lights"; this is show that everyone needs to be watching for one reason or another. I can guarantee that if you watch one episode you will continue wanting to watch.
The show is based on the book and movie of the same name; it makes home Dillon, Texas and follows the lives of those living in the town and their connection to the local high school football team, "The Dillon Panthers".
The show is lead by Kyle Chandler (in his most brilliant role yet) who plays Panthers coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami Taylor played amazingly by Ms. Connie Britton (who played the same role in the movie version of "Friday Night Lights".
Then there are the football players, all of whom were basically no name actors before the show: there is Taylor Kitsch who plays bad boy Tim Riggins, Gaius Charles who plays attention getter Brian "Smash" Williams, Zach Gilford as good boy Matt Saracen, Jason Plemons as the outsider (knight in shining armor) Landry Clarke, and Scott Porter as ex quarterback current coaching assistant Jason Street.
Every football town has to have girls (cheerleaders, potential girlfriends, and bad girls); there is Aimee Teegarden who plays the Taylor's daughter Julie, Minka Kelly as cheerleader Lyla Garrity, and Adrianne Palicki as former town vixen turned good Tyra Collette.

So far this season----

Coach Taylor has come back as coach of the Panthers.

Mrs. Taylor had a baby (Grace) and is back as a high school guidance counselor.

Over the summer, Julie had eyes for a lifeguard at the pool (The Swede) and she later becomes embarassed when she sees he's not really into her at all. Julie and Matt break up because she wants to see other guys and not end up like her parents. Julie tries to make amends with Matt by inviting him to a concert but he refuses to go because she cheated and she isn't even saying sorry. Julie currently has her eyes set on her teacher Mr. Bartlett

Landry and Tyra start hanging out together, and one night when they go out to get some food Tyra is confronted by the man who tried to rape her; Landry comes out and there is a confrontation and the man ends up dead. Landry and Tyra get rid of his body by throwing it into a river. Tyra and Landry kiss after she reveals that if anything happens to him because of what he did for her she'd never forgive herself. Tyra tells Landry no one has ever cared for her so much.
Landry's dad tells Tyra to stay away from his son because she is trouble. Tyra ends things with Landry to protect him, he tries to talk to her about it but she ends it all and then cries in her car.
Landry finally admits to his father with evidence surfacing that he comitted the murder. Landry's father sets his son's car on fire to get rid of the evidence.

Jason contemplates having surgery for his paralysis. He travels to Mexico with Riggins to check his options, but the options are risky and would possibly have Steet dying in surgery. Riggins gets Lyla to come to Mexico to help him stage an intervention, and ultimately decides not to have the surgery. Street agrees to be a coaching assistant.

Tim continues bedding half the town, according to Lyla anyway. Before Coach Taylor returns Coach MacGregor pushes Tim so hard that he passes out at practice and is taken away on a stretcher. Tim still wants Lyla, and proves it in Mexico.

Saracen's live in aid, nursing student Carlotta, for his grandmother arrives and she is quite the fiesty one. Saracen begins to like spending time with Carlotta. Saracen and Julie agree to be friends after she admits she messed up. Matt begins dating the new cheerleader at school Lauren and Julie sees them in a lip lock and is crushed.

Smash likes all the attention he has been receiving as the new team captain. Smash approaches Coach Taylor about getting Riggins back on the team. Smash then confronts Riggins and tells him that by not being on the team is ruining everything.

Lyla befriends Santiago a student at the State School for Boys where she is doing peer counseling. She discovers that his parents were deported to Mexico and his uncle who is supposed to be looking after him is a bad influence. Lyla asks Tim for a favor, teach Santiago to play football; he agrees after learning that Santiago is not interested in Lyla.

"Friday Night Lights" is exciting to watch; it's so entertaining I almost wish I was living in Dillon, Texas. Well, actually, maybe I wouldn't go that far. But the show is one that I believe ultimately tries to bring people together, and there are not a lot of shows on TV like that.