geek and tv addict

Friday Night Lights the movie is probably my favourite sports movie of all time. So when the TV series of the same name and produced by the same team (including Peter Berg) was announced a few years back, I was excited. And I wasn’t disappointed, it has become my favourite TV drama right now. The show is currently in its third season, awaiting renewal for its fourth season.

The original movie was based on a book and inspired by real-life events. However, the TV show is not related to the movie at all, as it is set in a fictional town of Dillon with new characters. The show revolves around the people of this town and their obsession with football.

Here are some of the reasons why I love this show:

1. It’s a sports show. I am a massive sports fan, and enjoy watching almost all sports. A good sports movie is rare and a good sports TV show is even rarer. However if you don’t like sports or football, don’t let this throw you off cause:
2. Even though the premise of the show evolves around football, it’s a lot more than that. It’s a family drama; where we meet the Head Coach Eric Taylor (the incredible Kyle Chandler) who struggles to juggle family and his high pressure job and the star running back Smash Williams (Gaius Charles) who knows football is the only way he can provide his family with a better life. It’s a teen drama, where backup quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) is suddenly thrust into the limelight and out of his comfort zone, and his predecessor Jason Street (Scott Porter) has to deal with his life-changing injuries. And this is just the tip of the iceberg and so even if you are not a fan of football, I guarantee you can still enjoy the show.
3. This show is also the most consistent show when it comes to the quality of the writing of the storylines. The realism of the show, when it comes to the different types of families and their problems to the teen pressures and love lives are the best I have seen on TV. Once you start watching the show, you will fall in love with the characters. The show is also not afraid to deal with issues such as drugs in sport, underage alcoholism and sex.
4. I also cannot say enough about the incredible performances by the actors on this show. You will get sucked into the show and you are not human their performances do not trigger the emotions in you. Special mention goes to Connie Britton who plays Tami Taylor, supportive wife of Coach Taylor and mother of a rebellious teenage daughter. The show uses a very unique way to film their scenes and it makes me even more impressed with the actors:
   

   The show’s producers decided at the outset to allow their performers leeway in what they say and do on the show. Though scripted like any hour-long television drama performers are given great leeway in the delivery of their lines and the blocking of each scene. If actors feel that something is not true to their character or that a mode of delivery doesn’t work they are free to change it provided they still hit the vital plot points.

   The freedom that producers have extended to the performers is complemented by the fact that the show is taped without rehearsal and without extensive blocking. Camera operators on the show are trained to follow the actors rather than actors standing in one place and having cameras fixed around them. This allows performers to not only feel free to make changes but to feel safe in making those changes because the infrastructure will work around them. Executive producer Jeffrey Reiner described this method as “no rehearsal, no blocking, just three cameras and we shoot.”

   Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights_(TV_series)#Performances

5. Hot girls! The young cast are extremely sexy and beautiful; from the cheerleader Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) to the Coach’s daughter Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden) to the bad girl of the school Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki). Not to mention Connie Britton is not too bad to look at either, if you are into older women. And I guess the girls will enjoy the guys of the shows too.
   

   The girls of Friday Night Lights

So if you haven’t watched the show yet, what are you waiting for?!