"Friday Night Lights" To Be Canceled?

This week's episode of NBC's critically-acclaimed drama "Friday Night Lights" may be its swan song.

When asked about the fate of FNL at last week's "Lipstick Jungle" launch party, NBC's Programming Chief Ben Silverman ignored the question and instead touted the network's Thursday night comedy "30 Rock" as "the best show on TV."

When repeatedly pressed to address the future of the Texas-based drama, Silverman said: "I like it. You like it. But no one watches it. We'll see what we can do. Watch '30 Rock!"

Last spring, "Friday Night Lights" had been renewed for a second season by Silverman's predecessor Kevin Reilly, before he was let go. Reilly, a fan of the show, was responsible for its original development.

Following Reilly's departure, NBC had the producers make several creative choices (including the much-criticized Tyra-Landry murder storyline) in an attempt to improve the show's modest ratings.

The show has averaged 6.16 million viewers this season, almost on a par with last year's average of 6.20 million.

This year, however, the show airs on lower-rated Friday nights (last year it aired on Tuesdays and Wednesdays), so maintaining season 1 ratings on a night when fewer people watch TV is a modest accomplishment.

Also, on several occasions this year FNL tied for the first place in the timeslot among adults 18-49.

Ironically "30 Rock," the show that - unlike FNL - appears to have Silverman's support, has averaged a very similar 6.61 million viewers this season. The comedy however airs on much more competitive, and therefore more significant, Thursday nights.

Ben Silverman, 37, has caused quite a bit of controversy over the past 6 months, including personal attacks on ABC Prexy Stephen McPherson.

Silverman's programming strategy relies heavily on reality shows and acquisition of foreign formats. The exec who originally developed "Ugly Betty" for ABC, is now planning the US version of Aussie comedy "Kath & Kim," and a soap opera titled "Without Breasts There Is No Paradise."

Although NBC has yet to make a final decision on the future of "Friday Night Lights," there will be no additional episodes this season.

All 15 episodes of season 2 will be released on DVD in April.

Could fan support similar to last year's "Jericho" nut campaign save the endangered series from cancellation?

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"Friday Night Lights" Season 3 Promos

Award-winning drama "Friday Night Lights" has begun its 3rd season on Wednesday night, but the show won't be coming to NBC before early 2009. Instead, DirecTV is airing the 13 episodes ordered this year, following fans' efforts to save the low-rated series.

The critically-acclaimed drama is airing on channel 101 on the DIRECTV dial in a commercial-free and extended format for the entire season.



This season, Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) has to cope with an uncertain team after the graduation of star running back Smash Williams (Gaius Charles).

Smash is dealing with his own demons after a season-ending injury causes him to lose his college scholarship while Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) is in danger of having his starting quarterback position taken away from him when a new freshman phenom arrives on the scene.

Meanwhile Tami (Connie Britton) faces stressful challenges as the new principal of Dillon High School as she continues to struggle with raising her teenage daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden).



Tyra (Adrienne Palicki) is determined to get out of Dillon and into a good college by overcoming her past academic problems and with the help of a few friends, she's encourage her to make a run for student body president.

But a budding romance between Tyra and a rodeo star leaves her ambitions and Landry on the sidelines.

And finally, this season gives fans what they have been waiting for as Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) and Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) finally become a couple!

"Friday Night Lights" Renewed for 3rd Season

NBC has announced today "Friday Night Lights" will be back in October on DirecTV with 13 new episodes. Season 3 will then re-air on NBC at some point in 2009 after the network's telecast of the Superbowl, every Friday night at 9:00pm.

The new season will launch on Wednesday, October 1 on DirecTV's entertainment channel "The 101." The producers said they were grateful that NBC found an innovative way to keep the critically-acclaimed "Friday Night Lights" on air.

The new episode order will bring the total episode count to 50. The recently concluded 15-episode second season of the show which averaged 6.1 million viewers will be available on DVD April 22.

Although some fans of the show may have been hoping for a full 22-episode season (especially since this year was cut due to the writers' strike), given NBC chief Ben Silverman's recent insensitive comments about the future of the show, the fans are lucky the show wasn't canceled.

It appears sending footballs and light bulbs did make a difference in the end. Last year, fans of The CW's "Veronica Mars" failed to save the show by sending Mars bars to the network, but the fans of CBS' "Jericho" were successful in getting their show a 7-episode season 2 renewal.

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Friday Night Lights Renewed for 3rd Season?

Passionate fan support of a small, but loyal audience may have worked again. Deadline Hollywood Daily reports NBC is about to make a deal with DirecTV to bring "Friday Night Lights" back for a 3rd season.

The show averaged 6.18 million viewers this year, down from 6.20 million the previous year. Although the ratings were almost identical and the show did well in key demos, it was considered "on the bubble" especially after the recent insensitive comments made by NBC honcho Ben Silverman.

But after the fans voiced their outrage over the possible cancellation of the series and began sending footballs and light bulbs, the network execs searched for ways to renew the Texas-based drama that would make financial sense.

According to the reports, the 3rd season of "Friday Night Lights" would premiere on a DirecTV channel, followed by a possible rebroadcast on NBC.

Please note that it is not yet clear how many episodes would be filmed under this yet-to-be-signed deal and how soon after the DirecTV premiere (and in what time slot) NBC would rebroadcast the show.

Last year NBC made a similar deal for its underperforming "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" series with USA Network, but may not have even re-aired the show had there not been schedule holes to fill due to the writers' strike.

Nevertheless, "Friday Night Lights" would air across multipurpose platforms, one of which could be online streaming, giving the fans plenty of opportunities to catch up with the show.

Although the network has yet to make an official statement, the DHD report was confirmed by TV Guide.

The deal is awaiting signature.

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Keep the Lights On - Fan Campaigns to Save NBC's "Friday Night Lights" (Updated)

NBC's critically-acclaimed but struggling character drama "Friday Night Lights" may be in more trouble following the airing of what may have been its final episode on Friday night. The episode scored only 5.22 million viewers and a weak 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demo, making it one of the lowest-rated FNL episodes ever. Can light bulbs help keep the show alive?


"Friday Night Lights" which launched in the fall of 2006 on Tuesday nights on NBC never captured a massive following. But it did have a small and loyal audience which followed the Texas-based drama to Wednesday and later Friday nights, ensuring the show's consistent albeit low ratings.

FNL averaged 6.20 million viewers in the first season, and 6.16 million viewers this year. An early season 1 episode which aired in late October 2006 at a special time of Monday at 10/9c, following an all-new episode of "Heroes," scored a series-high for the drama - 8.5 million viewers.


But the network preferred to try to build momentum on its new Aaron Sorkin drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" which got canceled by the end of that season anyway.

FNL may have been a more logical fit out of "Heroes," but the network never tried the show back in that timeslot again, opting to air other Nielsen duds like "The Black Donnellys" and "Journeyman" instead.



Furthermore, FNL was asked to anchor Tuesday, and later Wednesday nights, and only rare gems like ABC's "Ugly Betty" manage to succeed in that 8pm time slot without the benefit of a good lead-in.



Now, with NBC's Ben Silverman openly making gloomy remarks about the show's future, Best Week Ever has begun just one of a number of fan initiatives to keep the show on air. But can light bulbs keep these "Lights" on?

UPDATE: As I said, there is a number of fan campaigns in the Cyberspace designed to show Ben Silverman and the NBC network there are people out there who appreciate quality television drama that is "Friday Night Lights." Here is also the "Save Friday Night Lights" campaign.

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"Friday Night Lights" Spoilers #215 "May the Best Man Win" (Season or Series Finale?)

According to Entertainment Weekly, the cast and crew of "Friday Night Lights" could come up with additional 5 episodes this season. But, rumor has it - this may be not only the final episode of the season, but also the series finale. Stills and spoilers from "May the Best Man Win," after the jump.

Brian "Smash" Williams (Gaius Charles) is determined to get a football scholarship to college despite the recent events that have transpired. However, Brian is very shocked when the most unlikely place offers him what may be the opportunity of his life.

Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) runs into her ex-boyfriend from high school, a big real estate mogul, and he decides to stay in Dillon for a few days. A few days proves to be too long as Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) begins to feel a bit jealous.

Elsewhere, Jason Street (Scott Porter) hears the biggest news of his life since his accident and must decide if he is willing to change his life completely.

Meanwhile, Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) continues his pursuit of Lyla (Minka Kelly) by getting his own radio show at the Christian radio station. Lyla seems to be enjoying her current relationship with her Christian boyfriend as she goes with him to meet his family.

"May the Best Man Win" airs Friday, February 8, at 9/8c on NBC.

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"Friday Night Lights" Spoilers: "Let's Get It On"

Friday, November 2, Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) finally returns to Dillon, TX. But it won't be an easy homecoming. Here are the official stills and spoilers from the 5th episode of Season 2 of "Friday Night Lights" titled "Let's Get It On."

Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) returns to Dillon, Texas as a head coach, a father and a husband.

After too much time away from Tami (Connie Britton) and his new baby, Taylor decides that Dillon High is the place for him to coach football.

It will not be an easy homecoming for Taylor. He has to deal with a disheveled team, led by the conflict between quarterback, Matt Saracen, (Zach Gilford) and star running back, Smash Williams (Gaius Charles).

Meanwhile, Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) turns to Lyla (Minka Kelly) for help in changing Jason Streets (Scott Porter) mind about experimental surgery.

Also, Landry (Jesse Plemons) finds out that the only thing he does actually control in his life is football.

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"Friday Night Lights" Spoilers #2.04: "Backfire"

Has "Friday Night Lights" taken an ugly turn into a Melrose-Placesque melodrama (not that there was anything wrong with "Da Place" in its early fun seasons) or will it remain to be the show we got to love? Here's a little taste of what's ahead.

In the "Backfire" episode (#2.04, airs October 26) Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) and Jason Street (Scott Porter) head to Mexico as Street hopes to explore experimental surgery.

Riggins, who is concerned about Street, turns to Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) who is busy trying to help a new comer to Dillon.

Meanwhile, Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) makes a huge career move that will change his life.

A big development in a police search instills more trepidation in the lives of Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) and Landry Clark (Jesse Plemons).

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"Friday Night Lights" Premiere Ratings (10/5/07)

NBC's critically-acclaimed, but low-rated drama "Friday Night Lights" launched its second season on Friday night. Were the results excellent, so-so or downright catastrophic? Check it out along with the rest of the night, after the jump.

"Friday Night Lights" opened its 2nd season on a winning note (Yay!!!) sharing the 1st place in the crucial 18-49 demo with CBS' freshman drama "Moonlight" which airs in the same timeslot.

Although the football drama was inferior in the number of total viewers (6.48 million vs. 8.25 million) scoring ratings similar to what it used to average on Tuesday and Wednesday night last year now on a Friday and keeping almost the entire 18-49 audience of its lead-in "Deal or No Deal" are definitely positive signs.

Here are the rest of the ratings ((R) indicating repeat/encore airing):

8:00 p.m.

Ghost Whisperer (CBS) 8.71 million
Deal or No Deal (NBC) 8.26 million
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (FOX) 5.02 million
Pushing Daisies (R) (ABC) 4.26 million
WWF Smackdown (The CW) 3.82 million

9:00 p.m.

Moonlight (CBS) 8.25 million
Friday Night Lights (NBC) 6.48 million
Private Practice (R) (ABC) 4.92 million
WWF Smackdown (The CW) 4.55 million
K-Ville (R) (FOX) 3.33 million

10:00 p.m.

Numb3rs (CBS) 9.53 million
Las Vegas (NBC) 7.41 million
20/20 (ABC) 7.18 million

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"Friday Night Lights" Spoilers #2.02: "Bad Ideas"

Critics have praised the creative team behind NBC's quality drama "Friday Night Lights" for an excellent beginning of the 2nd season which launches this Friday at 9/8c (despite a controversial twist at the end of the first episode). Now take a look at the 2nd episode (airs October 12).

It is the first day of school at Dillon High and with new beginnings comes a lot of changes.

Tami's (Connie Britton) new life as a mother of a newborn and a teenager proves to be very tough, especially with the separation from Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) who continues his coaching job at TMU.

Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) is slowly watching his perfect life slip away, while best friend Landry (Jesse Plemons) tries to embrace his newer, better lifestyle despite a recent event that really changed his life.

However, the new school year proves to not be bad for all as Brian Smash Williams (Gaius Charles) is constantly being praised by coaches, scouts, and fans.

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