The Main Event: Friday Night Lights 101

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You may have heard that Season Two of Friday Night Lights kicks off tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern on NBC, giving you the chance to stare at the lovely Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly, below) on-screen instead of online for a change!

But seriously, folks. This premiere is not to be missed.

The only chance to save FNL from cancellation is to make sure everyone you know gets hooked in a hurry. Just ask Adam Best, a sports columnist from epiccarnival.com and a new Friday Night Lights convert. He writes:

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The Lovely Lyla
I recently came down with a cold and ripped through Friday Night Lights: Season One in less than a week.

I'm actually glad I got sick, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have listened to everyone who raved about the show and checked it out. Point blank - it's effing unbelievable, probably my favorite show on TV right now (yes, even including Entourage).

My goal is to spark your interest with this post so that you too will be flat out hooked on FNL, sort of like Travis Henry is on baby making.

Unfortunately - as ESPN's Bill Simmons and others have pointed out at length - most people aren't hooked at this point. Friday Night Lights was snubbed by viewers and The Emmy Awards alike during its first season.

Fans and insiders alike now fear that the series will get canned before the second season even really gets rolling. How could this happen to such a bad-ass series?

Here's how:

  • Friday Night Lights the movie (2004) faired somewhat well with critics, but flopped commercially, desecrating the franchise's name in the process. Plus, the classic H.G. Bissinger book has been out since 1991, making Friday Night Lights the series seem like a retread from day one.
  • The show was initially marketed - or at least perceived, by many - as a show created solely for football fanatics.

Continue reading this Friday Night Lights analysis here.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

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Friday Night Lights Quotes

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts...ehh we'll deal with that later.

Coach

Elden: So my question to you is, do you really want to make a difference, or are you just feeling sad because you saw a boy get shot?
Eric: Both.

Friday Night Lights Music

  Song Artist
Muzzle of Bees Wilco iTunes
Song Evergreen The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Song Bang a Gong (Get it On) T. Rex