It’s official. After a weeks of keeping our fingers crossed, the powers-that-be at NBC and DirecTV have hammered out an agreement for two more seasons of Friday Night Lights.
Friday Night Lights revolves around a high school football team, its players and surrounding community. The large ensemble cast boasts performers like Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Minka Kelly, Taylor Kitsch, Adrianne Palicki, Jesse Plemons, Aimee Teegarden, Gaius Charles, Blue Deckert, Scott Porter, Derek Phillips, Brad Leland, Liz Mikel, Stacey Oristano, Nieko Mann, Kate Krause, Kevin Rankin, Louanne Stephens, Josh McVaney, Pablo D. Flores, Katherine Willis, Joey Truty, and Jeremy Sumpter.
Though the drama has a devoted core audience and is often praised by critics, it’s struggled to attract a widespread audience. Lights was barely renewed for its first and second seasons. Faced with cancelling the show last March, NBC made a deal with DirecTV to share the cost of producing a third season. As part of the pact, the satellite TV provider began airing the episodes last Fall and NBC started running them in January, once the DirecTV airings had finished.
By all accounts, DirecTV has been happy with Lights’ performance but they keep mum about their specific audience numbers. NBC has been running Lights on Friday evenings and they’ve been attracting a paltry four million viewers and a 1.3/4 in the prized 18-49 demographic. Without the DirecTV partnership, it’s obvious that the Lights would be cancelled.
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Supposedly the renewal deal was essentially wrapped up last week but then some more financial issues needed to be hammered out — regarding how much DirecTV would pay to run the episodes first and commercial free. According to Variety, It looked like the deal was off at one point but then everyone thought better of it and a deal was finalized. It’s believed that DirecTV ends up paying for a bit less than half of the show’s $2 million per-episode budget.
Execs at Universal Media Studios and Imagine (who own the show) were especially eager for the deal to go through because the double season renewal would bring the series’ episode total to 76, a decent number for a syndication package.
Under the new deal, DirecTV will once again have the rights to air the show first, with a second window for NBC. The series will continue to be shot in Austin, Texas which helps keep costs down through tax incentives. The fourth and fifth seasons, made up of 13 episodes each, will be filmed back-to-back which will help to reduce production costs even more than usual.
The double renewal may create a time issue for Jason Katims. Lights’ executive producer and showrunner has already committed to oversee NBC’s Parenthood remake. Should that be greenlighted to series, he’ll do double duty and oversee both shows. He says, “It will be a challenge, but I love Friday Night Lights so much, I would never walk away from it.”
He’s excited about the prospect of knowing that he has a full 26 episode commitment to play with, a luxury that is unheard of today.”That helps infuse the show with energy and gives us a very clear path where we want to go with the characters,” Katims said.
Chandler, Britton, and other key castmembers are set to return since they’re covered under long-term contracts. Kelly, Kitsch, Palicki and Gilford, whose characters are graduating from high school, won’t likely return as regulars but will be given arcs to finish out their time on the show.
Gilford recently told EW that he was excited about the show’s renewal but said that Katims told him that his character’s fate is up in the air. The actor is hoping that he can stick around. Gilford has a few possible scenarios in mind but acknowledges it would be a challenge. “They have to make sure it’s done in a way that will still keep the show about what the show’s supposed to be about, which is the high school football team.”
Related links
Friday Night Lights on iTunes || FNL book & movie || Kyle Chandler on DVD
Image courtesy NBC.
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Hi I´m from spain and FNL is my favorite TVshow!I celebrate that FNL continues for two season more
Ag-ge No! Is Friday Night Lights Ending? I am from South Africa, I followed FNL from Season 1, unfortunately I know a lot of people who follow this TV Show; it airs on Sundays @5pm, I usually watch it while getting ready for 6:30pm evening Church Service. I love Tami and Eric’s relationship, their daughter Julie and hope Matt and she reunites! Tim and Lyla are great together. Matt’s character is very decent and genuine. Is there no season 4? I am watching season 3 and watched the last episode where Tim and Lyla were arguing in the class hallways. I think people here loves it so much because we do not have American Footbal, but Rugby! Most South Africans are crazy about Rugby, for me I am not such a big fan!I LOVE AMERICAN FOOTBALL! I so wished when I was in School we had that American Football atmosphere! Followed by the Prom!I am very confused to read that the show is not as popular as I thought it would be in America! I have always dreamed of that American High School experience. The show should really get more exposure,maybe by casting a famous sportsperson or actor to play a small role or appear in a cameo role, could BOOST the audience viewers. Well, thank you NBC I have loved every second of FNL TV Show and are sad when the episode ends, think about the possiblilities of the next episode during the whole week and usually can’t wait for the next season to begin! Very excited when a new season starts! The characters are so real, the camers shots give such a factual feeling about the whole story. I enjoyed the movie and loved it so much too. Please Please NBC if you can consider making more seasons I JUST LOVE THE AMERICAN FOOTBALL STORIES! Ananda FNL #1FAN!!!
So excited to hear this! I’m a very avid fan of FNL, I do love it so much. This is definitely my favorite series, and I have to get a dvd copy of all the seasons. I will never get tired watching it.
According to the show’s Wikipedia entry, DirecTV will begin airing the new season 4 episodes on Oct. 26. And while, for season 3, NBC began airing the show in January 2009 after DirecTV’s run, the admin in the Oct. 5 comment above said that NBC will air the season 4 shows in summer 2010. Wow, that’s one long wait.
if you want a TV show to attract a younger audience, dont sked it for friday especially or saturday nights, even a show title Friday Night Lights. kids are looking to go out those nights, not sit home and watch TV.
I can not believe NBC is making us wait until next summer! I do not have Directv, just Comcast cable. FNL is one of the best tv drama’s since Law and Order, NBC – GET A CLUE. This is one of the best series on TV, not the crap of make believe reality or a stupid game show.
Long time viewer of FNL since first episode.
Friday Night Lights is the awesomest show ever!!I wacthed all three seasons when last summer.When my aunt was wacthing the first one over and I was wacthing it with her and it looked pretty good.So everyday she went to work which was 3-9,I would put it in when she leaves the wacth it till she got home!!Finally I wacthed ALL three seasons and I was so mad Because I got in love with it!!And my favorite person on that show is Taylor Kitsch.Just because he’s soooo cute and he is a great actor in all his movie’s!!Well I just cant wait till the fourth and fith season comes out and I’m sooo glad I have diercTV.
Thanks Admin for the comment that we all are looking for. After reading the comments from the other watchers it doesn’t seem that waiting until next summer will make us like NBC much, why can’t it be shown any earlier? It does sound like this is a very much LIKED show and if it was in a differant time spot it will have better ratings. PLEASE give it a try for all of us watching NBC, you have some great shows, just keep it going.
Thanks for listening to us all,
Walt
@Walt: The show’s production is being co-funded by DirecTV and NBC. For their money, DirecTV gets to air episodes first as an exclusive. Their hope is that fans will subscribe to their service, in part so they can see FNL early. If NBC aired it earlier or at the same time, there’d be no incentive for people to do that. If the deal doesn’t make money for DirecTV, they’re not going to help pay for the show and it would have been cancelled after year two.
what night is it on NBC?
@Joan Barry: They haven’t announced the night yet since it’s not expected to air for another eight months.
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