After more than a year away from network television, Friday Night Lights is back on NBC with season four. But, how long will it last? The acclaimed TV show’s always been ratings-challenged. Has it already been cancelled?
Friday Night Lights (FNL) revolves around a high school football team, its players and the 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.
After struggling through two seasons on NBC, it looked like FNL was doomed to become one of those “brilliant but cancelled” series that has their life cut short. Fortunately, NBC and DirecTV went into business together and agreed to share the production costs. Under the agreement, DirecTV gets to air the episodes first. This sometimes frustrates NBC viewers but it’s better than the show not being produced at all.
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After season three, it looked like FNL might be cancelled once again. Surprisingly, DirecTV and NBC renewed the show for two seasons, albeit with only 13 episodes apiece. There was speculation that this would translate into season five being the end for FNL.
Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. Various sources have reported that season five will be the end for FNL. The actors and crew have also been informed that they’re free to find other work once production shuts down in June.
Both NBC and executive producer Jason Katims insist that nothing is official but it’s obvious that the writing’s on the wall — unless of course the episodes bring great ratings for NBC. After three seasons of disappointing numbers, nobody’s expecting that to happen.
Katims is hopeful that FNL will get a sixth season but said, “If it winds up being the final season of the show, then I will feel very, very lucky and grateful that we were able to do as many episodes of a show that is so dear to my heart.”
Fortunately for NBC viewers, they still have 26 episodes of the series ahead of them. And, since the fifth season is still being produced, the cast and crew should have no trouble coming up with a fitting way to end the series. DirecTV is expected to start airing season five in Fall 2010.
What do you think? Any suggestions on how to end Friday Night Lights or should it continue for a sixth season?
Image courtesy NBC.
Seriously???? Thought I heard it was cancelled on the morning talk show this morning and couldn’t believe it. This is truly a quality show, excellent acting, real life issues and struggles. Perhaps the network should have given it a better time slot than Friday Nights (ok, I don’t mean that as a pun). Seriously Fridays are the worst for good shows, everything does bad during spring/summer on Friday because everyone is out of the house — enjoying the weather — common sense please! We have enough mindless reality, self-centered, crap on tv…maybe a cable show will take it over completely.… Read more »
this is my and my famililes favorite show, ages 14, 17, 21, 44 and 44 .
didn’t want to let FNL go w/o saying a couple of things: 1) it’s an excellant show and if things like the Emmys were honest, it would’ve collected a dozen trophies for the series and the actors. 2) it has football in Texas (esp. football in Central Texas) dead-on, plus everything about it is dead-on. I crack-up when Applebee’s is the nicest restaurant in town, they BBQ with HEB groceries, and when forced to create a 2nd high school, they tried to keep all their best players on the ‘right’ side of the district line. A lot like Belton, Tx,… Read more »
My whole family LOVES this show! It’s one one the last really good shows on TV, and we’re all hope’n they bring it back.
NOOOOOOOOO! FNL has been one of my favorite shows ever!!! – good values and consequences for all!! AND some of the best casting EVER!!!! Don’t go Friday Night Lights!
I HAVE WATCHED FNL SINCE THE FIRST SHOW. IT IS ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST SHOW ON TV. THE THOUGHT THAT IT COULD BE CANCELLED DEFINITELY SHOWS THAT THE NETWORKS AREN’T LISTENING TO THE VIEWERS!!! THE CHARACTERS ARE REAL AND THE STORYLINE IS JUST LIKE WE ALL LIVED IT DURING HIGH SCHOOL. ALL THE RIDICULOUS REALITY SHOWS THEY KEEP COMING UP WITH…P.L.E.A.S.E… SEEMS FOLKS DON’T LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD…THAT’S SO PHONEY. PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE DONT CANCEL FNL!!!
This has been one of my favorite shows since the first time I watched it. I rarely miss an episode. It’s refreshingly realistic and different – tough AND sensitive, with interesting story lines and excellent actors. I hope they don’t cancel it!
I love the show! I can”t believe that NBC would not try to change the time slot or day it was aired to see if that would help ratings. With it being shown on a Friday evening I bet a lot of veiwers actually watched it online later I didn’t like that there were so few episodes in a seaon and that there was such a large span of time before the next season to start. It would have been great if they at least showed the previous season again right before airing the new season. They may have picked… Read more »
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Don’t cancel it ever!!!!
FNL is the best show on TV in the last 20 plus years, do not end this series. It is without a doubth the best show on television…
THIS SHOW IS THE BEST! don’t cancel it!
This is my favorite show, i’ve been following it for years! I love the characters, and the character’s stories, the plot, everything! I would love for it to be continued as would many people I know!
THIS IS A GREAT SHOW THAT SHOULD NOT GET DROPPED!!!!! THERE ARE SO MANY CRAPPY REALITY SHOWS AND TALK SHOWS ON NOW DAYS. THE TWO SOAPS SHOULD NOT GET DROPPED EITHER. THE NETWORKS DON’T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD!!!!!!!!
This show is the best enough said. It’s the only show on TV that is realistic 100% of the time.
The best show I have seen in a long time. It’s like real people dealing with real life drama. It reminds people of positive power that we all have within us. It also reminds us what mentors can do to shape young peoples lives. It should be a model for our school administrators follow. The children come first, one by one. FNL should be back for season 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…. I want to see what happens in Philadelphia.