The start of the fifth and final season of "Friday Night Lights" is bittersweet. On one hand, it means that there are only 13 episodes remaining in one of television's best dramas before it goes off the air forever. On the other hand, it is a reminder of just how lucky we are that it even reached this point.
After two ratings-challenged seasons on NBC, DIRECTV swooped in to save the critically acclaimed but little-watched series that chronicles the lives of the football players and families of Dillon, Texas. A unique cost-sharing deal gave the satellite network an exclusive first-air run window and treated audiences to three more seasons than any other network could have justified.
But the additional seasons meant having to deal with a dilemma common to shows set in high schools — namely, how to handle graduating characters. The third season allowed the writers to demonstrate how they would manage send-off arcs for the original cast, but it wasn't until last year that any new, permanent replacements were brought in.
The show took a risk during the fourth season by expanding its universe and making a lot of big changes. Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) took the head-coaching job at East Dillon High, where the students are predominantly minorities and from working-class families, and he was once again in charge of a team of underdogs after leaving the state-champion Dillon Panthers. The changes gave the show a good chance to deal with race and class issues that had always been on its radar, and also introduced us to several new characters.
Vince (Michael B. Jordan), Luke (Matt Lauria), Jess (Jurnee Smollett) and Becky (Madison Burge) served as our window into the new side of town and they're all back this season, joined by newcomer Hastings Ruckle (Grey Damon). While it was originally off-putting to see these new faces dominate the screen in place of our old favorites, they are so well-written and well-acted that they soon seemed right at home.
In fact, the writing and acting make the show. Anyone who dismisses "Friday Night Lights" as a soap or simply "a football show" really needs to just watch an episode — unless it's one from season two, the less said about that, the better — in order to see the three-dimensionality of every character and situation.
Plus, the show has one of the best marriages on TV in Coach and "Mrs. Coach" (Tami Taylor, played by Connie Britton), to which Chandler and Britton's long-overdue Emmy nominations this year are a true testament.
At the start of the fifth season, it is once again the beginning of a new school year, and thus, a new football season. Some time is spent checking in with Tim (Taylor Kitsch), who is still in jail for his chop-shop involvement last season, and Landry (Jesse Plemons), who is heading off to college, but the focus is still on the new core cast.
Vince and Jess are now officially a couple, PDA and all, which is at least a nice change from the angst-filled love triangle with Landry last year. Luke and Becky, after the latter's pregnancy and abortion, aren't together, but their obvious chemistry keeps their pairing a possibility.
Thankfully, the writers also brought Tami to East Dillon — even if it was somewhat contrived — reestablishing her as a guidance counselor struggling to motivate teachers and students in an environment where nobody seems to care. Fighting for what's right is Tami's strong suit, and Britton plays it to a T.
My biggest concern is the continuing role of Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden). I have never loved the bratty teenage character, but Teegarden certainly plays her realistically and her presence always meant the welcome appearance of boyfriend and former Panther Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford).
Now, though, Julie is away at college, but she remains a series regular, so I hope the writers find ways to integrate her in some of the main stories so we don't have to suffer a stand-alone storyline about typical college freshman mishaps.
In its fifth season, "Friday Night Lights" hits the ground running, and based on its first two episodes, it's going to be a treat to watch. The producers have promised return visits from most of the former main characters, and, combined with the ongoing plots, these last 13 episodes ought to provide the perfect emotional mix of reminiscence and excitement.
In a scene from the season premiere, as he watches his family eat breakfast together for the last time before Julie leaves for college, Coach gives them a thoughtful look and says, "I'm gonna miss this." At least we have 13 more episodes to enjoy, but Coach — so am I.
