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DiggFriday Night Lights saved...by DirecTV?
By Tim Surette - TV.comCritics' fave reportedly coming back for third season thanks to game-saving deal with satellite TV company.
In what can only be compared to "The Immaculate Reception" in '72, "The Play" by the 1982 Cal Bears versus Stanford, or "The Escape" by Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII, NBC has reportedly pulled off "The Renewal."
The Lights stay on! Let's go loot downtown!
Bubble show Friday Night Lights will be back for a third season, according to Hollywood insider Nikki Finke of LA Weekly. The show, thought to be an underdog for a pickup because of low ratings (even NBC Entertainment exec and professed FNL superfan Ben Silverman didn't give it much of a chance), was saved by NBC and an unlikely source: DirecTV.
It was previously reported that NBC was trying to recruit help to keep the critically acclaimed show on the air, asking other networks to help foot the drama's bill and share broadcast rights. Now it looks like everyone is happy; it's likely the satellite-television provider will add Friday Night Lights to its game plan, and NBC will continue to air its much-beloved award winner. Exact details should be announced soon.
Of course we wouldn't even be talking about this if people actually tuned in to watch the show. Considered by many to be one of television's best dramas, Friday Night Lights just doesn't pull in the numbers; according to Finke, the show's second season ranked 101st in ratings...a stat that would almost certainly result in being cut from any network's roster. However, the show does perform well with wealthier audiences, and provides a good advertising window for more luxurious fare.
We can all be happy that Lyla Garrity is coming back.
Despite NBC's recent numb-the-masses decisions--The Baby Borrowers, Celebrity Circus, and the Knight Rider remake come to mind--NBC should be given a proper high-five for choosing quality over cash. The network clearly sees Friday Night Lights as a reputation-builder rather than a revenue-builder.
Friday Night Lights follows the on- and off-field drama of the Dillon Panthers, a high-school football team in a sports-crazed small town in Texas. The character-driven show stars Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton.
The show just completed its second season, but full episodes can be streamed online at NBC.com and Hulu.com. For more on Friday Night Lights, check out TV.com's previous coverage.
