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."
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.
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.
Wooo.... Just got done filming the rest of season 2 that we can view online??? As in unaired episodes?
One of the greatest shows i've seen. I will be happy with nbc as long as this show is running!
Excellent news, this is a quality show!
awesome!!!!! best show on tv hands down...even better than lost
This is amazing news, I'm definitely tuning in once it starts up again. Friday Night Lights is an ideal depiction of life as athlete, and continues to deliver and satisfy everyone's demands possible for a TV show.
This completely made my day! I am so glad they held onto probably the most well written show on television right now.
never watched it CBS has better shows on friday
I really hate Julie (she comes off as a spoiled whiner), which means that the writing and acting of her character must be pretty good!
never watched it, never will, nothing against the show, just not interested in football or cheerleading...
i stopped watching mid season 1, i already graduated from high school (and played football) i dont really need a frigan rewind of my life.
This is my favorite tv show even though i have never seen the first season, i have been hooked since the first episode i saw in season two. The way they film/direct the episodes so raw it almost seems like you are there with them. and it's easy to get attached to all the different characters.
This is the best news I've heard in a while. I couldn't love this show more. The way it is filmed, the genuine chemistry with all cast members, the true-to-life feeling of the whole show... I can't wait to see what happens next!!!
All this work for a show with miserable ratings?I'm willing to bet that all 100 of the people that watch the show are here at TV.com hands held high.So, since Direct TV is rapidly losing shares and customers, who'll get it then? Maybe Al Gore's new station will pick up this kinda trash and save it for the 4th season....
Yes! This is great news indeed!!
thank god this is one of the few good nbc shows
Shocking. awesome. satisfying. what more can I say? Oh yeah, Directv, thanks, you rock!
Yessssssss!!!! Glad they are keeping this showing going!!! Oh, and Studio 60 was absolutlely terrible...Glad they cut that show and saved this one!!! Great move NBC!!!!
Yey, this is great. :D
YESSSSSSSSS! AT LEAST, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS IS SAVED! A SHOW WITH AMAZING ACTORS AND STORYLINES. CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS...CANT LOSE
Cannot believe they made this much effort on a piece of crap show like this. While Studio 60 last year got the blunt axe while in the same situation!
OH MY GOD!! I LITERALLY CANNOT BELIEVE THIS! kudos to NBC! this is absolutely one of the best shows on tv!
The saved Passions and now this show.Go DTV!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY I'M SERIOUSLY DOING A HAPPY DANCE!!! I LOVE THIS SHOW!
great news
This is great news ! FNL is a really good show !
If there ever was a series that deserves a third season it is FNL. If this turns out to be true I will be so happy!!!
YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY! About the best news i've heard all year! love this show it deserves to be on the air!
Usually the combination of football and highschool would have me skipping this show weekly, but what makes it one of my favorite shows on TV is the quality of the writing, characters, actors, and the production style. It's one of the most unique series on television and I'm glad NBC didn't cancel this like the other great shows they ended last year and this year.
this show has something about it and that something makes it one of the best shows on television.
Great news !!!! Nice to see an amazing show with quality acting & plots can survive !!!! Go Panthers !!!
Yay! I never thought I'd love a show set around American Football (to me football=soccer) as I don't understand much of the game but the characters feel real, the stories amazing. It just draws you in and I'm really happy it'll be back for season 3.
This is great news. Quality TV programming actually being picked up! Who would have thought that could happen these days?
I will be ecstatic if FNL is back for another season, Im so glad they've decided to try any way possible to keep it on the air! Well done tv execs (for once!).
Fantastic news! Clear eyes, full hearts, can't loose! I'm so glad they didn't leave it hanging, without proper closure, like season 2 ended now. Yeah!
like the article said, the whole point is to build a reputation by keeping the show. Unlike fox whos reputation is to cancel almost any show.
Hey. Don't pick on ?Knight Rider! LOL
Friday Night Lights is a terrific show, but if no one watches it, then no one watches it. What can they do to make more people tune in? At this point it's a full two seasons in, the characters have had numerous storylines developing, and more viewers will probably think it's too late to start watching it.It'd be awesome if there were suddenly a big turnaround but something tells me they'll be in the same predicament at the end of season three. If the ratings don't dramatically improve, they should consider tying up the storylines by the end of the season and call it a day.
There is a god... awesome pickup!