Pilot

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired

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8.8
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EPISODE RATING: Great
334 votes
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A newcomer coach Eric Taylor finds himself helming a promising high school football team, the Dillon Panthers, that has a real chance to make it to the top.
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • First Episode For FNL

    10
    "Perfect"
    By benji010203, May 20, 2010
    What a wonderful pilot for Friday Night Lights. I can't follow the show during the season, so I watch this season during my holliday. Sorry for my english but i'm french so I'm doing a lot of grammatical mistakes.
    Excellent Pilot, Emotion, Action, All the ingredients for a good series are reunite in this show. The cast looks good too. Kyle Chandler is important in the show and this change the possibilty for him to play a better role thaht in other show.
    I love the intrigue, the game, the caracters, I love this pilot. I wait the second episode.
    10/10 for me. Thanks NBCmoreless

  • The series premiere of Football Night Lights was really enjoyable, which makes me think that the series will be quite good.

    8.3
    "Great"
    By kawadge, Mar 25, 2008
    The series premiere of Football Night Lights was really enjoyable, which makes me think that the series will be quite good.

    We had the Panthers who were favourites to take the Texas Championship. They had a newcomer as a coach who wasn't much experienced. Meanwhile their star quarterback, Jason Street, was being mentioned as one of the best quarterbacks in America.

    It was the first match of the season and it was supposed to be an easy game for the Panthers. But after a disastrous performance, with 3 minutes left on the clock the Panthers were trailing 24-14. Then in order to stop a fast break Jason Street made a huge stop, but in process he injured himself seriously. He had to be taken to hospital with suspected spinal injury.

    The Panthers had no other option but to put the reserve quarterback Matt Saracen. He was very anxious and in fact he made two mistakes with the first two balls he played. Then after talking with the coach, a remarkably change of fortune was in place for the Panthers. Two great plays by Matt Seracen led for two touchdowns which gave the Panthers a 27-24 win.

    The question now is how seriously is Jason Street injured? And how will this effect the Panthers?moreless

  • Overall, this was a good pilot, which although had a rocky start, once you get through it, you won't feel disappointed.

    7.5
    "Good"
    By _SemperFidelis_, May 31, 2007
    The reason I started watching this show was the hype. Not by the network, but rather, by the fans. They said, this is a good character drama, and even if I'm not interested in football, I'll enjoy it.

    So I gave it a try...

    The first 15 minutes were awful. I almost wanted to turn off the whole thing. Unfortunately, the show does what many other shows do: jump right into the middle of the story, without introducing the characters, jumping from plot thread to plot thread.

    One of the biggest problems with this can be reflected by an example: so we see a practice on the field. Fine. Then, next scene, one of the players in civil clothes, kissing his girlfriend. Obviously, this was a romantic scene. However.. without knowing the basic things about the character, it's pretty much a waste.

    However, the episode (luckily) slows down, and the last 30 minutes prove the fans right: this is really a great show.

    It's not the football, rather, the characters. The interactions, their real-ness factor. Because they feel real. Only a few show accomplished this, and I'm very happy that I can say even after the first episode: FNL is one of these shows.

    The big "game" was not a let down either. Although it was a galore of clichs(the usual... good start, bad 2nd half, big difference in the end, best player falls, worst players get a chance to play, but eventually leads the team to victory) BUT, you really couldn't analyze WHILE watching - at least not in that depth.

    The reason is, that, it's intense. Very. The music and the agressive camera shots help that. Alot. Overall, this was a good pilot, which although had a rocky start, once you get through it, you won't feel disappointed.moreless

  • Yah it is a pilot episode but I thought that it was pretty safe.

    7.4
    "Good"
    By sprouse, Jan 19, 2007
    It was quite safe to me because it was too quiet, the story was good but the execution is a little awkward because of the camera angles well it is okay as a start and pilot episodes are usually like that so I guess it could be a good start for this show, hope this show would go on and God Bless!

  • Iv\'e been waiting

    9.3
    "Superb"
    By markymark1980, Oct 09, 2006
    Shows with a football theme have come and gone. Iv\'e acually liked a couple of them. There was ESPN\'s \"Playmakers\", which I thought rocked, but the NFL didn\'t think so. I don\'t like MTV\'s \"Two A Days\" because of the interviews between segments. I know it\'s supposed to be reality, but we don\'t need to hear half the crap that they talk about.


    I think Friday Night Lights may actually stick. It\'s filmed like Oliver Stone\'s \"Any Given Sunday\", which is cool because that movie was great. The character\'s are good, and anybody who lives in a \"football town\" can relate. high school football is taken VERY seriously in some parts. It amuses me, Iv\'e always thought that it was just a game.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (3)

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    • In this episode Smash's first name is Eugene. The commentator says it just as Smash catches the ball for the Panthers first touchdown. However, in all other episodes his first name is Brian.

    • "Remember Me as a Time of Day" by Explosions in the Sky This song is incorrectly credited on the Closed Caption of every FNL episode. The theme song is an original recording created for the show and can not be found on any of Explosions in the Sky's albums or the Friday Night Lights Movie soundtrack.

    • The team played in the pilot, the Westerby Chaps, is based on the Austin, Texas area high school Westlake. The colors, logos and team nickname are all similiar. The Westlake football team goes by the nickname Chaparrals. Westlake has been considered a high school football powerhouse in Texas in recent years.

  • QUOTES (9)

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    • Mrs. Taylor: Alaska Coach Taylor: I know. Mrs. Taylor: I'm just saying. Coach Taylor: I know. Mrs. Taylor: A much more relaxed lifestyle. Coach Taylor: It's under advisement.

    • Lyla: Mr. Street is it true that you can throw a 400 yard touchdown pass to three different receivers at the same time? Jason: Yes it's true. Lyla: Then you must kiss me. (kisses Jason) Is it true that you have superhuman powers and can demolish buildings and hurl fireballs? Jason: Yes it's true. Lyla: Then you must kiss me. (kisses Jason) Is it true Mr. Street? Jason: That I love Lyla Garrity. Lyla: Yes, is that true Mr. Street, that you love Lyla Garrity? Jason: More than anything in the world. Lyla: More than football? Jason (laughing): More than almost anything in the world. (Kisses Lyla)

    • Landry: 33 down, eight letters, state of bliss, starts with S. (throws football to Matt) Matt: Dude, you're just being random. (throws football at the tire) Landry: Try serenity, a quality that's in dire shortness of supply out here. You know what, it doesn't even matter, I'm thinking about starting a Christian speed metal band, you in? Ms. Saracen: Matthew, you need to get a new friend.

    • Coach Taylor: Give all of us gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable and we will all at some point in our lives fall; we will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts…that what we have is special. That it can be taken from us and that when it is taken from us we will be tested…we will be tested to our very souls. We will now all be tested. It is these times…it is this pain that allows us to look inside ourselves.

    • Coach Taylor: Are we not clear that in 5 days a group of men are gonna be coming down here to try destroy you? Is that not, is that not clear?

    • Tyra: Hey, Smash. Smash Williams: Hey. Tyra: What's up? (sits next to Smash) Can I get a bite of your burger? Smash Williams: Hey, baby you can get a bite out of anything you want to.

    • Tyra: Hi, Jason. Jason: Tyra. Tyra: So where is Lyla? Jason: She's meeting me here, tonight. Tyra: Oh, that's too bad. Jason: Why is that? Tyra: You know it's got to get a little old Jason. Like drinking milk all day, everyday. You ought to try a milkshake every once in a while.

    • Matt: No, No, No…I'll eat the other one when I get home from practice. Mrs. Saracen: You'll be hungry, after that good ole' practice. You (points at Matt)…..I adore. (laughs)

    • Tim: That's not racism man, I just don't like him. He can be from Saudi Arabia, or Sweden or Czech. That dude could be Santa Claus and I still won't like him. My name is Tim Riggins and I play Fullback.

  • NOTES (6)

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    • Awards and Nominations: Conrad M. Gonzalez, Keith Henderson and Stephen Michael won the 2007 Eddie Award for "Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television" for this episode. Peter Berg was nominated for the 2007 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series" for this episode.

    • Music in the Episode: Explosions In The Sky - "Remember Me as a Time of Day" Gym Class Heroes - "New Friend Request" Styles Of Beyond - "Nine Thou" (Superstars Remix) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Gold Lion"

    • Friday Night Lights has also been made into a movie directed by Peter Berg.

    • Mack Brown, the head coach of the University of Texas, makes a guest appearance on the show telling Coach Taylor about football.

    • Friday Night Lights is based on a book by HG Bissinger.

    • Friday Night Lights is filmed in Pflugerville, Texas. The stadium in the pilot is at Pflugerville high school.

  • ALLUSIONS (0)

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