'Grey's' Isn't Going Anywhere
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
Why NBC and DirecTV shouldn't renew Friday Night Lights
by Hemal Jhaveri, posted Mar 11th 2009 5:02PM
Should Friday Night Lights come back for another season? EW's Michael Ausiello is reporting that a deal could be in the works, not just for one season, but for two. The avid fan that I've become wants to root for this possibility, but as a critic, I know this is a bad idea.Look, I love the show as much as a die-hard fan can. I've gone so far as to inquire about getting my own Dillon Panther t-shirt. I think Tami and Coach Taylor are the best couple on television. I live by the edict WWCTD (What Would Coach Taylor Do). Yet, despite my need to have"I-heart-Tim-Riggins" tattooed onto my forearm, they still shouldn't bring this show back for another two seasons.
Before fans start the dog-pile, let me make my case after the jump.
Update: For folks (like me) who haven't seen the season already on Direct TV, tread carefully in the comments. They contain spoilers.
First off, the creative forces behind the show, Jason Katims and Jeffrey Reiner, are busy with other projects. Without the right people calling the plays (nice football illusion allusion, right?) I'm afraid we'll see a real loss in the creative vision behind the show. FNL sets high standards with their simply crafted, but elegant, story lines and visual style. I'd hate to see any of that sacrificed for ratings.
I mean, does anyone need reminding of the Landry/Tyra murder plot line that started season 2? In a misguided attempt to gain ratings, the creators lobbed this preposterous storyline into the field. Give them another two seasons and they'll be desperate enough to try something like that again. To their credit, the show runners realized it was a bad call and minimized the damage. But still, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Now, with Tyra, Tim, Jason, Smash and Lyla all graduating and gone, who's left to carry the show? The heart of FNL has always been the Taylor family, and that gives creators a solid foundation to build on, but isn't nearly enough material to build a show around. How many state championships can one team win anyway? FNL's charm lies in it's ability to find drama in the mundane. It isn't like regular high school dramas and I don't want to see it reduced to one. Season three seems to be developing some interesting options, what with the new quarterback JD McCoy and Landry's secretly lesbian bass player, but fans will deeply feel the loss of old characters.
All right, so here's my biggest worry. With a lock for two seasons, and only so much high school drama to go around, strife in Tami and Eric's marriage will become fair game. Please don't do anything to split up this couple.
The TV landscape is so littered with destructive relationships that an example of a good, functioning and loving marriage is rare. The Taylor's aren't perfect, but they are the best marriage on prime time by far. They're perfect together and they're perfect for the show. Don't ever mess with that.
Sometimes, it's just better to let things go at their peak. Friday Night Lights had a pitch-perfect, flawless first season. Their second season, by comparison, was highly uneven and included a few big botched plot lines. And season three seems to be regaining some of that old ground. But, I'd rather see the show end after three superior seasons than have it dragged down into mediocrity.
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