(S04E11) This was a rough episode of Friday Night Lights, filled with frustrating actions, characters doing things that make you want to yell at the screen, situations that shouldn't be happening at all. But this is Dillon, Texas and there's a world of drama going on even in a town seemingly as mundane as this one. It's not really just about football. It's about life.

• ESPN2 has coverage of The Australian Open all night.
• At 6:30, FOX has the NFC Championship Game, the Vikings vs. the Saints.
• At 7, NBC has a new, two-hour Dateline, followed by Figure Skating.
• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Extreme Makeover.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Iron Chef America and Worst Cooks in America.
• Nickelodeon has a new Nick News at 8.
• BBC America has Rear Window at 8.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• A 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Classic.
• HBO has a new Big Love at 9.
• History Channel has a new Ax Men at 9, then a new Madhouse.
• Biography Channel has a new I Survived at 9.
• At 10, Travel Channel has two new episodes of 101 Chowdown Countdown.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S04E10) There were some major developments in this episode of Friday Night Lights, especially among the younger set. And if you think life is just peachy keen for kids in high school, they aren't the ones attending East Dillon High. If you prefer the lighter, sweeter side of Friday Night Lights, this wasn't your night. Sadness was at every turn, none moreso that Becky and Vince and their very tough decisions.

(S04E09) This is a really interesting time in television because there are not one or two or three excellent dramatic TV shows, there are a dozen I could name off the top of my head. Somewhat overlooked -- thanks to NBC -- is Friday Night Lights.

Amid Lost, 24, House, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Big Love, Damages, Sons of Anarchy, NCIS and others, the drama which some incorrectly think is just about Texas football, doesn't get its just desserts.

This was a typical episode of Friday Night Lights, layered with character development and conflicts, emotions out of whack, and problems that seem to crop up out of nowhere. It's a lot like life. For more on the show and what Tami and Eric were talking about in bed, follow me after the jump.

Merlin Olsen, who was a football player and then went on to become a sportscaster for NBC and an actor on such TV shows as Little House on the Prairie and Father Murphy, is suing NBC Studios, NBC Universal, and 20th Century Fox for exposing him to asbestos. Olsen was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year and is undergoing chemotherapy.

But the lawsuit doesn't stop there. Because he was exposed to asbestos at a job when he was around 11 years old and also exposed when he was an adult while working at a job involving drywall, Olsen is also suing Sherwin-Williams and Lennox Industries.

Hmmm, I have zero legal training (unless you count watching L.A. Law reruns as legal training), but I wonder if the fact that Olsen says that he was exposed to asbestos when he was younger will affect the lawsuit? Maybe he would have more luck suing the earlier companies rather than NBC?

• Discovery has a marathon of new Everest: Beyond the Limit episodes all night.
• Bravo has a Law and Order: Criminal Intent marathon all night.
• At 7, ABC has The Sound of Music.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Cowboys vs. the Redskins.
• FOX has two new episodes of Brothers at 7.
• Nickelodeon has a new Nick News at 8.
• TNT has The Wizard of Oz at 8.
• At 8:30, ESPN has the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, Clemson vs. Kentucky.
• At 9, Retro TV has two episodes of the 1950s Mike Hammer.
• Animal Planet has two new episodes of Untamed and Uncut starting at 9.
• At 10, History Channel has two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
• Food Network has Cupcake Wars at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by the season finale of Survivor.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, then the Vikings vs. the Panthers.
• Lifetime has 12 Men of Christmas at 7, then Eve's Christmas.
• At 8, TNT has Christmas in Washington 2009.
• AMC has the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol at 8, followed by Prancer.
• TCM has a new Night at the Movies at 8.
• At 9, Cartoon Network has How The Grinch Stole Christmas, then A Scooby-Doo Christmas.
• VH-1 has a new Tough Love at 9, followed by Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew.
• Fine Living has Martha Stewart's Christmas Special at 9, then Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies.
• At 10, A&E has a new The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty.
• VERSUS has Sports Soup at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S04E07) Friday Night Lights is a show that's as much about subtle touches as it is about bone-crunching hits on the football field. This episode was all about pain, but not just the kind that requires a doctor's touch. Julie felt it, as did Landry, Becky, Vince and Tim in their own ways.

For a change of pace, Tami wasn't getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop, and for Coach Taylor, things were looking up even though the sheriff was snooping around the locker of one of his players. And if you're wondering what happened after Matt left Dillon last week, read on.

• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, then a new, two-hour Extreme Makeover and Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, then the Eagles vs. the Giants.
• FOX has two new episodes of Brothers at 7, followed by new episodes of The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• At 8, AMC has White Christmas.
• Lifetime Movie Network has The Christmas Hope at 8.
• At 9, CBS has a new Cold Case.
• A&E has the series premiere of The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty at 9 (two episodes).
• Also at 9: Showtime has the season finale of Dexter, then the season finale of Californication.
• At 10, Biography has two new episodes of William Shatner's Raw Nerve.
• IFC has two episodes of Arrested Development at 10.
• At 11:45, Cartoon Network has the season premiere of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, followed by new episodes of The Venture Brothers and Metalocalypse.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S04E06) After last week's episode -- a tour de force by Zach Gilford as Matt -- this show felt almost like a transition. The stories are in motion, the characters are in flux, and change is coming. It's inevitable given the relationships and the ages of most of the cast, so it would be disingenuous to be surprised by what's happening.

There were two songs that informed the major changes, Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and Patsy Cline's "Crazy." More on the tunes and the trials, not to mention that thirteen on eleven drill that's got the East Dillon Lions starting to roar on the field. Not winning the game, but at least winning respect. For more on all this stuff, follow me.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then the season finale of The Amazing Race and a new Cold Case.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by Vikings vs. the Cardinals.
• At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
• At 8, ABC has a new Extreme Makeover, then new episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters.
• FOX has the BCS Selection Show at 8.
• Hallmark has the movie Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle at 8.
• Also at 8: TLC has Crazy Christmas Lights, followed by Invasion of the Christmas Lights.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, Syfy has the premiere of Alice.
• Showtime has a new Dexter at 9, followed by a new Californication.
• HBO has Robin Williams: Weapons of Self-Destruction at 9.
• At 11:45, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken, then new episodes of The Venture Brothers and Metalocalypse.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S04E05) When you see an episode like this one, you feel bad that Friday Night Lights has been flying under the radar when it comes to Emmy consideration. The performance by Zach Gilford as Matt was the best I've seen on TV since Aaron Paul blew me away with Breaking Bad last summer. Hopefully someone will remember him next year when it's Emmy time, and this is the show that could win it for him. He was just that good. More after the jump on Matt, Vince, Becky and the other Dillon denizens.

• USA has a Monk marathon all night.
• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then a new Amazing Race and the movie A Dog Named Christmas.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Ravens vs. the Steelers.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, then new episodes of The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, followed by a new Iron Chef America.
• HGTV has Behind The Magic: Disney Holidays at 8.
• Also at 8: HBO has the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert.
• At 9, Showtime has a new Dexter, followed by a new Californication.
• At 10, Nickelodeon has a new Glenn Martin, DDS.
• At 12:30AM, Cartoon Network has a new Metalocalypse.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 4:30AM, TCM has a marathon of Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies.
• At 6, TLC has a Cake Boss marathon.
• At 7, USA has a House marathon.
• At 8, Syfy starts their James Bond movie marathon with Dr. No.
• At 8:30, Cartoon Network has a Tom & Jerry marathon.
• At 9, NBC has The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then the National Dog Show.
• CBS has highlights from parade on The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS at 9.
• Discovery has a Mythbusters marathon at 9.
• TV Land has a Brady Bunch marathon starting at 9.
• There's a Golden Girls marathon on Hallmark at 9.

There's a major movie opening tomorrow. It's the movie everyone is talking about and obsessed with, to the point of standing in line for hours and hours, and they say it could be the highest-grossing movie of the year. Of course, I'm talking about The Blind Side.

Kristen Stewart is in a movie tomorrow too, and last night she appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and threw footballs at plats. If the whole movie thing doesn't work out...