We’ve been reporting that Friday Night Lights would be back for a shortened, 13 episode season in a deal between DirectTV and NBC. Well, NBC finally confirmed that deal and explained how it will work.
The series will unfold weekly for DirecTV subscribers beginning Oct. 1 on its entertainment channel, The 101. Then, early in 2009, the episodes will be shown on NBC.
The unusual deal was a creative way to keep the critically acclaimed show on the air even though the second season averaged just 6.2 million viewers, tying it for 117th place in network prime time, when it aired on NBC.
Premiering each episode for DirecTV’s subscriber base of 16.8 million shouldn’t hurt the series’ prospects among NBC’s much larger universe of viewers, said NBC entertainment chief Ben Silverman. NBC is also hoping that with DirecTV mounting an aggressive marketing campaign of its own, heightened public awareness of the series might carry over, drawing a larger audience for the show’s later run on the network.
Filmed in Austin, the series depicts a small Texas town unified by its high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. Kyle Chandler heads up the large ensemble cast as Coach Eric Taylor, whose never-say-die spirit seems to have served the series well since it premiered in September 2006 to ecstatic reviews but lackluster numbers. Despite its acclaim (including a Peabody award), an active fan community and continued expressions of support by NBC, the show seemed to live from week to week and seemed (before this deal was announced) destined to join other quality shows canceled before their time.
Katherine Pope, president of Universal Media Studios promises that Season 3 should be better now that the writers have a guaranteed season with which to work.
“We aren’t just trying to keep the patient on life support for another season,” she said. “This is about bringing the show to the next level, in quality and acceptance. This is about exploding the show! You think the show has been brilliant these past two seasons? This is going to be the best season yet! I think that will really energize our storytelling. I’m hoping to get the writers into a room within the next 48 hours.”
Production should resume in July.
Yes, some part are boring and I don’t like the camera work but I like the overall theme of the show. I’m not even a football follower. That’s saying a lot.
I’m Canadian so I will have to wait for 2009 on NBC to watch it.
Jason: That’s the kind of quality show that should get a better time slot/day. When they start in January on NBC, it may help them because the high school season will be over.
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I disagree with you about the camera work, which I really like, but I completely agree with you on the timeslot issue. I don’t know how much it will help the show by being on DirectTV first, but I think showing it in January, after football season, and in a better timeslot would go a LONG way towards making this show a hit.
I’m interested to see how this plays out. At first glance, it doesn’t seem to scream successful ratings booster, but who knows. This show is incredible. The acting is first rate - especially Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton - some of the best portrayals of effective parenting on TV! I would love for it to gain more of an audience. If you are looking for a show to watch on DVD, pick up this one. You will fall in love with it… maybe for Riggins alone!
[...] spectacular first season, started off a bit slow in season 2, but really got good again. There will definitely be a third season, so if you want to catch up on this totally underrated series, now is the time. [...]
this show is amazingly underated and it would be a shame for it to not come back up and be displayed at its full potential. I LOVE foootball and this show.
I think this show is terrific. I have no understanding whatsoever of american football (being an Australian female) yet this show, particularly with its documentary style camera work, is an inspiring cultural insight into how the sport interacts with the church and family life in this part of the world. Thoroughly intriguing and heartfelt. Mind you, after watching both seasons back to back, I still dont know anything about american football. Thats the beauty of it I suppose; this show is about so much more than football.