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"Friday Night Lights" (2006) More at IMDbPro »

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216 reviews in total

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96 out of 176 people found the following review useful:
Please Stop Shaking The Camera!!!, 10 January 2008

Author: REALSWIFTY from TEXAS

The show is excellent! As a Texan and an ex high school football player here in Dallas it comes pretty close, except for one thing. This show is a drama, so why on earth would you shake a camera while filming?? We don't have earthquakes here in Texas. And tornadoes don't move the ground either (only what's on top of the ground!) The show's director needs to keep the camera on the character's face long enough so we can see what they are feeling. Isn't that what good acting is all about? This is my first comment on IMDb and it wouldn't let me submit unless I have 10 lines are more?? No wonder so many of the comments are long winded! Maybe a minimum of 5 lines since some of us can get our point across without jabbing away endlessly.

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67 out of 129 people found the following review useful:
This show has spoiled me for all other shows, 21 April 2007

Author: Bertha from United States

I'm surprised by the negative comments I've seen, simply because I never noticed or was bothered by shaky camera work on this show. Perhaps I was too busy being drawn in by the fascinating, sympathetic, beautifully drawn characters and their challenges and successes. I cannot think of another show that has such believable characters and story lines. I can't remember when a show has made me care so much about the characters. I think that's because there aren't other shows that have achieved this. Friday Night Lights is very well written and well acted. The music on this show is great. I keep coming back to my love for the characters this show lets us get to know, though. This show is about much more than football, and it certainly isn't about being "arty" and having shaky camera work. It's about people. And darn good storytelling.

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68 out of 131 people found the following review useful:
I love this show, 6 February 2007

Author: petunia7 from United States

I don't understand why people have such a problem with the camera work. I find it truly original and I find that it really captures the whole scene- instead of just being pointed at the face of whoever is speaking.

Friday Night Lights is hands down one of the best shows on TV right now. The stories are interesting and the characters are complex- not just a bunch of pretty teenagers bemoaning their dating woes. I think relationships are portrayed about as realistically as they can be on TV. I hope it makes it to another season. I am not really a big fan of network TV shows either- but this one I will not miss.

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64 out of 124 people found the following review useful:
Incredible, one of the best shows on TV today...(S1 Review), 26 August 2007

Author: jcphoenix from Canada

What a fantastic show. Yes, football is a huge aspect of this show, but in the way that it's a backdrop rather than the focus for the most part. I like to think of Friday Night Lights as similar to The O.C. and at the same time, completely anti-O.C. The thing about this show is, it deals with some issues that you see all the time on The O.C. - alcoholism, drugs, cheating, high school stuff...and yet, it comes off infinitely ahead of The O.C.

It's in the treatment, the way they execute the story lines where the difference is, and that difference is MASSIVE. It's the difference between a guilty-pleasure borderline soap and a sophisticated and earnestly dramatic piece of film-making. This show takes those elements that could be turned into melodramatic/stereotypical clichés, that could be simplified into the escapist world of The O.C., and it manages to wring out every inch of raw emotion and drama out of them. It doesn't put its moments to waste. I really don't think I ever saw a moment of honest, real emotion in The O.C.. Friday Night Lights easily has three powerful and honest moments an episode, if not more.

Besides the stuff that is similar to The O.C., the series also tackles more issues like racism, mental disorders, rape, and parent/child relationships.

In fact, the two episodes that deal with racism are a great example of how FNL is so great. It showcases a lot of viewpoints from different people inside the show, and while it doesn't solve things completely (just like real life), it certainly shows more insight into the issues than most shows or movies I can think of. If Crash won an Oscar for its simplified and stereotypical view of racists and racism, the complexity in the way FNL deals with the issue should've made it the Best Picture of the century.

That's not to say the stories themselves are perfect. When I step back and look back at the season of FNL, yeah, a lot of the story lines can seem at the end of the day overwrought and almost melodramatic. But that's the nature of the story lines. In the moments themselves, they are almost always written believably with perfect dialogue and acting. There are a few moments in the series where a character's turnaround or change of opinion might happen too drastically, but considering the 100 things they do right in every episode, 1 small problem like that per episode is really not much in the long run. There is always a fine line between melodrama and drama when dealing with shows about high school, and FNL hits the dramatic mark more consistently often than nearly anything else on TV or on the silver screen. The other thing is, like I said, FNL has a lot of raw and powerfully emotional moments in it. It wears its heart on its sleeve and some people may mistake that for melodrama.

These are characters you care for, that are intensely real - yes, so the girls in the show may be hotter than most, the cast is good-looking, etc...but the root of the characters feels like real people. The actors feel naturalistic, and the breadth of the show is stunning. You feel like this town actually exists somewhere. It's not just about the high school kids either. This show is equally about the parents. This is a show about an entire town, a town that is in love with football, that lives for football because, well, quite simply, most of them have nothing to look forward to except for football. It really nails the closeness and intensity of living in a small town, of everyone knowing everyone, etc.

If I had to use one word to describe what I think Friday Night Lights is about, it would be - dreams. This comes to the surface towards the end of the season but its always been there since the beginning. This show is about everyone's dreams, how and what everyone wants out of life, where they wanna go, where they seem themselves in the future. There are people who long for an escape from the town where there's not much of a future (Tyra), there are people with crushed dreams who have to rebuild (Jason and Lyla), there are people who are starting to live their dream (Matt), and there are people who are well on their way to their dream (Smash)...the entire show is about the struggle to follow your dreams and what that is worth. It's one of the best shows on TV and the best show that you're not watching.

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95 out of 186 people found the following review useful:
Touchdown for Friday Night Lights ( Part Two by Klzim), 21 February 2007

Author: rizzo-217 from United States

The acting in this show may be good, but the cinematography is a little off. The camera will zoom in on parts that are not necessary. It makes me dizzy to watch and is hard to follow sometimes because the shot will be blurry. I agree completely with Rob Owen from the Pittsburgh Gazette when he says, "Scenes at the football game are rough and violent, filmed in a close-up, visceral style that makes NFL games on TV appear tame by comparison." When there are scenes from a football practice, the camera shots are quick and bounce around everywhere. I feel that David Boyd, the Director of Photography, is trying to create the element of a realistic football practice; football practices are fast-paced and full of activity. While Boyd is trying to create this element, he is making his viewers nauseous.

The story lines in this show need to be rethought and rewritten. There are not many progresses in the story lines. It is like watching a soap opera, where a viewer has to watch a weeks' worth of episodes to get only one important event. For the most part, Friday Night Lights contains one important event per episode. In addition, the "fairy tale ending" of each episode, needs to be rethought. Every episode that I have watched has ended with the Panthers winning the game and everyone is happy. For example, the episode in which Smash (the star running back) plays horrible and Tim steps up his game to lead the team to victory. If the writers want to keep their viewers in suspense and wanting to watch the next week, they need to create a cliffhanger ending for each episode.

Because important events happen in each storyline in every episode, the show needs to be watched in sequence. Like many television dramas, a viewer is likely to be lost if they do not watch each episode in sequence. A viewer will be lost jumping into Friday Night Lights because important information is revealed in each episode. I began to watch this show in the middle of the season, and I am unclear about what is going on in many of the story lines. I jumped in on an episode in which Jason was suing Coach Taylor. I was puzzled by why Jason would sue the coach, but I later found out that there has been a football accident. After watching three more episodes, I still have not figured out what the football accident is or how it involves Coach Taylor. Having a show that is not in sequence will make it hard to gain viewers. A person may start watching the show, be confused about what is going on, get frustrated, and never watch the show again.

Although the show has its low points, I believe it will last for at least one more season. The story lines in the show are not all based on football; therefore, viewers will most likely get hooked on them. For example, Grey's Anatomy is a show based on the medical field, but the millions of viewers that tune in every week are not hooked on the medical element; they are hooked on the story lines and drama. People get hooked on the plots and story lines of the drama, not just the framework. Tim Goodman from the San Francisco Chronicle takes the words right out of my mouth when he says, "If you don't care for football, or high school football in particular, or even the concerns of a bunch of high school kids and their fanatical grown-ups -- which plenty of viewers probably don't -- Berg makes you care. That's why "Friday Night Lights" is more than just a surprise in a crowded field of mostly good dramas."

Goodman, Tim. "Friday Night Lights" defies expectations and has something to offer all comers." San Francisco Chronicle 2 Oct. 2006. 12 Jan. 2007 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgif=/c/a/ 2006/10/02/DDGPOLFJMH1.DTL&type=tvradio.

Owen, Rob. "Friday Night Lights' isn't just about the gridiron." Pittsburgh Post- Gazette 11 Oct. 2006. 4 Jan. 2007 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06274/726170- 237.stm.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
More reality than reality TV, 19 November 2009

Author: Caitlin Bennett from United States

The thing I really love about this show is the wardrobe. It's nice to see what lengths a wardrobe department will take to make sure the situation and people are as real as possible, such as using clothing pieces that the actors have already worn previously in episodes. Also, the acting is fantastic! I mean, the entire point of acting is to be truthful under imaginary circumstances and these actors are wonderful at accomplishing that. It's difficult to watch a show when acting is oh so obvious. I have to say though that I admire the men in this series for capturing the true love of football. I've grown up around football and seeing the same love and dedication to the sport come through in the show (and also the same feeling in the movie) is really a ray of sunshine :) Bravo!

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63 out of 124 people found the following review useful:
Fantastic TV Show, 4 April 2007

Author: dkgme

I think that this is probably one of the best shows on TV right now. With such crappy shows as CSI and Law and Order clogging up the air time, it's refreshing to see something different. A teen drama with football as a backdrop and how football affects everything in this town makes for great TV. I loved the movie, but now I love the series even more. The characters have really grown on me. Now, every Wednesday night, I can't wait to watch this show.

The story lines have been widely varied over the course of the season, and the characters have shown tremendous growth. I won't go into detail, but each character has changed in a major way throughout the season. Kudos to both Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. They have such great chemistry that at times I've wondered if they are really married. The high school side of the cast is a bit old for the most part, but they do a great job as well. Zack Gilford and Aimee Teegarden have a very believable relationship and the constant back and forth emotions of Taylor Kitsch and Scott Porter kind of remind me of my high school days.

All in all, this show is one of the best shows on TV. From everything I've read, it's on the bubble as to whether or not it will survive for another season. The show still has a lot of growth potential and it would be a shame to see a show this good, end.

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62 out of 123 people found the following review useful:
I LOVE this show and I don't even like football!, 3 June 2007

Author: atennant from United States

With summer reruns in full swing, I decided to give this critically acclaimed show a try even though I don't like football. Well, I'm glad I did because this is a quality show with great performances. My favorite characters include the coach (and his family), Matt, and Jason. The situations feel real and not contrived. Despite what others have posted, the camera-work does not ruin the show. In fact, it gives it a documentary-like feel, which is the point, I believe. I would suggest that you watch the show and decide for yourself if it is worth watching. You can watch every episode online at nbc.com in case you would like to catch up.

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62 out of 123 people found the following review useful:
Best TV Series in a longtime!, 30 March 2007

Author: BTKPhoto from Tampa, FL

As an ex high school football player, this TV series is Awesome! The way it is filmed makes it even more believable and the emotion that this show provokes is incredible. Mud Bowl was as good as it gets. The ending to MudBowl was INTENSE! The show is great! I love it and the cast of characters are second to none. Whoever the casting director for this show is, deserves an award! Taylor Kitsch does an awesome job in his roll of Tim Riggins. I am sure he has a great career ahead of him as does many of the other characters. This is not far fetched as it does deal in real life situations. I really look forward to every weds night and if I can't make that i download the episodes on Itunes! I hope this series continues for years to come! Great Work!!! What can I say except..... I am hooked... Highly recommended A+++++++++++++++++++++++++

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109 out of 220 people found the following review useful:
***SPOILERS*** (Just In Case) - Friday Night Lights, 27 July 2006

Author: vze2363v from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I want to preface my review of the pilot episode by saying I like Kyle Chandler's work and that is why I watched the show, I never saw the movie.

As an east-coaster (non-Texan) it was hard for me to get through the episode. The contributing factors were the artsy way the show was shot, the horrible background music that was most times too loud, the incoherent presentation of the high school kid's personalities (from a writing standpoint) and the introduction of the coach as such a demure character. It really seemed like a train off the tracks. (And there was a really freakish glance from the girl who plays Kyle Chandler's daughter towards Kyle Chandler that gave me the willies.) If you can look past ALL that and hang in until the last 12 minutes, you will be rewarded. The score that droned on in the background made me want to knock someone upside the head with a frying pan as the last scene ended, but all the power and soul of the episode was contained in those last 12 minutes...it was well worth waiting for. If they continue in that vein, it could be a fantastic show. If they go "artsy" for the rest of the series, it will sink faster than you can say "Bob's yer uncle." Most outstanding actor in the whole episode was Gaius Charles; the only light in a bunch of muddled character definitions. He and Kyle Chandler have that same great screen presence. Everyone else seemed to get drowned out by the loud score and cluttered scenes. Kyle needs to work on his Texas drawl.

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