LET THERE BE 'LIGHTS'
SERIES' FUTURE BRIGHTENS
By ADAM BUCKMAN
Rating: 
April 11, 2007 -- HOW many synonyms are there for "extraordinary"?
Given enough room, I'd use them all to describe "Friday Night Lights," that rare, special, unforgettable NBC series (there's three synonyms right there, according to Roget's) about Texas high school football and its obvious corollary - life itself.
Everyone who has ever played high school sports is familiar with the game/life equation and its accompanying bromides - "No gain without pain" or "Clear eyes, full hearts can't lose," which happens to be the mantra of coach Eric Taylor of the fictional Dillon Panthers, who are headed for a date with destiny in Texas Stadium in Dallas.
It's the Texas high school state championship game, and it plays out in tonight's season finale of "Friday Night Lights," the most remarkable (there's another synonym) drama on network TV.
The show draws an average 6 million viewers per week, according to Nielsen, and NBC has made no decision yet on a second season, although the network has ordered six additional scripts, a move that might favor a renewal.
However, if such decisions were based on quality alone, this show would deserve to run forever.
It is the best live-action show about contemporary life in America that is currently on the air. (I say "live-action" because an animated series, "King of the Hill," is just as insightful; the fact that both shows are about life in Texas says something about that great state's position as a symbol for the entire country.)
But "Friday Night Lights" is much more than the sum of its overriding themes. It is an exceptional (synonym No. 5) production, with a cast that has gone largely unheralded this season, beginning with Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor.
He's turning in the best performance of any leading actor on TV this season, with great support from Connie Britton as his wife and a group of striking young actors ("striking" is synonym No. 6) who deserve to be mentioned by name - Zach Gilford, Scott Porter, Aimee Teegarden, Gaius Charles, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki, Taylor Kitsch and Jesse Plemons.
Tonight's finale ends with a cliffhanger (it's not the game, which is played to its conclusion). That means you'll be left wondering about the future of a key character if "Friday Night Lights" is not renewed for Season Two.
That would be as satisfying as playing to a tie. And, as anyone who has ever heard a coach's speech knows full well, a tie is like kissing your sister.
Season finale
Tonight at 8 on NBC/4
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