Farewell FNL

Sometimes TV is more than just TV. It's an experience, visceral and raw, a reflection of who you are, of where you come from, of the best moments in your life and even the worst. When it's good, it reaches through the screen and into your heart and soul. Friday Night Lights did that tonight. My heart is still heavy.

When FNL premiered in 2006, I steadfastly boycotted it. I grew up in a Texas town that looked a lot like Dillon. I purposely went to a high school WITHOUT football and left Texas in my rear view mirror shortly after graduation. The last thing I wanted to do (or so I thought) was relive my past. But Texas is hard to shake. It's not just a state, it's a state of mind. A place and people that stay with you, its memories, its experiences helping to form who you are.


My relationship with FNL certainly wasn't love at first sight. The show had already finished its first season when overcome with boredom, during a long lonely summer I began surfing NBC's website, looking for something to watch. They were streaming the first season (pre-Netflix y'all). I told myself I'd watch the first episode and figure out something better to do with my weekend. Seven hours later, I was hooked, desperate to see more. I was like an addict, making excuses and turning down invititations so I could get my FNL fix.

By the season finale, I was officially obsessed. I badgered Twin Sister for six months before I finally got her hooked. Mom took a little more convincing. I bought her the DVD for Christmas and four months later, she called me, apologetic. She couldn't believe it had taken her that long. She too was officially in love. Some called it a soap and the non-traditional filming scared off the masses but if you gave it a shot, you saw stories about friendships and rivalries, about broken dreams and lost loves. A show that took something as simple and primitive as the desire to win and lose, the desire to belong and made it about so much more.

When the show was in jeopardy, I wrote emails and signed petitions. I donated money to send footballs to NBC and I hoped that this little show about Texas football would live on. When NBC and DirectTV made a deal to share the costs, I cheered, sending mass emails to friends and families as if I had something invested in its survival. The move to Direct TV may have limited its reach to a larger audience but it certainly didn't limit its creative scope.


It stumbled once or twice in season two(the dreaded Landry/Tyra debacle) but roared back at the end. FNL lost most of its lead cast in its third season. I was skeptical when I heard my beloved characters weren't coming back. How could they pull it off? Amazingly, Jason Katims and his talented team of writers created a whole new cast that I loved just as much, if not more.

And then there was my own FNL script, a spec I wrote out of love and admiration for the show. I had been writing features for awhile when a writing mentor suggested I give TV a try. I enrolled in a How to Write a TV Outline Class at UCLA Extension (seriously, the best $500 I've ever spent) and had to choose what spec to write. It was a toss up between Dexter and FNL but my amazing instructor sensed my love of FNL and steered me towards it. A year and a half later, I pulled onto the lot at Warner Brothers to begin the Writing Workshop. It isn't (at least to me) a coincidence that somehow Texas would play a part in helping make my dreams come true.

But I digress. The series finale was pitch perfect. Written by Jason Katims, it was, quite simply brillant. In the end, it was of course less a show about football and more about the people the game brings together. If it's wrong how much I cried in the last hour and ten minutes, well, I don't want to be right. These characters were more than just characters, they were family members, neighbors, friends, and classmates. They were the girls I hated and yet longed to be. The were the boys I crushed on, boys with limitless potential who threw it away and the ones who like me left Texas without ever looking back. I'm not going to summarize this last episode. I won't deny anyone the magic of this moment. I hope that years from now, I'll meet others who've been inspired to check it out, rent it, stream it, maybe even (GASP) buy it. If you're a TV fan, this is truly a must see.

But now we've come to the end. It's been an amazing run for a show no one watched. I'm going to miss them all. Smash and Jason, Riggins and Tyra, Lyla and Buddy (and Buddy Jr.how little we knew thee) Billy and Mindy, Saracen and Julie, Landry and Tinker, Luke and Becky, Vince and Jess.

But most of all, I'm going to miss Coach and Tami.

One of the best TV couples to ever grace the small screen, they showed us what love really is, flawed and fearless, filled with ups and downs, challenges and comprises, lots of wine and laughter and because it's Texas, a whole lotta football. They made us root for wins on and off the field, made us question our own values, honor and integrity, loyalty and faith. They made us believe.

It may sound corny but life just won't be the same without FNL. So long Dillon. We'll miss you more than you know.

"Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose."

TEXAS FOREVER