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Author Topic: The best show I wasn't watching on TV: Friday Night Lights
vwiggin
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The premise of Friday Night Lights probably turned off a lot of potential fans. When I talk to people about the show, they say "oh is that the show about a town obsessed with high school football?"

Oh my. I just finished watching the whole show on NBC and it is so much more than that. It is about decent folks hurting each other despite their best efforts to do the right things. It is critical of sports and religion but recognizes that these institutions are crucial for a community's survival, and through them, a community finds the inspiration to come together and achieve the sublime. Most importantly, it is a beautiful story about parents who love their kids who are actually worthy of that love.

You can watch every single episode on NBC right now.

I haven't been around much so I apologize if this show has already been discussed to death. But I did a quick search on "Friday Night Lights" and FNL and didn't come up with much. [Smile]

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Shanna
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I know I should be watching this show, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

I loved the book considering I went to one of those Texas high schools (currently ranked 4th nationally. woot) so I identified with it and loved to laugh and cringe as the sheer hilarity of that town lifestyle.

But I had mixed feelings about the movie which did seem to touch on the overall feel of the books but skipped over some of the more interesting aspects in exchange for a sex scene and too much screen time for "drunken dad."

I don't know how the show is in relation to the book or movie. From what I've read from OSC on the subject, I'm still torn. I love the football aspect but really don't want to sit through a soap opera.

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vwiggin
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FNL has a heavy focus on family and romantic relationships, but I don't get a heavy soap opera feel from it. There is quite a bit of sex in the show, but the writers never trivializes the consequences of sex.

quote:
cringe as the sheer hilarity of that town lifestyle.
I'm happy to report that FNL takes a fairly balanced view on that kind of lifestyle. In the end, I loved the characters so much I didn't really notice the silliness of the football frenzy. [Smile]
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Olivet
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Sports AND 'relationships'? O_O

It's like they want me to turn away in horror and wash compulsively. Ew, ew, ew, EEEeeew.

I'll stick to Dexter and Pushing Daisies, thanks.

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vwiggin
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I know what you mean Olivet. When I first heard about this show I thought it was going to be nothing but tailgate parties and whip cream bikinis. [Smile]

Here's one of my favorite "sex" scenes (SFW). It has a slight spoiler, which can be minimized if you keep the volume down for the first ten seconds of the video.

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Foust
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Yowza, that clip was kinda hysterical. In the over-reacting sense, not the funny sense.
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Teshi
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Although I don't watch the show at the moment (shows based on familial and romantic entanglements tend to bore me after a while), I too was hugely skeptical of a show about football. However, I was convinced to watch it and made it half way into the first season, which is about as far as I made it with Grey's Anatomy: it is a good show.
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vwiggin
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But SHE'S FIFTEEN FOUST! FIFTEEN! [Wink]
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Vamp96
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I love this TV show! The writers manage to make you care about the characters. I hated the movie though...it was too dark and icky. I hope the writers' strike will not kill this show.
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