Please, NBC, Don't Go Turning Out These Lights

Special Commentary by Barry Garron

As a TV critic, I can relate to people who work in animal shelters. All kinds of critters come in, some big, some small, some interesting, some dull. And it’s best to avoid getting emotionally attached to any of them because the sad reality is that some of them simply won’t be around after a while. If there isn’t the right amount of caring at the right time, well, there is no happy ending.

“Don’t let down your emotional guard,” a veteran TV critic told me when I started out. “We can’t save all of them. All you can do is let people know what’s available, what they might enjoy. After that, it’s out of your hands.”

I listened to those sage words but sometimes, against by better judgment, I fell for a show. Now I find myself unduly stressed about what’s going to happen to it.

The show is “Friday Night Lights” on NBC If you’ve never seen it, you have a lot of company. It’s about the high school football team in tiny Dillon, Texas. It’s about the coach, his wife and daughter. It’s about the head of the booster club, one of the cheerleaders and a few others. Mostly, though, it’s about life and love and problems, big and small.

How good is this series? I’d be surprised if it doesn’t walk off in July with the Television Critics Assn. award for best new series, maybe even program of the year.

Let me put it another way. I grew up in a big city and went to a high school where sports were about as significant as the serial number on a dollar bill. The closest I got to a cheerleader was 30 pages away in my yearbook. When I first heard about “Friday Night Lights,” the premise had as much appeal as cold oatmeal.

When I watched, something unexpected happened. I couldn’t take my eyes off these characters. It wasn’t just their impossibly good looks. I was fascinated by their lives and their interactions. I couldn’t wait to see them each week, to see how they would deal with their triumphs and disasters, to revel in their basic goodness, to find joy and sorrow in lives that, as it turned out, were more familiar to me than I imagined.

If there was better dramatic writing on TV this season or a cast with more chemistry, I must have missed it.

The “Friday Night Lights” season will end Wednesday, when the Dillon Panthers play for the state high school championship. The game is the culmination of a surprising season but, to the surprise of no one who is familiar with the show, the game itself is not the most important element of the episode.

“Friday Night Lights” may not return. Granted, its chances improved today with NBC's announcement of an additional six-episode script order. That indicates confidence in the show's quality. Still, the network already has renewed “30 Rock," and there’s a limit to how many good shows with low ratings any network will order.

But I think "Friday Night Lights" will be brought back for one more season. I believe NBC feels good about the show's chances to garner attention from both the TCA and the TV Academy. The network is rightly convinced that this show is being executed well and has enormous potential. And it doesn't hurt that Brian Grazer is an exec producer. As any L.A. Times reader knows, the man has clout.

I could be mistaken, of course. It happens when you get too close to something. Your emotions cloud your judgment. So I ask you, NBC Entertainment prez Kevin Reilly: Can we keep it? Please. Pretty please.

Comments

[Faith]

Thanks for the great FNL article! It's a tough sell getting people to try this gem. Personally, I'm a thirty-something, football-hating female from a big city, but FNL transcends all that to speak to the human condition better than most anything on tv. I couldn't love it any more than I already do, so thanks for the good news!

[Donna]

A show with a great cast that has great chemistry is "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." NBC should renew "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" for a second season. NBC is just shortchanging the fans of "Studio 60." The network would find that there is a large fan base out on the Internet waiting for "Studio 60" to come back on the air. Please Mr Reilly, renew "Studio 60" for a second season. Given a chance, the show will come and give NBC high ratings.

[Eva]

If given the choice between FNL and S60, there's no contest. FNL is a great show with a lot of heart and real emotion. Wish I could say the same for S60. That is not one I would miss. But I'd like to see NBC hang in there with FNL. One of the few real quality shows to come along in a while, and one the whole family can watch.

[Marialice Wade]

I have never loved a show as much as Friday Night Lights. I am a 52 year old female who never watches football. This is the best show ever. The characters, the story lines, everything about this show is excellent. Please keep this show!!!!

[Cadavra]

FNL is a drag. STUDIO 60 is the real deal. And we all know how this is gonna play out.

[Mike Blachman]

FNL is, without a doubt, the best network drama on the air. Studio 60 is a show with great potential. So, what happens? CSI I, II, and III are renewed, along with Law and Order A, B, and SVU. Come on NBC, CBS, and ABC. Do you have to let FOX and HBO provide all the good shows???