Friday Night Lights – Season 3

Archived review

After a rocky second season - both in terms of viewership and some critical backlash - for my favourite drama of recent years, the show saw a fantastic return to form in its third season, and provided yet more reason that in the case of episode orders for a season, less can definitely be more. 'Rescued' by obscure pay cable channel direcTV, and to be reaired on NBC this winter, only 13 episodes were produced which, much as with Lost's strike-shortened fourth season, helped focus the storylines. More reason for excitement however can be attributed to the seemingly back-to-basics approach that was adopted after last year's worryingly contrived plotlines. This year the storylines have been much less sensational, be it a subplot about Eric and Tami considering buying a bigger house, or Tami's honest conversation with her daughter after realising she's sexually active, or even just worried students talking about their college options, the result has been a return to the adjective Friday Night Lights does better than most other shows out there - genuine. As a young man with two working testicles, I should be ashamed to admit how this show affects me every single time I sit down to watch it, but I'm not; It's heartfelt without being overly dramatised, it's sentimental without being overly sugary. After this season, I imagine there will be a huge question mark as to whether the show will continue. Already, a satisfying close has been given for both Smash and Jason Street, and most of the other students have graduated and are off to various colleges (realistically, not to the one just down the street). A show like this could cope with a cast upheaval, I'm just not sure it should necessarily go through one. As much as I want the show to continue, bouncing back from a so-so second season to a sensational third is going to be pretty hard to beat, and I'm almost content in knowing this is a show I could easily rewatch ten years down the line. Kudos.

NB – Obviously, since writing this, it's been announced that the show will live on for another two seasons. So scratch that last bit, I'm happy to have more!