This week marks the end of the NBC/DirecTV series Friday Night Lights and though this may seem dramatic…Friday nights will never be the same. Full disclosure: I am from the South, I loved our high school football quarterback, I was a cheerleader in middle school, I still know all of my high school football chants, so I was locked in to Friday Night Lights from the first scene.
I will venture to say that FNL joins the ranks of My So Called Life as one of the best shows ever on television that was vastly under watched and extremely under appreciated. Each week I found myself folded into the story line as the acting expressed real life situations in the most believable ways. I felt like I was watching real people, in real situations. I think that is an extremely hard feat in the TV of today (obviously not including reality television). The style of filming and seemingly impromptu nature of the dialogues molded this show and completely captivated me. The characters are rich and diverse. The situations were relatable and honest.
There was not an episode where I didn’t want to be the daughter of Coach and Tami Taylor. Not a day when I didn’t want be caught in a love triangle with Street and Riggins. Not a minute that I wasn’t jealous of the utter beauty of Lila and Tyra. Not a second that I didn’t want Julie Taylor and Matt Saracen to end up together. Even Buddy Garrity holds a special place in my heart.
This is a series that I will watch with my children, that I will beg my family and friends to watch, a series that has actually provided solid relationship/marriage advice. It is sad to see this incredible series come to an end but I will never forget the feeling that I get every time I hear coach and the team cheer "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose."
Carolyn Jordan Clark is an Internet goddess with a blog (Serendipity & Spark), a vlog (with Pat Sandora on A Blog About Things), a job in Web (GO, YAHOO!) and a daily habit of obsessing on Pinterest. She is a southern girl with a New York city spirit. Catch her digital ramblings on Twitter @clarkcj.