Dillon is a small town in west Texas, where high school football is practically a religious experience. (The show makes the parallel explicit at one point; a member of Dillon's Pee-Wee football team asks the high school's star quarterback, "Do you think God likes football?" "I think everyone likes football," says the QB.) The new coach of the Dillon Panthers is Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler), and he's under constant pressure; Dillon expects him to lead his talented team to a state championship, and will accept nothing less.
The first episode introduces us to the team, focusing mainly on three players. Jason Street (Scott Porter) is the quarterback, so damned wholesome and boy-next-door it'll make your teeth hurt; Brian "Smash" Williams (Gaius Charles) is the flashy, cocky, arrogant running back; and Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) is the sullen, rebellious running back. (It should come as no surprise that Smash is the black one of the group, or that Smash and Riggins don't get along at all.)
The story builds to the first game of the season, and it unfolds in standard big-game fashion; the rival is stronger than anyone expected, there's a shocking injury, an unsung nobody must rise to the occasion, yada yada yada. Given that the storyline is so predictable, the show gets credit for finding a surprising amount of fresh drama in it; the last ten minutes or so are particularly well done.
Still, I found myself admiring the show more than enjoying it. The reliance on hand-held camera is distracting, and there's a bleak, washed-out look to the show that grows tiresome very quickly. I'm also not particularly interested in the subject matter. I suppose that later episodes will begin to develop the personal stories of the characters -- you can't do a Big Game story every week -- and in a less competitive timeslot, I might stick around for a few weeks to see if that provides enough emotional involvement to make the show more compelling. But alas, Friday Night Lights shares its timeslot with Gilmore Girls and Standoff, making it a distant third choice.
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