Ken Kennedy's(KENNEDY!) Number One Fan
2006-06-08 00:42:55 UTC
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC)
(Tuesdays at 8:00/7:00c this fall)
The network's description: "Expanding on the themes from the hit feature
film "Friday Night Lights," this series centers on the small rural town of
Dillon, Texas, where the vaunted 2006 state football championship rings are
held in the highest regard. The town's promising high school team, its star
quarterback, and newly appointed head coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler,
"Grey's Anatomy," "King Kong") feel the mounting pressure of the town's
pride and honor riding on their shoulders as a new season kicks off. The
fresh cast also includes: Scott Porter ("All My Children") as team captain
and first-string quarterback Jason Street; Gaius Charles ("The Book of
Daniel") as feared running back Brian "Smash" Williams; Taylor Kitsch ("Kyle
XY") as running back Tim Riggins; Connie Britton ("The Brothers McMullen,"
"24") as Taylor's long-suffering wife, Tami; Zach Gilford ("The Last
Winter") as third-string quarterback Matt Saracen, and Minka Kelly ("What I
Like About You") as Lyla Garrity, Panther cheerleader and Street's
girlfriend. Also starring are Aimee Teegarden ("Ned's Declassified School
Survival Guide") as Julie Taylor and Adrienne Palicki ("South Beach") as
Tyra Collette."
What did they leave out: It's literally like watching the movie again - same
writer, same director, same basic plot, same dramatic themes, same handheld
camerawork, same twangy score (west Texas indie band Explosions In The
Sky) - and that's a good thing.
The plot in a nutshell: Essentially a present-day reimagining of Peter
Berg's 2004 film (who himself returns as writer/director), this time with
Kyle Chandler in the lead role of head coach Eric Taylor. After five years
as the offensive coordinator of the famed Dillon Panthers, he's been
promoted to head coach. And with said role comes all sorts of pressures,
most notably the demand to bring home the Texas state championship. Much
like the film, we see Taylor being prodded by anyone and everyone with their
advice on how to win, not to mention talk radio shows second guessing
everything he does and the ever-present local media circling the team like
vultures. In his corner though are the team's two superstar athletes - nice
guy quarterback Jason Street (Scott Porter), on his way to a Notre Dame
scholarship, and motormouth running back Brian "Smash" Williams (Gaius
Charles), whose talent is only surpassed by his ego. We're also introduced
to Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), the team's shy backup quarterback who "got
to hold a few extra points last year" and hard-living fullback Tim Riggins
(Taylor Kitsch) who lives in the shadow of his brother and doesn't get along
with Smash. They're analogous to the various leads from the film version
with a few slight deviations. Unlike the film however, there's a significant
effort put into building up the female characters, which include Eric's wife
Tami (Connie Britton) and daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) as well as Jason
and Tim's girlfriends - nice girl cheerleader Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) and
the flirtacious Tyra Collette (Adrienne Palicki), respectively, the latter
of which is looking to trade up. The pilot then tracks the first week of the
season (title cards count us down from Monday to Friday) and most
importantly, the team's first game, against an upstart team with a knack for
running lots of counters and fake run plays. From there, we hit all the
film's plot beats including the "big injury" and the nailbitting finale.
What works: I cannot stress enough how perfectly the film has been
translated to the small screen. This isn't the "TV version," this literally
could have been the film itself. Plain and simple: if you were a fan of the
movie, you'll be doing cartwheels after seeing this. I only wish Berg could
direct every episode - he just brings something special to the table. He
makes it a show about small, fleeting moments - whether it be Jason and Lyla
sweetly flirting about his football talents or the team giving pointers to
the local PeeWee club or a brief shot of the crowd all holding up crossed
fingers when one of their heroes goes down - against the backdrop of the
huge, pressure-filled world of Texas football. Holding it all together is
Chandler, who not only gets the pilot's best line ("Saracen, quarterbacks
are captains"), but also feels like a real person - not only a coach but
also a dad and a husband. Just as strong is the relatively "unknown"
ensemble cast that again, makes you feel like these are all real teenagers
living in a small town. And most importantly, I dare you not to let out a
"woo-hoo" in the game's final moments. It's just a genuine pleasure to watch
this show.
What doesn't: In terms of the pilot itself, it clicks on every level. As a
weekly series, one can't help but wonder if this level can be sustained over
the course of the season. After all, at a certain point the "big game" magic
will wear off. I have complete trust in Berg in co. though - I simply can't
wait to tune in every week.
The challenges ahead: With a landscape littered with failed shows about
sports, can a "football" show make it in today's TV universe? And will
viewers stick around once the "real" football seasons (NFL and college) have
ended? Let's hope they do.
COMING TOMORROW: ABC's "The Nine"
(Tuesdays at 8:00/7:00c this fall)
The network's description: "Expanding on the themes from the hit feature
film "Friday Night Lights," this series centers on the small rural town of
Dillon, Texas, where the vaunted 2006 state football championship rings are
held in the highest regard. The town's promising high school team, its star
quarterback, and newly appointed head coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler,
"Grey's Anatomy," "King Kong") feel the mounting pressure of the town's
pride and honor riding on their shoulders as a new season kicks off. The
fresh cast also includes: Scott Porter ("All My Children") as team captain
and first-string quarterback Jason Street; Gaius Charles ("The Book of
Daniel") as feared running back Brian "Smash" Williams; Taylor Kitsch ("Kyle
XY") as running back Tim Riggins; Connie Britton ("The Brothers McMullen,"
"24") as Taylor's long-suffering wife, Tami; Zach Gilford ("The Last
Winter") as third-string quarterback Matt Saracen, and Minka Kelly ("What I
Like About You") as Lyla Garrity, Panther cheerleader and Street's
girlfriend. Also starring are Aimee Teegarden ("Ned's Declassified School
Survival Guide") as Julie Taylor and Adrienne Palicki ("South Beach") as
Tyra Collette."
What did they leave out: It's literally like watching the movie again - same
writer, same director, same basic plot, same dramatic themes, same handheld
camerawork, same twangy score (west Texas indie band Explosions In The
Sky) - and that's a good thing.
The plot in a nutshell: Essentially a present-day reimagining of Peter
Berg's 2004 film (who himself returns as writer/director), this time with
Kyle Chandler in the lead role of head coach Eric Taylor. After five years
as the offensive coordinator of the famed Dillon Panthers, he's been
promoted to head coach. And with said role comes all sorts of pressures,
most notably the demand to bring home the Texas state championship. Much
like the film, we see Taylor being prodded by anyone and everyone with their
advice on how to win, not to mention talk radio shows second guessing
everything he does and the ever-present local media circling the team like
vultures. In his corner though are the team's two superstar athletes - nice
guy quarterback Jason Street (Scott Porter), on his way to a Notre Dame
scholarship, and motormouth running back Brian "Smash" Williams (Gaius
Charles), whose talent is only surpassed by his ego. We're also introduced
to Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), the team's shy backup quarterback who "got
to hold a few extra points last year" and hard-living fullback Tim Riggins
(Taylor Kitsch) who lives in the shadow of his brother and doesn't get along
with Smash. They're analogous to the various leads from the film version
with a few slight deviations. Unlike the film however, there's a significant
effort put into building up the female characters, which include Eric's wife
Tami (Connie Britton) and daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) as well as Jason
and Tim's girlfriends - nice girl cheerleader Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) and
the flirtacious Tyra Collette (Adrienne Palicki), respectively, the latter
of which is looking to trade up. The pilot then tracks the first week of the
season (title cards count us down from Monday to Friday) and most
importantly, the team's first game, against an upstart team with a knack for
running lots of counters and fake run plays. From there, we hit all the
film's plot beats including the "big injury" and the nailbitting finale.
What works: I cannot stress enough how perfectly the film has been
translated to the small screen. This isn't the "TV version," this literally
could have been the film itself. Plain and simple: if you were a fan of the
movie, you'll be doing cartwheels after seeing this. I only wish Berg could
direct every episode - he just brings something special to the table. He
makes it a show about small, fleeting moments - whether it be Jason and Lyla
sweetly flirting about his football talents or the team giving pointers to
the local PeeWee club or a brief shot of the crowd all holding up crossed
fingers when one of their heroes goes down - against the backdrop of the
huge, pressure-filled world of Texas football. Holding it all together is
Chandler, who not only gets the pilot's best line ("Saracen, quarterbacks
are captains"), but also feels like a real person - not only a coach but
also a dad and a husband. Just as strong is the relatively "unknown"
ensemble cast that again, makes you feel like these are all real teenagers
living in a small town. And most importantly, I dare you not to let out a
"woo-hoo" in the game's final moments. It's just a genuine pleasure to watch
this show.
What doesn't: In terms of the pilot itself, it clicks on every level. As a
weekly series, one can't help but wonder if this level can be sustained over
the course of the season. After all, at a certain point the "big game" magic
will wear off. I have complete trust in Berg in co. though - I simply can't
wait to tune in every week.
The challenges ahead: With a landscape littered with failed shows about
sports, can a "football" show make it in today's TV universe? And will
viewers stick around once the "real" football seasons (NFL and college) have
ended? Let's hope they do.
COMING TOMORROW: ABC's "The Nine"
--
Spreading the gospel of Kennedy one post at a time.
MRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....KENNEDY........KENNEDY!
Spreading the gospel of Kennedy one post at a time.
MRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....KENNEDY........KENNEDY!