DVD Review: Friday Night Lights – The Complete First Season

By Patrick Luce Aug 29, 2007, 11:29 GMT

Friday Night Lights tells the story of life in the small town of Dillon, Texas, where everyone comes together on friday nights when the Dillon High Panthers play. But life is not a game; and the charismatic players, new coach and the passionate fans find that their biggest challenges and obstacles come off the field in the compelling day-to-day dramas of their tight-knit community. ...more

Thanks to solid acting and compelling storylines, Friday Night Lights manages to rise above what you might first think about a high school football show, and becomes impossible to quit watching after one episode.

The first season of the show is now available in a five-disc set that collects all 22 episodes, but is a little light on the special features. The set features deleted scenes, and a look at creating the show.

Inspired by the best-selling book and theatrical film, Friday Night Lights was executive produced by Peter Berg (who directed and wrote the feature film) and Academy Award winner Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind). It features an ensemble cast of actors including Kyle Chandler (King Kong) Connie Britton (“24”), Scott Porter (Music & Lyrics), Gaius Charles ("The Book of Daniel"), Taylor Kitsch (The Covenant), Zach Gilford (The Last Winter), Minka Kelly ("What I Like About You"), Adrianne Palicki ("South Beach") Jesse Plemons (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Aimee Teegarden ("Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide").

At its core, Friday Night Lights tells the story of life in the small town of Dillon, Texas – where football is king and the whole town gathers on Friday night to watch the Dillon High School Panthers take the field. However, the show’s strength comes from the fact that it is about much more than football.

It would be easy to write the show off as just another television version of a movie, but the show’s producers, writers and actors refuse to simply let it be a one trick pony. The series features complex characters, and storylines that reflect world issues. The series also does an excellent job at showing the life of a high school student without feeling the need to “sugar coat” it.

The teen characters have to deal with drugs, alcohol, sex, and the stress put on them from a town that wants their football team to go to state. The show exposes the stress the kids put on themselves to succeed on the football field, but also in the classroom. Friday Night Lights also examines the aftermath that happens when one kid (the team’s quarterback) has his football dreams taken away following an accident. We see how life at home can wreck life at school, and how kids deal with social issues (such as race).

Friday Night Lights also manages to make the adult characters more than just “window dressing” or someone the kids go to when they are in trouble. Chandler and Britton do excellent jobs as a couple struggling to make a success of their marriage, raise their daughter right, and deal with the stress that comes from Chandler being the head football coach of the Dillon High Panthers.

At the same time, the show does lean towards cliché in some episodes and characters. It is clear the creators and writers don’t want to flinch away from teen subjects, but some of the characters seem to exist simply to address that stereotype. We have the high school student who is a borderline alcoholic without any parents. There is the girl that everyone considers the school slut and nothing but white trash. Or the cheerleader that is far from perfect even though her family has money and she has the grades to go to the college of her choice.

Even with the cliché, the show is worth taking the time to watch, and is easy to get hooked on the characters and story. The actors all do an excellent job and are easily believable in their roles. The creators have crafted a show that reflects average life, but has deeper layers to keep an audience interested episode after episode. This is what makes Friday Night Lights a success, and why it is one of the best series on television.

If you never took the time to watch the series when it aired on NBC, I highly recommend checking out the DVD set. I would have liked more special features on the set, but it is still worth buying. The series features compelling storylines, and characters worth taking the time to get to know.

Friday Night Lights – The Complete First Season is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.