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'Friday Night Lights' season four video cast interviews

By April MacIntyre Feb 26, 2010, 14:59 GMT

02/22/2010 - Minka Kelly - © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

The wonderful Texas high school football drama "Friday Night Lights," ended Season 4 on February 10 and wrapped a solid run on the DirecTV's 101 Network.  The show will now air beginning April 30 on NBC.

The fourth season of "Friday Night Lights" artfully penned stories of a racially and socially divided recession-stricken town steeped in religion.  The unifying element is of course, football.

Season four saw Coach Taylor no longer heading the Dillon High Panthers, Taylor is coaching at East Dillon, the wrong side of the tracks high school. His wife is the principal of Dillon High.  The writers of this series made an interesting and well played decision to have Coach Taylor relocate to a new school, and in creating this rival high school made ithe story all the more rich.

"This season opener is practically a pilot in itself. It puts Coach Taylor at the center of the action in a new school, with a new team, and many new challenges," said executive producer Jason Katims. "In addition to the returning cast, we are introducing a host of new characters who will become integral to the fourth and fifth season of the show."

The writers serve up "Friday Night Lights" with an ear for the hothouse intensity small town life often has, something mastered so well by the British storytellers in their long-running smallscreen series like "Emmerdale."

Small town stories told in series like "Friday Night Lights" are made by their character developments, and the writers fleshing these town denizens out with their personal lives and their struggles and issues within the community.  "Friday Night Lights" in its fourth season showed exactly how a small American tight-knit community is touched by high school football.

The series is well served too by Connie Britton's character Tami Taylor, her performances are always spot on.

The fourth season also reveals Dillon's lesser heeled side of town, "Friday Night Lights" (much like the film "Pretty in Pink") makes you align with a group, pick a side; who will you cheer on and root for?  Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) makes a brief return home, and with her coming back to visit, she makes you and the characters weigh the decisions of leaving a small town behind for a bigger life, or resigning and making peace with the notion that your small town is big enough for you, no need to leave it behind.

For those who missed the excellent season four of "Friday Night Lights", NBC is ready to begin replaying the season this coming April.

NBC sent Monsters and Critics interviews with five of the stars about what’s to come in the season.

Listen to Kyle Chandler, Taylor Kitsch and other stars talk about the future of their characters and some of the changes that will occur this season!

Get up to speed with Jesse Plemons

Jesse Plemons revisits Landry's journey through season three and the new bad guy in town.

Connie Britton's all about FNL

Connie discusses the growth of her character and what to look forward to in the new season.

Interview with Aimee Teegarden

Aimee Teegarden talks about season four, being away from home and what's in store for her character, Julie Taylor.

Changes with Taylor Kitsch

Taylor talks about all the changes in Tim's life and how it will affect him in the new season.

All-new interview with Kyle Chandler

Kyle Chandler sums up Coach Taylor's new situation and what it's like being on set.

Brad Leland Interview

Brad discusses his character, Buddy Garrity, and how this hardcore Panther fan will deal with the changes in Dillon.