NO. 1?: Even fans of 'The White Shadow' concede that 'Friday Night Lights' is better. COURTESY OF NBC |
Monday, March 31, 2008
OCVarsity Voice: Best high school sports series must survive
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'Friday Night Lights' is an MVP in an age of role players on TV.
OCVarsity.com Editor
Everything was better back in the day.Right?
Isn’t that the refrain played by anybody who’s heyday was anytime but now?
And it’s tempting to make the case that the best television show about high school sports was back in the day. You know, when “The White Shadow” delivered hoops, laughs, drama and social commentary to the airwaves.
But with the future of “Friday Night Lights” about to be announced, it’s time to understand and appreciate the significance of the little show critics love but nobody seems to watch. “Friday Night Lights,” which is expected to be renewed for a third season Wednesday but hardly is a sure thing, is a television MVP in a time of interchangeable role players, usually of the reality variety.
Its quality reaches a rare level, especially for a regular broadcast channel. More important, it doesn’t pander. OK, there seem to be more model types roaming the corridors of Dillon High than most high schools, but there also are believable teens with familiar problems. It’s a step up for young adult viewers who have moved past wondering when Miley’s friends will figure out a wig turns her into Hannah Montana.
And adults easily can relate, too. Kyle Chandler’s Coach Eric Taylor makes real choices between career and family, only to rewarded with the trifecta any teen daughter’s father recognizes: the eye roll, followed by a hair flip and capped off with a door slam. As his wife, Tami, Connie Britton can level the coach of a state championship team with a glance and prop him up with a touch.
“Friday Night Lights,” after all, is about a slice of life in a small Texas town. It’s not about sports, but it suffers because too many people think that’s the case; the same thing hastened the demise of Aaron Sorkin’s brief-but-brilliant “SportsNight.”
At a time when little on television matters, the fate of “Friday Night Lights” does. It either needs a third-season renewal, or it will be time to break out “The White Shadow” DVDs and reopen the debate.
Contact the writer: tharmonson@ocregister.com
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