Catching Up On: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

I've never really been a TV person, and I've only really been keeping up with shows a few seasons ago, so I tend to miss out on a lot of good shows until they come out on DVD. One show that I didn't pay too much attention to, but got hooked thanks to DVD is Friday Night Lights.

Now, I'll admit that I was a bit reluctant to watch this show because I grew up in West Texas (Midland) a few miles away from the town where the book takes place, and the season that is depicted was a big part of my childhood, and I didn't think a show would do that experience justice (like the movie). Boy was I wrong.

After watching a few episodes of Season 1, I was hooked, and I could understand why so many people are in love with this show. It's just good storytelling with really strong characters. To me, Tim Riggins might be the most compelling character on TV. Sure, he starts off as your prototypical bad boy, but you really get to see why he is the way he is and that he is so much more. You can't help but root for Riggs.

Season 1 was also pretty realistic for a show about Texas high school football. There were some over the top plot elements, but for the most part a lot of the stories that are told are genuine. It's just one of those shows that hooks you, and you find yourself getting caught up in these characters lives, mostly because they're more realistic than your typical TV show character (or some reality TV personalities for that matter).

Season 2 was good, but it did take a step back mostly due to the whole murdered rapist plot line. It just felt forced and melodramatic. Also, the majority of the characters changed too much. Now, I'm all about character development, but I'm not a fan of changing personality traits for the heck of it. Maybe we would have had more explanation if the WGA Strike never happened, but the first part of Season 2 just didn't feel right. The soapier elements were also taken up a notch and the football elements were toned down, so the season felt like it was trying to be something new. Eventually, things got back on track and it became awesome again.

Now I'm hooked and I can't wait for Season 3 to come back to NBC. My new found love for FNL will eventually lead to its end because I tend to have the kiss of death when it comes to shows, so I'll take full blame if it doesn't get a fourth season...I just hope it doesn't come to that.