Friday Night Lights

I am among the horde of rabid Friday Night Lights fans who think that anyone who doesn't watch the show doesn't know what he/she is missing. FriNiLi is a vastly underrated show in terms of the number of people watching it. The critics seem to love it, and those who finally come to understand that it's not really about football usually come to love it, too.

I know that sounds condescending, but it's also a really valid reason for people who don't care for sports to give it a chance. The storylines are (mostly) engaging - damn you, second season murder plot thread! - and the characters are as realistically drawn as any set of characters on television. And, even though the news that the show has been picked up for two more seasons is great, I'm still putting the word out there for those not in the know.

One of the big questions facing the program, though, is how they're going to face the graduation of all the main characters from season one. A few have already departed this season - sorry, guys - and Minka Kelly will not be returning for next season. Does that mean Riggins will be gone, too? Could they follow them to college and call it Saturday Afternoon Delight? I'm sure something will be done, but I wonder what it will be. Will they keep a revolving cast of characters to keep the show going? It's definitely something the creators probably didn't think about when they envisioned the show, but the topic of character departure is something FriNiLi has handled with an amount of grace that other shows on NBC - ahem, Heroes - could manage. So let's celebrate the show's renewal with a trip to Applebee's.