Friday Night Lights

Today marks a momentous occasion in TV. So momentous, in fact, that I truly believed this day would never come. The day where Ben Silverman made a decision that would actually make television better. Because today, at NBC’s way-early upfronts, he annouced that Friday Night Lights has been renewed for a third season.

Friends. This show? Is amazing. There aren’t enough words of praise I can say about it, it’s the most true-to-life drama on network television today, and the fact that it’s ignored by award shows (minus the Peabodys) and viewers is an utter travesty. The cast, led by Kyle Chandler (who I’ve loved since like, 7th grade) and Connie Britton, is arguably one of the best casts to grace the small screen, and the on location shooting in Austin provides a depth of realism that’s hard to find anywhere else.

And I know, you’re thinking, “But I don’t like football.” Hey! I’m not a huge fan myself. The closest I got to being a fan was going to all of the games in high school, and that really was just something you did back then, especially if you were dating a player on the team. But it’s not about football. Really. Friday Night Lights is about football in the same way that Grey’s Anatomy is about medicine.

So, give it a chance. The deal for the third season involves NBC and DirecTV spreading the costs between the two companies, which then has the 13 episode season premiere in October on DirecTV, with the episodes to then air on NBC beginning in February. Still the same timeslot as last year, Fridays at 9 pm, but I guess we can’t ask for too much. Plus, Ben Silverman has Office spinoffs to focus on. (This is a terrible idea. Worse than McSpaced.) So, rejoice, fans. Friday Night Lights lives to air another season. I know I never thought it would happen. I’ll take what I can get.

Friday Night Lights airs Fridays at 9 pm EST on NBC. (And DirecTV.)