Friday Night Lights
Something about being home during autumn for the first time in years is really making me think about high school football games. I was in the marching band and our football team wasn't the greatest, so I'm more reminiscing about the general atmosphere of a high school football game and not the football part... which meant it was the perfect time for my FIRST VIEWING of Friday Night Lights. It's always fall in Dillon, Texas. No matter the score of the game, the Taylors will talk it out in the kitchen. The booster club will hold up their state champion rings. Matt's grandma will sit in her chair with her slippers. And the theme music will make you feel things. Co-created by Jason Katims (also behind NBC's Parenthood), the series tells the story of the Dillon Panthers and the people who make up the town. I've watched seasons one through three (and am trying to slow down my pace to savor the final two), so here is my current ranking of the main characters in the Friday Night Lights universe. For those of you who haven't watched yet (and I encourage you to fix that now), spoilers ahead:
20. Joe McCoy: This man is THE WORST.
19. JD McCoy: I feel bad for JD. He's grown up in a completely toxic environment and his dad has basically turned him into a football robot. I would just like to see a bit more about what JD actually wants out of all of this, instead of swinging from what his dad wants him to do to what Tim Riggins wants him to do to an ego trip at the beginning of season four.
17. Billy Riggins: Oh Billy... at times he has the best intentions and pulls Tim out of his self-destructive spirals and at others he's dragging Tim down in the mud with him. I want Billy to clean up his life, but there's also so much joy in the scenes where Billy and Tim are just being ridiculous as they head off into the sunset towards a bad idea.
16. Mindy Collette: A hilarious foil to Billy, Mindy Collette's role in the show grows from quick scenes and mentions in the first season to becoming a central player in the Riggins family in the third.
15. Angela Collette aka Tyra's Mom: She's messy. She can't choose the right man. But she always stands by her daughters and the scenes between her and Tyra are series highlights.
14. Jason Street: I'm sorry if this breaks any hearts. I haven't done enough reading about the public reaction to FNL yet to know if this is a controversial take. While there's no doubt that Jason's story is at the core of Friday Night Lights, his random bouts of anger and general sense of delusion put him at the bottom of my list. And the show rewards his delusion!!! His trip to NYC? The way he convinces his one-night-stand to have a baby? Give me a break. This is no knock on Scott Porter, however, who does a truly excellent job of taking all of the storylines he faces and treating them with care.
13. Buddy Garrity: Buddy makes a lot of mistakes... but the way his character evolves from threatening to fire Coach Taylor to rooting for him no matter the circumstances is a thing of beauty and redeems him some in my book for, you know, cheating on his wife and losing all of Lyla's college money. Plus the look of annoyance on Tami's face every time Buddy shows up unannounced at the Taylor house is perfection, and we wouldn't get that without Buddy.
12. Lyla Garrity: The number 12 spot on this list is mostly not Lyla's fault. Here's the thing. What does Lyla want out of life? Is she religious? Is cheerleading something she's always done or something she genuinely loves? Is her dream school Vanderbilt or Princeton? The show doesn't know and neither do I. While Lyla is great at being in a love triangle, shooting a gun, occasionally having a conversation with another woman, nicely leaving people with a little bit of religious guilt, lusting after Tim Riggins and pointing both Tim and Jason in the right direction when need be, her own journey leaves something to be desired.
11. Matt Saracen: Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of player number seven. He's a sweetheart. He's trying his best. He is taking care of his grandmother and singing her songs. He'll basically do whatever Coach Taylor tells him to. He and Julie are the cutest. But he has less emotional growth in seasons one through three than some of the other players, so he's stuck at spot number eleven.
10. Julie Taylor: I have a soft spot for Julie, who is probably the most realistic teenager on the show. She's awkward. She's not really sure what she wants. She hates Dillon and grows to love it. She falls in love. She becomes a complete brat in season two, but they smooth her story back out again in the third season and all is forgiven.
9. Herc: Everytime I see that Herc is in a scene, I start to smile. Jason needs someone who didn't know him from football to tell him the truth about his life. And Herc is just the person to do that, filled with love, a sense of humor and plenty of sarcasm.
8. Tim Riggins: After the first episode of the show, I was perplexed. This is Tim Riggins??? He grunts in response to everything. I can't gauge his reactions to anything because his hair is always in his face. He clashes with Smash. His friendship with Jason doesn't make sense. He's holding a beer in every scene. But I guess being Team Jess on Gilmore Girls meant that I was pre-destined to come around to Tim eventually. After Tim stays with the Taylor family in season two, something changed within me, and let's be honest, the writers started fleshing out his character more and someone trimmed his hair.
7. Tyra Collette: Tyra is another character on the show who really transforms throughout the first three seasons. She starts out showing shades of jealousy, impulsivity and self-destruction, but it all shifts when she watches her mother fall apart over a man. Tyra pulls her mother out of a downward spiral, recognizes some warning signs for her future and changes. She befriends Julie and Landry. She and Tim build an actual supportive, non-romantic relationship. She starts hanging out with the Taylors. She starts believing in herself and her future. She faces a lot of roadblocks, and I'm rooting for her every step of the way.
6. Landry Clark: Back when Friday Night Lights was still figuring out its direction, Landry (or Lance, as Coach Taylor would say) was always around to deliver a monotone joke or to tell Matt he's being ridiculous. Fortunately, the show leaned into these tiny moments of delight and expanded Landry's role throughout the three season. His pairing with Tyra is truly excellent and gives Landry the chance to play a leading man. I love his sincerity and ability to see through everyone's BS, and each time he appears on screen, a scene just comes together.
5. Brian "Smash" Williams: Out of all the people who graduate high school and exit the series along the way, this goodbye hurt the most. What a journey! Smash starts as a cocky player who only cares about himself and his image. Through some of the different women he dates, his friendship with Matt, his relationship with Coach Taylor, his conversations with his mom, Smash really grows and changes in a beautiful way, while still retaining his charisma and confidence. His goodbye episode is perfection, because you can't watch this show without rooting for Smash and we get to see it all come together for him, as he says a thank you to Coach and hops in the car with his friends to play one last game in Dillon before leaving for a bigger and better future.
4. Lorraine Saracen aka Matt's Grandma: If ANYTHING happens to Matt's Grandma, I will not be okay. This woman is so sweet. She just wants to watch Matt be QB #1, make some food for Coach Taylor and sit in her chair. She doesn't ask for much!!!
3. Coach Taylor: Eric Taylor is such an interesting character and that is in large part due to the excellent acting choices of Kyle Chandler (just watch how he varies line readings of "clear eyes, full hearts"). He's tough and generally annoyed with a lot of the people around him (the Eric Taylor annoyed face was my second choice gif), but he's also soft and sensitive and worries endlessly about his students. I would only ask for MORE scenes between him and his players, because they are always, always outstanding. He doesn't always make the right decision at first but he usually gets there in the end. But Eric would be nothing without his better half helping to guide his way... and that's why he's in spot number three.
2. Corinna Williams aka Smash's Mom: We don't get enough of Corinna but what we do see is perfection. She fights hard for her family and always helps Smash make the right decision. They don't always see eye-to-eye but they love each other and want the best for each other. One of the driving forces behind Smash's dedication to football is his desire to provide for his mom in the future, and this passion and commitment wouldn't hit as hard if we didn't also see Corinna fighting to do the same for Smash & the rest of the Williams siblings in the present.
1. Tami Taylor: What would this show be without Tami Taylor? Literally nothing. She gives the kids advice. She gives Eric advice. She pushes everyone to do the right thing. And she gets to go on her own journey throughout the seasons, by figuring out her career and finding her own place in the Dillon community. Scenes between Tami and Eric are always, always incredible because of their outstanding chemistry and the show's decision to show an actual marriage instead of some soapy TV marriage. Connie Britton is amazing, and she makes Tami the guidepost of the show and the true hero of Dillon!!
