TV shows get cancelled all of the time. And more often than not, you get an uproar from the loyal diehards who do silly things like sending peanuts to the networks, or start hundreds of online petitions nobody reads. Friday Night Lights was saved by it's audience after a second season of low ratings, leaving NBC and turning up on DirecTV where it just concluded it's fifth and final season. The show, about a small football town in Dillon, TX, was based on the great 2004 film
directed by Peter Berg, which was itself adapted from the acclaimed 1990 novel. Berg didn't want to let it go, and put together the TV series, which has won raves for it's portrayal of small town life and the relationships within.While the DVD of the final season has been out for a few months, the final rebroadcasting aired on NBC just a couple of nights ago. And just like when the movie was over, Berg appears to be reluctant to leave Friday Night Lights in his rearview. According to TVLine, Bill Simmons(editor at Grantland) tweeted that Berg is already working on a way to keep FNL going strong...
"PS: We didn't put it in the oral history, but Peter Berg told us he wants to do an FNL movie with Chandler/Britton off the final episode."
We've seen a lot of these stories over the last couple of years. Arrested Development
, Party Down
, Veronica Mars
, and many more cult hits have gotten their fans' hopes up with wishes to bring their low rated projects to theaters. It almost never happens. However, Friday Night Lights
may have more momentum than others. For one, the show is receiving more awards buzz than it ever has before. The show was just nominated for a Best Drama Emmy for the first time, with nominations also earned for stars Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. Plus, Berg is a heavy hitter in the biz right now. He may have the clout to get this done. Friday Night Lights is a proven commodity, on the big and small screen. Somebody's going to want to cash in on that. No deal is in place as of yet. I adore the movie, thinking it may be the one perfect football film. Yet I've never seen the TV show. Maybe now that it's done I'll start from the beginning.
