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(#1) Friday Night Lights Wasn't the First Show Based on Buzz Bissinger's Book
Friday Night Lights wasn’t the first TV show based on Buzz Bissinger’s book of the same name. Back in the '90s, NBC wasn’t able to option the book as Peter Berg and Brian Grazer already had the rights for the movie. Instead, they decided to do a series “inspired” by the book. The show, Against the Grain, only lasted one season, airing in 1993.It featured Ben Affleck at the QB position.
Source: The Frisky -
(#2) The Actor Who Was Best at Football Might Surprise You
Jesse Plemons (who played Landry Clarke) was the best football player on set. Despite that fact that he wasn't even on the team for the first two seasons and appeared to be terrible at the sport when he was on the field, it apparently takes great skill to fake it so well.
Source: The Revolution Was Televised -
(#3) Taylor Kitsch Stole a Prop
Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins) was supposed to turn in his prop State Championship Ring when filming wrapped. But what better souvenir for your years on a show than that? He tucked it into his shirt and took it home with him.
Source: Entertainment Weekly -
(#4) If Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton's Chemistry Seemed Almost TOO Real, It's Because It Was
At the outset of filming, Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton decided to drive from LA to Austin together. This immediately worried producer Peter Berg. “Connie and Kyle developed a very flirtatious, precocious relationship right off the bat. And Kyle, of course, is married. I was convinced they would be having some torrid affair by the time they reached Santa Fe and Kyle’s marriage would be over by the time they got to Austin. I was wrong about that, thank God.”
Source: The Frisky -
(#5) Minka Kelly Originally Read for a Different Role
Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity) originally read for the role of Tyra (which eventually went to Adrianne Palicki), but writer/exec producer/director Peter Berg decided she would be a better fit as the sweet Lyla.
Source: Cast Interview -
(#6) The Show Almost Had a Very Different Tyra Collette
The role was outright offered to none other than Lindsay Lohan. She turned it down, thankfully. Can you imagine how different the show would have been?
Tyra was also offered to Shameless's Emmy Rossum, who turned it down for fear of being typecast as "the good girl."
Source: Uproxx
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(#7) There Were Many Gracie Taylors
Gracie Belle Taylor was played by not one, not two, but three sisters: triplets Cailin, Madeline, and Jocelyn Landry.
Source: Entertainment Weekly -
(#8) Jason Street and Landry Clarke Never Share the Screen
Despite being close friends in real life Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke) and Scott Porter (Jason Street) never once had a scene together, in four years on the same series. The closest they came was both attending the Crucifictorious concert.
Source: Entertainment Weekly -
(#9) Whoops.
Matt Lauria was a track star in high school and constantly bragged about his abilities leading up to his first day of shooting. But karma caught up with him on the first take, when he face-planted, unfamiliar with running on astroturf.
Source: ATX Panel -
(#10) There Was a Reason All of the Sets on the Show Looked So Real
The show didn’t use artificially constructed sets. Most everything was filmed in and around Austin, TX. The pilot was filmed at Pflugerville Texas High School and all subsequent football scenes were filmed at Del Valle High School. The houses they shot in were all rented, not built.
Source: Behind the Scenes: Friday Night Lights -
(#11) Taylor Kitsch's Audition Tape Was Incredibly Detailed
Taylor Kitsch caught casting directors eyes because, even though he sent his audition tape from Canada, he went through all of the trouble to find Lone Star beer cans to hold in his tape.
Source: The Frisky -
(#12) Yes, There Is a Friday Night Lights (Post-TV Show) Film Script
There is a feature film script written that follows the TV show and Connie Britton and Peter Berg and both game.
Unfortunately Kyle Chandler is not; he thinks the movie is unnecessary.
Thus, a new movie (of the same title) based on the TV show (of the same title) based on the original movie (of the same title) based on the book (of the same title)... will likely never happen.
Source: Uproxx -
(#13) With Season Four, the Casting Bar Was Set by Taylor Kitsch
The show rebooted in season four with Coach Taylor’s move to East Dillon. It took a big gamble by bringing in an almost entirely new cast of teens. So how did they go about choosing which actors made the cut? The producers had everyone audition opposite Taylor Kitsch. If they could hold their own with Riggins, they got the part.
Source: The Frisky -
(#14) East and West Dillon Shared a Locker Room
The same building was used in season four and season five for the Panthers locker room and the Lions locker room. All they had to do was paint one side red and one side blue.
Source: AV Club -
(#15) Only Two Actors Were in both the Show and the Film
Peter Berg optioned the book years prior, then went on the direct the film. After the movie, he produced the show, directing the pilot.
The only two actors to carry over were Connie Britton and Brad Leland, who play similar characters in both the film and on the show.
Source: Uproxx -
(#16) Jason Street Has a Real Life Inspiration
Scott Porter's character, Jason Street, was inspired by David Edwards. He was a 15-year-old defensive back who was paralyzed by a tackle in a game Berg was watching while researching the movie.
David Edwards would go on to become a motivational speaker, but sadly, he passed away just three days before his 21st birthday due to complications from pneumonia.
Source: Uproxx -
(#17) That Murder Storyline in Season Two? No One Liked It
Even Connie Britton didn't like the storyline that had Landry and Tyra murder a man who was attacking Tyra. “I mean, that’s not a hard question,” said Britton, when asked what her least favorite storyline was.
Source: Best of Friday Night Lights -
(#18) Sometimes, Showing Up Hungover Actually Helps!
Inititially the producers were worried that Kyle Chandler was too "pretty" for the role of Coach Taylor. It took him showing up to a lunch meeting on his motorcycle, clearly “hungover as shit,” for them to completely like him for the part.
Source: The Frisky -
(#19) The Riggins House Made the Actors Sick
The first few episodes Taylor Kitsch was constantly ill from working in the house. “It reeked. There was mold. The pool was filled with sludge,” he explains. “One of us got sick and we had a doctor come to set. He was like, ‘You guys shouldn’t be shooting in this house.'”
Source: The Frisky -
(#20) Buddy Garrity Was a Texas High School Football State Champion in Real Life
Brad Leland was perfect to play booster Buddy Garrity because he completely understood that Texas football passion. Not only did he play high school football in Plano, TX, he and his team won the Texas state championship his junior year.
Even beyond that, he was just like his on-screen son, Brad, and had a cast on his foot during the state championship game, forced to watch from the sidelines.
Source: Front Row
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About This Tool
Friday Night Lights is a famous sports drama TV series and released in 2004, it was adapted from the movie of the same name. It tells the story of the Dillon Panthers team at Dillon High School which is a promising football team. In this small town, winning the state football championship is considered the supreme honor. The characters and plots in the TV series are impressive.
Have you ever watched this drama? This page shows 20 items, including some fun facts about Friday Night Lights. You could check the collection and find more behind- scene-stories.
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