I've never seen the movie "Friday Night Lights," which is kind of surprising for several reasons. I live in Texas, where the story takes place. I live in Texas, where the movie was filmed. I even knew people who worked as extras, but I missed out on the whole experience having turned down the opportunity myself. There also the fact that I love sports movies, which in itself is kind of weird because I hate real sports. (I just find most sporting events to be incredibly boring, meant to be watched by cud-chewing and beer-guzzling cows. Movies about sports are far more interesting…) I'd heard a lot about the movie and have actually made plans to watch it on several occasions, only to have said plans fizzle out. In spite of my viewing ignorance, I know that the movie was based on a Pulitzer Prize winning book by author H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger, which chronicled the effect that a high school football team had on the town of Odessa, Texas and in turn how a lot of small towns turn to their local sports heroes to give it some speck of credibility.

The film did pretty well, and a couple of years after its release ended up spawning a TV series. For me, and I'm sure many viewers, there was an immediate turn off as most shows based on movies are pretty much a bust. Very few come to mind that actually had any kind of success, "M.A.S.H." and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" being a couple of notable exceptions. Still, the series "Friday Night Lights" aired and audiences stayed away in droves. It was referred to as one of 'The Best Shows Your Not Watching', which is generally the kiss of death for any series. But "Friday Night Lights" persevered, keeping itself off the bubble of cancellation long enough to warrant another season.

I have to admit to being one of the ones 'not watching', and now that I've checked out the new DVD release of the first season I can see what all the grass roots hoopla was about. I think this was the fastest I have ever been hooked into a show from its first few episodes. I could not get over how well the cast gelled from the very first episode. The writing was superlative, offering real-life people as their characters instead of caricatures. Leading the way was Kyle Chandler ("Early Edition") as Coach Eric Taylor and Connie Britton as his wife Tami. Their rapport as they portray an average married couple whose lives are often turned upside down by the turmoil of dealing with high school students, high school football, and high school football parents comes across very natural. It's not difficult at all to get into their lives and form an emotional bond with their trials and tribulations.

The same goes for the actors portraying the students. The show's first episodes introduce them as stereotypes, but the same kind of stereotypes you and I went to school with, not the 'hip' stereotypes of shows like "The O.C." or "Dawson's Creek." But even then, as the season wore on the façade of the stereotypes began to drop, much like in real life where when you meet someone for the first time all you get is the cover. It's not until you get to know them that you see what is in the pages. Their interaction is so dead on as well. Again, like in real life, friends can become enemies with the turn of a phrase or backward glance. "Friday Night Lights" quickly proved itself to me as a series that was about far more than football.

Universal's DVD set offers up all 22 episodes from the freshman season, but surprisingly few extra features. On the bright side, the features are pretty darn good. There are the obligatory deleted scenes, which are actually full of great little moments and worth watching. I would like to mention that when deleted scenes are available for a TV show, the studios should just go ahead and put them in where they go. Most times, if the deleted scene from a TV show is worth putting on a disc, it’s worth seeing in context. There is also a Behind the Scenes featurette that despite its length (a little over 20 minutes) is actually quite well produced and gives a greater sense of what the show means to its creators and the cast.

I also have to point out that Universal is doing something with this release that I have never seen before. They are not only offering the full season set for a relatively low price (under $30), it also comes with a money back guarantee if you don’t like it. I can't remember the last time a studio really put its money where its mouth was and backed a show that it believed in. There have been so many that would have benefited from this kind of support, thankfully "Friday Night Lights" is worth it.

Episodes:
Pilot
Eyes Wide Open
Wind Spirits
Who's Your Daddy
Git 'Er Done
El Accidente
Homecoming
Crossing the Line
Full Hearts
It's Different for Girls
Nevermind
What to Do While You're Waiting
Little Girl I Wanna Marry You
Upping the Ante
Blinders
Back Eyes & Broken Hearts
I Think We Should Have Sex
Extended Families
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Mud Bowl
Best Laid Plans
State

Starring: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Aimee Teegarden, Scott Porter, Mikna Kelly, Taylor Kitsch, Adrienne Pallcki, Gaius Charles, Jesse Plemons
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Behind the Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 8/28/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR

We'll give Friday Night Lights: Season 1 an A.