Returning cast, plot, and more

Friday Night Lights taught us that clear eyes and full hearts can’t lose. Is that still the case? We’ll find out with Peacock’s upcoming reboot of the beloved sports drama.

Universal Television announced the reboot in December 2024. If you’re feeling leery, it’s worth remembering that NBC’s Friday Night Lights was itself an adaptation of the 2004 film of the same name, which was adapted from H.G. Bissinger’s 1990 nonfiction book. Indeed, the timeless story of a small-town football team means something a little different to everyone.

So, what’s the deal with the Friday Night Lights reboot? What will it be about? And will any of the original cast return?

Let’s gear up, get breathless, and explore everything we know about the Friday Night Lights reboot.

What is the Friday Night Lights reboot about?

Per the official logline, the Friday Night Lights reboot is set in the wake of “a devastating hurricane,” with a “ragtag high school football team and their damaged, interim coach [making] an unlikely bid for a Texas High School State Championship [and] becoming a beacon of light for their town.”

This story deviates quite a bit from the original series’ plot, in which the fictional town of Dillon, Tex., saw its starry team of high school footballers imperiled after its star quarterback, Jason Street (Scott Porter), is paralyzed during the first game of the season. Following Street’s injury, it’s up to Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and second-string quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) to steer the Panthers back on course and make it to the state championship.

Who’s behind the scenes of the Friday Night Lights reboot?

Here’s some good news for fans: Peter Berg, the one-time Shocker star who directed the 2004 film and developed the NBC series, will direct and executive produce the reboot.

He’ll do so along with two other Friday Night Lights alums: executive producers Brian Grazer and Jason Katims, the latter of whom served as the OG series’ showrunner across its five seasons.

The same team worked for years to make another Friday Night Lights film following the end of the series. In 2017, Berg revealed on The Bill Simmons Podcast that the film would have been “based on Mike Leach getting in trouble for allegedly doing something that he most likely didn’t do.” (For context, Leach was a football coach at Texas Tech who was fired in 2009 for his poor treatment of a player with a concussion.)

Who’s in the Friday Night Lights reboot’s cast?

There’s no official word on who will be starring in the Friday Night Lights reboot, but, based on recent remarks from several of the original series’ cast members, it will likely feature a new cast of coaches, players, and pigskin-loving Texans.

Connie Britton, who starred in both the film and the original series, has been vocal about her desire to let the series lie. During a 2018 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, she addressed talks of a new film, saying, “I’ve come full circle, because I was all for it in the beginning. I think if we had done it early on, but now I really do see how special it is to be able to end a series in that way. It was so beautifully done and so beautifully arced that yeah, I think we kind of did it.”

This past March, she said the reboot was “barely on her radar” during a chat with Parade. She did, however, express her hopes that the new cast can find a “sense of discovery there in terms of what they’re committing to and trying to accomplish.”

That said, it’s still possible that some OG players will reprise their roles. Taylor Kitsch, who played bad boy fullback Tim Riggins, revealed that he was invited to return for the new series.

In January, he said on SiriusXM’s The Spotlight With Jessica Shaw that he’d been asked to be “part of some kind of reboot,” adding that he’d be interested in returning for “an episode or something.”

His tune, however, changed in August. Speaking with TheWrap at the premiere for The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, Kitsch said that while he was “asked to do it,” he would not be returning to the field. “Umm, yeah, I’m not going back. No,” he said.

Disappointing as that may be for Riggins stans, the fact that Kitsch was asked confirms that the producers are open to appearances from former cast members. And there are plenty of other actors, from former Dillion teens Minka Kelly, Gaius Charles, Aimee Teegarden, and Adrianne Palicki to current A-listers Michael B. Jordan and Jesse Plemons.

How did Friday Night Lights end?

Friday Night Lights‘ 2011 finale delivered no shortage of tear-jerking moments — 25 of them, in fact.

Coach Taylor leads the East Dillon Lions to a state championship, with Vince (Jordan) throwing the winning pass. Later, Taylor turns down a job offer that would bring him back to the Dillon Panthers so his wife, Tami (Britton), can pursue her dream job in Philadelphia. There, he begins coaching a local high school team.

There was also, of course, the fulfillment of several romantic storylines. Matt (Gilford) and Julie (Teegarden) got engaged and shacked up together in Chicago. Vince proclaimed his love for Jess (Jurnee Smollett). Becky (Madison Burge) and Luke (Matt Lauria) made things official, though the series ends with him leaving for the army and gifting her his championship ring.

Tim decides to stay in Dillon and build a home on a plot of land with his brother, Billy (Derek Phillips). “Texas, forever,” they declare over a couple of beers.

Is there a premiere date for the Friday Night Lights reboot?

As of this writing, there’s no set premiere date for the Friday Night Lights reboot.

Where can I watch Friday Night Lights?

You can rent or buy the Friday Night Lights series via Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV+. The film adaptation is currently streaming on Netflix.

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