Friday Night Lights Preview: Riggins Cometh.

The countdown is on, Dillon fans. After what seems like forever (but was actually more like 16 months), the best-little-show-that-no-one-is-watching is returning to its rightful place – Friday Nights on NBC. Sure, season 4 was technically available on DirecTV since last fall, but for those of you who don’t subscribe, the anticipation of seeing how Coach Taylor will fare with his new team of ragtag East Dillon Lions (and, let’s be honest, the need for a good Riggins fix) has made these next few days before the season premiere positively painful.

Sadly, there has been many a spoiler leaked since the new episodes have already aired elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean that diehard FNL watchers had all their surprises ruined. If you’re like me, you couldn’t even watch the promos without getting goosebumps or teary eyes, all the more reason to avoid the sites that gave it all away. I’ll admit, I started watching this show for one reason and one reason only – Tim Riggins. But, I kept watching because in between Taylor Kitsch’s brooding good looks and mouth-watering abs, the show had heart. The idea of a storyline centered around the epicenter of football zealotry, Texas (albeit in a fictional town), was enough to intrigue me. Pigskin action aside though, people were talking about how great a show it was – it struck a perfect balance between character development and humor, light-hearted moments and full-blown drama. But, as good a show as the FNL faithful claimed it would be, ultimately they were wrong – it was so much better.

And now, here’s the CliffsNotes rundown of where season 3 left off:

When last we saw Riggins, he was celebrating at Billy and Mindy’s hillbilly nuptials and then learned he was going to be Uncle Tim. Riggins tried to play the whole “don’t make me go to college and learn” card but Billy set him straight – I guess he didn’t see the point of an education without Lyla at San Antonio State with him. Speaking of Lyla, Buddy Garrity pulled his head out of his arse long enough to grovel to a rich relative for funds to send Lyla to her beloved Vanderbilt after he had squandered all their money and voila! Tuition paid. Buddy wanted her to stay away from that Riggins kid, Lyla offered to give up her dream and go to school with him, and ever the decent guy, Riggins told her to go and make something of herself – while legions of female fans silently curse Lyla for leaving that student body behind. Tyra (who by all accounts will be phased off the show along with Lyla and eventually Matt Saracen) was busy doubting her ability to get into college and contemplating a life doomed to working at the Landing Strip when Landry pulled a very un-Landry-like move when he stood up to her (which isn’t easy to do, that chick is TALL). Landry told her to quit the pity party. Of course Tyra got in to school and decided to go, unlike Saracen who at the last minute pulled the plug on his Chicago art school plans to stay back with Julie and his grams. Poor grams, she had just unpacked the heinously ugly 7^th grade photo of Saracen she insisted upon displaying at her new nursing home… But he rescued her from a life of geriatric hell and she headed home with him.  Julie was rewarded for being such a good daughter by getting some new wheels from her parents, aka the best looking couple in Texas, and speaking of Eric and Tami Taylor…

After fighting the good fight against the evil school board and JD McCoy’s big bag o’ money, Coach Taylor was unceremoniously ousted as head coach in favor of Wade Aikman. Apparently McCoy’s grudge + power and influence = Coach Taylor getting his walking papers, ouch (even after the man of few words defended himself to the school board against his better judgment). Coach Taylor’s parting gift is to be head coach of East Dillon’s new team of leftovers, and he was left contemplating his future while standing on the dirt field that will be his new home. With determination in his eyes and his hot wife by his side, the season 3 finale left us with a lump in our throats and a mountain of uncertainty.

Phew! OK fine, maybe that wasn’t exactly the abridged version…

What is certain is that they will infuse the cast with some new blood this season, and the town will be left divided. By all accounts, the writers tackle issues like war, racial tension and abortion this season, but if I know this show at all they’ll manage to do it in an authentic and non-After School Special kind of way. I can’t say I’m not sad to see so many of the series regulars leave (I’m still recovering from Jason Street’s departure, sniffle), but I’m curious to see how this season will stack up. Hell, I haven’t been this excited for Friday nights since I was 11 and my evenings were filled with DJ Tanner, Carl Winslow and that show about the Thigh Master lady’s family, but I digress… In the end, this show always returns to its core of solid writing, stellar acting and good old fashioned scrappiness. And if we’ve learned anything from Coach Taylor’s outlook on football (and life), it is to hold onto the fact that it is most definitely not just a game, it’s fight or die.

Friday Night Lights’ season 4 premiere airs May 7^th at 8/7c on NBC.

For more on Friday Night Lights, click here.

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Bill Records, and Virginia Sherwood.