I simply don't have room to mention all the wonderful characters on the show. Even mentioning only briefly characters like Lyla's father (and president of the booster club), Jason's best friend Tim Riggins, star running back Brian 'Smash' Williams, or the minister's intelligent but bipolar daughter Noannie Williams doesn't do justice to all the wonderful performers on this show.

Nor do I have time to do justice to how intelligently this show is written. Even though it takes up themes that a host of other shows have dealt with, it always manages to do so freshly and innovatively. The finest example is the episode that deals with the fallout from some crudely racist remarks made by an assistant coach. The controversy builds to the point where it appears that all the black players will quit the team unless the coach is fired. I won't spoil the resolution, but the episode ends with one of my favorite moments in the entire 2006-2007 season.

If there are two series currently running that I could make anyone and everyone watch, simply because they are so extraordinarily good, they are FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. There are so many similarities between the two shows. Both have huge and talented ensemble casts. Both are brilliantly written. Both are filmed using handheld cameras and have a gritty, documentary feel to them. And both defy all the expectations people have formed in thinking that they don't want to see them. Both these series represent television at its very best. Please do both yourself and this show a favor: watch it.

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