| Friday Night Lights Season Three | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | USA | ||
| No. of episodes | 13 | ||
| Broadcast | |||
| Original channel | NBC/DirecTV | ||
| Original run | October 1, 2008 – January 14, 2009 | ||
| Home video release | |||
| DVD release date | May 19, 2009 | ||
| Season chronology | |||
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The third season of the American serial drama television series Friday Night Lights commenced airing in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2008. It was the first season to be aired on DirecTV's The 101 Network. The 13-episode season concluded on The 101 Network on January 14, 2009 and then began its run on NBC two nights later on January 16, 2009. Due to DirecTV and NBC being happy with the numbers the show was receiving, the show was renewed for two more seasons, with both seasons airing in the same format as Season 3.
The season continued to focus around the Dillon Panthers and the pressures faced on and off the field. This season also saw four main characters leave the show by season's end.
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Unlike the previous two seasons, only eight of ten major roles received star billing in the opening credits. Kyle Chandler portrayed Eric Taylor, head coach of the Dillon Panthers. Connie Britton played Tami Taylor, wife of Eric and new principal of Dillon High School. Zach Gilford played quarterback Matt Saracen. Minka Kelly played Lyla Garrity, now girlfriend of Tim Riggins, fullback and resident bad boy, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch. Adrianne Palicki played Tyra Collette. Jesse Plemons played Landry Clarke, not-quite boyfriend to Tyra and Saracen's best friend. Aimee Teegarden played Julie Taylor, daughter of Eric and Tami. Supporting characters include: Brad Leland as Lyla's father and head of the Dillon Panthers Booster Club Buddy Garrity, Derek Phillips as Tim's brother Billy Riggins, Louanne Stephens as Saracen's grandmother Lorraine Saracen, Liz Mikel as Smash's mother Corrina Williams, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Tyra's mother Angela Collette, Stacey Oristano as Tyra's sister and Billy Riggins' fiance Mindy Collette, and Kevin Rankin as Herc.
Gaius Charles and Scott Porter were billed as guest stars during their 4-episode run as both Brian "Smash" Williams and Jason Street left the show.
New characters first introduced this season include: The McCoy Family (D.W. Moffett as father Joe, Janine Turner as mother Katie, and Jeremy Sumpter as son J.D., a quarterback for the Panthers) and Kim Dickens as Shelby Garrett, estranged mother of Matt Saracen.
The season began with Coach Taylor having failed to lead the Panthers to another State championship the year before, creating new pressure for him. Quarterback Matt Saracen's position is threatened by the arrival of freshman J.D. McCoy, an amazing natural talent who comes from a rich family with an overbearing father, Joe. Matt moves to wide receiver after Taylor names J.D McCoy the starting quarterback, but Matt is pushed back into his former role in the playoffs. He and Julie reconcile and rekindle their romance.
Smash Williams, who injured his knee during the previous year's playoffs, rediscovers his love for the game, gets a tryout with a college, and succeeds in winning a spot on their team. Tyra starts dating a cowboy named Cash, leading to complications in her relationship with Landry. Tim and Lyla start dating, and Tim pursues a college football scholarship. Billy Riggins gets engaged to Tyra's older sister Mindy. He, Tim, Herc, and Jason decide to flip Buddy Garrity's house for a profit. Jason Street eventually finds a job at a sports agency in New York City and moves to the northeast to be close to his girlfriend and newborn baby. Tami Taylor becomes the principal of Dillon High School and fights with Buddy Garrity about the allocation of funds toward a Jumbotron.
While Eric Taylor and Buddy Garrity were making a visit to a possible recruit who just moved into town, the coach learns of a plot to have him replaced as head coach of the Dillon Panthers. They learn that Joe McCoy wants Taylor replaced with Wade Aikman, J.D.'s personal coach. After the school's administration meets to decide who gets the coaching job, Aikman is offered the job at Dillon High School, while Taylor is offered the job of coaching the Lions of East Dillon High, which is reopening after years of being closed...
With the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike cutting the second season in half, there is a longer story gap between where season two ended and where season three begins than the other seasons of Friday Night Lights. Some plots are quickly summarized, others are never again mentioned. Lyla's relationship with Chris and her devout Christianity are absent from Season 3. She is now living with her father and in a relationship with Tim Riggins. Santiago, the street kid who was taken in by Lyla's father is evidently no longer living there and is not seen or mentioned. Landry and Tyra have dated and are now broken up. The end of the football season is briefly summed up that Smash was injured in a playoff game and the team fell apart after that. Smash lost his scholarship and is now a manager at the Alamo Freeze fast food restaurant. Jason Street was last seen in Season 2 trying to convince the girl he had a one-night-stand with, Erin, not to get an abortion. We see that Erin had the child, but the couple is not living together. Tami Taylor is now the Dillon High School principal.
| Fictional game results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Win/Loss | Score | Record | Episode # | Episode | |
| Regular season^ | ||||||
| South Pines Tigers | Win | 44-13 | 1-0 | 1 | I Knew You When | |
| Laribee Lions | Win | 49-0 | 2-0 | 2 | Tami Knows Best | |
| Arnett Mead Tigers | Loss | 17-21 | 2-1 | 3 | How the Other Half Live | |
| McNulty Mavericks | Win | 42-39 | 3-1 | 5 | Every Rose Has Its Thorn | |
| Westerby Chaps | Win | 31-17 | 4-1 | 6 | It Ain't Easy Being JD McCoy | |
| Fort Hood Cougars | Win | 15-14 | 5-1 | 7 | Keeping Up Appearances | |
| Regional playoffs^^ | ||||||
| Arnett Mead Tigers | Win | 10-7 | 6-1 | 9 | Game of the Week | |
| State quarter-finals | ||||||
| Buckley Bisons | Win | 16-13+ | 7-1 | 10 | The Giving Tree | |
| State semi-finals | ||||||
| West Cambria Mustangs | Win | 15-14 | 8-1 | 11 | A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall | |
| State championship | ||||||
| South Texas Titans | Loss | 28-30 | 8-2 | 12 | Underdogs | |
^ While Friday Night Lights is presented as a serialized show with seemingly no gaps between episodes, public high schools in Texas typically play a ten game regular season.
^^ While the playoff bracket only consisted of one regional playoff game, two games are played before moving on to the quarter-finals (as seen during the first season).
+ Coach Taylor was ejected late in the 4th quarter for questioning a blow call.
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | "I Knew You When" | Jeffrey Reiner | Jason Katims | October 1, 2008 | 301 |
| In the third-season opener, Eric fights to keep his job and helps Smash rebound. Elsewhere, Tami faces new challenges as principal; Tyra frets over college; Billy proposes; and tension escalates between Lyla and Riggins. | ||||||
| 39 | 2 | "Tami Knows Best" | Jeffrey Reiner | Elizabeth Heldens | October 8, 2008 | 302 |
| Coach supports Smash's struggle to get a college try out. Tyra's tactics disappoint Tami. Matt considers emancipation in an effort to protect his grandma and in the process finds his estranged mother (Kim Dickens). Tensions escalate with Lyla. | ||||||
| 40 | 3 | "How the Other Half Lives" | Dean White | Patrick Massett & John Zinman | October 15, 2008 | 303 |
| Eric frets over his job security; Tami befriends newcomer Katie McCoy (Janine Turner); Matt reconnects with Julie; and Lyla worries about Riggins, who's being roped into a moneymaking scheme by Billy. | ||||||
| 41 | 4 | "Hello, Goodbye" | Michael Waxman | David Hudgins | October 22, 2008 | 304 |
| Smash bids farewell. Julie supports Matt during his struggles with his mom and grandmother. Tami embarrasses herself with the superintendent. Tyra dates a new guy (Zach Roerig). | ||||||
| 42 | 5 | "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" | Jason Katims | Kerry Ehrin | October 29, 2008 | 305 |
| Matt grapples with his mother, his emotions and Coach Taylor as J.D. garners more attention. Elsewhere, Tyra sees a new side of Cash and Jason is disappointed by Erin. | ||||||
| 43 | 6 | "It Ain't Easy Being J.D. McCoy" | Patrick Norris | Bridget Carpenter | November 5, 2008 | 306 |
| Coach is furious with Tim and the team for a freshman hazing. J.D. wins the respect of the town and team. A late night swim at the lake turns into more for Julie and Matt. Tyra is shocked when a woman shows up claiming Cash owes her child support. | ||||||
| 44 | 7 | "Keeping Up Appearances" | Chris Eyre | Brent Fletcher | November 12, 2008 | 307 |
| Eric and Tami try to calm JaMarcus' angry parents; Billy helps Tim pursue a scholarship; and Jason, Herc and the Riggins brothers receive good news. | ||||||
| 45 | 8 | "New York, New York" | Jeffrey Reiner | Kerry Ehrin | November 19, 2008 | 308 |
| Jason's plan to leave Dillon worries Tim; Tami and Eric butt heads over financial matters; Julie champions Matt's idea to her dad; and Tyra turns to Cash during a difficult time. | ||||||
| 46 | 9 | "Game of the Week" | Michael Waxman | David Hudgins | December 3, 2008 | 309 |
| Surprises await Tim when he returns to Dillon; Tami helps Tyra deal with a problem; Matt clashes with his mom; and Lyla and Mindy work together. | ||||||
| 47 | 10 | "The Giving Tree" | David Boyd | Elizabeth Heldens | December 10, 2008 | 310 |
| Coach is emotionally challenged both on and off the field. Lyla turns to Riggins when Buddy reveals a secret. Tyra has a plan to repair her relationship with Landry. JD has no interest in his father's advice. | ||||||
| 48 | 11 | "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" | Michael Waxman | Bridget Carpenter & Patrick Massett & John Zinman | December 17, 2008 | 311 |
| Coach and Tami learn of a change that could dismantle the Panthers team. Matt flips out when Grandma suffers an accident. Tim sees another side of Lyla. Tyra is desperate and once again turns to Landry. Tensions escalate between JD and his father. | ||||||
| 49 | 12 | "Underdogs" | Jeffrey Reiner | Elizabeth Heldens | January 7, 2009 | 312 |
| The team prepares for the State game. The Taylors deal with the McCoys. Matt frets over telling his grandmother about his college plans. | ||||||
| 50 | 13 | "Tomorrow Blues" | Jeffrey Reiner | Jason Katims | January 14, 2009 | 313 |
| Eric's contract is reviewed. Billy and Mindy's wedding day arrives; Tyra awaits word on her wait-list status; Matt prepares to leave for college; and Tim and Lyla consider their future. | ||||||
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