Friday Night Lights Season Five | |||
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Country of origin | USA | ||
No. of episodes | 13 | ||
Broadcast | |||
Original channel | NBC/DirecTV | ||
Original run | October 27, 2010 | – February 9, 2011||
Season chronology | |||
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The fifth and final season of the American serial drama television series Friday Night Lights commenced airing in the United States on October 27, 2010.[1] It is the third season to be aired on DirecTV's The 101 Network and the first to be premiered on ABC Family. The fifth season began airing on NBC on April 15, 2011.
Contents |
The season was produced by Brian Grazer's Imagine Television company, Peter Bergs Film 44 company and Universal Media Studios and filmed in Pflugerville, Texas.
Fictional game results | ||||||
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Opponent | Win/Loss | Score | Record | Episode # | Episode | |
Regular season | ||||||
Croft Cowboys | Win | 29-28+ | 1-0 | 64 | Expectations | |
Laribee Lions | Win | 31-24++ | 2-0 | 65-66 | On the Outside Looking In / The Right Hand of the Father | |
Royal Rock Dragons | Win | 34-28 | 3-0 | 66 | The Right Hand of the Father | |
South King Rangers | Win | 38-17 | 4-0 | 68 | Kingdom | |
South Milbank Rattlers | Win | 28-10 | 5-0 | 69 | Swerve | |
West Dillon Panthers | Win | 37-7 | 6-0 | 70 | Perfect Record | |
West Cambria Mustangs | Loss | 17-28+++ | 6-1 | 72 | Gut Check | |
Fort Hood Cougars | Win | 19-17 | 7-1 | 72 | Gut Check | |
Northfield Cubs | Win | ??++++ | 8-1 | 73 | Don't Go | |
Area playoffs | ||||||
West Cambria Mustangs | Win | 38-6 | 9-1 | 74 | The March | |
Regional playoffs | ||||||
Bellemeade | Win | 30-14 | 10-1 | 74 | The March | |
State quarter-finals | ||||||
Preston Pirates | Win | ??++++ | 11-1 | 74 | The March | |
State semi-finals | ||||||
Arnett-Mead Tigers | Win | 15-13 | 12-1 | 74 | The March | |
State championship | ||||||
Hudgins Hawks | Win | 27-26+++++ | 13-1 | 76 | Always |
+ The final score was clearly 29-28 at the end of the episode Expectations, but at the beginning of the episode The Right Hand of the Father, the Cowboys game ball reads 22-21.
++ The game was played toward the end of the episode On the Outside Looking In, but no game footage was shown. The final score was printed on a game ball at Buddy's Bar & Grill at the beginning of the episode The Right Hand of the Father.
+++ The final score was shown on the scoreboard, and game footage was shown in flashbacks.
++++ The final score was never mentioned.
+++++ The final score was never mentioned, but the epilogue showed Vince and other team members with a championship ring, and the Lions were down by five points with only three seconds left.
№ | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
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64 | 1 | "Expectations" | Michael Waxman | David Hudgins | October 27, 2010 | 501 |
Coach Taylor tempers high expectations for East Dillon's impending season as Tami becomes frustrated in her new job. Vince and Luke work to recruit a new player for the Lions' squad and Dillon bids farewell to two alumni as they prepare to leave for college. | ||||||
65 | 2 | "On the Outside Looking In" | Michael Waxman | Kerry Ehrin | November 3, 2010 | 502 |
Eric realizes that not everyone is satisfied by the Lions' performance in the first game. Vince receives unexpected benefits as a football player. Luke's aggression has repercussions. | ||||||
66 | 3 | "The Right Hand of the Father" | David Boyd | Patrick Massett & John Zinman | November 10, 2010 | 503 |
Someone from Vince's past resurfaces. Julie connects with a faculty member. Eric tries to instill discipline in the team. Buddy is troubled after learning something about his son. | ||||||
67 | 4 | "Keep Looking" | Todd McMullen | Bridget Carpenter | November 17, 2010 | 504 |
Coach is forced to play mediator as tensions erupt in the locker room. Luke gets recruited. Buddy deals with the trials and tribulations of fatherhood. Tami deals with a troubled student. The Lions welcome a new player. | ||||||
68 | 5 | "Kingdom" | Patrick Norris | Rolin Jones | December 1, 2010 | 505 |
Coach discusses recruitment regulations. The Lions take a road trip. East Dillon's four stars make a pact. Julie's relationship becomes more complicated. | ||||||
69 | 6 | "Swerve" | Jonas Pate | Ron Fitzgegrald | December 8, 2010 | 506 |
A popular magazine hails Coach as the "Kingmaker." Vince's past catches up to him. Luke reacts to the truth. A suspicious accident delays Julie's return to college. | ||||||
70 | 7 | "Perfect Record" | Adam Davidson | Etan Frankel & Derek Santos Olson | December 15, 2010 | 507 |
Rivalry week stirs up controversy. Vince is caught in the middle between Coach and Ornette. Billy takes Luke under his wing. | ||||||
71 | 8 | "Fracture" | Allison Liddi | Monica Henderson | January 5, 2011 | 508 |
Coach fears he's beginning to lose his grip on the team. Tami worries that one of her students is being neglected. Vince alienates his teammates. Becky enters a beauty pageant. | ||||||
72 | 9 | "Gut Check" | Chris Eyre | David Hudgins | January 12, 2011 | 509 |
Coach threatens to suspend Vince. Luke faces pressure. Billy learns some surprising news from Mindy. Becky starts a surprising new job. | ||||||
73 | 10 | "Don't Go" | Michael Waxman | Bridget Carpenter | January 19, 2011 | 510 |
An elite college football program attempts to lure Coach away from East Dillon. Vince vows to earn his spot back. Friends and family speak at Tim's parole hearing. East Dillon holds a Fall Sports Banquet. | ||||||
74 | 11 | "The March" | Jason Katims | Rolin Jones | January 26, 2011 | 511 |
Budget cuts threaten the teams status as they fight towards going to state. Tim has trouble adjusting to the home life he left behind. Vince's father shows his true colors. Tami gets a new job opportunity. | ||||||
75 | 12 | "Texas Whatever" | Kyle Chandler | Kerry Ehrin | February 2, 2011 | 512 |
The School Board reaches a decision about the future of Dillon football. An old friend helps Tim find his way. Jess and Vince reunite. Tami and Eric face a tough decision about their future. | ||||||
76 | 13 | "Always" | Michael Waxman | Jason Katims | February 9, 2011 | 513 |
With the decision to close the East Dillon Football program speculation runs wild on two fronts. Will the Lions be able to win State and go out in a blaze of glory; and will Coach Taylor agree to return to coach the Dillion Panthers and a super team with the best of both schools? Tami's PA job offer adds conflict in the Taylor home as does a new development with Matt & Julie. Meanwhile Tim Riggins and Tyra talk seriously about their futures and Luke & Becky clear the air. |
TVLine's Michael Ausiello said after watching the finale that 'One of the best dramas in the history of TV is over...' [2]
Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly wrote '...that was one fine, emotional, intelligent, and satisfying ending... Watching the final episode, I came once again to the conclusion that this was the best portrait of a marriage I’ve ever seen on television.' [3]
The AV Club gave the episode an 'A' rating, stating '...what made Friday Night Lights such an appealing show is the way it captured the joys of life in a small, football-obsessed town. Most of those joys stemmed from the relationships the characters forged there, all of them related, directly or otherwise, to football. Some of them were quite unexpected' .[4]
Time magazine's James Poniewozik named the final episode "Always" one of the Top 10 TV Episodes of 2011. He said "Bracing for a great series to produce its final episode can be like watching an egg-on-a-spoon race: you tense up, hoping your player doesn't drop it at the last moment. FNL kept the egg intact, finishing up five seasons with a finale that gave closure to a vast number of Texas stories while giving poetic voice to its values of community and selflessness" and concluded "To the end, the heart of this American classic was not whether you win or lose but how you play the game".[5]
A speech by Coach Taylor playing over the final montage was cut, as Katims wanted the montage to be all about the small moments coming into one.
Scott Porter asked Jason Katims while filming the scene where Tim and Billy are building the house, to include his character Jason Street. The scene was filmed, for the experience of the scene, Katims says, but was never intended to be included in the episode.
In August 2011, executive producer Peter Berg said at the Prime Suspect panel at the TCAs, that the Friday Night Lights movie is in development. Berg was quoted as saying 'We're very serious about trying to do it', adding that the script is currently being written. Universal Pictures is planning to begin filming next year and will bring back Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton to star.[6]