Tami Taylor

Tami Taylor is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV (The 101 Network) drama Friday Night Lights; played by Connie Britton. She is the wife of the show's main character, high school football coach Eric Taylor.

Character history

The wife of Eric Taylor and mother of Julie Taylor and a guidance counselor at Dillon High. Often acts as the voice of reason to Coach Taylor. She did not approve of her daughter's friendship with Tyra at first, but began to accept it when she felt guilty for treating Tyra so badly. Also became a mentor to Tyra, giving Tyra the confidence that she needed to help her succeed in life and go on to college. When Coach Taylor receives a coaching job at TMU, Tami is indecisive about whether or not the family should go to Austin. She later tells Coach Taylor that he should move to Austin, while the rest of the family stays behind in Dillon. Season 2 sees Tami become a mother again. In Season 3, Tami becomes the Principal of Dillon High, a position she holds until the end of season 4, when she decides amidst controversy, to leave her position in favor of the counseling position at East Dillon High. Tami makes a career breakthrough in season 5 when she accepts the Dean of Admissions position at fictional Braemore College in Philadelphia.

Critical response

The critical response to the character of Tami has been strong, with many critics citing Britton's performance and chemistry with co-star Kyle Chandler as one main reasons for the show's success. Britton's performance as Tami Taylor has earned her two Television Critics Association Awards nominations in the Individual Achievement in Drama category and Emmy Award nominations in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category in 2010 and 2011. Slate magazine also named the character as one of the reasons they were looking forward to the return of the show in the 2007-2008 TV Season.^[1]

References