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« Roush Dispatch
First a Peabody, Next a Renewal?
Call me greedy, but when I get a little taste of good news, I can't help wanting more. Which is why, on a morning when NBC pleasantly surprises me with an early-renewal notice for the hilarious 30 Rock and the classy Peabody Awards lists among this year's honorees NBC's other best freshman show, the tremendously moving and appealing Friday Night Lights, I can't help but think the fates are aligning to give us a second season of this small-town gridiron drama as well. C'mon, NBC. Do the right thing. You know you want to.
Here's how the Peabodys described Friday Night Lights in its citation: "No dramatic series, broadcast or cable, is more grounded in contemporary American reality than this clear-eyed serial about the hopes, dreams, livelihoods and egos intertwined with the fate of high-school football in a Texas town." Pretty nice, huh?
Only two episodes left to go, tonight and next Wednesday. Regardless of how the Panthers play in the state championship, this show has proven itself to be a winner in all but the ratings derby. It may never be a ratings smash, but with some nurturing and more creative scheduling — and if it can take promotional advantage of awards like the Peabodys and, we can only hope, this year's Emmys — maybe it could evolve into a sleeper success, a benchmark of the sort of quality NBC has long stood for.
Kudos as always to the Peabody board, which also spread the love to ABC's marvelous Ugly Betty ("unmistakably graced with wry intelligence and heart"), NBC's comedies The Office ("firmly established its own precise voice and studied brilliance") and Scrubs ("continuing creative vigor, six seasons into its run"), and Showtime's Brotherhood ("uniformly splendid acting and a strong sense of place"). Cartoon Network earned its first Peabody for the provocative "Return of the King" episode of The Boondocks, and HBO, as usual, raked in the citations, for an eclectic list of shows including the much-rewarded Elizabeth I miniseries, Spike Lee's magnificent When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and the powerful Baghdad ER documentary.
Overall, it's a great list and makes one feel good about the power and promise of TV (and radio, of course). But anytime Friday Night Lights is noticed, I'm especially grateful.
Go, team!
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Apr 4, 2007 12:27 PM
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This is great news. I can't believe there are only two eps left in the first season and I am so glad to hear that it looks like we'll get a season two!
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Apr 4, 2007 12:36 PM
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Matt,
Thanks SO MUCH for blogging on this great Peabody award news for FNL. A bunch of us fans are nervous right now after the renewal for 30 Rock but no mention of FNL's renewal. We are all keeping our fingers crossed and looking forward to the next two episodes. An early renewal would make it much more enjoyable because I won't be watching so tenuously. Thanks for all the support for this great show.
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Apr 4, 2007 1:42 PM
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Thanks, Matt!
The peabody honor is excellent news for Friday Night Lights. Now all we need it that press release that announces a second season. Come on, Kevin Reilly, you know you want to.
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Apr 4, 2007 2:07 PM
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Oh, and in case anyone is interested in the other winners, the full list is
here.
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Apr 4, 2007 2:08 PM
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Thanks Matt for the great news - everyone that I can force to sit down and watch an episode of this great show has loved it. Unfortunately - we can't do that with the general public! Ratings can't mean everything to a network - COME ON NBC - as Spike Lee once wrote "DO THE RIGHT THING!"
Matt - a bit of a bone to pick with TV GUIDE, they again failed to add Friday Night Lights to the TV Hot List today!!!
Every little bit can help here!
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Apr 4, 2007 2:42 PM
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Matt, thanks for being on top of things, as usual and, as you did with Battlestar Galactica, for recognizing and advocating TV for those of us on the "long tail."
FNL is a beautiful gem; an actor's dream; a viewer's Paradise; a parent's Dr. Spock; a musician's influence bazaar. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!
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Apr 4, 2007 2:55 PM
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Everyone I know that started watching Friday Night Lights has not stopped. But it is still a chore getting certain people to even think about watching it. They assume it is a well done sports theme show like the movie "Rudy" or "Hoosiers" and don't realize it has broader appeal. NBC should renew it, perhaps waiting until the eve of the season finale to announce it, and then study how to properly market this gem of a show.
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Apr 4, 2007 4:04 PM
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30 Rock was renewed?! Woohoo!
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Apr 4, 2007 4:56 PM
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Great news Matt. The late, great and lamented Boomtown also won a Peabody Award, but NBC still treated it shabbily and then canceled it. Let's all hope FNL doesn't suffer the same fate.
Scrubs has never been a ratings blockbuster either, but it's still on, thankfully, so there's no excuse for NBC to not give FNL a second season.
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Apr 4, 2007 5:52 PM
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Thanks Matt for the great news - everyone that I can force to sit down and watch an episode of this great show has loved it. Unfortunately - we can't do that with the general public!
Ranger99, I think you've hit on an idea. We can form the "Friday Night Lights Squad" and travel the country, winning over a household at a time. We'll go in, force the occupants to watch, and voila! We'll start with Nielsen families.
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Apr 4, 2007 7:41 PM
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I was so excited when I saw FNL got a Peabody on another site eariler today! In fact one of the first things I thought was, "Man, Matt Roush is going to be so happy!"
Hopefully NBC does what it needs to do and renews it. Maybe we'll wake up to a fabulous announcement tomorrow morning!
Oh, and I'll totally join that FNL Squad! Everyone should be watching this show! In fact, in the writing class I'm taking right now we had to do a mock article for a magazine we want to be published in. I chose TV Guide, and did my article on why FNL is a show to watch and how it is the return of the family show!
HURRAY FNL!!!
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Apr 4, 2007 8:02 PM
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Yup! I loved that "clear-eyed" was included in the Peabody citation
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Apr 4, 2007 8:24 PM
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The FNL Squad is a fantastic idea. I have won over the majority of my friends to the show. I think the squad needs to squat at NBC and hold a peaceful protest by playing football in front of the studio.
I hope your next piece of news Matt is FNL being renewed. Won't Mike Ausiello feel silly taking a vacation and you getting all the glory for it being renewed and scooping it first.
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Apr 4, 2007 9:18 PM
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Matt,
Your extraordinarily-high praises of FNL are the sole reason I started to watch in the first place -- albeit a few episodes into the season. Thank you for continuing to champion this little-show-that-could. It's superb television from every angle.
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Apr 5, 2007 3:58 AM
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