TVSquad

Last week was certainly the biggie for the kickoff to the new season, but this week isn't too shabby either. In fact, this week brings us the premiere of my most eagerly anticipated returning show, Friday Night Lights. Honestly, there is a part of me that is still a little surprised that we are going to get to see season two. The first season was a bit of a bumpy ride in the ratings department, but NBC stepped up to the plate and I'm holding out hope that it pays off for them.

It's easy to take a dim view of FNL's chances in their return, given the new Friday time slot. It really doesn't get much tougher, and there is a laundry list of shows that have been given another chance on Friday, only to disappear into the fondly remembered history of television. I'm choosing to remain optimistic though, because while it is the toughest night of the week, there have been some successes over the years. There's no reason that this can't be the springboard to a nice five or six season run for the show.

So, new season, what are we going to see? Given that this is Friday Night Lights, and not Tuesday Night Hardwood, or Thursday Afternoon Sprints, eight months have passed since we last left our pals in Dillon. That's not to say that nothing happened over the course of the basketball, baseball, and track seasons. Just that we've moved on and will have to infer those events from what we learn in this opening episode. Even though eight months have passed, the show does pick up pretty much where it left off.

And that's a good thing. Because not only are we jumping right back into the open stories that we left with last season, but the show looks and feels the same as it always has. I was somewhat worried that part of the second season deal would involve wholesale changes as the network tried to tweak the show to reach a wider audience. Such is not the case. If you liked the show before, you'll feel right at home as soon as the classic rock music starts and pulls you into another season.

Without giving too much away, all of our major players are back again. Some with new directions, others following that same familiar path. Looking back over the comments from last season, it seems that there was some question about what Eric's final decision was in regards to the new coaching gig. In case you were still questioning that, I'll not spoil it here, but I assure you that you'll have no question about it after the first episode. Also weighing on Eric's mind is the impending birth of their new child. If you do the math, the eight months that have passed since last season will tell you that Tammy is quite near the end of the pregnancy, and there will be a new Taylor joining the show very soon.

Daughter Julie is still dating Matt, and still occasionally struggling with her place in the small town life. That idea may serve to throw a monkey wrench in the works for the two of them. Matt returns to his spot as the starting quarterback for the Panthers, aided by Street as an assistant coach. He has some new company on the practice field as well. Landry has decided to try out for the team. That's a bonus for the viewer because it means more Landry on the screen.

Along with his new football exploits, we'll also be getting more Landry as we get back into the story of his somewhat odd relationship with Tyra. They are still pals, and Landry is still hopelessly infatuated and looking for more. All of that plays a big part in this opening episode, and it's the part of the story I am most curious to see reactions to. There are events that transpire toward the end of the episode that I think will find viewers split into yay or nay camps. We'll talk more about that on Saturday.

Riggins and Smash are both back, and both back to their old ways. We find Riggins walking out of the store in broad daylight with a half-case of beer, something that still gives me pause. And it's not just Smash, The Smash is back. Coming off of the success from last season, the ever confident Smash is ready to take on the world. We don't get a lot of either of them in this opening, but they both play a part in setting up future events that look to be very interesting.

Part of the Riggins story, of course, involves Lyla. Her parents are still split up, and that situation has gone from bad to worse. Lyla has dealt with it by joining the Christ Teen Messengers. You can imagine how that news goes over with Riggins. And if you can't, you'll get to see it play out on Friday.

All things considered, it's a very well-done return episode for the show. Lingering questions from last season are answered, and some very interesting stories are set in motion. Now, if we can just get NBC to stop pulling talent away from the show to shore up Bionic Woman, things should be just fine. Finally, here is one of the promos NBC is running. It has some spoilers in it, but if you just can't wait, click away.