Friday Night Lights

Recently, I just finished a rather intense marathon of NBC's critically acclaimed program Friday Night Lights. It changed my life.

I know that this might sound like some kind of sponsorship or advertisement, but believe me when I say, I've been moved to write about this program simply because this show is fantastic and I want to do my part in spreading the good news of FNL.

I admit, I did not ever want to watch this show. There were so many people touting it's superiority which is tough considering I have a bad case of I-don't-want-to-like-things-that-everyone-else-likes-especially-if-they-are-shoving-it-in-my-face-every-time-I-see-them-itis. I was initially turned off to this show by the mere fact that everyone I knew loved it. On top of that, Friday Night Lights is about football. It's not that I hate football, I just don't love it. I couldn't imagine myself becoming immersed in a five season show that was based about football. I could not have been more wrong.

I went home for the Christmas Break and I started watching Friday Night Lights. Less than a month later, I had watched all three thousand, two hundred and sixty-eight minutes of it. Coming out the other side of this FNL tunnel, I could not be a bigger fan of this show. I have experienced first hand what this show can do for you ( or to you?), and I'd like to share three of those with you now.

YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE TEXAN AND YOU LIVED IN TEXAS

This is very strange side-effect of watching the show. After one season of this show, you might start to hear the strange drawl of a Texas accent sneaking in. Certain words creep into your conversation--words like "ya'll" and "texas forever."By the end of the show, you might even consider moving to AND living in Texas (of course that might be out of some misguided hope to meet your favorite characters from the show--it's important to remember that the show is not real life . . . I know, it gets really hard).

YOU WILL LOVE FOOTBALL

Say what?! Yes. It's true. You'll wish you have paid more attention in High School. You'll wish you had gone and supported the team. It'll make you a little more fluent in "sports," making you less awkward at those Super Bowl parties you keep getting invited to by that guy at work. Pretty soon, that strange sound (something like static mixed with a lot of shouting) that blasts from your uncle's TV when you go too visit starts to sound like intelligible English. I know this sounds farfetched, but after watching Friday Night Lights, I'm getting excited for next season of High School Football. What is strange is that my TiVo says I can't get a season pass to "High School Football," as there are "no programs found" with that title. Do I need a different cable package or do I actually need to go somewhere to watch "High School Football?" Anyone? Help me out here.

YOU WILL BECOME A BETTER PERSON

You will become a better person. There is no doubt of that. The more that I watched this show, the more that I realized this show is not about football. It's about so many things. It's about love. It's about heart. It's about marriage. It's about self-reflection. It's about friendship. It's about perseverance. It's about challenges. It's about life. Through this show I have learned so much about myself, what I want, and where I am going. I know what kind of person I want to be and how I can become that person. Friday Night Lights has taken it's place amongst my life-changing experiences--right next to Lost, and right below my religion. It sounds corny, but it's true. Friday Night Lights changed my life.

Friday Night Lights is available for instant viewing on Netflix, so start watching. Be warned. It will suck you in. And you will be the better for it.