review: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (SEASON 1)

Universal Studios  //  Buy from Amazon.com Friday Night Lights tells the story of life in the small town of Dillon, Texas, where everyone comes together on friday nights when the Dillon High Panthers play. But life is not a game; and the charismatic players, new coach and the passionate fans find that their biggest challenges and obstacles come off the field in the compelling day-to-day dramas of their tight-knit community. Bringing this story to life is an impressive ensemble cast including Kyle Chandler (King Kong) Connie Britton ("24"), Scott Porter (Music &Lyrics), Gaius Charles ("The Book of Daniel"), Taylor Kitsch (The Covenant), Zach Gilford (The Last Winter), Minka Kelly ("What I Like About You"), Adrianne Palicki ("South Beach") Jesse Plemons ("Grey's Anatomy") and Aimee Teegarden ("Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide"). It's amazing to me just how much I loved the first season of "Friday Night Lights" - despite never (really) playing the sport, there's always been some type of attraction to football movies and tv shows for me, so I knew I would end up loving this show even before I watched the first episode. However, what I absolutely did not expect was to get so much more than just a high school football show - the character & story development in this series is unbelievable, especially since both hit the ground running right from episode #1. The excellent ensemble cast, stylish-yet-shaky camerawork, unbelievably haunting music and ability to convey emotion rather than just delivering dialogue quickly made this series my absolute fave. Watching again in one fell swoop (thanks to this season set), all of those observations still hold true, and I can better appreciate the full story arc of season one, especially that of rookie quarterback Matt Saracen and his amazing development and growth over the 22 episodes. So much more than just a football show, "Friday Night Lights" is truly great filmmaking - on the small screen - and I can't wait for season 2 to begin in October! Video I love the look of this show (very cinematic), and the 1.78:1 (16x9) anamorphic widescreen presentation delivered in this first season DVD set is spectacular - rich, immersive, gorgeous. Phenomenal! Audio A powerful Dolby 5.1 surround mix creates a perfect sonic companion to the perfect visual presentation of this show. Extras deleted scenes for nearly all episodes "Behind the Lights" making-of featurette Closing Thoughts Truly dramatic, engaging, thoughtful, and addictive tv series + entertaining extras = highly recommended for fans of excellent cinematography, storytelling and character development!