‘Friday Night Lights’ Reboot in the Works at Universal TV

A “Friday Night Lights” reboot is in the works, according to multiple media reports. The project comes from Universal TV, one of the studios behind the original.

Pete Berg, who developed the original series, is attached to the project as is EP and showrunner Jason Katims. Brian Grazer and Kristen Zolner of Imagine Entertainment will be executive producing. This reboot set in the world of high school football is said to focus on a new story with new characters. The series is in early stages and hasn’t yet been taken out to market.

An adaptation of the 2004 movie of the same name, “Friday Night Lights” first premiered in 2006 on NBC. The series revolved around a high school football team in Dillon, a fictional small town in rural West Texas. Though it featured an ensemble cast, the drama largely focused on the kind-hearted and optimistic Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his supportive wife, high school guidance counselor and later principal Tami (Connie Britton) as well as their teenage daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden). Set against the backdrop of high stakes games, the drama explored bigger issues such as racism, drug use, economic divisions and abortion.

“Friday Night Lights” never saw a substantial audience while it was on the air. This was likely due in part to its chaotic release. Though the first two seasons of the show aired on NBC, subsequent seasons premieres on DirecTV’s 101 Network before airing on NBC months later. The series was also impacted by the 2007 to 2008 WGA strike, which led to its second season being shortened from 19 episodes to 15.

In spite of these bumps, the series became a critical darling. Over the course of its five seasons, “Friday Night Lights” was nominated for eight Emmys with Kyle Chandler winning for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Jason Katims winning for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.

Deadline was the first to report this story.

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