'Lights' Rises From the Ashes

I am so thrilled to have my Friday Night Lights back (and I'm so happy to be a DirecTV subscriber!)!! Having said that, I was very nervous going into this week's premiere. How would the show go on with Coach Taylor at East Dillon instead of on the Panthers' sideline? And how would the show fill the enormous void left by the departure of several key characters (who left for college)? Turns out, the Coach Taylor story line is off to a great start. But, I really miss the other characters. Out of all of them, I feel Tyra's absence the most. I so miss her. I really hope she comes back for a few episodes later in the season. I mean, the University of Texas gets a fall and Thanksgiving break, right? Please come back, Tyra!

Having Coach Taylor start from scratch at East Dillon is leading to all sorts of unexplored avenues. I hadn't even thought about the impact it would have on Tami. She's caught between the two schools, she's the object of the re-districted parents' ire and she had to miss her husband's game for the first time ever. This transition is not an easy one for her and it looks like it's about to get bumpier. Julie's decision to switch to East Dillon further complicates matters since Tami said that she would gladly send her daughter there if their home fell into the new district. Now, she's going to have to walk to the walk. And then there's poor Coach Taylor who's trying to make things work with kids whose only football experience is playing Madden on their Playstation. They were so banged up during the first game he forfeited in order to spare them from serious injury. That decision will have serious repercussions from the look of things next week. In the introduction, series creator Peter Berg stated that Coach Taylor's new team is like the Phoenix rising from the ashes. I'm guessing it's going to take a season or two to get to that point, but the journey should be well worth the wait.

Friday Night Lights is all-new and commercial-free Wednesday nights on DirecTV's 101. The fourth season will be seen in its entirety next year on NBC.