OnTV: Friday Night Fights
No Love Is Lost Between Players and A Coach After Race Rears Its Ugly Head
Most everyone who has seen it seems to unanimously agree that NBC’s new football-focused family drama Friday Night Lights is one of the best series—new or old—on TV today. Based on the identically titled 1990 book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist H.G. Bissinger and 2004 theatrical film written and directed by actor Peter Berg, the series struggled in the ratings during its initial episodes. Yet, commendably, NBC has continued its staunch support and refrained from making the adaptation just another prematurely canceled slow-starter. That’s good because if there’s one thing that television needs right now, it’s more high-quality dramatic programs that don’t cause viewers to instinctively flinch from the excessive violence, sexual connotations, and depraved human tendencies they casually present.
When interviewed by the press after last week’s triumphant playoff victory in “Blinders,” Coach Mac McGill (Blue Deckert) volunteered that, while “all black guys are [not] dumb,” they are “fearless,” “dangerous,” and “like a junkyard dog,” which is why—in his obviously humble opinion—certain black players on the team have a “natural gift for running the ball.” Uh-oh.
In tonight’s fresh “Black Eyes & Broken Hearts” installment, tensions rise like a rocket in Dillon, Texas, following Mac’s racial comments when some black players on the Panthers football team take extreme offense to the statements. The students definitely are not feeling the Valentine’s Day love as they threaten to cease playing unless the coach is shown the door. Will he or will he not get the boot for that big mouth of his? Hopefully, viewers will find out the answer tonight before the end of the 8pm episode.
Other New Stuff on TV Tonight:
- Jericho—RETURN TO JERICHO: Just in time for the return next week of this successful new doomsday serial, CBS presents a welcome recap of all eleven episodes previously aired. [CBS/8:00]
- Lost—NOT IN PORTLAND: Although ABC vowed to air no repeats upon the return of Lost‘s third winter season, thank goodness they had the sense to realize that accidents happen, people forget, and fans love to rewatch. In my case, my stupid recorder recorded the wrong channel, so I wound up with two hours of Spike TV’s UFC’s Ultimate Fight Night last Wednesday instead of the Lost stuff I wanted. At least now I can see for myself the latest episode that everyone’s been talking about for a week already. [ABC/9:00]
- The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre: Leave it up to the History Channel to provide the perfect alternative TV fare for those who do not partake of the love-and-chocolate orgy that is Valentine’s Day. And, no—despite its somewhat misleading title, this documentary is NOT about killing every irritating couple you encounter today. Instead, it uses “rare films and recreations” to give viewers a detailed overview of the surge of gun violence that determined the new boss of the Chicago underworld on February 14, 1929. In case you don’t already know, Al Capone trumped “Bugs“ Moran during that prohibition-era historical event. [History/8:00]
- Top Design—LIFE’S A BEACH: In the third episode, design master Todd Oldham guides the remaining contestants as they head to the beach for creative inspiration. If you’ve missed the first two episodes of this new reality series created in the spirit of its predecessors Project Runway and Top Chef, Bravo is airing both of them, as well, starting at 8pm. [Bravo/10:00]
- ABC: George Lopez (8:00); The Knights of Prosperity (8:30); Lost (10:00)
- BET: Access Granted (8:00)
- Bravo: Top Design (10:00)
- CBS: Jericho: Return to Jericho (8:00); Criminal Minds (9:00); CSI: NY (10:00)
- CNBC: Conversations With Michael Eisner (9:00)
- The CW: Beauty and the Geek (8:00); One Tree Hill (9:00)
- Comedy Central: The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show (10:30)
- Court TV: Forensic Files (9:00); Dominick Dunne: Power, Privilege & Justice (10:00)
- Discovery: Futurecar (8:00)
- ESPN: College Basketball (7:00/9:00)
- Food Network: Good Eats (10:00); Dinner: Impossible (10:30)
- Fox: Bones (8:00); American Idol (9:00)
- HGTV: Designed to Sell (8:00); Design on a Dime (9:00); My House Is Worth What? (10:30)
- MTV: The Real World (10:00); Maui Fever (10:30)
- MyNet: Wicked Wicked Games (8:00); Watch Over Me (9:00)
- NBC: Deal or No Deal (9:00); Medium (10:00)
- PBS: America’s Ballroom Challenge (8:00*)
- Travel: Francesco’s Italy Top to Toe (8:00)
- TV Land: TV Land Myths & Legends (10:00)
*All PBS times may vary—Check your local listings to verify them
All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time
Friday Night Lights photo courtesy of NBC
