Kyle Chandler Gets Emotional HearingFriday Night LightsMotto 'Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose' on theTodayShow

Mar. 15, 2025

Kyle Chandler in 2022 and in a promotional photo for ‘Friday Night Lights’ in 2006.Photo:Getty; Michael Muller/NBC Universal

Kyle Chandler attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix’s “Slumberland” at AMC Century City 15 on November 09, 2022 in Century City, California., Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor in Friday Night Lights.

Getty; Michael Muller/NBC Universal

More than a decade afterFriday Night Lightsended, Coach Taylor’s iconic motto still strikes a chord withKyle Chandler.

Unfortunately, Chandler admitted he’s heard nothing about the new series, which is still in development.

Kyle Chandler in ‘Friday Night Lights’ in 2006.Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor in Friday Night Lights

Paul Drinkwater/NBC

“No calls, nothing,” he said.

“If they call, will you say yes?” Guthrie pressed.

“I don’t know what I’ll say,” Chandler responded.

Chandler went on to say that seeing himself in clips from the Emmy-nominated series, in which he played Texas high school football coach Eric Taylor for five seasons between 2006 and 2011, was “interesting.”

“I actually got emotional, after all these years,” he said of seeing a clip of his character saying his oft-repeated motto, “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”

“It’s iconic. We must say it on this show 10 times a week,” Guthrie agreed, before asking a visibly emotional Chandler to repeat the line once more.

While original showrunner and executive producer Jason Katims and writers Peter Berg and Brian Grazer are reportedly returning for theFriday Night Lightsreboot, it’s unsurprising that Chandler hasn’t gotten a call about it. The new series, officially announced in December, will reportedly feature an all-new cast and is likely to focus on a different Texas high school football team as their hometown recovers from a devastating hurricane.

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Kyle Chandler in 2020.WireImage

Kyle Chandlerattends the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 05, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.

WireImage

Both Berg andConnie Britton, who played Coach Taylor’s wife Tami, have downplayed the possibility of the original show’s cast — which, over the years, includedTaylor Kitsch,Minka Kelly,Michael B. JordanandJesse Plemons— returning.

In a 2023 interview withCollider, Berg speculated that if he were to approach Chandler and Britton about appearing the new series, they might say, “Yeah, but why?”

“We have nothing but great memories,” he added. “Why take the chance of coming back, and then we end up hating each other.”

source: people.com