The Panthers Are Coming Back to the Field! All About theFriday Night LightsReboot, Including a Whole New Cast

Mar. 15, 2025

Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor in Episode 310 of ‘Friday Night Lights.Photo:Bill Records/NBC

Bill Records/NBC

Fans ofFriday Night Lightscan’t lose.

On Dec. 11,Peacock announcedthat an adaptation of the Emmy award-winning football series was officially in development.

“As soon as we met, it was clear that the casting was perfect,” the actor said of his costar in a 2011 interview withNPR. “Initially, I think we shook hands, said hello, and within 10 seconds were already starting to barb on each other.”

Though many of the faces changed, with a cast includingMinka Kelly,Jesse PlemonsandMichael B. Jordan, the premise of the story always remained the same: a close-knit, small-town Texas community where high school football isn’t just a game but a way of life.

Thirteen years after the show ended, the Panthers and all their drama are coming back to life on Peacock. Here’s everything to know about theFriday Night Lightsreboot.

Who is in the newFriday Night Lightscast?

Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen, Minka Kelly as Lyla Garrity, Gaius Charles as Brian “Smash” Williams, Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins, Adrianne Palicki as Tyra Collette and Scott Porter as Jason Street in ‘Friday Night Lights’.Virginia Sherwood/NBCUniversal via Getty

Virginia Sherwood/NBCUniversal via Getty

Though members of the show’s creative team are returning (including Berg as director,Jason Katimsas showrunner and Brian Grazer as executive producer), the new iteration ofFriday Night Lightsis slated tofeature an all-new cast.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering it’s been over 10 years since the lastFriday Night Lightsepisode aired, and Britton even said a reboot with the original cast would be “sort of odd.”

Berg echoed similar sentiments about rebooting the original storyline in a 2023 interview withCollider, saying, “I’ll call Kyle Chandler or Connie Britton, who I like so much, and we’ll be like, ‘Yeah, but why?’ It was a great relationship. We have nothing but great memories. Why take the chance of coming back, and then we end up hating each other.”

Taylor Kitsch, who starred in the original series, seems to be on the same wavelength. In January 2025, he told PEOPLE he might be willing to appear if the role was small.

“If you wanted to put me as avisiting coach with two lines, I probably would do that, just for fun,” he said. “I think that would be the most I would do, because I love the way we left it.”

The originalFriday Night Lightsshowcast also included Zach Gilford andScott Porter.

What is theFriday Night Lightsreboot about?

Jesse Plemons as Landry Clarke and Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen in Season 1 of ‘Friday Night Lights’.Virginia Sherwood/NBCUniversal via Getty

According to Peacock’s announcement, the adaptation starts not with a game-winning score but with a crippling storm.

“The potential series takes place in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, when a ragtag high school football team and their damaged interim coach make an unlikely bid for a Texas High School State Championship,” the show’s logline reads. “Through their unexpected rise, the football team becomes a beacon of light for their town.”

Who is directing theFriday Night Lightsreboot?

Peter Berg attends the 2024 Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Peter Berg is directing the newFriday Night Lightsreboot for Peacock. He has not only a long history with the story itself — directing both the movie and being an executive producer of the hit series — but also a personal connection to the book that inspired it all: the author is his cousin.

In a 2004 interview with theMilford Daily News, Berg said that his script was the eighth attempt to turn Bissinger’s novel, which chronicles the 1988 season of the Odessa Permian High School football team, into a movie.

“To me, (the book) truly was representative of a moment in life that was very special," the director said. “There’s a scene when a father looks at his kid and says, ‘Just don’t miss this.’ That kind of sums it up.”

How didFriday Night Lightsend?

Kyle Chandler in ‘Friday Night Lights’.

After 76 episodes and five seasons,Friday Night Lightsaired for the last time in 2011. In the finale, the Dillon Panthers played their last game before Coach Taylor and Tami left for her new job in Philadelphia.

In a flash-forward, viewers learn that the team won the state championship, Jess moved to Dallas to coach and Tim and Billy are building a house together.

Though the ending does leave room for most of the series’ favorite characters to return, the reboot will reportedly have a brand new cast.

Where can I watchFriday Night Lights?

Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor in Episode 309 of ‘Friday Night Lights.Bill Records/NBC

While the release date for the reboot has yet to be announced, fans can stream all five seasons of the originalFriday Night Lightsseries — and the 2004 film — on Netflix.

source: people.com