The Panthers Are Coming Back to the Field! All About the “Friday Night Lights” Reboot, Including a Whole New Cast

From the plot to cast news, here’s what we know so far about the ‘Friday Night Lights’ reboot

Fans of Friday Night Lights can’t lose.

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

The world was first introduced to the fictional Panthers team in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights, directed by Peter Berg and starring Billy Bob Thorton, Tim McGraw, Amber Heard and Connie Britton. Inspired by Buzz Bissinger’s 1990 best-selling novel of the same name, the film won best sports movie at the 2005 ESPY Awards. The following year, Berg adapted the story into a series and cast Kyle Chandler in the now iconic role of Coach Eric Taylor, with Britton playing his wife, Tami Taylor. 

"As soon as we met, it was clear that the casting was perfect,” the actor said of his costar in a 2011 interview with NPR. “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 including Minka Kelly, Jesse Plemons and Michael 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 the Friday Night Lights reboot. 

Who is in the new Friday Night Lights cast? 

Though members of the show’s creative team are returning (including Berg as director, Jason Katims as showrunner and Brian Grazer as executive producer), the new iteration of Friday Night Lights is slated to feature an all-new cast.

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

“I don't see them going back into that story, at least with this cast," The White Lotus actress told Entertainment Tonight in 2021. "We know we've already had a movie, we already had this TV show, and then if they were to do it again with like, a whole different iteration of it, I don't know. I would think that would be sort of odd."

Berg echoed similar sentiments about rebooting the original storyline in a 2023 interview with Collider, 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."

The original Friday Night Lights show cast also included Taylor Kitsch, Zach Gilford and Scott Porter.

What is the Friday Night Lights reboot about?

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 the Friday Night Lights reboot?

Peter Berg is directing the new Friday Night Lights reboot 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 the Milford 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 did Friday Night Lights end?

After 76 episodes and five seasons, Friday Night Lights aired 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 watch Friday Night Lights?

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