I am severely depressed with the current state of television.
Two and Half Men is one of the top rated shows and I'm pretty sure there are like 87 new hospital dramas starting.
ER was the best there will ever be, lets just get used to that fact.
A few years ago a few television shows were given their start. Heroes, Studio Sixty on the Sunset Strip, 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights. In my opinion, Studi
o sixty was the best. It was created and written by Aaron Sorkin (Who I have a giant crush on). He wrote movies like A Few Good Men, The American President and created and wrote my favorite show of all time The West Wing. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after a season for reasons beyond me.
Moving on, we have 30 rock. Hysterical. Tina Fey is a genius and super cute. I love her with my whole heart. May it never be cancelled.
Next, Heroes, this show started strong, but in my opinion has tapered out and I have lost interest. I have also lost interest in LOST but that is a whole different discussion.
Finally, the point of this blog.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. I was not interested in this show in the beginning. It is about a high school football obsessed town. Their world revolves around friday nights and they turn 16 year old quarterbacks into gods. The idea of the show did not interest me, it was also based off of a ESPN original movie and it was on friday nights (Attn: Party People! Friday night is my night!). The factors here did not add up to Matt Johnson tuning in.
A year went by and shows were getting dropped like bad habits. Studio's were canceling things faster than Brangelina could adopt kids. During this almost nazi-like extermination, one show was developing a fan base. A serious one. ESPN sports analysts were talking about this Highschool football show, News networks were doing pieces on it. It was bizarre. I couldn't get my head around it, where were the sit-ins and MLK's for studio 60? So I did what any responsible, mature adult would do. I boycotted FNL.
Fast forward 4 years.
Steven King has become one of my favorite authors. I recently read The Shining and a ton of his short stories and I cannot get enough of this guy. He might be the our generations Charles Dickens. Who knows?
Anyway, he writes a column in Entertainment Weekly and he made a case for FNL that I had not heard before. He talked about the tight, clever writing. The moral decisions, watching these students make decisions that are way outside of their maturity level, it's genuinely engaging.
Based on his recommendation, I watched an episode...and then...I watched 3 seasons.
Hands down, with out a shadow of a doubt, it is the best show on television. It is the voice in the wilderness, it is the tether of creativity in a world gone reality mad. It reminds me and gives me hope that truly excellent storytelling can exist in a world of reality TV and CSI: Prostitutes.
I encourage, no demand your attention to this show. You will not regret it. It is the Highschool you would attend now, as an adult. You are reminded how those minor decisions as a 16 year old really were your world. Nothing else mattered at the time.
I applaud the creators and writers for a job well done. I just hope they don't let me down.
