Friday Night Lightsis a drama series that follows the lives of the Dillon Panthers, one of the best high school football teams in the nation, and their head coach Eric Taylor. Starring Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, and Zach Gilford, the series ran from 2006 to 2011. The series took America’slove for football, and provided viewers with a look into what it’s like to be a part of that sport.Each episode was filledwith football references, butFriday Night Lightsgo into far beyond just football.
Fans of the series didn’t need to be fans of football to enjoy and appreciate the show. Plenty went on off the field, including dramatic relationships. It wasn’t just about teenage relationship drama, but also the relationship between family members and friends. Since the series ended in 2011, fans have missed many of these characters and their dynamic relationships. Here are the 11 characters we miss the most, ranked.
11Lyla Garrity
Played by Minka Kelly,Lyla Garrityis the girlfriend of starting quarterback Jason Street. Lyla based her life around the Bible and was determined to get out of Dillon and attend Vanderbilt University. She had some higher goals than the other kids in town, and was often called a spoiled brat. Her relationships and questionable choices in men gave her a bad name, but Lyla kept her head high. In the end, she stayed the course and went to Vanderbilt.
Related:Friday Night Lights: Where the Cast Is Today
10Tyra Collette
Like Lyla,Tyra Colletewanted nothing more than to get out of Dillon. However, unlike Lyla, she had no real plans. Played by Adrianne Palicki, Tyra realized that if she wanted to leave town, she needed help. She finally got tired of Tim Riggins and ended up in a strange relationship with the nerdy Landry Clarke. Thanks to that relationship, she was able to get her life together and attend college.
9Tami Taylor
Tami Taylor, played by Connie Britton, is the wife of Coach Eric Taylor. Her main role was holding down the family through all the hardships her family faced during the course of the series. Tami wanted to do more for her community and help the kids explore every path for their futures. She finally realized that she had to follow her dreams. She took a job in Philadelphia, but was willing to turn it down for her husband’s dreams. In one of the emotional scenes on the show, Eric finally did something for her. He turned down his contract with West Dillon and asks her to take him to Philadelphia with her. It’s a heart-warming moment, and a reminder of why these two have the most stable adult relationship in the entire series.
8Vince Howard
Played by Michael B. Jordan,Vince Howardwas introduced in season four. He was a talented athlete that had never played football before. He joined the East Dillon football team simply to get out of juvenile detention. As his mother went to drug rehab, he became the new quarterback and leads the team to a win in the season four finale. The sudden attention from colleges overwhelms him, and he becomes arrogant and selfish. He realizes that his behavior is alienating his teammates, and matures as a result.
While Vince was only present for the later seasons, his redemption arc is beloved. When he is introduced, his father is in jail and Vince is running around with a bad crowd. In the end, he stands up to his father and takes care of his mother.
7Brian “Smash” Williams
Gaius Charles playsSmashinFriday Night Lights. He was that one character where everything just seemed to go wrong. From multiple injuries, steroids, and racial remarks, Smash just could not find the bright side. He was getting close to just giving up on football, as his scholarship offers began to decline. At Dillon, he peaked in his high school stardom. But he just couldn’t keep his ego at bay. Through the series, fans saw as he realized he needed to humble himself and seek help to become the player Coach Taylor knew he could be.
6Jason Street
Jason Street, played by Scott Porter, was a character whose arc fans broke over. He was once one of the nation’s best quarterbacks, but lost it all when an injury left him paralyzed. In the very first episode, Jason successfully tackled a defender in what would have been a game-ending touchdown, but suffered a severe spinal cord injury in the process. It came out of nowhere, especially for a pilot episode. Many viewers were beginning to see him as the lead character. While Jason was definitely a lead, this injury took his story in a very different direction than what was expected. Jason’s story arc is focused on adjusting to a new life that doesn’t revolve around football. Interestingly, the character is inspired by the real-life events of David Edwards, a high school player in San Antonio, Texas (viaESPN).
Related:Friday Night Lights: Every Season, Ranked
5Landry Clarke
Played by Jesse Plemons,Landry Clarkebasically begins as Matt Saracen’s personal chauffeur. He wasn’t interested in football at all, until he tries to impress his father and his crush, Tyra. While on the team, it’s obvious that Landry is not in his element. However, he sticks with it.
Unfortunately, his love for Tyra results in a murder. In the season one finale, Tyra is sexually assaulted and Landry ends up killing the man. Through season two, they work together to hide the body and cover up the crime. Eventually, the plot line dropped, but it would have been interesting to see how this dark moment would have played out. Regardless, the events do not result in him getting the girl of his dreams and Tyra moves past her feelings for him.
4Julie Taylor
Aimee Teegarden playsJulie Taylor, the daughter of Tami and Eric. She’s not as obsessed with football, so it was ironic that she ended up falling in love with football player Matt Saracen. Julie is free-thinking and very liberal. She doesn’t eat meat, and she went to a gay bar to support her friend, Devin. She also had a flirty relationship with her high school English teacher and even had an affair with her married TA in college.
Julie and Matt had an on-and-off again relationship through the course of the series. However, they were ultimately always an endgame couple, but there were conflicting relationships that threatened them. In the end, fans were happy when Matt proposed to her.
3Matt Saracen
As forMatt Saracenhimself, he was the quiet background kid that was thrust into the spotlight. Portrayed by Zach Gilford, he tried to keep a low profile, but after Jason’s injury, he became the unlikely new star of the football team. It wasn’t long before he was consumed by the pressure and accolades, and it was this that eventually caused the first split between him and Julie.
Besides his relationship with Julie, Matt faces many hardships throughout the series. He struggles with abandonment, as Coach Taylor left for a better team, Julie left for a better guy, and his father left for war. Before the pilot, his mother left him when he was around ten. In the end, he leaves Dillon as well to move to Chicago to pursue a career in art. Instead of being the typical jock one would expect, Matt had many emotional scenes. His relationship with his grandmother was incredibly sweet. He took care of her after she raised him when his mother abandoned him and his father when into the army.
2Eric Taylor
Played by Kyle Chandler,Coach Eric Tayloris the varsity football coach of the Dillon Panthers. He’s based on thereal-life coach Gary Gaines. Like Gaines, he is a new coach that struggles to adjust to the absolute intensity that Dillon shows for its football team, and the sport in general. His job also extended off the field, as he played a parental role for many of his players who had demons of their own.
Fans also miss Eric’s many pep talks. The line, “Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose,” is one of the most famous lines from the show. Many fans had it tattooed onto their bodies because of how inspiring it was. His words of wisdom were not limited to the locker room either. He often had the best advice for anyone at any time, making fans wish he was still there to guide us through life’s hardships.
