Return to Dillon, Texas, and Friday Night Lights

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A Friday Night Lights Companion

Love, Loss, and Football in Dillon, Texas

Edited by Leah Wilson

Introduction by Will Leitch, founding editor of Deadspin

Talk to any of the millions of devoted Friday Night Lights fans and they’ll tell you: it’s not just a show about high school football. Its rich, interesting characters and honestly portrayed relationships make the show’s portrait of West Texas life compelling and relatable in ways that have nothing–and everything–to do with touchdowns. A Friday Night Lights Companioncelebrates the show, its fearlessness, and what it’s meant to those who love it.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football managing editor Travis Stewart provides a moving tribute to the power of high school football, by way of unlikely hero Matt Saracen
Jonna Rubin shares the lessons she’s learned from the best marriage on television: Eric and Tami Taylor’s (lesson number one: drink more wine)
Television Without Pity writer Jacob Clifton offers a meditation on one of Friday Night Lights’ most fundamental values: being a part of something bigger than yourself
The Washington Post’s Jen Chaney reminds us what we love most about all our favorite Dillon residents, from Tim Riggins to Buddy Garrity to Jess Merriweather
And more writing and reflections on Friday Night Lights

A Friday Night Lights Companion takes you from series pilot to series finale, through all five masterfully crafted season’ worth of love, loss, family, and football.

Read Excerpts

Introduction: A Friday Night Lights Companion
Will Leitch
Texas Forever
Adam Wilson
Why We Love . . . Tim Riggins
Jen Chaney
Class Not Dismissed
Kevin Smokler
Why We Love . . . Jason Street
Jen Chaney
Why We Love . . . Herc
Jen Chaney
The Drama of Being Decent
Paula Rogers
Why We Love (to Hate) . . . Joe McCoy
Jen Chaney
Why We (Mostly) Love . . . Julie Taylor
Jen Chaney
The Best Reality Show on Television
Ariella Papa
Why We Love . . . Tyra Collette
Jen Chaney
Why We Love . . . Brian "Smash" Williams
Jen Chaney
Why We Love . . . Buddy Garrity
Jen Chaney
Pantherama!
Jeremy Clyman
Man Up
Kiara Koenig
Why We Love . . . Jess Merriweather
Jen Chaney
Why We Love . . . Landry Clarke
Jen Chaney
Playing for Now
Travis Stewart
Why We Love . . . Matt Saracen
Jen Chaney
Why We Love . . . Vince Howard
Jen Chaney
Viewers Wanted (Teens Need Not Apply)
Robin Wasserman
Why We Love . . . Billy and Mindy Riggins
Jen Chaney
Friday Night Lights, NBC, and DirecTV
Paul Levinson
Why We Love . . . Luke Cafferty
Jen Chaney
Why We Love . . . Becky Sproles
Jen Chaney
"It's Different for Girls"
Sarah Marian Seltzer
Why We Love . . . Lyla Garrity
Jen Chaney
Why We Love . . . Tami Taylor
Jen Chaney
Sex, Lies, Booze, and the Perfect Marriage
Jonna Rubin
Why We Love . . . Coach Eric Taylor
Jen Chaney
Come Home: West Texas Identities
Jacob Clifton

On Our Blog

Sign up for our mailing lists, get free excerpts!

Posted November 22nd Sign up for free chapters and book updates

If you’re already signed up for certain book mailing lists, you’ll have heard about the exciting new initiative we’re starting. When you sign up for designated mailing lists (they’ll be paired with the above graphic), you’ll not only get the latest news on the book, but we’ll also email you a free PDF of book content. There are thirteen excerpts you can download right now and there’s no limit to what you can...

A Friday Night Lights Companion‘s Fan Favorite Tournament: Winner Announcement

Posted July 19th

Those of you who have been following our A Friday Night Lights Companion‘s Fan Favorite Tournament know that on Friday the final match came down to Tim Riggins and Coach Eric Taylor. Both accumulated a lot of votes (and a lot of supportive tweets!) throughout the weekend, but only one can win now. The Fan Favorite winner is . . .

Coach Eric Taylor

With 2/3 as many votes as Coach, Tim definitely held his own. But as...

Last Friday Night Lights Twitter Party (And Finale Thoughts)

Posted July 18th

We had our final Friday Night Lights Twitter party this past Friday night, and aside from the show itself, I’m genuinely going to miss the live-tweet sessions we hosted each Friday. We got the opportunity to know (and also know better) so many Friday Night Lights fans, and talk through so many different plot lines together, from the head-scratching ones (Julie and the TA!) to the heartbreaking (Vince and his dad). As the finale cued up at minute one and then faded at minute ninety, we also got...

What People Are Saying

If you likeÂ Friday Night LightsÂ then this is a book you want to read. Because the people who have contributed to this book of essays? They’re your kind of people. They get your love for FNL and they express it in the most perfect of ways....Bottom line, I think [A Friday Night Lights Companion] is a must-read if you’re a fan ofÂ Friday Night Lights. It will remind you of why you love the show, and how much you love the show, and it will tide you over until you pull out your DVD collection for yet another viewing.

— Ashley at Book Labyrinth

I completely, totally, 100% love this book and it's difficult to put that kind of love in words. But I'll try...[A Friday Night Lights Companion], from start to finish, whether or not I agreed with everything, was absolutely brilliant...For all of my diehardÂ FNLÂ fans,Â this book is a must-read. Trust me when I say you will not be disappointed. Not even a little bit.

— Jordyn at Ten Cent Notes