All About the “Friday Night Lights” Reboot (Including What Taylor Kitsch Said About Returning to the Field)

NEED TO KNOW

• A Friday Night Lights reboot is in the works at Peacock

• The original series ran from 2006 to 2011 and starred Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons and Zach Gilford

• Some of the past stars — including Britton and Kitsch — have spoken about their possible involvement in the reboot

Friday Night Lights fans are gearing up to have even clearer eyes and a fuller heart!

In December 2024, Peacock announced that they were officially developing an adaptation of the original Friday Night Lights series.

Fans first fell in love with the fictional Dillon High School Panthers football team in 2004 when the movie Friday Night Lights premiered. The original film, which was inspired by the 1990 novel of the same name, was directed by Peter Berg and starred Billy Bob Thornton, Tim McGraw, Amber Heard and Connie Britton.

After the movie skyrocketed in theaters, Berg continued developing the story by launching the television series of the same name from 2006 to 2011. Britton reprised her role, while he added Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor.

“As soon as we met, it was clear that the casting was perfect,” Chandler said of Britton 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 Taylor Kitsch, 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.

Fourteen 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.”

She later told Parade in March 2025 that the reboot is “barely on her radar” and seemed to insinuate that she wouldn’t be returning. However, she said she hopes the new stars of the series will find a “sense of discovery there in terms of what they’re committing to and trying to accomplish.”

After Britton shared her sentiments, Kitsch, who played Tim Riggins, confirmed that he would also not be reprising his role.

“I was asked to do it. Umm, yeah, I’m not going back. No,” he told The Wrap in August 2025.

Prior to sharing his update, Kitsch told PEOPLE in January 2025 that he was only interested in returning if it was a small role.

“If you wanted to put me as a visiting 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.”

Meanwhile, Berg told Collider in 2023 that he initially wanted to reconnect with Britton and Chandler to gauge their interest. He told the outlet, “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 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 devastating 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. 

Read the original article on People