Every Episode Of "Friday Night Lights" Ranked From Worst To Best

After H.G. Bissinger’s thorough look at football in small town Texas with “Friday Night Lights” and Peter Berg’s film adaptation, Friday Night Lights took the general ideas from both these versions and made a television show that surpassed its predecessors. By modernizing the basic themes from the book and film, Friday Night Lights could let this world breathe and grow week to week, creating a show not about football, but about a community, their relation to the sport and each other. Friday Night Lights was ambitious, groundbreaking and brilliant. The show allowed for a unique cinema verite style rarely seen in television, and the scripts allowed for large chunks of improvisation, so that these actors could bring their own visions to the characters they portrayed. Throughout Friday Night Lights’ five years, the show discussed religion, family, abortion, discrimination, racism—amongst other topics—with a care and beauty that felt realistic and insightful. Eric and Tami Taylor became one of the greatest married couples in television history and both Dillon and East Dillon became two of the most fully realized high schools ever shown on TV. Over a decade after the Friday Night Lights’ premiere, let’s take a look at this exceptional show by ranking all 76 episodes of Friday Night Lights

76. "Last Days of Summer" (Season 2, Episode 1)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

After the excellent first season of Friday Night Lights, Season Two takes a big step down immediately with “Last Days of Summer.” The primary reason for this being after Season One set the table for a very sweet relationship between Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) and Landry (Jesse Plemons), all that goes out the window when out of nowhere Tyra gets stalked by her former attacker, leading to Landry ACTUALLY KILLING THE GUY. Instead of bonding these two through a mutual feeling of being outcasts, they’re now bonded by a shared tragedy. This story is so insane, it doesn’t feel like it belongs in this show about small town problems. At the very least, this plot shows us a side of Landry we haven’t seen before and evolves the characters, but once it’s over, the show conveniently seems to forget it ever happened.

Not only is this one of the most awkward of FNL’s stories, the rest of “Last Day Of Summer” is taken up with stories that obvious where they’re heading. From the moment we see how poorly the Panthers’ new coach—known as the “Tennessee Tyrant”—handles his team, as well as how Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his new college coaching gig is pulling apart his family, it’s clear that Taylor will soon be back with the Panthers soon enough. It’s great to see that Friday Night Lights got another season, but “Last Days of Summer” begins the second season by not even feeling like the show we originally fell in love with.

75. "Backfire" (Season 2, Episode 4)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Season Two has been filled with bad choices (see the only episode lower than this one), not just for the show, but mainly by the choices the characters are making. Surprisingly in “Backfire,” the biggest mistake isn’t the Tyra/Landry murder, which has actually made these two together far more intriguing. But “Backfire” is filled with characters realizing the terrible choices they’ve made and for the most part, trying to repair the damage they’ve done. Eric Taylor returns to the Panthers, but does so by trusting Buddy Garrity and giving us Eric’s must suspicious and shady choice of the series so far. Julie (Aimee Teegarden) also finally realizes that maybe trying to date the guy heretofore only known as “The Swede” is probably a bad idea. But maybe the strangest story of this season—maybe even crazier than the aforementioned murder—is Street’s (Scott Porter) determination to go to Mexico to get shark injections that could help him walk again. What show is this again? Street and Riggins (Tim Riggins) going to Mexico is handled quite well for what it is, giving us glimpses of Street’s blind hope and Riggins helplessness in the situation. But still, it remains one of the stranger paths for Friday Night Lights to go down. At this point, it feels like FNL itself needs an injection of…something to get back on its feet again.

74. "Upping the Ante" (Season 1, Episode 14)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Almost always, Friday Night Lights has a knack for telling stories—whether they’re sports-related, teen dramas or family issues—that even if they’re not completely original, the way the story is told makes them seem unique. But “Upping the Ante” is the first time in FNL where the stories being told feel cliche, albeit ones that are still told well. After not seeing his father for two years, Riggins visits his dad despite warnings from his brother Billy (Derek Phillips). Of course, Riggins’ dad seems better than expected, but ultimately disappoints. Lyla (Minka Kelly) and Street announce that they are engaged, foolishly ignoring the advice of those older than them that they might be too young. There are a few nice twists here and there, like Smash’s growing relationship with Coach Taylor and Riggins’ father finally coming to one of his games. But overall, “Upping the Ante” has a seen-this-before quality to it that FNL rarely has. and makes it the worst blemish on an excellent first season.

73. ”Who Do You Think You Are?” (Season 2, Episode 12)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Friday Night Lights has handled racial tension in the past elegantly, carefully navigating both sides of the equation. “Who Do You Think You Are?” however falls directly into stereotypes, with cliches that are disappointing for a show like this to make and bigotry that comes out of nowhere. It’s understandable for racism to still exist in small town Texas—which is covered in depth with H.G. Bissinger’s “Friday Night Lights” book—but it’s completely out of left field here. Both Smash (Gaius Charles) and Noelle’s parents agree that a mixed race couple could be controversial in Dillon and therefore they should break up. However we’ve never actually seen any examples of racial bias against them, until their parents show their disapproval, then it comes at them in all directions. Meanwhile, the arrival of Santiago’s old friends coming back into his life only reinforces the negative views that Buddy Garrity (Brad Leland) tried to rise above. “Who Do You Think You Are?” is saved by Eric and Tami Taylor’s (Connie Britton) indecision over daycare for their baby while they are at work. Plus, at least Carlotta finally leaves the Saracen home, as she’s served her purpose as little more than a distraction and can allow Saracen’s (Zach Gilford) stories to have something substantial behind them again.

72. "Pantherama!" (Season 2, Episode 7)

Via IMDB

For most of the primary cast of Friday Night Lights, there’s not much for them to do in “Pantherama!.” Yet for new characters and characters that have been sidelined for too long, “Patherama!” is an episode of building interest for those set aside. This means the first real story for Smash this season, as he’s looking to be recruited by a team that can get him to the pros as soon as possible. For the newer characters though, “Pantherama!” is hit or miss. “Pantherama!” works great for new Panther recruit Santiago, as it shows us a new side of him and the man who takes him in, Buddy Garrity. But for Carlotta—the nurse that is now living with the Saracen family—Matt kissing her isn’t close to as revealing and she remains simply another obstacle between Matt and Julie obviously getting back together eventually. Speaking of which, her newspaper advisor Mr. Barnett is somewhere in between. At this point he could either be just trying to help our Julie, or something far creepier—even though we never get the chance to find out the real answer. For these new characters, they’re most interesting in how they show us new sides of the characters that we already know. For Santiago and Barnett, it works here, but with Carlotta, not so much.

71. "Humble Pie" (Season 2, Episode 13)

With Season Two coming to a close, “Humble Pie” is a way for Friday Night Lights to give some decent stories to characters that have been tossed off for most of the season, but continue some of the more questionable plots to come up recently. On the positive side, “Humble Pie” finally gives Street something to do, as he gets a job at Garrity’s car dealership, and Tyra gets a non-Landry related plot as she becomes the star player in Tami Taylor’s-coached volleyball team. Smash’s story of social injustice is handled much better than the previous episode, as he is harshly criticized and suspended for standing up for himself. Yet Smash’s suspension from football doesn’t seem that big of a deal, since football has taken a backseat to crazier ideas this season. While Riggins has had plenty to do this season, the story of him and his brother stealing money from a meth dealer is not one his better plots. Especially when this story also tries to shoehorn in Riggins’ unresolved feelings for Lyla, it’s hard not to see it as a catch-all for some loose threads.

70. ”Perfect Record” (Season 5, Episode 7)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

Friday Night Lights has always shown that no matter what your past, you can always make a new future. The proof is right at the beginning of "Perfect Record" with the return of Jason Street. He originally thought he had his life planned out for him, but one simple accident changed his entire future. As we see him now, his life might be better than the original one was working towards. Before this season’s game against the Dillon Panthers, someone releases the criminal records of all the players on the East Dillon Lions. But instead of veering away from their past, in “Perfect Record,” Coach Taylor allows the Lions to play up their aggressive, unsportsmanlike tendencies to help win the game. In the first Lions vs. Panthers game, the Lions won because of heart and skill. In this second game, the Lions win through nasty plays and insults. It’s no wonder Coach Crowley and Street watch the game in shame from the sidelines. This is of course due to pressure coming for Coach Taylor from all ends, with Julie refusing to go back to college and Vince’s father pulling stunts to get his son in college, it’s clear why Coach Taylor might want to take the unhonorably, but easy way to a win for once. Coach Taylor would usually be the first to say it’s not just about winning, it’s about how you win. But with all the pressure on him lately, we’re not quite seeing the Coach we’ve known and loved in the past.

69. "Seeing Other People" (Season 2, Episode 8)

Via The AV Club

“Seeing Other People” is all about our characters seeking penance and accepting the errors of their ways, but also nicely starts to tie up some short term arcs for this season. In terms of character, the most unusual here is Tami in the wrong for maybe the first time in the series, as she yells at the questionable Mr. Barnett in front of the entire school for being too close to Julie. Considering how great Tami and Eric are together, it’s always fantastic for the show to present them as imperfect, as we see with Tami, but also between these two as they handle the reconfiguration of their family life. Meanwhile, Landry admits he’s guilty of murder to the police while Riggins finally gets readmitted to the team. There’s still plenty of characters that Season Two Friday Night Lights doesn’t know how to handle (Saracen and Julie’s post-breakup relationships, Street complete absence in the show post-Mexico, the unrealistic college visit that Smash takes), but it’s doing its best bit by bit as the season’s halfway point.

68. "Are You Ready For Friday Night?" (Season 2, Episode 3)

Via Friday Night Lights Wiki

Without Coach Taylor at the helm of the Panthers, the team is falling apart in “Are You Ready For Friday Night?” Riggins passes out at practice, Smash’s confidence has no chance of being reigned in and Saracen is torn apart by his breakup with Julie and the fact that he’s quarterback in name only. Good thing that by the end of this episode, Coach Taylor decides he wants to come back to the Panthers. The end of last season set up a lot of directions that had potential, but they’ve torn the show apart in various ways, such as the separation of the Taylor family and the slow destruction of the Panthers as a unit. But “Are You Ready For Friday Night?” is clear course correction, attempting to bring things back to business as usual after experimenting with some changes that have mostly failed.

67. "The Right Hand Of The Father" (Season 5, Episode 3)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

When Coach Taylor and Tami both worked at Dillon High, many times they were seen as the parental figure these students needed. Since both moving to East Dillon High, they’ve both become only parental figure some of these students have ever known. In “The Right Hand of the Father,” Eric becomes that person to Vince (Michael B. Jordan), praising his efforts, even while Vince’s recently paroled father praises loudly in his own way on the sidelines, hoping to be that man for his son. We also see Tami becoming that to Marah, pointing out that her decisions have consequences, maybe the first time someone has told this girl this. Yet it’s ironic that the one character that needs the most guidance in “The Right Hand of the Father” is Julie, out on her own for the first time at college and already making bad decisions. Sleeping with a married TA will have long-lasting consequences for Julie, but her flings with much older men have been happening for four seasons now, and at this point has started to get a little tired and a bit too monotonous.

66. "Bad Ideas" (Season 2, Episode 2)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Season Two of Friday Night Lights started with an episode that threw in some really crazy, big stories that felt very unlike the show we had grown to love. Despite this, “Bad Ideas” follows up the season premiere with an episode that does the best it can with the insane ideas it has thrown into motion. The connected-by-trauma Landry and Tyra get some truly great moments here, such as Landry standing up for himself and the episode’s final scene with an ill-timed kiss by Tyra. The separation of the Taylor family also feels like a terrible idea, but watching the Tami and Eric regretting their decision separately gives some great moments of loneliness and disappointment. Even Julie’s decision to leave Saracen comes out of an understandable place, rather than just teen lust. If Friday Night Lights was going to go wild with its ideas, “Bad Ideas” is an example of how this show can still do crazy well.

65. "On The Outside Looking In" (Season 5, Episode 2)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

One game at a time. That’s all Coach Taylor wants to focus on in “On The Outside Looking In.” But everyone else in town and especially his team wants to look at the bigger picture, especially when it seems like the Lions are being discriminated against in rankings. But “On The Outside Looking In” starts putting the pressure on Coach—much in the same way it did at the end of Season Four—leading him to set a long term goal for himself and his team: STATE. For Friday Night Lights however, this is also the first stating of the show’s endgame, as the last season is upon them. “On The Outside Looking In” continues that theme of looking into the future, with Tami trying to get other teachers as excited about helping their students as she is, and Vince starting to see the positive side of his success in football and the shortcuts he can take because of it.

64. "A Sort Of Homecoming" (Season 4, Episode 4)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

In Season Four, it’s interesting to see scenarios in which Coach Taylor would have had no problem at Dillon, but seeing the uphill battle these same scenarios are at East Dillon. For example, “A Sort Of Homecoming” has Taylor simply trying to stage a pep rally for his team, which is much harder to do when there’s no money, no location and an area of town that may not even want a rally. “A Sort Of Homecoming” forces many of its characters to see how the other side lives, like in the fight between Vince and Luke (Matt Lauria), Tami now dealing with the football pressure that usually only falls on her husband and Saracen realizing Julie might be leaving him by himself in Dillon as she discusses her college plans. Despite being a relatively low-key episode, “A Sort Of Homecoming” is still intriguing for delving into characters dealing with surprise issues they never expected, such as the episode ending with Saracen discovering his father has died.

63. "How Did I Get Here?" (Season 2, Episode 6)

Via TV Fanatic

With Coach Taylor back as head of the Panthers, Landry’s father getting rid of the only evidence tying his son to a murder and Lyla, Riggins and Street back from Mexico, everything should be getting back to business as usual on Friday Night Lights, right? Not quite, as everyone looks to their future to find their place in the present in “How Did I Get Here?”. Tami Taylor realizes that with a new baby, she’s trapped in sixteen more years of raising a child that’ll probably grow up to resent her. Riggins and Street are confused by what their place in the team is. Coach Taylor is back, but his paycheck is much lighter than before. Friday Night Lights might be backing away from its unusual plot divergences from the beginning of the season, yet smartly its characters can’t run away quite as easy. The growth that has come out of these divergences has made for stronger characters. Surprisingly, it’s Landry and his murder subplot that gives him and his father—played by the great Glenn Morshower—one of the most heartbreaking and sweet moments of the episode, as they are both now complicit in Landry’s mistakes.

62. "Extended Families" (Season 1, Episode 18)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Starting the final handful of Season One episodes, “Extended Families” takes some time to look into its own future, specifically by pointing out the ignorance of what is happening within the Garrity family. Buddy’s fling with Tyra’s mom Angela (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) leads to him sleeping over at the Taylor house, which understandably pisses everyone off. Plus when Lyla tries to get away and visit Street at rugby camp, he seems less enthused than she expected, with the weekend only showing just how much they’re being pulled away from each other. “Extended Families” starts off with football, but mostly keeps the playoffs in the background, taking some time off to build future stories. Most important is Coach Taylor’s job offer from TMU, which will split the Taylor family in two, making for a strange beginning to Season Two.

61. "Keeping Up Appearances" (Season 3, Episode 7)

Bill Records / Via NBC

In “Keeping Up Appearances,” Tami Taylor describes how her husband’s coaching can bring out things in people on the football field that transfer onto the rest of their lives. This is most obvious in “Keeping Up Appearances” as we see the positivity Street has in planning on going to New York to become a sports agent. But it’s also there in smaller ways, like in the confidence Landry has in kissing his new bassist or Riggins’ trying to go to college. But “Keeping Up Appearances” also desires to show the quick transformative properties that football has, which leads to some incredibly contrived plots. We meet Jamarkus’ family—a character and family we never see again—who is completely against their son playing football. But upon seeing their son play, they make a complete 180. Or when Buddy’s kids come to visit and are brats to him, Buddy takes them to a game on Friday, which they start off hating but then are on their feet like the rest of the crowd. It’s not that Friday Night Lights hasn’t shown us that football can change minds and hearts, we’ve just never seen it happen so quickly and easily as we do in “Keeping Up Appearances.”

60. "El Accidente" (Season 1, Episode 6)

Via Fanpop

From the beginning of Friday Night Lights, the show hasn’t hidden that its football players get preferential treatment. “El Accidente” pushes how far this favoritism can go when one of the team’s players gets in a fight with a football-hating student. “El Accidente” seamlessly mixes this with the show’s first big example of racism within Dillon. Yet having this fight occur with two characters we’ve never met before does slightly soften the blow more than would be expected. “El Accidente” however is more about the truth that we’re able to accept and tell ourselves to get what we want. It’s evident in Lyla and Riggins’ hiding their relationship from Street, or how Saracen keeps his silence about the episode’s big fight. But it also goes straight to Coach Taylor, as he has to decide how far he’s willing to deceive himself, his team and the town in regards to whether Voodoo was allowed to play. “El Accidente” is one of the show’s first complex looks at the moral dilemmas these characters have to face, all in the name of Texas football.

59. "Crossing The Line" (Season 1, Episode 8)

After Smash begins doping in the previous episode “Homecoming,” “Crossing the Line” gets more in depth with Smash’s desperation in being great. Friday Night Lights has already this early on in the series delved into some stories that could’ve played melodramatic, but Smash’s arc with drug use is the first time this show feels like an after school special. FNL does a fine job making Smash’s turn seem logical, but due to Smash’s isolation from the rest of the cast, it’s not as effective of a story as it could’ve been. Surprising, it’s Billy Riggins’ newfound dedication to his brother Tim’s future and his attempts at being a surrogate father that resonate extremely well. After Billy’s failed past as a football player, he sees that Tim could have a future where he didn’t and does everything he can to help his brother get the life he never had.

58. "Keep Looking" (Season 5, Episode 4)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

“Keep Looking” is full of unexpected parents doing the best they can with the children they now have to be there for. Worst of these is the return of Buddy Jr., who we last saw in “Keeping Up Appearances.” The younger Garrity returns to Dillon, gets drunk, steals his dad’s car and commits other acts of general douchery immediately. Vince’s dad continues his attempt to get back in his son’s good graces, making very little leeway. But most impressive in “Keep Looking” is the way that Billy and Mindy (Stacey Oristano) step up to protect Becky (Dora Madison), who has been living with them since both of her parents are out of town. With Billy trying to follow in the footsteps of Coach Taylor, it’s amusing to see his take on being a “molder of men.” But it’s Mindy who really steps up here, as she’s mostly been a background character throughout this series, but gets some fantastic scenes where she can show off her newfound maternal instincts.

57. "Little Girl I Wanna Marry You" (Season 1, Episode 13)

Via Popdesign

“Have you ever made a mistake?,” Smash asks Coach Taylor and throughout “Little Girl I Wanna Marry You,” we see how the mistakes these people make influences who they will become. It’s there in Smash trying to improve himself in ways that don’t really need improving through steroids, Tyra and Saracen trusting in their parents far more than they probably should and Street and Lyla getting engaged and starting a future as a way to overlook their current problems. But because of these mistakes, we can see as these characters are already growing. Saracen especially says goodbye to his father, but truly becomes the man of the house, as does Smash when he realizes just how detrimental his drug use can be to his family. “Little Girl I Wanna Marry You” focuses on one of Friday Night Lights’ key themes, that weaknesses and mistakes shouldn’t define you, but help you evolve and become better because of the hardships.

56. "Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes" (Season 1, Episode 19)

Via The AV Club

As the title implies, “Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes” is about a lot of—well—changes. The Taylor family is deciding whether or not they should move Austin, Tyra is trying to be the first success story in her family and the Lyla’s family and romantic relationships reach an all time low. It’s all very important for the arc of these characters and where the show would go beyond the first season. Yet the finest moment in “Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes,” the one that really makes the episode, is a simple scene that reminds us these players are still just kids. Smash, Riggins, and Saracen run into Street, and the four of them go drinking on the football field. In this moment, we get to see these four as teenagers, not as football players that decide the happiness of this town. Riggins gets to be goofy, Smash and Saracen can forget about their relationship issues for just a few minutes and Street shows a side of himself that leans towards being a leader rather than a player. There might be changes ahead, but a moment of levity within the episode shows us the core of who these players truly are.

55. "What To Do While We're Waiting" (Season 1, Episode 12)

Via Basement Rejects

“What To Do While We’re Waiting” has the entire town of Dillon anticipating the results of a game they have no part in to decide their future. It’s telling then that this episode also features characters in situations they feel helplessly trapped in, without knowing what they can do to affect the outcome. The Street family are forced to sue the school because of money troubles, putting Jason in a tough situation. Smash can’t help but like Waverly, but he also can’t seem to change his overly confident ways. Saracen needs his father at home to help with his grandmother but has to let go and allow his father to return to Iraq. With these stories though, these characters realize the lateral moves they can make for the better, becoming aware of the problem and doing the little they can to make the change that is best for them.

54. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" (Season 3, Episode 5)

Bill Records / Via NBC

One of the less mentioned problems of Season Two was the fact that there were just too many characters and not enough time each week. But Season Three made a smart decision, getting rid of all the periphery characters and dedicating chunks of episodes to each character saying goodbye. With Smash saying goodbye in the previous episode, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” begins the saga of Street’s money troubles, his baby troubles, and his inevitable goodbye. Friday Night Lights has struggled to come up with things for Street to do, so his leaving the show isn’t a surprise, but also doesn’t get off to a great start in this episode. Street isn’t always the smartest character (remember how he tried to get inject with shark goo in Mexico to walk again?), but buying Buddy’s house to flip it with the Riggins boys and Herc while the market collapses seems transparently bad. Much like the beginning of the series, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” has Saracen overshadowing Street, as new QB McCoy has Saracen questioning his position in the team. If anything, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” proves that Street needs to move on, while we almost hope Saracen never does.

53. "It Ain't East Being J.D. McCoy" (Season 3, Episode 6)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

For many of the Dillon Panthers, Coach Taylor is their father figure. Smash’s father died, Riggins’ father is hundreds of miles away and Saracen’s is at war. With the new freshman quarterback J.D. McCoy (Jeremy Sumpter), we see for the first time Taylor’s paternal nature to these boys conflicting with an actual father—who just happens to be fanatical about his son’s success. Prior to “It Ain’t Easy Being J.D. McCoy,” this new player was merely an idea to terrify Saracen about getting demoted, but in this episode, we finally learn more about this new phenomenon and the strict life he is forced to lead. While the game focuses on McCoy and his relation to the team, this also allows for the benchwarmers to get some of the spotlight, as Saracen and Julie finally get back together, and we get more of Landry’s band Crucifictorious. We also see Street put on the bench in his life, as his baby and her mother move across the country, while the flipping of Buddy’s house obviously doesn’t go well with all the egos clashing. But despite his world going to hell, a visit from Coach still proves that he’s the best father figure these boys could ever hope for, teaching Street that all a man can do is what he thinks is best at the moment.

52. "Jumping The Gun" (Season 2, Episode 11)

Via Slant

It’s a testament to the writing on Friday Night Lights that “Jumping The Gun” can have bombastic moments—a rival coach tackling a player on the field, Riggins stealing $3,000 from his meth cook ex-roommate—and still not have this episode feel ridiculous. As the show also comes to the final episodes of its abbreviated second season, it gets down to the characters that matter most. “Jumping the Gun” gets rid of Tami’s sister Shelly, who we oddly never see again and really didn’t have anything to do anyways, and the mom next door that kept the Riggins boys fighting has now moved away for good. While “Jumping The Gun” cleans house, it also prepares for the departure of Smash, as he plans his college future. But even sadder for the show will be the loss of Smash’s mother Corrina (Liz Mikel), who is excellent this episode and is one of the show’s most underrated characters.

51. "May The Best Man Win" (Season 2, Episode 15)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Because of the writer’s strike in 2007, Season Two of Friday Night Lights came to an unexpected early end. In hindsight, this actually works in the overall show’s favor, since many believe this season is the worst in the series (they’re not wrong), while others choose to completely forget this season even happened (they’re wrong). Even though this might not have been the ideal ending for this troubled season, it actually sets up some of our characters nicely for the next season, slightly explaining why Jason Street wouldn’t be returning—besides the fact the show didn’t know what to do with him. “May the Best Man Win” finally reinvigorates the relationship between Lyla and Riggins and placing Smash in a point of uncertainty towards his future. “May The Best Man Win” was already continuing Season Two’s attempt to realign itself, but with the season-ending here, it gives a great jumping off point for the next season.

50. "Game Of The Week" (Season 3, Episode 9)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

With Smash and Street having said their goodbyes, it’s now time to start thinking about the future of the rest of our characters. Saracen’s mom pushes him to start thinking about colleges and despite being a constant screw up, Riggins because the first (and probably last) in his family to get into college. It’s also great for Tyra to get her head back into things that matter, leaving her cowboy boyfriend behind. Characters are graduating, taking them off the team and off the show, so “Game of the Week” prepares for that inevitability. “Game of the Week” however presents itself as a big deal, with national coverage of the Panthers game vs. Arnett Meade not really amounting to much, even presenting a promising TV interview with Landry that we never see. But at least before the goodbyes and big changes start happening once again, “Game of the Week” does have a bit of fun by getting a lot of its cast drunk. The Riggins boys, sure, that’s obvious, but drunk Lyla and Tammy? Well, those moments are too rare to not enjoy.

49. "The Lights Of Carroll Park" (Season 4, Episode 9)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

“The Lights Of Carroll Park”’s purpose is excellently summarized by Julie’s interaction at Habitat For Humanity, where she meets a cute volunteer, and decides to kiss him as a way to have fun through all the recent darkness. Coach Taylor also tries to do something similar in “The Lights Of Carroll Park,” as he tries to organize a community football game to give the people of East Dillon and the kids who hang out in Carroll Park a respite from the violence and fear. Both Julie and Coach Taylor know that their choices aren’t going to make huge changes, but they’re at least trying to move forward with something positibe. Despite having “The Lights Of Carroll Park” featuring teenagers debating abortion and a kid getting shot, it’s an episode that brings a lot of hope with it. This episode comes after weeks of death, lost love and saying goodbyes, so just having a game of football to build strength in a community brings some leniency amongst the stories we’ve seen recently.

48. "Toilet Bowl" (Season 4, Episode 8)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

After eight episodes as a team and playing against the other worst team in the league, the East Dillon Lions finally win their first game in “Toilet Bowl.” It doesn’t really matter though that the only team they can beat also has a no-win season. What matters is that Coach Taylor and this team have come from absolutely nothing and turned the Lions into a team that can actually win. “Toilet Bowl”—and really all of Friday Night Lights to some extent—is all about life throwing curveballs your way, getting back up, dusting yourself off and making your dream still come true. Tami Taylor’s dream might’ve once been to go to the college she takes Julie to visit, but her eventual dream ended up being better than she could’ve imagined. Coach Taylor probably wanted another shot at State this year, but instead, a hard-earned victory feels just as exciting. And for Tim Riggins, just getting a dream of being able to buy land and planning for some sort of future is a small win in itself.

47. "Swerve" (Season 5, Episode 6)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

“Swerve” continues Season Five’s interest in the different ways to parent by showing us how to protect, how to guide and how to scold. Vince’s father protects his son from a local drug dealer and Billy Riggins guides Luke into finding a future in college football. Vince has been particularly interesting to watch since the return of his father, as in this episode when he decides to trust coach over his father—a rare choice for one of Coach Taylor’s players to make. Billy has also been fascinating this season in becoming a B-level Coach Taylor, as we see in his muddled, yet inspirational speech to the team. With the scolding, however, it’s rare to see the Taylor family as torn apart as it is in “Swerve.” Now that Julie has returned home from college after being embarrassed for sleeping with a married T.A., it’s particularly disheartening to watch the Taylors realize their daughter is becoming someone they would’ve never imagined. “Swerve” is a rough episode to watch in the way that the Taylor family dynamic devolves with this new information. Certainly, their relationship will repair, but it’ll likely never be the same as it once was for this family.

46. "In The Skin Of A Lion" (Season 4, Episode 3)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

With “In The Skin Of A Lion,” Saracen describes the work of Richard—the artist he’s interning for—as “beautiful crap.” For the characters on Friday Night Lights, “In The Skin Of A Lion” shows many of them in situations that could be called “beautiful crap.” Coach Taylor’s new team might be crappy right now and has put him $3,000 in debt, but the first time they say the Panther phrase “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose,” and scoring their first touchdown is truly beautiful. Or the moment Buddy Garrity stands up to the boosters, saying this isn’t his school finds the beauty in the garbage he’s stuck in. But “In The Skin Of A Lion” also doesn’t give easy solutions to these terrible situations, as seen in the beautiful scenes between Julie and Tami about religion, or Coach’s handling of new players Vince and Luke. These situations aren’t black and white and because of that, they aren’t situations that are as easy to navigate as before.

45. "How The Other Half Lives" (Season 3, Episode 3)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

“How The Other Half Lives” puts all of our characters in situations where they give their all, but their all isn’t good enough. It’s been quite some time since Friday Night Lights has mixed disappointment with an integral football game, and it’s a welcome return to see this type of pressure coming back to this team and to Coach Taylor. But besides Saracen pushing himself to win the game against Arnett and failing in the final seconds, many of the disappointments happen off the field. Smash wants to help support his overworked mother, but her insistence on going to college won’t let him. Riggins constantly tries to be there for Lyla, but his brother’s plans get in the way of that. “How The Other Half Lives” also introduces the economic divide in the town of Dillon, as the Taylor’s throw a party at the gigantic McCoy residence. “How The Other Half Lives” shows the wide swath of people who live in Dillon, from those considering managerial jobs at the Alamo Freeze just to help pay the bills, to family’s ready to give out huge chunks of money just because they can.

44. "In The Bag" (Season 4, Episode 7)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

“It’s been a strange week,” Tami says to her husband and after “In The Bag,” it’s easy to see why. Saracen leaving three weeks ago is still something Julie is trying to overcome, while East Dillon’s football team grows in strength—albeit through weird means. Eric makes Vince quarterback, but the newfound trust between coach and QB leads to Vince giving coach a gun he previously lied about owning. Plus considering how much we’re supposed to cheer for this underdog team, it’s great to learn more about these characters, as we get when Tinker’s friendship with Luke has the two of them building fences together. But even with Friday Night Lights evolving this team and even the adorable sight of Riggins getting a dog, “In The Bag”’s finest moments come from scenes where we see moments of love gone poorly. It’s still heartbreaking to see Julie’s first love seeming to end, while Landry finally letting go of Tyra finally feels like Landry letting go of his past and embracing his future.

43. "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" (Season 3, Episode 11)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

As Season Three comes to a close, Friday Night Lights has a unique balance it handles with its characters. On one hand, as with the first three seasons, there’s an uncertainty if the show is even coming back, and if it does, what it’s going to have to do with its many graduating characters. On the other hand, it has to create a direction going forward to have the focus Season Two lacked. “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” actually pulls off this duality, setting up the splitting of Dillon into two separate school zones, while beginning to send Tyra and Lyla on their way. Lyla has had to set Riggins on the right path many times, but here, he has to try and get Lyla back on track. It’s also fantastic to see Tyra have a story based around her future, rather than around the men in her life, which surprisingly ends with her mother embracing her ambitions and giving her the best advice she’s ever given.

42. "Fracture" (Season 5, Episode 8)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

As the name implies, “Fracture” has many of our characters close to their breaking point, but not quite yet. Julie’s T.A. comes to visit Dillon, which stresses out everyone in the Taylor family. Becky’s love life with Luke is strained due to their history and as always, Tami’s recent troubled project Epyck seems ready to bolt at any moment. But the real problem within “Fracture” is Vince, who is getting to Smash-levels of extreme cockiness. Vince and his dad’s bad decisions and the conflicting coaching styles push the Lions into fights, yelling, and jealousy. What is so incredible about Friday Night Lights is that even though only five episodes remain in the show, “Fracture” still makes you believe this team with a perfect season could still fall apart in the series’ final episodes. “Fracture” doesn’t just show how far the Lions need to go to become a State winning team, it also shows the unpredictability that makes this show great—as does the episode’s final second surprise by a returning Matt Saracen.

41. "Gut Check" (Season 5, Episode 9)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

With only four episodes left, Friday Night Lights start to rebuild the lives of its characters by tearing them apart in “Gut Check.” The Lions now have their first loss of the season, with Coach Taylor then repairing the team’s problems by benching Vince. Julie continues to run away from her problems at college by finding solace in Saracen and Chicago. Tami thinks she’s making leeway with Epyck, until Epyck assaults Tami and is taken away in handcuffs. “Gut Check” leaves everyone with little place to go but up in the series’ final episodes, as Julie heads off to figure out a life that can still include Saracen, Vince needing to rethink his recent cockiness and Eric and Tami Taylor questioning if maybe they should work with adults for once. “Gut Check” sets the stage for a future full of great successes, lovely moments and moving on, but these peaks can’t be seen quite yet from this valley.

40. "Injury List" (Season 4, Episode 11)

Via Spoiler TV

In past seasons, Friday Night Lights has had to treat every season finale also as a potential series finale. But with FNL receiving a two-season renewal at the end of Season Three, Season Four is the first season that doesn’t have to at least try to wrap up its various stories somewhat. What that means for “Injury List,” going in Season Four’s final episodes, is that the show can continually build these arcs rather than start to tie them up. “Injury List” asks many questions, but ones the viewer will want to see pay off in the next season, rather than tie up in the final two episodes. What will happen between Julie and Saracen, now that he’s fresh out of hiding? Will the pressure on Tami towards her advising of Becky influence her job? How will Vince’s return to crime and Luke being sidelined for the rest of the season crush these new characters? Expectations are low for the upcoming game between East Dillon and Dillon, but while in other seasons it would’ve felt like East Dillon had to win, Season Four just feels like a learning season before the final one begins. “Injury List” shows how great FNL can be with long-ranging arcs, and for the first time shows that the show can do that over multiple seasons as well.

39. "Kingdom" (Season 5, Episode 5)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

Despite how well Friday Night Lights has built up the East Dillon Lions as individual players and as a team, it’s hard for them to live up to how much the audience came to care for the Dillon Panthers. As the Lions prepare for the road to State, FNL pushes hard to get its audience to care as much about the Lions as they did the Panthers. With “Kingdom,” a relatively light-hearted and breezy episode, the Lions’ bond and grow stronger as a unit as they go to an away game. The Lions face off against Kingdom—the team they forfeited to in their first game—and we see the maturation that has occurred over just two seasons. But what “Kingdom” slyly does by allowing us to watch as this team has fun and enjoys each other’s company is that it gets the audience to bond with this team as well, making us care about their fight towards State. By the end of “Kingdom,” we all sort of become like Coach Taylor in this episode: sitting back, enjoying the company of these kids and wanting the best from them going forward.

38. "The Giving Tree" (Season 3, Episode 10)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Eric and Tami Taylor are basically the best parents anyone could ask for. Just look at them compared to the other family’s of Dillon, Texas in “The Giving Tree.” Eric walks in on his daughter and Saracen in bed together, yet both Eric and Tami treat Julie with respect, as a young woman who will have to make her own decisions without their interference. Meanwhile. J.D. McCoy’s father can’t quit butting into his son’s decisions and bad investments made by Buddy leave Lyla without any money for college. “The Giving Tree” is also great at showing the incremental changes this show does so well. The pressure on Landry to help Tyra and her family builds until he finally confronts her about him feeling “like a whore who doesn’t get paid. Or laid.” But even better handled is Eric’s rising rage, having to deal with his daughter’s love life and Buddy’s imprisonment, Taylor lashes out at a referee and is forced off his own field. We’ve seen in the past how small changes can affect the players on his team, but this one tiny mistake could potentially threaten his job.

37. "Tami Knows Best" (Season 3, Episode 2)

Via The AV Club

Rather than tell its own singular story, “Tami Knows Best” is more about starting to build future big developments throughout the season. It’s already clear that Tami vs. The JumboTron people, Tyra’s attempts at finding her own success and Saracen building his relationships with his mother and Julie are all going to become large stories the further we go, with “Tami Knows Best” starts these threads. Because of this, “Tami Knows Best” is just the set up for the payoff to come down the road, which might be why the most effective story here is the one coming to a close soon. Coach Taylor pushing Smash to become what he wants to be rather than remaining stagnant pays off big time when Taylor gets Smash a shot with Texas A&M, then gets to hear the family celebrate the opportunity. It’s a simple moment, but it’s easy to see why Taylor would go to so much effort, just to bring joy and hope to the players he’s worked with for years.

36. "After The Fall" (Season 4, Episode 2)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

At the end of “After The Fall,” Tami sits back with a glass of wine, lamenting her terrible day, but stating that she had “one little bit of satisfaction” from her day. When Coach Taylor comes in and mentions that he actually got his team to show up, they say that it’s a start. Friday Night Lights has always been great with incremental change, and that moving towards something slightly better is what makes “After The Fall” and the previous “Tami Knows Best” work so well. Saracen’s internship is saved by his crazed teacher pointing out one part of Saracen’s art that doesn’t make him want to puke. Riggins goes from sleeping in the back of his truck to sleeping in a trailer. But while “After The Fall” is filled with the tiniest victories, it also showcases the larger cogs at work, as Riggins and Buddy offer their help to Coach Taylor and the one remaining kind member of the Panthers—Luke Cafferty—comes over to East Dillon. The immediate changes might be slight, but the groundwork is largely shifting.

35. "Let's Get It On" (Season 2, Episode 5)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal / Via NBC

For the first time in Season Two, Friday Night Lights gives us an episode that feels like the glory days of this show with “Let’s Get It On.” Very simply, “Let’s Get It On” is doing a lot of work to bring the show back to the status quo and get back on track to what this show should be. Coach Taylor is finally back with his team, who don’t quite trust him after his desire to coach college football. Instead of trying to rewrite the problems that have occurred so far in season two, “Let’s Get It On” moves past those moments and turns it into great character development. For example after deciding The Swede wasn’t a good choice for her, Julie tries to go back to Saracen. Yet after Coach and his girlfriend leaving and coming back acting like nothing has changed, Saracen confidently stands up for himself and shoots Julie down. Even strange choices like the murder committed by Landry for Tyra, or Lyla and Riggins trying to stop Street from getting an operation in Mexico all overcome their weird plots and instead center around the character dynamics at their center. Because of this, “Let’s Get It On” becomes the first great episode of Season Two, finally bringing this show back to its past glory.

34. "Git 'Er Done" (Season 1, Episode 5)

Via NBC

Early on in “Git ‘Er Done,” Tyra explains Dillon as “a bunch of overheated jocks too dumb to know they have no future, fighting over a game that has no meaning, in a town which there is no escape.” For many in Dillon, football is a means of escape. Lyla’s choices of colleges once relied on wherever her boyfriend Street was going to play football. The Taylor family constantly reminds Eric about calmer towns they could move to where he could still be a coach. Voodoo—who is most determined to use football as an escape—fights to stand out, only for it to end with him getting kicked out of a winning game. But for Tyra, it’s almost as if leaving Texas is a way of escaping football, as she’s the only one who seems able to see the silliness within the town. After meeting Conner, a banker from LA, she sees her escape as a possibility. But for Conner, Tyra is only a distraction, a realization that hits Tyra hard after doing everything she can to finally get out. But beyond failed dreams and aspirations, “Git ‘Er Done” finally gives Coach Taylor a win. We’ve seen how destructive Dillon can be when there’s a loss on the boards, but simply winning a football game shows the appreciation and respect that could make someone want to stick around in Dillon.

33. "Expectations" (Season 5, Episode 1)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

“Expectations” starts Season Five of Friday Night Lights on a particularly melancholy note, as both Landry and Julie leave Dillon for college. While Julie remains a cast member in this final season, it’s particularly strange for all of the Panthers original players to be out of the picture, even though it makes sense for the story. But that’s also what’s so great about FNL and the core cyclical ideas that football will always continue, regardless of the team members. The fourth season introduced great new characters like Becky, Vince, Luke and Jess, but new character Hastings never quite fits into the story. “Expectations”’ moments of Landry making his final tour around his favorite spots of Dillon and Crucifictorious’ last concert, as well as Julie saying goodbye to her family marks a new era for FNL. With Season Five FNL being the show’s final season, it already feels like it’s starting to say goodbye.

32. "Who's Your Daddy" (Season 1, Episode 4)

Via Fanpop

Considering on its surface that Friday Night Lights is about football, it’s a bit surprising that only in its fourth episode we get our first episode set on a bye week. But by putting football in the rearview for a week, “Who’s Your Daddy” does some important relationship building in terms of the team, the marriage of the Taylors and as the title implies, has daddy issues everywhere. Eric and Tami Taylor show the pressure that football has on their marriage, but by overcoming it and staying strong together, shows why they’re one of the best married couples on TV. Meanwhile, we see the constant stress that Saracen is under, as the quarterback trying to stay relevant when a new QB shakes up things on the team. But Saracen also has to be the leader of his team—especially when rival team Arnett comes for trouble, the man of the house, and a provider, all while being an employee, a student and harboring a crush for Julie Taylor. “Who’s Your Daddy” showcases Coach Taylor as a flawed coach, husband, father, and father figure and how much his choices influences those around him.

31. "Nevermind" (Season 1, Episode 11)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Wrapping up the first half of Season One, “Nevermind” makes us rethink and evolve our knowledge of these characters in a way that could almost feel like a second pilot for the show—one that jumps us in right in the middle of the action. Saracen’s father finally returns from Iraq and turns out to be a disappointment, bringing Saracen closer to his surrogate father Coach Taylor. Lyla and Street try to rebuild their relationship, attempting to leave the painful past behind them. For a lot of these characters, “Nevermind” is a way for these characters to move ahead from where we’ve seen them and show us themselves in a completely new light, some filled with anger, others filled with forgiveness. But also, “Nevermind” is genius simply for putting Riggins and Landry together—a relationship that is hilarious throughout and pulls together the strengths of what makes both of these characters so great. After “Nevermind,” Friday Night Lights could’ve easily just become a show about Landry and Riggins doing book reports together, with few complaints.

30. "The Confession" (Season 2, Episode 9)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Whether it was the fear of letting down family, the team or the entire town, Season One of Friday Night Lights had an underlying pressure that at times almost became too great. “The Confession” gets back to that sort of pressure that is presented in the episode as a type of over-extension, when really it’s a pushing of the characters to be the greater version of themselves they didn’t know they had in them. Buddy pushes Santiago to apply himself in football, which works brilliantly for both of them. Julie and Tami almost tear each other apart because of how much they’re asking of the other person. Wrapping up one of FNL’s most controversial plots, Landry pushes himself to do the right thing, giving his confession to the police. As iffy as the Landry murder plot has been taken by fans of the show, the arc actually works about as well as it possibly could. This questionable choice added extra layers to the relationship of Landry and Tyra, introducing us to Landry’s incredible father and giving Jesse Plemons some fantastic opportunities to show what he’s capable of as an actor—which he didn’t have as Saracen’s sidekick in the first season.

29. "There Goes The Neighborhood" (Season 2, Episode 10)

Via Friday Night Lights Wiki

“There Goes The Neighborhood” is one of Season Two’s finest episodes, as it excels with excellent clashes of characters, several declarations of love and is also the first episode post-Landry murder drama. “There Goes The Neighborhood” gets back to Coach Taylor as a de facto father figure to the boys on his team. He defends them against a rival team that is sharing their facilities, and Riggins moving in with the Taylors provides some fantastic moments with him and the family. The rival team provides plenty of drama, but “There Goes The Neighborhood” succeeds by relying on humor and most importantly, heart. Tyra gives Landry the cold shoulder after admitting she’s scared of the feelings she has for him, while surprisingly, it’s Buddy Garrity’s final attempt to win back his wife that provides the most heartbreaking moment of the episode. For better or worse, Season Two of Friday Night Lights has fallen into flashy stories and huge changes, “There Goes The Neighborhood” sticks to the evolving dynamics between characters and the wonderful, moving moments that it did so well in its first season.

28. "I Knew You When" (Season 3, Episode 1)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

After the muddled and often frustrating second season, “I Knew You When” kicks off the third season with an episode that almost feels like a second pilot for the series. Catching the audience up immediately and efficiently with what happened since we last saw these characters, “I Knew You When” is a fresh start for the show and for many of the characters. Right from the beginning of the season, “I Knew You When” is setting up long-term arcs, rather than tiny stories that dominated the last season, pushes football to the forefront of the town once more and creates a feeling of uncertainty and unease for many of its characters again. Dillon finally feels like a community again and much like the city of Odessa from Bissinger’s original book—which Dillon is based on—Friday Night Lights start to discuss the pros and cons of academics vs. athletics. “I Knew You When” is a reset for the show with lofty ambitions and plenty to make up for, but it sets Season Three off to an excellent start.

27. "The March" (Season 5, Episode 11)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

For Texas high school football—or at least the way that Friday Night Lights presents it—the goal to reach State is a constant, every year. “The March” shows the path to State, as we’ve seen it before, but everything else around it has changed. Budget cuts threaten the future of the East Dillon Lions and Tami Taylor is offered a prominent job as the Dean of Admissions at a college in Philadelphia. There are huge changes and big endings coming as we near the end of FNL, but the most disheartening is the change that we see in Tim Riggins, as he returns home from jail. Before entering jail, Riggins often was the source of lightheartedness in this show, but in “The March,” he is now the brooding, angry-at-the-world Riggins from Season One, but even darker than before. It’s hard to see this beloved character come to the realization that Dillon isn’t for him anymore, lashing out at those who love him and want the opportunity for him to start anew. “The March” offers uncertainty in the show’s final stretch, as huge, life-altering choices are right around the corner.

26. "Stay" (Season 4, Episode 6)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

As much as you might want the characters on Friday Night Lights to stay on the show so you can keep up with their lives from week to week, as a viewer, you also want the best for these characters. For the characters that graduated in Season Three that still appear in Season Four, many of them feel like they’re holding themselves back by Dillon, that they could reach their full potential if they just left. In “Stay,” we finally see Matt Saracen coming to the realization that even though the woman and the family that he loves are in Texas, he must move forward and find himself. Unlike the goodbyes of Street and Smash last season, Saracen’s goodbye is full of uncertainty and hope that there’s something outside Texas that will finally feel like home. Lyla’s return home for break also gives her the goodbye that ties up her story with Riggins beautifully, as the two share days together in his trailer. Once again, it’s easy to want Lyla to stay behind, but everyone knows that it won’t be what is best for her. “Stay” shows just how phenomenal the characters on Friday Night Lights are written, that we want them to succeed in the “real world,” even if that means that they won’t appear on the show anymore.

25. "Tomorrow Blues" (Season 3, Episode 13)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Season Three of Friday Night Lights from beginning to end has been all about goodbyes. First Smash, then Street and now as many seniors graduate from Dillon High, some of the cast leaves for good, while others scatter. Even Coach Taylor has to say goodbye to the Dillon Panthers. But in the end, “Tomorrow Blues” feels more like it’s moving forward than saying a concrete goodbye. “Tomorrow Blues” marks the last time Friday Night Lights had to end a season on an uncertain renewal, but as with its characters, there is hope for a great future. Everyone in “Tomorrow Blues” has new opportunities they can either embrace or avoid and by making these decisions, we see just how much these characters have grown. Riggins and Lyla have to separate, but they both know it’s the right decision for them. Saracen decides to stay at home, even though not moving forward automatically feels like a mistake. It’s wonderful to see these characters have a life outside of Dillon and exciting to see how the ones staying behind will make the most of remaining. Season Three might have been all about goodbyes, but “Tomorrow Blues” is all about new beginnings.

24. "Eyes Wide Open" (Season 1, Episode 2)

Dean Hendler / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

“Pilot” had plenty of heavy lifting to get out of the way, introducing a gigantic cast, the drama within that cast and the entire town, so “Eyes Wide Open” opens up to how important the community is within Friday Night Lights and their unrelenting focus on the power of football. “Eyes Wide Open” presents football as the lynchpin of this community, the mood of which can swing based on the win or lose of that week’s game. After “Pilot” showed just how important the bond between coach and quarterback is, “Eyes Wide Open” comes along and breaks that and rebuilds it, as Street is sidelined as quarterback for good, while Saracen and coach are now in over their heads by this new unexpected path they’re set on. In just its second episode, “Eyes Wide Open” shakes up what we already know about this show, fleshes out the dynamics between its characters and hikes up the stakes in monumental ways.

23. "It's Different For Girls" (Season 1, Episode 10)

With Lyla’s story in “It’s Different For Girls,” Friday Night Lights takes a rare opportunity to give a female-centered episode, discuss school bullying and the double standards between males and females. Just that alone would be impressive enough, yet “It’s Different For Girls” also makes its audience root for Lyla—not always the easiest character to care about—by giving her a personal win when she finally does something for herself. In the end of “It’s Different For Girls,” for once Lyla isn't worried about how others see her post-sleeping-with-Riggins or in general. She simply does what she wants, which isn’t reliant on what others want her to do or what might seem right. Lyla’s story is also a microcosm of Dillon, Texas in how the show sees it, as she wrongfully expects the cheerleaders that bully her to change, but instead, she finds strength and empowerment by embracing her flaws and changing despite her surroundings. Texas might never change, but it’s how Lyla learns from what she cannot change that makes her grow as a stronger person.

22. "Blinders" (Season 1, Episode 15)

Via Fanpop

In Friday Night Lights—both the film and the TV show, so far—racial prejudices waited in the background, only occasionally popping up. “Blinders” is the first time the discussion of race comes to the foreground, as stupid comments from Mac McGill split the white and black students. The white students mostly see McGill’s comments and the responses as an overreaction, but the black students are tired of this type of speech being glossed over. “Blinders” does a fantastic job of showing both sides of the story, each fraught with their own preconceived notions and problematic thinking, and realistically not solving the larger issues at hand. “Blinders” allows Smash to become less self-righteous and more focused on the world around him, the injustices that he hasn’t worried about and stand up for something that is right. It’s heartbreaking seeing Smash’s mother Corinna have to teach her son about not giving people the anger they’re expecting from a black man, a lesson which is filled with knowing and pain. As Tami Taylor says, it’s hard to make a change in Dillon, but it’s important for people like her and Smash to at least try to move towards the right direction.

21. "East Of Dillon" (Season 4, Episode 1)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

It makes sense that “East of Dillon” would be the first episode for Peter Berg to return as director since “Pilot,” since “East of Dillon” marks a completely new start for Coach Taylor. At least when Taylor started for the Panthers, he had a team, coaches, and facilities, but now as the coach for East Dillon, he has nothing. Season Four finally puts the racial tensions of this town at the front of the show—since it was a large part of Bissinger’s original book—by having the rich Dillon team redistrict the town for their own gains. With the show’s fourth and fifth guaranteed due to an agreement between DirecTV and NBC, it’s great that Friday Night Lights has the freedom to engage these types of issues without fear of rebranding itself for viewer’s sake. “East Of Dillon” has everyone at low points, including Saracen and Riggins, stars only months ago, now without direction and stuck in Dillon. But when you start this low, the only place to go is up, and it’s a climb that Coach Taylor has faced many times before and succeeded.

20. "Wind Sprints" (Season 1, Episode 3)

Dean Hendler / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

By showing the Panthers’ first loss, “Wind Sprints” pushes everyone to their breaking point, before allowing them to pull together and making the team stronger as a whole. For Coach Taylor, “Wind Sprints” presents one of his most difficult obstacles: trying to improve his team from within while outside forces attempt to correct his errors. As Smash and Riggins buck against Taylor’s style of coaching, they come together once Taylor takes the reins on his team. But the head of the outside forces, Buddy Garrity, believes a new quarterback, Katrina survivor Ray ‘Voodoo” Tatum, is exactly what the team needs. It’s important to notice this mentality in Taylor’s coaching style, as he’d rather look within at what he already has rather than allow those who think they know better than him to get their way.

19. "Full Hearts" (Season 1, Episode 9)

Van Redin / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

For its first eight episodes, Friday Night Lights’ primary goal has been to introduce us to its cast and the team. Now that we know these characters, their motivations and their relation to each other, “Full Hearts” makes us start to love them and become truly invested in their stories. “Full Hearts” also knows how to utilize all of its characters wonderfully, all within one episode. Smash gets his best story yet as he returns to his old home and learns about his deceased father and the Lyla/Riggins/Street triangle gets more interesting as the affair becomes public and Tyra throws herself into the mix. Hell, even Buddy Garrity gets a compassionate moment, as he consoles his daughter, choosing her over football. Also, if your heart doesn’t melt because of Saracen’s failed date with Julie and the eventual kiss that ends the episode—hands down one of the sweetest stories of this show—you might just be a soulless monster.

18. "I Think We Should Have Sex" (Season 1, Episode 17)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Following two episodes about hate and ignorance, Friday Night Lights does a complete turnaround with “I Think We Should Have Sex,” an episode about love and innocence. We’ve seen plenty of examples this season of kids having to let go of their troublesome parents, like Saracen allowing his father to return to Iraq or in this episode where Riggins finally kicks out his father after stealing Coach’s camera. But “I Think We Should Have Sex” has Tami and Eric Taylor having to recognize that they have to let their daughter Julie go and allow her to make her own choices that could lead to potentially harmful mistakes. They’re trying to protect their daughter from possibly getting hurt when she decides to have sex with Saracen, yet what they don’t know is that no one will protect Julie like he will. Their decision to not have sex yet is sweet, playful and completely adorable, as is their admittance that they love each other. Despite being a much softer episode than what came before it, “I Think We Should Have Sex” still packs an emotional wallop in terms of love in all its different forms and letting go.

17. "Laboring" (Season 4, Episode 12)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

In the past seasons of Friday Night Lights, we’ve seen these characters face seemingly insurmountable odds and problems at every turn, but still overcome. But Season Four’s build to the battle between the Dillon Panthers and the East Dillon Lions comes to a head in “Laboring,” with a true battle of good vs. evil looming in this penultimate episode. “Laboring” pushes its characters as much as the show possibly can before they snap. Between Tami being asked to apologize for advising Becky and Eric’s constant berating from his old team and their fans, the Taylor family has never faced such aggression against them before. When the episode ends with Eric smashing a phone that has been constantly ringing with insults on the other end, it legitimately feels like the only thing a trapped Eric can do to relieve the stress. Even when “Laboring” offers moments of hope, such as Tim finally finding happiness and Mindy giving birth to Billy’s son, it has to snatch it away by putting the Riggins boys in jail. More than any other next-to-last episode of a season so far, “Laboring” builds the tension and stakes beautifully, leading into one of the most anticipated episodes of the series.

16. "I Can't" (Season 4, Episode 10)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Season Four introduced new characters aplenty, but “I Can’t” is the episode that makes these characters Friday Night Lights’ new stars. “I Can’t” puts both Vince and Becky in difficult positions in which they seem to have no choice but the toughest one. Vince attempts to do the right thing in trying to get money for his mom to go to rehab but ends up falling back into his life of crime in order to get what he needs. Michael B. Jordan finally gets a story that showcases the struggle Vince is feeling and presents Jordan as a formidable young actor. Also getting her time in the spotlight is Dora Madison as Becky, who in “I Can’t” has to weigh the options of keeping her baby or getting an abortion. It’s an issue that FNL doesn’t back down from, as we feel every heavy step in Becky’s decision and Madison handles these moments with delicacy. “I Can’t” also starts to bring Steve Harris—as former football star Vernon—more into the central football stories of FNL, after staying on the sidelines this entire season. Friday Night Lights knew that after Season Four, it at least had one more season in its run to go. “I Can’t” is FNL doing some formidable character building by turning these new characters into the show’s main focal point.

15. "New York, New York" (Season 3, Episode 8)

Virginia Sherwood / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

“New York, New York” is filled with characters asking themselves the big “what ifs?” that creep into your mind and won’t let go. What if Street’s family doesn’t want him after he moves to New York?” What is Tyra’s cowboy boyfriend is unfaithful to her? What is Saracen tries a new position? What if the Taylors buy a new house and can’t afford it? “New York, New York” shows characters embracing their chances and weighing their options—sometimes making the right choice, and in Tyra’s situation making the absolutely wrong choice. Street takes the biggest chance here in his final episode, moving to New York, getting a job at a sport’s agency and being closer to his new family. The story is absolutely a stretch, especially his new job, but getting to see Street and Riggins in New York, sharing one last ambitious trip and saying goodbye to each other makes the entire convenient story worthwhile.

14. "Hello, Goodbye" (Season 3, Episode 4)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

The life of a teacher, a “molder of men,” is that life is cyclical. You stay in the same place, while the students around you come and go, doing the best you can with whoever is put in your path. For the first time, Friday Night Lights has to naturally say goodbye to one of its players—Smash Williams—who is moving on to college. Smash’s goodbye gives him and Coach Taylor excellent scene after excellent scene. Smash’s audition for Texas A&M, Smash telling his mother that he got into college, Coach and Smash saying goodbye to each other and one final play with the boys on the field are all easily some of “The Smash”’s finest scenes. Coach already has to worry about the new students, deciding to play new freshman J.D. McCoy as much as Saracen, molding yet another group of lives for the future. But Smash’s goodbye and his eventual success show that Coach’s determination and fight to make these kids as great as they can be is what makes him a true hero. When Smash ends the episode by saying “where you at?” to his former teammates, it’s clear that because of Smash’s trust in Coach that he’s now finally at the top, where he’s always wanted to be.

13. "Best Laid Plans" (Season 1, Episode 21)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

In the penultimate episode of season one, Friday Night Lights’ future was uncertain, which is why “Best Laid Plans” feels a lot like the show trying to say goodbye. This can best be seen in Tami’s speech at the football roast, where she says goodbye to the people her family deeply cares about. This speech isn’t just about the Taylors moving away from Dillon, or Tami staking her claim that she won’t move even if her husband does. This is also Friday Night Lights saying a potential goodbye to its audience that may only get to spend one season with the Taylors. Because of this uncertainty, “Best Laid Plans” tries to throw a future in for its characters, while also trying to give some sort of resolution. Landry finally tells Tyra how he feels, but Riggins is now single again and moving in on his ex once more. The engagement between Lyla and Street finally ends, thanks to Street kissing Suzie in front of Lyla. This frees up Lyla to move forward with a life away from Street, while Street gets an assistant coaching job for the Panthers. “Best Laid Plans” wants to have resolution and continuation, but it’s an interesting place to put these characters as the season comes to a close.

12. "Mud Bowl" (Season 1, Episode 20)

Via The AV Club

While “Mud Bowl” gives Coach Taylor his Field of Dreams-y moment and allows his to leave his mark on a town that he might soon be leaving, “Mud Bowl,” along with “Best Laid Plans,” also seems like Friday Night Lights realizing its first season might be its last. “Mud Bowl” feels like a huge victory for Coach, one that might be even greater than winning State, as he makes his own football field for the semifinal game. “Mud Bowl” is also Coach Taylor giving a win not only to his team and the town, but a moment they’ll all remember and cherish, very similar to Friday Night Lights’ possibly only season leaving a mark on the history of television. “Mud Bowl” is fascinating in how it gives almost all of its characters at least one great moment and turns subtext into text. For example, Riggins’ brother says that Riggins relationship with the mom next door probably will end poorly—likely around State—almost as if he’s seen the outline for the season. “Mud Bowl” even has Lyla telling Street exactly what he should’ve been doing this season instead of moping around, which he does and becomes better for it. Yet “Mud Bowl” isn’t all victory, as Tyra gets attacked outside the diner and finds comfort with Landry—leading to one of the show’s most problematic arcs in the next season. As Coach Taylor says in this episode, he just wants to give the town one last game on home turf and “Mud Bowl” seems like Friday Night Lights’ potentially last chance to give a huge victory before it all could end.

11. "Black Eyes and Broken Hearts" (Season 1, Episode 16)

Via Friday Night Lights Wiki

While the episode prior “Blinders” presented racism in Dillon without an easy solution, “Black Eyes and Broken Hearts” ups the ante as the team goes to a game in a town with clear racist tendencies. “Black Eyes and Broken Hearts” also asks its audience to judge Mac McGill for his idiotic comments, putting us in the shoes of Coach Taylor as he must figure out what to do with his prejudiced coach. It’s a brutal episode that pushes the discrimination once the Panthers play the Cardinals, who are given free reign against their opponents. The episode’s conclusion, with McGill standing up against the blatant ignorance and mistreatment of his players, could’ve been such a pat and simple ending to this arc about race, but it’s just so damn effective. McGill apologizing to Smash for his actions might be the most touching scene of the show thus far, a man finally admitting his foolish mistakes, but still giving the audience the acknowledgment that the ignorant thoughts still live within McGill and may always remain there.

10. "Leave No One Behind" (Season 2, Episode 14)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Season Two of Friday Night Lights clearly went through an identity crisis, as the show tried to draw in a larger crowd with new ideas while trying to still keep their small existing fanbase happy. In “Leave No One Behind,” the best episode of Season Two, the show similarly focuses on its own characters going through their own confusions of identity. Saracen becomes a loose canon and starts following in Riggins’ footsteps after the disappointment in his life becomes too much. Smash standing up for himself might have cost him his one shot at college football and his dreams. Julie has to deal with her own mother finding more in common with her best friend than with her. With the end of football season coming to a close, the show realizes that it has kept that aspect of the show on the back burner and makes it a strength, as the team might not even make the finals after winning State. “Leave No Man Behind” is also hilarious, powerfully emotional—especially with some fantastic moments of Smash and might be Saracen’s finest episode—and gets back to what made this show so phenomenal in the first place. After the confusion of figuring out what type of show Friday Night Lights would be in its second season, “Leave No One Behind” finally has the show finding itself in the end.

9. "Homecoming" (Season 1, Episode 7)

Van Redin / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Friday Night Lights never hides the price that football can cost a person. It’s in every scene with Street and it’s there every time someone questions Coach Taylor’s decisions. But the reliance on football can truly ruin a person’s life, as seen in “Homecoming.” With former Panther superstar Lucas Miles returning to Dillon, we see the happiness he still brings to these people, yet without football, his life has completely fallen apart. Which is what makes Smash’s story here all the more tragic. He’s clearly one of the team’s players, but after an off night, he’s afraid that all his hopes, dreams and his ability to provide for his family are almost out of his grasp. We’ve seen the town full of former high school football greats, left putting their dreams in the hands of the next generation, but the possibility that our players could one day become one of them is heartbreaking. While “Homecoming” shows that the greats aren’t promised anything, it also shows that people can get second chances. Riggins leading the team to victory, quitting drinking (for now) and giving the winning ball to his best friend has Friday Night Lights presenting just how quickly a person’s luck can change for the better.

8. "Don't Go" (Season 5, Episode 10)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

As consistently great as Season Five of Friday Night Lights has been, “Don’t Go” is the first episode of the season that feel truly excellent. “Don’t Go” melds the “new class” of characters with some of the old, all while showing the impact that Coach Taylor has had on Dillon, Texas. The episode brilliantly starts with Taylor being offered an incredible job, making the audience think he’d be stupid not to. But after hearing his players sing his praises, seeing the appreciation this town now has for him, hearing the pleas of Vince not to go, and understanding he probably won’t have a relationship with any college student in the way he did with someone like Tim Riggins, “Don’t Go” makes you think Taylor would be stupid to leave. Coach Taylor has transformed this town and these players—as well as himself and his family—and “Don’t Go” is a wonderful celebration of Taylor and this five seasons-long evolution that is soon coming to an end.

7. "Texas Whatever" (Season 5, Episode 12)

Bill Records / Bill Records / NBC / Via NBC

In the penultimate episode, Friday Night Lights makes a ballsy move with “Texas Whatever,” fraying the relationship between the constantly loving Eric and Tami Taylor. “Texas Forever” is brilliant in how it tensely handles these two, as with the show ending, it actually makes its audience believe that these two could fall apart. Of course, that isn’t where the show is headed, but even presenting the idea is brave enough. “Texas Whatever”—which was also directed by Kyle Chandler—presents the idea of the Taylors leaving Texas seriously for the first time, and makes us actually want them to move on, a trick up FNL’s sleeve that it always pulls off excellently. It’s also wonderful to see the return of Tyra and Saracen and see how their interactions with Riggins and Julie, respectively, will shift the tide for all of these characters. Most heartbreaking though is to see everything Eric Taylor has worked for with East Dillon fall apart before their trip to State, as the team is dissolved, leaving him without a home and a future. After eighteen years though, it’s finally time for Tami to lead the family. She is always right after all.

6. "Thanksgiving" (Season 4, Episode 13)

Bill Records / � NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

Compared to the season-ending games of Season One and Season Three, Season Four’s game of the Dillon Panthers vs. East Dillon Lions doesn’t have the prestige or honor of past seasons. But Season Four builds the tension and rivalry between these two teams to make this match the most enthralling and exciting football game in the series. “Thanksgiving” and all of Friday Night Lights’s fourth season has been about the small victories, and even though the Lions actually winning doesn’t mean State, it does mean a pride in a team that thirteen episodes ago literally didn’t exist. Panthers vs. Lions is actually good vs. evil and it feels good for the right thing to actually happen for once. “Thanksgiving” is filled with these hard moments of the right thing happening, such as Tami standing up for her help of Becky, Julie dumping Saracen to “find her own Chicago,” and Tim taking the fall for the Riggins Rigs’ chop shop. “Thanksgiving” also feels like the Taylors against this town, with the Taylors coming out on top, defying the odds that have come against them near the end of this season. Season Four comes to a close in about as satisfying and exhilarating as a season of TV can end, concluding an excellent penultimate season that leads its characters perfectly into the final stretch.

5. "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1)

Via We Heart It

Even though the 2004 Friday Night Lights movie is quite excellent, it still felt like too large of a story to cram into a single film. For “Pilot,” the film’s writer and director Peter Berg is the perfect choice to begin the fleshing out of the show’s grander scale. His film primarily set the tone and style for the show and Berg knows the limitations and weaknesses of said movie going in, immediately bringing race and female characters into the mix after being secondary in the film.

But most important, Berg knows where the heart and spirit of this story is: not in the football, but in the characters, relationships, and community that unites into that stadium every Friday. In this first episode, “Pilot” has to throw in a ton of story and history, but does it without ever getting soapy or overly exposition-heavy. “Pilot” does an excellent job of laying the groundwork—filled with excitement, tragedy, and hope—and Berg does it all in half the time he did with his film.

4. "State" (Season 1, Episode 22)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

If Friday Night Lights had only had one season—which “State” seems to think the show would—the conclusion of “State” bookends what would’ve been a near-perfect series. Thankfully the show would live on for four more seasons, but “State” is a brilliant conclusion to this freshman season, as exciting, emotional and as beautiful as anything that came before it. Because of its uncertain future, “State” is smart to not offer any concrete conclusions to these stories, yet this also keeps in theme with the cyclical idea of this story: there will always be another season, another team and another coach. These stories will continue for as long as Texas and football exist and “State” allows that to stay true. “State” is also very much a thank you to the fans, a love letter to the “few out there who do still believe in you.” Coach’s halftime speech might as well be thanking the audience for sticking with the show. Yet “State” could’ve felt like little more than fan service. The Panthers win State, Tami Taylor is pregnant again and it seems like both Tami and Eric will get exactly what they want with their careers. Thankfully, “State” didn’t end up being the end. As Coach says in his halftime speech, “this battle is not over,” and neither is the story for the Taylors, the Panthers and the town of Dillon.

3. "The Son" (Season 4, Episode 5)

Via Entertainment Monthly

Few shows have dealt with death quite as perfectly as Friday Night Lights does with “The Son.” When Saracen’s father dies, he’s a mess of emotions, primarily ones that we rarely see from Saracen like hatred and anger. Zach Gilford in “The Son” gives a flawless performance, as he deals with the uncertainty and many frustrations that come from losing someone close. There’s nothing you or anyone else can do to alleviate the pain and that can make a person frantic and furious amongst the loss. While Gilford knocks it out of the park, Taylor Kitsch as Riggins is also fantastic, showing the helplessness that comes from loving those who have lost loved ones. Riggins tries to do all he can to help one of his closest friends, but all he can do it go along for the ride. “The Son” doesn’t try to avoid the emptiness and pressure that comes with death, as none of the other plots this episode go light-hearted to make the main plot easier to swallow. “The Son” doesn’t offer relief, but allows the sorrow to work its way into ourselves and feel even the slightest amount how Saracen would feel at a moment like this.

2. "Underdogs" (Season 3, Episode 12)

Bill Records / © NBC Universal, Inc. / Via NBC

“I wanna win and have people be happy for me. I wanna lose and get over it,” Tyra says in her college applications in “Underdogs,” in a line that feels true to the goals of Season One and Season Three. We’ve seen the joy that success at State can mean for the coach, the players and the entire town of Dillon, but “Underdogs” brilliantly shows what a high-stakes loss can mean for these same people. Instead of focusing on the loss or the pain of losing your final high school game—like Riggins and Saracen must be feeling—“Underdogs” shows the glory of giving your all and still being a champion. “Underdogs” is also about realizing that there’s more to life than just football. Coach Taylor seems to get a certain amount of relief when Tami tells him that win or lose, the sun will rise tomorrow, and Riggins’ face once his high school career is over shows a happiness in doing his best and the acknowledgment that these moments will last forever. “Underdogs” breaks down what makes Friday Night Lights so great: the idea that even if you try your best and fail, it’s always important to pick yourself up and move ahead, becoming better than the disappointments life throws in your way.

1. "Always" (Season 5, Episode 13)

"Always" might be a little easy, a little pat, or too perfect as a goodbye. "Always" seems like at any moment, it could go over the deep end, with moment after moment of overly sentimental, sweet and scenes filled with pure love. But over five seasons, this show has earned a finale like this. Friday Night Lights has always pulled the rug out from its characters, showing them happiness before taking it away. But not in its final hour. Instead we see our characters from start to finish in the direction we want for all of them.

Tami leads the Taylor family away from Texas, finally. Saracen and Julie get engaged, and Riggins and Tyra get together once more, hoping to merge together again one day in the future. The East Dillon Lions win State -- which ends up being their final game. Simply put, "Always" gives everything one could want from an episode of Friday Night Lights and creates the idyllic series finale that can't help but be loved.

But “Always” isn’t just a sugar-coated conclusion, it works beautifully with the themes that FNL was built on. The cyclical nature of the show continues, as Coach Taylor must now get another group in playable condition on the other side of the country. His old players will continue to play football, just for their rivals the Dillon Panthers. The Riggins boys will always find a reason to drink in the afternoon. Characters will chase their dreams, love will prevail and football will always be the forefront of Dillon’s community. When the Riggins state matter-of-factly “Texas forever” near the end of the episode, it’s a reminder that the characters and times might change, but the ways of this place will always stay the same. And as long as they have clear eyes and a full heart, they can’t lose.