Friday Night Lights was never just a football show. It's easy to write it off that way, but if you ever sat down and watched an episode, you'll see that FNL is bigger than the "high schoolers in Texas who live for game night" trope. In fact, football was the least interesting part of the show.
Friday Night Lights was never just about winning; it was a show about coming back from defeat. While the series would live for five seasons and 76 episodes, it was nearly canceled after its first season — and threatened with cancelation every subsequent season due to dismal ratings.
Every episode had a tear-inducing moment. Every arc ended with a valuable life lesson. FNL exposed the dark side of our obsession with winning and all that comes with it.
And because of the stellar performances — from Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler, Taylor Kitsch, and others — the show moved you.
Has anyone ever made it through more than two episodes of FNL without being reduced to a watery blob of sobs? Doubtful.
The real question isn't whether or not FNL made you cry, but how many times and which moments did it. There are so many scenes that make you feel everything at once! So for the five year anniversary of the show's goodbye, we've rounded up a few of the most heartrending, sob-worthy, serious case-of-the-feels moments in FNL history.
Texas forever.
"We will all fall." (Season 1, Episode 1)
The final minutes of the show's pilot episode take you through a whirlwind of emotions following Jason Street's major injury on the field. There's a montage that shows buzz saws cutting open Street's helmet, people racing to the hospital, and Lyla (Minka Kelly) crying in the hall. It's all strung together by the powerful speech from Coach Taylor, in which he tells his players, "We will all fall."
"I can't do it all by myself, Ma." (Season 4, Episode 10)
A lot of big moments happened in the season 4 episode "I Can't." But one of the standouts was this scene, with Michael B. Jordan as Vince. The emotional moments with his mother after she's overdosed — when he asks why she wanted to leave him and she tells him he needs her — are truly heartbreaking.
“You think you’re champions?” (Season 1, Episode 3)
Nothing brings a team of selfish players together after an upsetting loss quite like running in the rain at night. And that's exactly what Coach Taylor does. He buses his players to a remote location in the middle of the night and forces them run wind sprints uphill in a rainstorm. It all ends when Smash shouts their motto: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!" It's FNL symbolism at its best.
"It's not that I think I'm going to get all these things, I just want the possibility of getting them." (Season 3, Episode 13)
Tyra Collette had one of the most interesting and moving storylines on the show. The best thing about Tyra is that she didn't listen when people told her no. Despite all the obstacles in her way, she still pursues her dreams of getting into college. And when she reads her college admissions essay to the University of Texas she worked on with Landry Clarke, you can't help but cry.
“Ladies and gentleman, please welcome tonight’s honorary captain...” (Season 1, Episode 7)
Remember that homecoming moment when Jason Street returns to the field for the first time after his injury? And the entire crowd cheers for him? And Tim Riggins wheeled him onto the field? You were probably crying a little, right? Right.
"I wanted to stop by and say thank you. You know...for everything." (Season 2, Episode 15)
Smash lost his scholarship to TMU because of a race-related fight in a movie theater. Just when it feels like his chances are shot and we're not going to get a happy ending for this character, he gets a scholarship offer from Whitmore College, an HBCU. What's more emotional: The touching moment where he thanks Coach Taylor for everything or the tearful exchange with his mother when he says, "I'm goin' to college, momma."
"Everybody leaves me!" (Season 2, Episode 14)
Zach Gilford's portrayal of Matt Saracen was always pitch-perfect. And with the horrible death of Saracen's father in Iraq, we really got to see Gilford shine as an actor. One of the hardest moments to watch? When Matt Saracen broke down in front of Coach Taylor — who tossed him in the shower. It's an emotional, upsetting, and absolutely fantastic scene capped with Coach telling him, "There's nothing wrong with you."
"I did it. I did it all." (Season 4, Episode 13)
Tim Riggins was the perpetually drunk, super-talented, tank top-wearing fullback/running back of the Dillon Panthers. He was your wasted anti-hero boyfriend with hair that needed a wash. But the moment when Riggins took the fall for his brother's chop shop — to make sure Billy's unborn son wouldn't grow up fatherless — was the moment when you finally felt like the real Tim Riggins was shining through. It's a difficult decision, but moving.
"Because I wanted you to wait." (Season 1, Episode 17)
There are few things more awkward than a mother confronting her teenage daughter about her first time. But that's what happened on FNL after Julie has sex with Matt. And it could have been so easy for this scene to be cheesy, laughable, and downright awful. Instead, it just further proves that Tami Taylor is the perfect mother — and leaves you in tears, just like her daughter, Julie.
Basically EVERY moment with Eric & Tami Taylor.
The backbone of this show is the strong, loving relationship between Coach Taylor and Tami Taylor. This couple is #RelationshipGoals. This couple is better than any meme. This is just one of thousands of Tami-and-Eric moments, but when he says, "I love you, I respect you, I'm proud of you, I'm in love with you completely," your heart melts. Thanks for making us all believe in love!
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