By Tom Comi
Fans of Friday Night Lights have been sad for some time knowing that the final season is wrapping up on NBC this spring. But the recent announcement that cast member Adrianne Palicki will star in a forthcoming remake of Wonder Woman on the same network is just one of many examples of how the actors of the show will be with us for many years to come.
Although the program about a high school football team was never a big enough hit to justify another extension, Friday Night Lights always had a loyal following and received critical acclaim. The combination of great scripts and wonderful acting kept the show going longer than many shows receiving the same ratings. It also didn’t hurt that DirecTV stepped in to help foot the bill with the provision that it got first rights to air the show (the series finale aired last week and the final season will now premiere on NBC beginning April 15).
And even though the show is going away, the stars of the show aren’t. The series has served as the ultimate launching pad for a mostly unknown cast, so we decided to take a look at what some of them are doing as a result of the exposure they received:
Kyle Chandler: Without question the heart and soul of Friday Night Lights, Chandler drew us all in as high school football coach, husband and father of two. Although he’s also known for his prior TV work on Grey’s Anatomy and Early Edition, his fans can most look forward to his upcoming performance in the highly-anticipated Paramount film Super 8.
Connie Britton: Before playing Chandler’s wife, television viewers might remember the actress from her appearances on Spin City, 24, The Fighting Fitzgeralds and The West Wing. And Britton’s fans will be able to see her again in the 2011 films Conception and When Angels Sing.
Aimee Teegarden: Suffice it to say that playing the TV daughter of Britton and Chandler is just a beginning of sorts. Only 22, Teagarden will take her talents to the large screen with roles in Beautiful Wave, Scream 4, Prom and Beneath the Darkness (as well as the TV pilot Aim High).
Scott Porter: After his character Jason Street was paralyzed in the series premiere, we quickly learned that this was not simply a show about football. Porter now shares screen time with Julianna Margulies in the CBS hit The Good Wife.
Minka Kelly: She was the face of the young cast in its first few seasons playing cheerleader Lyla Garrity, and she can now be seen in theaters in The Roommate and on the NBC hit show Parenthood with fellow FNL alum Michael B. Jordan (who played quarterback Vince Howard).
Zach Gilford: Following his stint as Dillon Panthers quarterback Matt Saracen, Gilford is now playing a doctor on the ABC drama Off the Map.
Adrianne Palicki: After portraying Tyra Collette over the past five years, she starred on the short-lived Fox drama Lone Star. Palicki is getting a second chance with the title role in NBC’s remake of Wonder Woman.
Taylor Kitsch: He will always be known as the brooding Tim Riggins, but Kitsch’s good looks and acting ability will make him a hot commodity for a long time. He has already appeared in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and he will be featured in the 2012 movies John Carter of Mars and Battleship.
Jurnee Smollet: She first caught our attention playing alongside Denzel Washington in the film The Great Debaters, although she’s been acting since age 8 (she had short stints on Full House, Cosby, On Our Own). Her two seasons as Jess Merriweather on Friday Night Lights, and her current role as Lisa Tyler on the CBS legal drama The Defenders, makes us think she’s going to have a long promising career.
Matt Lauria: Joined the cast in last few seasons as Luke Cafferty, and is now showcasing his talents as a cop on Fox’s The Chicago Code.