'Friday Night Lights' Cast: Where Are They Now?
Texas forever! Friday Night Lights stole viewers’ hearts for five seasons on NBC — and the cast has just as much love for the series as their fans do.
The series was inspired by H.G. Bissinger’s nonfiction book, which was later adapted into the 2004 film of the same name. From 2006 to 2011, the show followed the journeys of high school athletes and their families in a rural Texas town, picking up a Peabody Award, a Television Critics Association Award and several Emmy Award nominations along the way.
Five years after the show went off the air, the cast reunited on the real-life Panther Field in Austin, Texas, at the 2016 ATX Television Festival.
“Being back here is amazing,” Scott Porter, who played revered athlete Jason Street, told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “We used to play flag football on this field and I think that, even more than shooting out here, means something to me in a special way and to be where those memories were made, where those friendships were really forged and ironed.”
Two years later, Porter opened up about the possibility of a revival of the sports drama — but emphasized that he thought the series gave each character the right amount of “closure” by the end. “There’s a lot of shows that end too early and the fanbase and those involved never get the closure that they really need,” he told Us Weekly. “I think a lot of us from Friday Night Lights all got the closure because it ended so well.”
Though fans have been holding out hope for a reboot, Adrianne Palicki, who played Tyra Collette, shut down all speculation in April 2020.
“I don’t know about you guys but I get this question every time I’m interviewed: Will there be a reunion episode or will there be a spinoff?” the actress asked her fellow costars, who reunited over Zoom for Global Citizen’s #TogetherAtHome special during the coronavirus pandemic. “The answer is no.”
Scroll down to learn more about where the cast of Friday Night Lights is today.
The Massachusetts native shined as Dillon High guidance counselor Tami Taylor and later moved on to star in gripping dramas like Nashville, American Horror Story, 9-1-1 and Dirty John.
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After taking his final bow as beloved high school football coach Eric Taylor, Chandler moved on to the big screen. He had roles in 2011's Super 8, 2012's Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, and later joined Millie Bobby Brown in Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019.
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For five seasons, Kitsch stole viewers' hearts as troubled heartthrob Tim Riggins. He's admitted to feeling “complete closure” with his character's end — and ruled out returning for a reunion movie — and has taken on big roles in Battleship, The Normal Heart and Waco.
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Shortly after his status was changed to recurring for seasons 4 and 5 of the sports drama, Gilford made his big screen debut in 2006's The Last Winter. The Illinois native has since gone on to star in a number of indie films and scored a recurring role on NBC’s Good Girls. In December 2012, Gilford tied the knot with actress Kiele Sanchez, who he met while filming the pilot of The Matadors. The duo welcomed daughter Zeppelin Adele via surrogate in November 2017, two years after Sanchez suffered a devastating miscarriage.
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After leaving Dillon, Texas, in season 3, Kelly went on to appear on shows like Parenthood, Charlie's Angels and Almost Human. Though she tends to keep her personal life relatively private, she admitted during a 2016 radio interview on Power 106 that she didn't mind hearing rumors about who she was dating. "I think it comes with the territory. It's a small price to pay for the extraordinary life that I live," she said at the time. "You just have to find the comedy in all of it."
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The Texas native took on roles in Breaking Bad and Fargo following his breakthrough performance in Friday Night Lights. After popping the question to Fargo costar Kirsten Dunst in 2017, the duo sparked rumors of a secret wedding ceremony and welcomed their first child together, son Ennis, in May 2018. The Bring It On actress finally confirmed in September 2019 that they hadn’t walked down the aisle just yet.
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Porter made a switch to the big screen after Friday Night Lights, appearing in Bandslam, Dear John and Music and Lyrics. He later starred alongside Rachel Bilson in Hart of Dixie. In 2013, the Nebraska native tied the knot with casting director Kelsey Mayfield, whom he met on the set of the sports drama series.
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The California native went on to star in 2011’s Scream 4 and Disney’s Prom the same year. Teegarden was named TV Actress of the Year by the Young Hollywood Awards for her work on Friday Night Lights before its final season. Since then, she’s become a vocal advocate for ocean conservation.
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Palicki portrayed Dillon football hater Tyra Collette for the first three seasons of the show, but didn’t return until the final two episodes after leaving the series. The comic book fan later went on to star in Seth MacFarlane's The Orville, where she met longtime boyfriend Scott Grimes. The pair announced their engagement in January 2019 and tied the knot four months later, only to file for divorce that July. TMZ reported in November 2019 that Palicki requested to dismiss her divorce filing.
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The Texas Tech graduate has made guest appearances on a number of popular series throughout his 40-year career, including Veep, Parks and Recreation, Last Man Standing and The Cleveland Show. He shares two daughters, Thea and Leah, with actress Freda Ramsey.
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After leaving the East Dillon Lions behind, the Virginia native costarred in Parenthood and Shonda Rhimes' Gilded Lilys. In 2019, he joined Gina Rodriguez for the Catherine Hardwicke action-thriller Miss Bala.
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Jordan scored a breakout role as an up-and-coming quarterback on the final two seasons of Friday Night Lights. Two years after the series finale, he was dubbed "a young Denzel Washington" by The Hollywood Reporter for his performance in Fruitvale Station. The California native later starred in Creed, Black Panther and Just Mercy.
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From 2013 to 2014, the New York City native was a series regular on HBO's True Blood. Us confirmed in March 2020 that the actress had split from husband Josiah Bell after nearly 10 years together. The former pair share son Hunter, who they welcomed in 2016.
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