There's something Friday Night Lights' Matt Saracen wants. Bad. To get it, he'll have to go through the woman who brought him into the world.

And playing the long-estranged mom of Matt (Zach Gilford) will be Kim Dickens, a.k.a. Deadwood's Joanie Stubbs, TV Guide reveals.

To date, not much has been revealed about Matt's never-seen mom.

He's led folks to believe she was far removed from his world, the truth is that she's been much closer — geographically — than thought.

That alone speaks volumes about the tension between the two when Matt Saracen finally comes knocking on her door - with a purpose.

Dickens — who will also be familiar to Lost fans from her role as Sawyer's "long con," Cassidy Phillips — first appears as Shelby Saracen in episode two of Season 3, which kicks off October 1 on DirecTV.

Friday Night Lights will feature a pair of new faces when it returns in the fall: Janine Turner (Northern Exposure) and D.W. Moffett (Life Is Wild, Hidden Palms) have been cast in recurring roles of Katie and Joe McCoy.

The affluent McCoys move to Dillon from Dallas, with their (as-yet-uncast) teen son in tow. The kid is a high school freshman with major football skills who will be fancied by many as the new Jason Street.

That, as you can imagine, will put even more pressure on Dillon's current QB-1 Matt Saracen. Poor Matt Saracen. His life is never far from mucho drama, be it with the ladies, his family, or football.

Katie and Joe will be introduced in the first two episodes of the third season, which premieres October 1 on DirecTV. NBC then unspools new Friday Night Lights episodes starting in early 2009.

Kyle Chandler was once the star of Early Edition.

For those who don't recall, it was about a guy who, for reasons completely unknown, gets tomorrow's newspaper on his doorstep today. So he's got 24 hours to try and prevent whatever disaster he reads about.

When the L.A. Daily News spoke with Chandler - now the star of Friday Night Lights - the subject of Early Edition came up as well.

"That was a fun show," he said. "I've been very fortunate, no doubt about that. I went four years on that."

Kyle Chandler is hopeful that the critically acclaimed but low-rated Friday Night Lights runs at least that long.

As Eric Taylor, coach of the high school football team in fictional Dillon, Texas, he heads a show that's about a lot more than football and uses its small-town backdrop to dramatize issues facing Middle America.

It was in danger of being axed after each of its two seasons but managed to weather so-so ratings and a writers strike to return in the fall - first on DirectTV, then rebroadcast on NBC in early 2009.

"To have this opportunity with the third season, I'm very excited for it," Chandler said. "I think the show will be as strong as ever. I think it's a new opportunity. As long as they keep it on the air."Continue Reading...

What's coming up in Friday Night Lights' Season Three? We've already discussed this in great detail - but more spoilers are emerging.

Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly has some some interesting, new pieces of information on the Friday Night Lights spoiler front ...

Q: Is Lyla's father still a part of Friday Night Lights?

A: Yep, Buddy's back, and, as you might expect, he's none too pleased that Lyla and Tim are officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

Q: I heard we're going to meet Matt's mother on Friday Night Lights. Do you know anything else about that?

A: She's a lot closer to Matt Saracen than we were led to believe, at least geographically. She works as a hairdresser in a nearby town!

Q: Is Friday Night Lights really splitting Tyra and Landry up?

A: If it's any comfort, Jesse Plemons said at a recent press event that he doesn't think the breakup will hold:

"If I know the writers, they'll end up together at some point... I think they're just adding some drama. This is Friday Night Lights."

The man makes a point.

NBC and DirecTV hosted a luncheon with the cast of TV's best drama, Friday Night Lights, in which executive producer Jason Katims huddled up with a few journalists - such as Entertainment Weekly star Michael Ausiello - and basically outlined plans for the entire third season.

Warning: Major Friday Night Lights spoilers below!

If you're having a tough time coping with the impending loss of Gaius Charles' Smash and Scott Porter's Jason, wait until next year:

Tim (Taylor Kitsch), Matt (Zach Gilford), Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) and Lyla (Minka Kelly) are all entering their senior years this season.

The knowledge that this may be their final year in Dillon will "add an urgency to [their] stories, but also a nostalgia." "It will be sad to leave," says Adrianne Palicki, "but I think we were all kind of prepared for that on some level."

When the new season starts, eight months will have passed since the Season 2 finale, placing the action at the start of a new school year. Among the major developments: Tim and Lyla are now in a serious relationship.

"We think it'll be a tremendously fun storyline, which could ultimately become very moving," Katims says.Continue Reading...

Body art? Working at Applebee's with Tyra? A new boyfriend (who's also her old boyfriend)? That's just some of what Aimee Teegarden says is in store for her Friday Night Lights alter ego, Julie Taylor, in Season 3.

Click on the photo below for an interview Aimee Teegarden did with TV Guide in which she discusses her character as well as living in Austin...

You can't have too many Minka Kelly sightings. Opting for boho chic, the always fashionable Friday Night Lights star looks California cool in a long floral-printed maxi with a sexy slit for an NBC party in Beverly Hills.

What do you think of Minka Kelly's outfit: Hit or miss?

Ever since Friday Night Lights' Season 3 renewal, many fans such as ourselves have been waiting for the other cleat to drop.

Now, Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly reports, two of the series' stars, Gaius Charles (Smash Williams) and Scott Porter (Jason Street), have been taken off contract and will only appear on a recurring basis.

In a statement, executive producer Jason Katims said:

"Peter Berg, myself and our fellow producers have enormous respect for Scott and Gaius both as actors and individuals. In short, we love them. However, both of their characters have now graduated and in the creative spirit of the show, we have decided to give them powerful four episode arcs that will observe their characters as they launch themselves into the next phase of their lives. We certainly will keep the door open for both actors to return in the future, depending on the actors' availabilities. We know both Scott and Gaius will go on to have enormous success and we wish the best for both of them."

It's a big disappointment, but at the same time, not a complete surprise.

Regarding Smash, Katims conceded long ago that finding a way to justify hanging onto his college-bound running back would be difficult.

Continue Reading...

Talented Friday Night Lights star Jesse Plemons will soon be dealing the chronic ... to Kevin Spacey in the indie comedy Shrink.

Shrink centers on Hollywood A-list psychiatrist Henry Carter (Kevin Spacey), who, following a personal tragedy, is unable to cope and turns into a pothead with little concern for his appearance and inability to help patients.

Among the troubled doctor's clients are a once-famous actress, an insecure young writer and a comically obsessive compulsive uber-agent.

Jesse Plemons will play a pot dealer named Jesus, joining a cast that also includes Robin Williams and Saffron Burrows.

Jonas Pate, who actually filmed several episodes of Friday Night Lights, is directing, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In an unprecedented move, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences posted online the top 10 finalists for nominations for the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards in the outstanding comedy series and drama series categories.

Among the top shows still being considered: Friday Night Lights.

The 10 drama contenders are Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Grey's Anatomy, House, Lost, Mad Men, The Tudors and The Wire.

The final five nominees in each category - which will be voted on and a winner announced at the Emmy Awards - will be released on July 17.

All we have to add is Go Panthers!