Variety is reporting that the deal between NBC and DirecTV has officially been hashed out that will result in two more seasons of 13 episodes each (26 total episodes) of Friday Night Lights:
Deal calls for the Imagine TV/Universal Media Studios drama skein to continue through a fourth and fifth season of 13 episodes each. As they did this season, “Friday Night Light’s” third, DirecTV will get the first shot at airing the segs commercial-free before they bow on NBC. The negotiations between the Peacock and DirecTV hit a roadblock last week but ultimately resumed and the agreement was reached today.
Stacey Oristano, Derek Phillips and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
Friday Night Lights fans might also be interested in Robert’s recent interview. Friday Night Lights‘ Stacey Oristano answers your questions.
That’s awesome for the FNL fans! How long until this turns into a ‘What about Chuck’ thread?! My bet is 10 minutes. Any takers?
What about Chuck?
30 seconds.
On a semi-serious note, I think it has nothing to do with any other NBC “bubble” show’s prospects.
Tricia Helfer is on Chuck tonight and those on the east coast will be able to find out if her character and Yvonne Strahovsky fight over Chuck in less than 45 minutes.
Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck!
This doesn’t have anything to do with Chuck’s prospect. FNL will air on NBC in the winter and on Fridays…pretty much as far away from Chuck as possible.
David, we know that but, we know how things are going lately, so rather than try to stem the tidal wave, we’re just riding it!
That’s very true. I am sooo looking forward to tonights episode! Tricia Helfer is awesome. They should bring back Jordana Brewster and Rachel Bilson and have themselves a Battle Royal. That would be the dream.
Seriously though, I can’t see why people aren’t watching this show. But then again I though the same about Arrested Development and 4 years on I still want more AD! Looking forward to the movie now though, they better not mess it up!
I’m (hopefully) going to beat Julia to the punch on this and say that this is a bad move for NBC.
All aboard to 5th place across the board!
I think it all really depends on how much they’re paying for it. It probably isn’t too bad a deal to pay half and fill the Friday night wasteland.
go 5th place go!
Sean it isn’t about the finances of the deal it’s the general lack of ambition and direction that the deal represents.
NBC is once again renewing a show that’s dead in the water, does anyone realistically expect FNL to produce better ratings next year or the year after? They’re renewing a show that’s being out performed by Terminator for God sakes!
I hope you guys are right and this doesn’t hurt Chuck. Long live Chuck!! 17 mins. until the show starts!!
Alex, maybe they’re hoping that the superb 3rd season gets recognized by the Emmys this year and this could increase its audience, not that it’ll ever become a powerhouse or anything, but when they have so much junk on their schedule it’s encouraging that at least they’re keeping their high quality shows.
Bob, my guess is that the alternative to FNL for that timeslot was either Dateline or something like Deal or No Deal. No chance that Chuck would have been put there.
I agree that the direction has been off during the Silverman era. But then it has tried going the other way with shows like ‘Studio 60′ and ‘Kings’ but that doesn’t seem to work either. At this point I think for them it is all about the finances.
If they didn’t renew shows that we’re failing we’d only have the office, 30 Rock and L&O SVU left. Everything else is either declining or ending. It sucks but it’s true, NBC are in damage limitation mode.
sean g., i have to disagree here. i think nbc is cutting off it’s nose to spite it’s face. by making this move they are saying that they are really only going to aggressively schedule 8 hours a week; M-Th 8 & 9. Leno was their one chance to move stuff around and try to be a player on fridays. instead they are trading short term (and what has to be small) profit for continuing and accelerating damage to fridays. well, perhaps its not that drastic, but i think its close. i mean FNL is barely scraping by as is. with continued audience erosion, what does NBC think it will pull next season? Chopping Block numbers? it’s already almost there! what about in season 5? Everybody Hates Chris is probably getting better ratings than what FNL will get by then! what are they thinking really?!
I don’t understand how they can do this and not do a similar deal for Lipstick Jungle?
Since I have no idea what DirecTV paid it’s hard to opine. I’d spin it like this (in very round numbers): $20M or more per season: a GREAT deal for NBC. $10M-$20M per season: still perhaps a very reasonable thing for NBC to do based on projections for ad revenue (at a 1.2 rating for adults 18-49), DVD sales and syndication revenue. Sure, Dateline and Deal or No Deal are much cheaper, but there aren’t any ancillary revenue streams. If it’s less than $10 million a year, NBC is perhaps very ambitious when it comes to ancillary revenue.
If Chuck does wind up getting canceled I predict a lot of “Please DirecTV, subsidize Chuck too!!”, but that’s the only way I see Chuck winding up on Friday nights…
That seems really risky to me. They must be getting a great deal with DirecTV because the show’s ratings are horrible.
well the 1.2 18-49 is over half of CBS’ rating so I think the numbers must be working in their favour overall. Does anyone know the dvd sales for previous FNL dvd boxsets?
Im confused… what exactly does direct TV get outta this?
they pay money to have FNL broadcast on a different channel.. are they trying to get FNL syndicated? by bribing someone to air it?
Sean I’m waiting for the NBC press release – ‘CBS aren’t quite doubling are ratings… yet’
djm DirectTV must feel that FNL is doing something for them in terms of subscriptions etc. to want it back for two more season…
Alex- I meant for the cost that they are paying to produce it. The only cheaper option would probably be to have 2 hours of Deal or No Deal.
djm, the one thing we know DirecTV gets for sure is the right to air the episodes first only on DirecTV. What and whether they might have negotiated beyond that for cuts of syndication or DVD sales, etc., we have no idea.
This is good news. A good, uncomplicated, unpretentious show with good old fashion storytelling instead of gimmicks being renewed is always heart warming.
NBC is getting directTV to pay for the show, it has a filler for Friday, it gets all the other revenue, and has something that is a contender for the awards. Not a bad deal, IMO. How does FNL fare when it comes to DVD sales?
The only problem I might see is that it might not have a big global appeal, since the rest of the world calls football to another ball game. They can relate to the human interest part of the show, though.
sean g., i can’t believe anyone would shoot for “getting half of the competition”. of course i am dumbfounded by this move, so perhaps you are right. although i still think it’s preposterous to say a 1.2 is EVER working in someone’s favor, but perhaps NBC has indeed sunk low enough to accept it as good enough.
Hey, the Peacock is getting a critic fave show for a sale price. Smart business. Why not? This way they can still claim they have QUALITY programming. I guess. Happy for the fans.
It’s probably the same reasoning that FOX used when renewing Til Death. Sony gave them a low enough price for FOX to make a moderate profit and FOX took it. Money. Sometimes it isn’t just about the artistic integrity, it just makes good business sense.
You know, this will probably make fans of any low rated or bubble show absolutely loathe this show. Once again, idiocy reigns supreme!
Who cares whether it’s good for NBC! This is a win for quality programming. And I’m in New Zealand, so there is some global appeal. It airs on a free-to-air music channel here, but I have no idea how big an audience it draws. Still, that’s some revenue.
Alex: “They’re renewing a show that’s being out performed by Terminator for God sakes!”
Oops, now all the Terminator fans will say this is how TSCC will be saved!
The real bad news is that I had to see the godawful word “skein” again. Damn you, Variety!
Fox and NBC are in different positions though – not that anyone will ever be able to convince me that another season of ’Till Death was a good idea regardless of the price. As things stand NBC aren’t in a position where they can keep a 1.2 on the books because its cheap and ultimately that’s what this amounts to. I don’t see any realistic chances of FNL improving its numbers next year or the year after so NBC has just raised the white flag and admitted complete defeat here and that’s not a good sign. Networks are businesses but at some point ambition has to kick in.
If NBC wants a cheap alternative for Friday’s they should give the WWE a call and get Smackdown – that’s two-hours of comparatively cheap television that will no doubt increase their average for the night as well.
Damn, Alex beat me by an hour and a half. This is why nobody should ever go to school.
I’m holding a wake for NBC this Friday. Anyone with me?
Julia, You know I’m not a fan of Zucker/Silverman, but since this was rather expected (at least the first season), I’m not sure this is wake-worthy.
I hope Chuck gets canceled now just so people stop talking about it.
This is the nail in the coffin. I was holding out hope that it wasn’t true. It was only expected since Ausiello announced it a couple of weeks ago, and he has been wrong before…
Amazing, If anyone was watching this show, I could understand this. If DirectTV has so much money to throw away, I wish they would reduce my cable bill.
Try moving FNL to another night, I have tried to watch this show but the camera work gives me a headache
So the first time I read Russ’ post I read it as one connected point – as in the night of the week will change the camera work.
Honestly Russ I don’t think moving it will help, didn’t it end up on Friday because nobody was watching it? I would think the only realistic way to help FNL out would be to try and pair it with football and why NBC air a show about football after the football season as ended still makes no sense to me…
CHUCK WAS AWESOME! And, David4, you should bite your tongue about Chuck being cancelled.
“Oops, now all the Terminator fans will say this is how TSCC will be saved!”
Actually, there’s been some light speculation on the wiki that DirecTV might intervene with TSCC, given that there was a DirecTV ad somewhere during the episode. I dunno, maybe TSCC could be good for promoting the sale of DVRs. Who knows?
Um, a DirecTV ad != a bailout.
I think DirecTV is the wrong strategy for TSCC — it should go for Dish Network (Echostar) so that Dish can have its own exclusive. Besides, Dish has the geekier/gadgety DVR tech with Slingbox…
“Um, a DirecTV ad != a bailout.”
Don’t look at me, it wasn’t my theory. Just something a few people picked up on and wondered “What If” about. We are getting kinda desperate for renewal here, you know.
David, if CHUCK gets canceled, you will hear more about it. Not less. So, you should hope it gets picked up. Which it will. The official word might not come out until May, but everyone at NBC already knows it is renewed.
If NBC ends up canceling Law and Order over this crap, I’ll be pissed. Hopefully NBC has some brains!
Sorry, Veran, I wasn’t directing that at you, I was just baffling at how anyone could interpret that as DirecTV showing an interest in subsidizing TSCC.
@Julia: Hope springs eternal? I dunno, it looked like DirecTV was taking advantage of probably cheaper rates, but then again, if the budget is low enough, I guess they could do worse than pick up T:SCC. I’d expect they could do better, but then again I don’t know what the market looks like for that sort of deal.
In any event, the fandom still appears to be focused on “the DVR numbers will save us!”
Vader, you summed up my thoughts perfectly. I LOATHE Chuck & Friday Night Lights. You may think LOATHE is too stong a term, but that’s how I feel about both shows. I strongly disliked Chuck, but since accessing TVByTheNumbers, I’ve come to LOATHE Chuck.
Why the hell are they rolling out the red carpet for such a horrendously low rated series!?!?!?!?!?! FNL could only dream of peaking at 3.0 in the 18-49 demo.
Where the rolling of the red carpet for: The Unit, The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire, Whoopi, Popular, A Minute With Stan Hooper, Homefront, Working, Miss Match, Sports Night, Boomtown, Kingpin, Wonderfalls, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Hidden Hills, Brooklyn South, Fired Up!, Fastlane, Happy Family, American Gothic, The Guardian, The Ellen Show, Cracking Up, Crumbs, Farscape, Arrested Development, 10-8, Cupid, Once And Again, Eyes, Citizen Baines, Father of the Pride, Andy Barker, P.I., Andy Richter Controls The Universe, Bette, Now And Again, Freaks And Geeks, The Wedding Bells, Swingtown, Deadline, K-Ville, Grosse Pointe, The Nine, Big Shots, Miss Guided, The Ex List, Pushing Daisies, Ed, Felicity, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Dark Angel, Journeyman, Dirty Sexy Money, The Education Of Max Bickford, That’s Life, Boston Public, Family Law, Robbery Homicide Division, Everwood, Pasadena, Invasion, Veronica Mars, Rosie Live, George Lopez, Kate Brasher, and The Bernie Mac Show!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?
Question: Which series past or present has the WORST fans? Chuck? Friday Night Lights? Dollhouse? Terminator: TSCC? Firefly? Heroes? Life?
I can’t wait for year 2 of this deal, when the show is averaging like a 0.9 in the demo and NBC is kicking itself for it’s idiocy. At this point, I see zero chance that the show’s audience grows, I only see it declining.
A, the answer is they are all equally horrible.
Julia, I beg to differ. A lot of the series I mentioned above deserved far more attention and care from their respective networks than Friday Night Lights has received since day one! A lot of the shows I mentioned received far better DEMO SHARE (18-49) numbers when they aired – many of them reached double-digits during their peak!
Yes, I am PISSED that Friday Night Lights is treated like royalty. Ratings wise, it never was and never will be golden. FNL is the opposite of demo ratings gold.
Question: Why is the red carpet being rolled out for Firday Night Lights!?
I would agree it seems crazy to renew this show again from a business point of view. And although I am a Chuck and a Dollhouse fan, I think that my biggest worry is not that they will get cancelled (although that would make me sad, better to go out on top) but that they will get cancelled without resolution; like say, Pushing Daisies. I think that the worst thing that a network can do is not to cancel a show, but take time that was invested by the viewers for however many seasons and throw it down the drain.
a, DirecTV was already paying around ~$700 million a year for the NFL Sunday Ticket exclusive and they just lengthened the contract at $1 billion (yes billion!) dollars per year. Whatever it is paying to have exclusive first rights for Friday Night Lights is a rounding error against that and perhaps DTV thinks it makes sense since they get a lot of subscribers due to football (above mentioned Sunday Ticket exclusive) to throw in a first airing rights exclusive for a critically acclaimed show that revolves around…football.
a, why did you bother making a list of such mediocre to terrible shows? If you’re trying to make a point, include at least one show that’d be worth saving. Or maybe, instead of just rattling off a list of random cancelled show like you’re a real life Family Guy gag, give an actual intelligent reason why some of those other shows should have been saved and FNL shouldn’t. Any list you make loses all credibility when Rosie Live is on it. I don’t think FNL should be saved, like at all, but I think there’s far more reasons to save FNL than there is to save any of the turds on your list.
Oh, and just for the fun of it:
WHAT DOES THIS RENEWAL MEAN FOR CHUCK?
IS THERE ANY CHANCE DIRECTV WILL SAVE FIREFLY NEXT?
WHAT ABOUT LIFE?
A, I was answering your question as to what show has the worst fans.
I thought Youtube had the stupidest people on the interwebs. Tvbythenumbers might be taking the crown. Comcast basically has a monopoly in my area. The only people I know who chose DirecTV over Comcast have been sports fans and immigrants. So if the hardcore sports fans are on DirecTV, doesn’t it make sense to get one of the biggest critical darling shows of this decade first with no commercials for your subscribers?
Also, I’d like to reiterate how much of a critical darling this show is. Pushing Daisies is the only show in the past year that has been cancelled that was liked as much as FNL. Most shows people are throwing out here are average or badly reviewed shows (I’m looking at you Terminator). Why would any network want to be seen showing such a crappy show like Terminator, lol?
jesse, i think we will be seeing that 0.9 demo before year two. i think that will almost certainly happen next season (season four). by season 5, an 0.7 or 0.6 is possible. and if anyone thinks that sounds ridiculous, let me say that i never would have thought two years ago that NBC would be giving a show with a <1.5 demo season average a TWO-year renewal, even if they were getting it for 100% free and it was airing on fridays. at the current rates of audience erosion, i think a season average below 1.0, with selected episodes dipping to even an 0.6, is most certainly possible by season 5. and this may just be me, but if i’m NBC, at some point you have to ask, couldn’t we be making more money in this slot if we put even just a *little* effort or cash in? is the path of little or no resistance really worth it anymore? at some point you have to admit that the opportunity to do better numbers outweighs what little profit you are making from a sure-fire but extroardinarily underwhelming show.
“Question: Which series past or present has the WORST fans? Chuck? Friday Night Lights? Dollhouse? Terminator: TSCC? Firefly? Heroes? Life?”
There was a show on CBS called “Moonlight.” In addition to low ratings, it was also panned by critics. No award wins or nominations – at least credible ones. It won a People’s Choice award using a process where people on the Internet could vote once per day per email address.
When “Moonlight” got canceled, about 500-1,000 people across the U.S. made their annoying presence felt by sending postcards with weird fan art and making phone calls. The postcards looked like something kids made with Photoshop. A lot of us were surprised that they were all middle-aged women.
Those “Moonlight” women were nuts. Even reports of its definite demise at James Hibberd’s blog were met with disbelief and venom – http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/06/moonlight-is-de.html
Considering Moonlight’s fans, good riddance to it. Easily the worst fans in recent memory.
I can only draw on our experience on this site since August, 2007, but since then, no question, Moonlight fans have been the craziest. My memory doesn’t include Jericho fans during their first “go round”, and by their second they couldn’t hold a candle to Moonlight fans.
They sound like some Hillary Clinton die-hards back when it was obvious she was not going to get the nomination.
Incredibly outraged, venomous feminists who were convinced it was all a patriarchal conspiracy. They turned up on the Matt Yglesias political blog all the time.
No matter how often you ran through the numbers and demonstrated that there was no way Clinton could get enough Democratic Party votes to win, they had an excuse or they beat on you like the nun beat on Jake and Elwood in “The Blues Brothers”!
Very much like canceled show fans.
Many of the shows I listed got far better demo shares than FNL ever received. My point was that far better shows (demo wise) should have had the red carpet rolled out for them.
The list I gave was mostly based on ratings/demo ratings.
Jesse, why are you being condescending? Are you a fan of FNL? Are you a Zuker/Silverman lover?
Here’s the list (many of these shows had far more potential & better demo ratings than Friday Nights Lights ever did): Where was the rolling of the red carpet for: The Unit (peak 19 mil), The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire, Whoopi, Popular, A Minute With Stan Hooper, Homefront, Working, Miss Match, Sports Night, Boomtown, Kingpin, Wonderfalls, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Hidden Hills, Brooklyn South, Fired Up!, Fastlane, Happy Family, American Gothic, The Guardian, The Ellen Show, Cracking Up, Crumbs, Farscape, Arrested Development, 10-8, Cupid, Once And Again, Eyes, Citizen Baines, Father of the Pride, Andy Barker, P.I., Andy Richter Controls The Universe, Bette, Now And Again, Freaks And Geeks, The Wedding Bells, Swingtown, Deadline, K-Ville, Grosse Pointe, The Nine, Big Shots, Miss Guided, The Ex List, Pushing Daisies, Ed, Felicity, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Dark Angel, Journeyman, Dirty Sexy Money, The Education Of Max Bickford, That’s Life, Boston Public, Family Law, Robbery Homicide Division, Everwood, Pasadena, Invasion (peak: 18 mil), Veronica Mars, Rosie Live, George Lopez, Kate Brasher, and The Bernie Mac Show
I’m not a huge TV fan I guess since I haven’t heard of half the shows you listed. But Studio 60 on Sunset Strip? Really? You tried bringing that up? The show cost a ton of money. Of course it was going to get cancelled. The budget was absurd for such sub-par viewership.
Also, I think you should only be giving shows that NBC has a contract with and shows that have come out within the past few years since TV viewership has decreased significantly. Mentioning shows like Dark Angel and Freaks and Geeks is hilarious. They are from another time. TV advertising, $$, and viewing has changed waaaay too much since something like Dark Angel was cancelled (Wiki says 02).
A, you do realize that these are very different times than when most of those shows aired, right? The demo required to keep a show on the air was much higher than it is now, particularly on NBC. Plus, you’ve listed several shows that had more than five seasons. Seems like those got the same sort of red carpet treatment!
(Note: I think NBC has made a horrible move and should never have done this. But not because I think they should be picking up poorly rated shows that were never on NBC that were canceled years ago.)
I just saw you mention Invasion and The Unit with parentheses to amplify their peak viewership. CBS completely sweeps the floor when it comes to crappy law enforcement type shows. NCIS was the show preceding The Unit and most likely accounted for its viewership. No reason to keep the show just because it deals with the military instead of being CSI: Springfield.
I can’t speak for Invasion, I just vaguely remember watching half the premiere and witnessing yet another mediocre show trying to seem more intelligent and unique than it really was.
Good for FNL it has MyNetworkTV because it would long dead after its season 2.
I will tell you what fans are the worst. People like “a” who act like little children when another group of fans is passionate about their love. Poor baby doesn’t like when someone else loves something they don’t love. Does baby need a bottle?
LOL @ Jack. I agree, it’s really not nice…or fair…to say someone is a terrible fan (I’m referring to a’s comments of course) because they love their show and are worried about it being renewed. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fans being passionate about a TV show, no matter how silly it may seem to an outsider. Just wait until a show strikes a chord with you and see how it is to have the tables turned. I know some people can be a bit overzealous, but why are you so concerned? Relax…and find something better to do with your time than to insult television fans.
PS Chuck was GREAT tonight!
Oh and my waiter at dinner the other night said he’s going to be playing a fire fighter in the series finale of ER this thursday…so I have extra incentive to watch…hahaha I hope they conclude it well! Goodnight everyone!
Sorry, a, you broke the almighty Jack’s first commandment, “Thou shalt not speak ill of Chuck.” Now his vengeance shall reign down from the heavens to smite you!
And before you ask, yeah, he’s like that all the time. I’m starting to feel the same way about Chuck too due to the belligerent fans that come here.
First of the renewal of FNL will not be the reason “Chuck” is cancelled or for that matter “Life” or “Law and Order” (IF they are cancelled) – FNL was never a contender for their timespot but rather being used as a filler for friday (in a pretty dead spot).
Chuck and Life are both great shows, well written and fun and I can’t fathom why people aren’t watching or? Life is on opposite American Idol and Lost and Chuck is losing to House and Dancing with the Stars.
Why they would put Life opposite Idol I don’t know unless maybe they already made the decision to unload it. Seriously they should simply make their own reality crap for that timeslot and move the two shows.
Honestly this last tv season hasn’t been that great and the new pilots seem to indicate another season just like it, I still can’t believe they brought back Knight Rider and 90210 – next up Melrose Place and then I suppose the powers that be will ask us to watch Dollars or Dallas, maybe Charlie’s Angels with the originality the Networks are displaying it’s only a matter of time – thank god for cable Tv.
Me – I have found the cure – Turn off the *TV and read a book – if enough viewers do that they will listen but as long as we eat the cr*p they are serving – they will keep piling it up.
I hope they keep both Life and Chuck – but I’m pretty sure Life is lifeless and Chuck – time will tell but I predict it will be replaced by “Models Inc. – New York”, “law an Order SVU – Miami” or hey they might bring back “Silk Stalkings”
Woohoo! Yay FNL! I subscribe to DirecTV primarily because digital cable was not available in my rural area until about a year ago. I won’t change TV packages because I’ve grown to love DirecTV.
Friday Night Lights was an “added bonus.” It’s a well-scripted, well-acted drama. These 26 episodes will likely wrap up the series, IMHO. Gives us enough time to see the last key players graduate and it sorts out the redistricting mess.
Eric Shanks noted once, in a magazine interview, that FNL received this treatment in part because its premise (high school football) fits on some level with the DirecTV push on sports-themed packages. There are a few DirecTV exclusive game shows and low-budget comedies, but FNL is a good advertising tool that blends in somewhat with the exclusive sports packages.
Best News of This Season … I cannot believe that you guys are just ranting and whining over the fact that Chuck didn’t get renewed
…. FNL (Season 03) has been by far the best show of this season imo…. every episode has been great …. last 2 eps are absolutely amazing (for people who haven’t watched that already, don’t miss them) …….. There is some reason why it is so critically acclaimed ……. You guys are so obsessed with numbers that you don’t even feel that a quality show being renewed is great in itself and might be the opportunity of a new strategy for broadcast~cable~sattlelite channels and some other shows might get the same deals………. What do you care even if it gets low rating …… it’s been paid already …. I really hope that it should get a couple of emmys …. FNL deserves that……… Let’s hope some other shows get these kind of deals and get renewed …. Congratulation to all the FNL fans ……. Our prayers have been answered 
I do not have ANY idea how this makes money for anyone, but I don’t CARE! Yay FNL! I love the show and if this had happened for Jericho, I’d have saved a helluva lot of money on peanuts.
Why FNL is still around is one of the many mysteries like why is According to Jim still around? Its not that FNL is a bad show, it just has ratings that have it axed on any other network – except CW (CW barely qualifies as a broadcast network). From what Ive heard some of the execs at NBC love FNL for some reason and wont let it die.
NBC is basically, saying “We are the number 4 network and we dont care any more”. Its also why Leno is taking over the 10-11pm slots 5 days a week.
Since NBC’s standards are so low these days, Id say Chuck has a better than 50-50 chance of renewal. If it were on any other network, I wouldnt say that.
Fantastic news. Was expected but glad to see that it’s now official.
Not only does FNL make thematic and seasonal sense for Direct given their investment in Sunday Ticket, the audience for the show is hugely upscale, which makes it a decent candidate to drive some subscriptions to DTV. Not many, but enough to justify a relatively paltry investment. I just signed up for Direct this week and while it wasn’t because of FNL I’m definitely psyched to get the first run episodes. It will contribute to my loyalty.
This is how DTV will build original programming long-term, but they won’t just pick up any marginal show that’s on a network chopping block. The shows are going to have to be universally acclaimed and their network viewers are going to have to have money.
Not sure it makes perfect sense for NBC. It’s an awfully weak lead-in for Friday Night Leno (FNL into FNL!) if Friday 9pm is where it ends up. Then again we don’t know the specifics of the deal so who knows?
Smart move
According To Jim is no longer the standard.
Best News of This Season … I cannot believe that you guys are just ranting and whining over the fact that Chuck didn’t get renewed
…. FNL (Season 03) has been by far the best show of this season imo…. every episode has been great …. last 2 eps are absolutely amazing (for people who haven’t watched that already, don’t miss them) …….. There is some reason why it is so critically acclaimed ……. You guys are so obsessed with numbers that you don’t even feel that a quality show being renewed is great in itself and might be the opportunity of a new strategy for broadcast~cable~sattlelite channels and some other shows might get the same deals………. What do you care even if it gets low rating …… it’s been paid already …. I really hope that it should get a couple of emmys …. FNL deserves that……… Let’s hope some other shows get these kind of deals and get renewed ……. Congratulation to all the FNL fans ……. Our prayers have been answered 
Looking over the latest Monday ratings, looks like HEROES is just shy of CHUCK’s numbers. In a week or two, CHUCK will pass HEROES.
“You guys are so obsessed with numbers that you don’t even feel that a quality show being renewed is great in itself”
I don’t know about that. I think the better posters here are able to be glad that a great show is being extended while still trying to figure out the business logic behind doing it.
The story made Forbes dot com too
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/03/31/ap6234477.html?partner=alerts
From Katims’ comments, it looks like they’re planning to wrap up the series in these 26 episodes. Kind of like LOST set a specific end date, only this show is a bit smaller-scale.
I look forward to watching the drama play through until the end.
Jack, Heroes was at 2.9 in the demo, Chuck at 2.2. A lot closer than they have been previously, but not “just shy.”
FNL is such a quality show. I’m so glad it got renewed! Personally, I think the Leno decision is the worst decision NBC has ever made especially for Thursday night. They are losing a loyal former-ER audience that they could have captured by selecting a new drama for Thursday nights at 10. I would have loved to see FNL takeover the old ER slot.
Since “Studio 60″ has been mentioned, I’ll say that I really loved that show. It was starting to hit its stride, but NBC couldn’t afford to keep it around long enough to get an audience.
Julia, I agree that as a whole, it is not “just shy” but you have to consider the weekly drop for HEROES. At this rate, they will meet in a week or two. HEROES is dying the fastest death I can remember.
Jack, I will enjoy it if Heroes loses in the demo to Chuck, but I don’t see it happening. I think Heroes bottoms out at 2.6 at the very lowest, and Chuck increases to 2.4 at the very highest.
I love all the haters on here. Come on people! I love Chuck too but don’t hate the player…hate the game…or something like that. Yes it’s low rated but unless you work for NBC and it’s your money why do you care?
-NBC gets a sweet deal for 13 weeks of Friday night programming at 9pm. The cost of programming that hour compared to other dramas is much lower. Compared to say a game show…no but still cheaper than a drama plus they get DVD sales, hits on the website for viewers and sales from sites like ITunes for episode sales. They also can lay claim to one of the only quality shows on the network that may actually get some deserved awards this year and any good pub is great pub for NBC at this point.
-Directv in there current search for good original programming on the 101 gets a show commitment for 2 years. They get subscriber growth for fans of the show and they attract more people to the 101 for other original programming(Q4 of last year was a huge growth for them in subscribers. all related to FNL? No. Some? probably)
-The show is one of the cheaper shows to produce based on the style of filming, the great tax credits by filming in Texas and the hundreds of locals they use as extras for each show minimize and already low cost show to make.
-Fans of the show are happy because they can continue to commit to a show that they know will be on for at least two more seasons.
We should not forget that “Friday Night Lights” apparently is dead cheap to produce, for an hour drama. It certainly doesn’t come anywhere near what “Terminator” costs to make week-to-week.
So, to summarize, “FNL” is cheap, and thanks to DirecTV it’s so cheap it’s feasible, it delivers attractive demos on Fridays, it’s good for the network’s image, and it comes in manageable bites of 13 hours per year.
The only downside is that for one hour a week, for 13 weeks of the year, you lose your “major broadcaster impact” status. But then, that’s what NBC will do with Leno-at-10, for 250 hours per year. So that’s probably not a deal breaker.
Julia, looks like you are right. I was looking at early numbers and HEROES was down more.
Sometimes it is so discouraging to read the comments in this column. Even if you are not a fan of Friday NIght Lights, everyone should be celebrating the triumph of a renewal in spite of the numbers. Some of you whine, “Why the red carpet for Friday Night Lights?” Well, the overall ratings are low, but both NBC and Direct TV realize that this show attracts one of the wealthiest and highest educated audiences in television, and that allows NBC to charge more per minute of commercial than for a similarly low-rated show (because of the adverstisers desiring the wealthy demo), and it allows Direct TV to crunch the numbers to know it should be able to attract more satellite TV paying customers. The deal works because the numbers work! The show is incredibly cheap to make and produces just enough revenue to make a profit for everyone. The fact that the show achieves near universal critical acclaim and is at its creative and emotional peak just adds to why we should be celebrating this renewal. For “Chuck” fans out there, don’t worry. The renewal of Friday Night Lights for a 13 week run in the dead of winter on Friday nights does not harm the renewal prospects for “Chuck” one iota. Please be happy for the FNL fans and we will hope for a similar happy outcome for you.
This show is very good.
I live in Austin where FNL’s is filmed. I don’t care for the show, but, “yay! for the local economy!”
“Friday Night Lights” is kind of like the television equivalent of Neil Young. Neil Young’s been signed to Reprise for over half his life. They still let him make albums every couple of years, even though he hasn’t sold a lick or had a hit in something like 47 years. Meanwhile, artists who sell twice as much as Neil, Reprise drops.
Riff, Neil Young reference = you must be as old as I am
Was “Heart of Gold” on top of the charts the year you were born? If no, I’m afraid you’d be older. Although presumably not older than Neil Young himself. Nobody’s that old. Not even Old Man.
But old or young (no pun intended), there’s always going to be prestige artists. Just like there’s always going to be prestige shows. Sometimes they may not even be all that prestigious. Indeed, Neil has never won a Grammy. “Friday Night Lights” has won exactly one Emmy. For casting.
Regarding prestige:
From the NBC Press Release elsewhere on this website– “Hailed as one of the Top-10 shows by numerous publications such as Time magazine, Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times, “Friday Night Lights” also has been honored two years in a row (2006/2007) as an American Film Institute (AFI) Television Program of the Year, received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 2006 and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series in 2007.”
Sometimes TV isn’t by the numbers, eh?
OF COURSE it is about numbers. The numbers on the check from DirecTV that was pay to the order of NBC Universal..
Unfortunately unlike Nielsen stats, those numbers don’t typically make their way into the wild.
Sorry, couldn’t resist the pun. I do recognise that there are other factors at play here (the DirectTV, NBC deal) which makes it more economically palatable for NBC. It’s nice to believe (I know I am hallucinating) that commodity aestheticism isn’t always the law of TVLand.
Anyway, this is good news for those like myself (and I do realise that aesthetics in the culture eye of the beholder) who believe FNL is one of the finest shows on US TV.
Robert,
Are Hulu numbers going to affect issues surrounding renewal? By the way, I do realise that these numbers have problems (do Hulu numbers reflect those who didn’t watch shows on the days they were broadcast? Do they reflect individuals going and watching over and over again to try to impact the numbers? Do they reflect both and more?
Ronald, if Hulu numbers have any effect, it is likely so small as to be well down the list of things that matter.
Ronald, Hulu numbers don’t figure into renewal decisions because the nets aren’t making enough money off of online viewing yet.
Richard and Holly,
Much thanks…
HOW IS THIS STUPID BORING SHOW SAVED BUT OCTOBER ROAD WAS CANCELLED? MAKES NO SENSE… OCTOBER ROAD WAS SO AMAZING.
OK people let’s summarize
1) NBC got a truckload of money from DirecTV, who needs a show that fits their viewer demographic (With their sports heavy push it makes sense to go with FNL)
2) FNL is dirt cheap to produce (between handheld cameras etc and Texas tax laws it really gets cheap) so it makes even more sense for DirecTV to add it to their lineup which leads to…….
3) NBC gets a TV-friday graveyard filler for very little money – then comes the DVD sales and the should get their money back easily – and on the plus side the get to keep a critically acclaimed show around that has been nominated to numerous awards (including 3 emmys of which they won one)
It makes total sense from a business point of view to do the deal – IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CHUCKS RENEWAL – they are never going to put it in a timeslot where Chuck would otherwise have been. If Chuck and Life gets canceled it will be because NO ENOUGH PEOPLE WATCHED to justify the amount it costs to make the show (I don’t get it either gut that is the bottom line).
(Oblivious to the money issues…and still doing the happy dance for FNL…”)
If you don’t mind i’ll join that dance
THANK GOD I REALY LIKE THIS SHOW GLAD IT DID NOT DIE LIKE LAS VEGAS AFTER THE WRIGHTERS STRIKE