The underdog of TV land getting a reboot after 13 years, cursed to be the inevitable new definition of ‘doomed’

Once in a while, a show comes along that is so perfect it would be unconscionable to try to replicate it. Unfortunately for everyone, NBC has no issues with treading on sacred ground.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the emotional and resonant television drama Friday Night Lights is coming back. As of this writing, Universal has yet to comment on the story, but original executive producers Jason Katims and Brian Grazer are reportedly returning for the reboot. The new series will not revolve around legacy characters but instead focus on an entirely new cast.

This news is arguably not in everyone’s best interest. Bringing back Friday Night Lights alums for a new series would only be trying to do the impossible and improve on perfection. Even so, this initiative is doomed to fail even before it begins. NBC’s football drama had everything lacking in the current cultural zeitgeist. While the series was built from a best-selling book and feature film, Friday Night Lights was always an underdog — just like the Dillon Panthers. Never a ratings hit, viewership started to decline each season. After season 2, the network planned to finish the series with three more, wrapping up after season 5. Despite the humble ratings, Friday Night Lights lives on in the hearts of fans.

Friday Night Lights was perfect even when it wasn’t

From the first scene, it is clear that Friday Night Lights is something special. Written and directed by Peter Berg, the pilot has a vision that is rare in network dramas. Showing a week in the life of football town Dillon, Texas, the first episode depicts the arrival of a new head coach of the Dillon Panthers. Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) arrives to coach his former player Jason Street (Scott Porter), who is expected to go all the way in college. Taylor has moved to Dillon with the support of his wife, Tami (Connie Britton) despite the pushback from the town.

Taylor’s first game is catastrophic for the QB1 when he gets paralyzed during the game. This leads to second-string quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) being pushed to a leadership position. While the series is literally about football, it is more accurately about the emotional ties in the Texas town, just as Ted Lasso isn’t just about soccer. While every Friday night the entire town gathers to watch the game, the characters have to contend with high-stakes emotional arcs.

Saracen not only has the pressure of taking over from a beloved quarterback who will never walk again but also acts as a caregiver for his grandmother in the throes of dementia while his father is touring in the U.S. military. Matt takes on all the responsibilities of an adult while still having to attend high school. Taylor becomes the only father figure he has and pushes him to be the best man he can be. These storylines defined the series, even when Friday Night Lights made more controversial decisions. Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) and Landry’s (Jesse Plemons) struggle with murdering her assailant in season 2 is one of the show’s more unpopular arcs.

However, even on its worst day, no reboot could ever measure up to the original. Chandler’s heartfelt performances and the eventual send-off for the series were beyond reproach. Coach Taylor was the father figure and husband of everyone’s dreams. No one else will ever have the ability to breathe life and magic into these six words: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”