As whispers emerge of a potential Friday Night Lights reboot, we must admit there’s only one way we want to be chanting ‘Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose’ again, and that’s with the return of Coach Taylor (and wife, Tami, of course).
The beloved noughties series is said to be getting the revival treatment, with reports revealing a new rendition is in the works at Universal Television.
Little else is known about the remake, with Deadline simply confirming the “project is in the early stages but has been taken out to market.”
Initial speculation also suggests the series will tell a “new story set in the world of high school football” that will incorporate “new characters”. And frankly, if there’s no Coach Taylor (played by Kyle Chandler) then we don’t want it.
With the original cast—Taylor Kitsch who played Tim Riggins our beloved bad boy with a secret heart of gold, Jesse Plemons as lovable geek Landry Clarke, Mika Garrity aka Dillon High’s popular cheerleader Lyla Garrity and Zach Gilford also known as underdog quarterback Matt Saracen—past the age of passing for high school students, it’s unlikely we’ll see many, if any, of them return.
But, as we all know, it’s Coach Taylor and his wife Tami, played by the inimitable Connie Britton, who were the heart and soul not only of Dillion football, but the show.
It wouldn’t be a stretch, in our opinion, to see Eric Taylor still doing what he does best: sending inspirational shivers down our spines as he delivers one of his famous pre-game pep talks before chanting “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”
The mere thought has us burning with excitement.
In the original series, the Taylor’s daughter Julie provided the perfect tie to the ongoing high school drama off the football field.
Fans will recall Eric and Tammi had a second daughter on the show who was just a baby for the series, but could, 13 years on, be of high school age—a perfect way to connect back to the original show, if you ask us.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see what becomes of the Friday Night Lights reboot, but if any TV execs are reading this, we’ve made our demands clear.
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
