A new version of the high school football drama Friday Night Lights is in the works at Peacock, the streaming platform owned by NBCUniversal.
Peacock secured the project after a competitive bidding process. Universal Television, which produced the original 2006-2011 series, has been developing the reboot but hadn’t found a network or platform until now.
Key figures from the original show are returning for the reboot. Peter Berg, who created and directed the pilot, Jason Katims, the original showrunner, and Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment will serve as executive producers. Kristen Zolner from Imagine Entertainment will also produce, with Katims once again taking on the role of showrunner.
The new series will follow a high school football team in a Texas town recovering from a devastating hurricane. Led by a struggling interim coach, the team aims to compete for a state championship, bringing hope to their community. This setting likely shifts the story away from Dillon, Texas, the fictional town featured in the original series, which was not located near the Gulf Coast.
Friday Night Lights originated as a 1990 nonfiction book by H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger about the Permian High School football team in Odessa, Texas. Peter Berg adapted the book into a 2004 film before creating the NBC series.
The original show starred Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, along with Jesse Plemons, Taylor Kitsch, Zach Gilford, Minka Kelly, Gaius Charles, Scott Porter, Aimee Teegarden, Adrianne Palicki, and Michael B. Jordan. It served as a career launchpad for many cast members.
Although the series was never a ratings hit, it gained critical acclaim and a devoted fan base. Friday Night Lights won three Emmy Awards, including Best Lead Actor for Chandler and Best Writing for Katims in its final season.
The reboot’s development was first reported by Deadline.
