That's how I felt this past Sunday when my favorite show of all time, Friday Night Lights, finally...FINALLY, scored a couple of major Emmy awards. This is the little show that could. It just kept plugging along through a bad initial marketing campaign that targeted mostly teens because the story revolves around a town obsessed with its local high school football team. However, the show was much more than that, much deeper, and as season one played out, it became apparent how fantastic the show was, but very few people were watching. It was up against Goliath, literally. American Idol and then Dancing with the Stars were the shows it played opposite that first season. By some miracle, it was renewed.  

The next season got off to a rocky start because the network wanted something more dramatic, so the writers thought a murder would do the trick. Fans hated it because it was so out of keeping with the show's history of showing the importance of the little moments in life. It didn't need a murder. The murder plot line was quickly wrapped up with no one but the 'murderers' and one other minor character being aware, which also didn't make sense in small town Texas, but fans were willing to ignore that as long as the murder went away. It was finding its legs again, when the writer's strike hit and shortened the second season. Again, this little show that could, didn't die. It found a home on DirecTV in a deal with NBC to share the costs. 

It has thrived, creatively, in the last three years as it brought in new talent to replace the characters who graduated. The writing on the show was always amazing, taking routes that most other shows never did. For instance, in a scene where a character's father has died in Iraq, and the young man is overwhelmed.  The Coach, who had acted fatherly towards this character, doesn't give the fatherly speech to the boy, like most shows would do. The kid just lost his dad, and it would have been inappropriate for him to take up that role right then, but other shows would have done it. They'd have given him a big long speech to calm the young man down. FNL instead, just had Coach catch up to him and they stood awkwardly for a few moments, and the coach just said he'd walk the boy home. The scene was beautiful in its understatedness. (not sure that's a word, but it works, so I'm using it.) 

Through it all, Connie Britton (Tami Taylor, aka Mrs. Coach) and Kyle Chandler  (Coach Eric Taylor) masterfully anchored the show as the adults who helped all the young people find their way through, basically, the usual road blocks teens face in blue collar Middle America--drugs, violence, pregnancies, abortions, absent parents, racism, child abuse, etc. 

Connie Britton was as deserving as Kyle Chandler, but the Emmy's didn't want us to get greedy, I guess.  They gave FNL an Emmy for best writing in a dramatic series, and Kyle Chandler, best actor in a drama. He should have received one in 2007 after the first season, but wasn't even nominated. Nobody was. I think the show received an Emmy for best casting, but...does that even make sense to get an Emmy for best casting, but then to have none of the cast members even receive a nomination? He continued to amaze in subsequent seasons, and I thought for sure he'd get one after seeing the first episode in season 4. He at least was nominated, but didn't win. 

When nominations were announced this year, it was a pleasant surprise that the show itself was also nominated, along with Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton for lead actor/actress respectively, and Jason Katims for writing the series finale.

Congrats to Friday Night Lights and everyone associated with it.  Clear eyes, full hearts...