Friday Night Lights Renewed for Two More Seasons

Sometimes it takes a show a few years to develop a large enough following to keep it a viable television series. Most new shows never reach that goal and end up canceled after relatively short runs. Friday Night Lights seems to be enjoying the best of both worlds. The show has yet to capture a large enough fan base to make it a major player, yet NBC has been shrewd enough with the show to ensure that it is going to stay on the air for at least two seasons beyond this one.

After receiving several critical awards and nominations over its first two seasons, the show has struggled to maintain a large viewership. But the viewership that it does capture is coveted among advertisers and television executives - the affluent young adult segment.

With stars like Minka Kelly, Friday Night Lights always delivers on star power and sex appeal. But despite the show being fun to watch, its viewership fell off by 27% from last season to this season.

In order to ensure the financial viability of the show, NBC contracted with DirecTV to air episodes in advance of NBC, which producers say has helped to close the cost gaps that would have otherwise forced the cancellation of the series. The show fits with DirecTV's model of exclusive football-related content and the exclusive Sunday Ticket package that DirecTV shares with the National Football League.