“Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can”t Lose.”
It was five years ago today that Friday Night Lights fans said goodbye to Coach Taylor, Tami, Julie, Matt, Riggins, and the rest of the residents of Dillion, TX they had grown to love. On February 9, 2011 the series finale aired on DirecTV”s 101 Network. A re-broadcast of the fifth and final season aired a few months later on NBC (where the show debuted in 2006).
NBC had cut that deal with DirecTV for the final three seasons of the show because it never gained a large audience. But it was hailed by critics and had a strong devotion from its small following.
Celebrating 10 years since FNL“s premiere, some cast members of the show are set for a reunion at ATX Fest this June.
Other notable February 9 happenings in pop culture history:
• 1953: The Adventures of Superman first aired in Los Angeles (a syndicated show that was sold separately in every market, the superhero series premiered on different dates in different areas).
• 1960: Three Faces of Eve actress Joanne Woodward became the first to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the landmark”s official groundbreaking.
• 1964: G.I. Joe was first presented to toy buyers and the media at the 1964 International Toy Fair.
• 1964: The Beatles made their first American television appearance, on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• 1983: Prince”s “Little Red Corvette” single was released.
• 1985: Madonna”s Like a Virgin hit No. 1 on the top of the Billboard 200 album chart.
• 1997: The Simpsons, with the airing of the episode “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show”, surpassed The Flintstones as the longest-running primetime animated series in terms of episodes aired.
• 2001: Hannibal, the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, opened in theaters.