Friday Night Lights: Series 1-5 [DVD] [2006]

22 discs. Over 50 hours of viewing. Over 2 hours of bonuses. For the past two and a half weeks, evenings have been enriched.Enthusiastic reviews had intrigued. How could people with no interest in sport be amongst those so hooked on a series featuring High School American Football?Now I know.Certainly sports enthusiasts are very well served, as are devotees of teenage drama. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, though, offers far more. Here, for all, is a sensitive exploration of family relationships, characters (most of them) trying to make something meaningful of their lives. This is no easy task with on every side unsavoury temptations, intolerable pressures, undesirable influences.Set in Dillon, Texas, the main focus is on Coach Eric Taylor and his school counsellor wife Tami, the nature of their jobs guaranteeing daily challenges. They too have ambitions of their own, these precipitating major changes as the series unfolds.Here are largely likeable characters, including certain rogues. Sport can indeed prove their salvation, but in no way for most can it be an end in itself. At best it is but a stepping stone to a future rendered more worthy because of lessons learned about personal qualities and the value of teamsmanship.Strengths abound: the scripts, the cast, and, of course, the sports scenes. Then there are the innovatory features. Staggeringly no sets are used. Everything is filmed on location, in actual buildings, real homes. Three handheld cameras (initially perhaps a little off-putting) record each scene. Actors have been astonished at so little rehearsal, and by the speed of it all - the attitude throughout "feel it, do it". The result often seems almost like a documentary, refreshingly vibrant. (By the way, there is no swearing. At one point - Season 4, Episode 3 - Coach Taylor rebukes a player for saying "Damn". Some may prefer this to other offerings where "realism" simply means a constant flow of expletives.)Of course the series has its ups and downs. That brilliant first season proved a hard act to follow. In separate reviews for each season I go into more detail about story developments and performances.Suffice it to say here, I (an OAP, with no interest in sport) became caught up in it all - surprised to find myself cheering, occasionally even shedding a tear or two. Be advised that, sometimes completely out of the blue, there are moments that deeply move - a sign of how greatly we have grown to care for the characters and all they strive to achieve.Apparently viewing figures disappointed, despite critical acclaim. Hopefully this excellent box set will attract legions of new fans, all of them eager to spread the word.

Ok, first the bad stuff. No individual series sets in this box set, just all the discs inside one big box. Not ideal, but doesn't detract from the series, so you can live it.Some of the story lines are iffy at best, and ridiculous at worst. The way the show was filmed, with hardly any rehearsal, and with actors allowed to improvise what they think their character will say, at certain points, leads to a lot of stuttering and repetition at times.However, this show is greater than the sum of its parts. The pilot, and indeed the whole first season are just about perfect. This show will have you crying, and empathising with just about every character.No sets are used, everything is filmed on location, giving the whole show a realistic feel, that 99% of shows just don't have.If you don't like, or understand American football, don't worry, the show is about much more than the sport. Family, love, friendship, adversity, illness, community, relationships, and life in general are all dealt with in equal measure.Series 4, episode 5, where a characters father dies, and the subsequent funeral is one of the greatest, well written, well acted, saddest and most emotional episodes of any series ever. I defy anyone to watch it, and not be affected by it in some way.In conclusion, ignore the poor ratings over packaging, and treat yourselves to a rollercoaster ride of small town American life, and one of the greatest series I've ever watched.Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!

I had vaguely heard of FNL (as we now affectionately call it in my household) when it was originally showing, but thought that a TV show about American football definitely wasn't my thing.But when Sky put Seasons 1-3 on demand, and I was looking for something to watch with dinner one night, my husband and I were hooked within the first episode.It now ranks among my top 3 all-time favourite tv shows (and being a pretty avid tv watcher, that is saying something). This show has so much heart, without being soppy, and made me care so much about the characters, that over 5 seasons I never felt at any point I was watching it because 'well, I'd already watched this much, so I may as well finish it' (the way I feel about so many tv shows, right now it's 'Revenge'...) It is also frequently hilarious, especially once you get to know the characters. Tim Riggins and Buddy Garrity are standouts in this respect. The way Riggo casually accepts all kinds of ridiculous circumstances without comment just kills me, someone needs to write a university paper on this character.I can't praise it enough, but I'll stop there.This DVD package is all the discs for all 5 seasons in one case. Which makes it a little awkward to manoeuvre and you have to be gentle with the plastic attachments inside the case or it will break. Weighing the slightly lower quality casing against the cost of buying the seasons individually, the money saved on this product made it worthwhile. When all is said and done, the discs themselves are the important thing!

Article d'occasion mais non spécifié durant la commande!! Deux boitiers différents et abimés dans le coffret. Prix élevé du coup (79€) pour un produit d'occasion...

Extremely dissatisfied DVD’s are not formatted correctly and do not work. Tried them in computer x box, blue ray and no luck. I then went out to buy regular DVD player and still do not work. Now seller will not return.

Una de las mejores series que he visto. Viene completa. El audio no está en español, pero eso lo sabes cuando lo compras.

Best TV Show af all times - you have to see it with original sound - only this way it will overcome. Clear eyes full heart cant't lose!

So bummed that I missed the fine print on this order. None of these DVDs play in my DVD player.