Morrow: 'Lights' tackles changes well

In sports terms, "Friday Night Lights" is in a rebuilding season.

The acclaimed drama returns for its fourth season at 9 p.m. Wednesday on DirecTV's Channel 101. (NBC will air season four near the summer of 2010.) And, clearly, the drama is in transition, with favorite cast members being written out and new characters introduced.

Yet, the sturdy "Lights" remains bright among today's TV dramas - staying relevant, intelligently written, the characters sensitively portrayed and the direction compellingly angled. Hands down, "Lights" is entering this new season as strong as ever, despite some obstacles to overcome in resetting its story.

Unlike other high school-based stories, "Lights" recognizes the need to graduate its characters and let go. This season, almost all the teen characters who launched the series will be gone; their exits coming this season. A new group of high school students are coming along to play out their own dramas.

The transition is starting out smoothly and without upsetting the cart too quickly.

Meanwhile, life goes on in football-obsessed Dillon, Texas, with Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) now in charge of creating a football team from scratch at the new West Dillon High School. His players are unmotivated and lazy; the usually calm Taylor is in no mood to put up with their attitude.

Over at East Dillon High, principal Tami Taylor (Connie Britton), who is Coach Taylor's wife, is up to her neck in small-town politics over the school district's rezoning policies. She's also having to work with the men who had her husband ousted from his job at East Dillon.

This new season alters the perspective of the show slightly, giving more of a view of life through the eyes of the Taylors rather than the students. It works for the most part and doesn't jar the narrative too much from what viewers have come to expect.

Freshly graduated Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) and Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) are relegated to the background but play well with the meaty material they're given as they struggle to establish a life outside high school football stardom.

They're finding out life is all about change. And as the season begins, "Lights" is navigating its way very well through changes of its own.

Score: HHHH (out of five)

Terry Morrow may be reached at morrowt@knoxville.com or 865-342-6445. His blog can be found at http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/. He contributes to "Live At Five At Four" on WBIR, Channel 10, and "The Marc & Kim & Frank Show" on WWST-FM, 102.1.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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