Applebees is a metaphor

I am a huge fan of Friday Night Lights (the television show, not the movie). Some of you may know this, some may not, almost assuredly none of you care. Regardless, I will proceed with my FNL love-rant.

The third season is winding down, with only one episode remaining that, from the looks of it, will be the series finale for this astoundingly underrated show.

So much of our entertainment these days is about reality, but none of it is actually real. For this reason it is with baited breath that every week over the last three years (during sweeps at least) I downloaded each new episode of FNL.

This entirely fictional drama (I will concede it could somewhat accurately be described as a teen-drama, but I'd rather not), has managed to portray on television a reality that so often is completely lost in the flashy razzle dazzle of our ADD demands.

I know it seems odd, but to me, FNL is the closest television show to The Wire (excluding Generation Kill, for obvious reasons) that's around right now, and that's probably the highest praise any show can be bestowed. It builds its characters and story arc slowly and deliberately, drawing you into another world much like the reading of a good book. The show highlights the nuances of life, and that's what makes it both incredibly real and often remarkably touching.

I'm not saying this show is perfect. In fact, I dare say that season two was actually somewhat forgettable. I also am not lamenting its demise, as with the aforementioned The Wire, a good show has to know when to pack it in. Stories are made to end. And so, bittersweetly, FNL must as well.

But if you haven't seen this show yet, I'm not entirely sure what else to tell you.

I just want to scream it from the rooftops. I don't know why we don't say it more often.

I love Friday Night Lives.