My Mom (the person) & Friday Night Lights (the show)

My mom doesn't watch American television.

No. You read it correctly. She DOES NOT WATCH AMERICAN TELEVISION. I mean, she's probably seen all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls at least five times, but that's the only American TV show I can think of that she likes.

British stuff is her jam. I love the American crime dramas, though. "They're so fake," she says to me when I try to rationalize my love of Blue Bloods or Law & Order: SVU. "Everything's wrapped up within the hour." And yet... have you ever watched Midsomer Murders? It's British, and it's set in the tiny "hamlet" or whatever of Midsomer, and every single crime is wrapped up within a single episode and the show, which is in its one billionth season, has approximately fifteen murders per episode. For some reason that makes zero sense to me, however, my mother loves Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and has no problem buying into the the absurdity that occurs within his precinct (or whatever a precinct is called in Britain).

So now you have an idea of my mom's taste in television. Imagine my surprise when I received a text message from her last Thursday stating, "I'm watching something that you love, but I couldn't imagine watching. First episode had me sobbing."

Sidenote: My mom and I love guessing games. We always have. Most times the game begins "You'll never believe who I saw at the grocery store..." or "I bet you can't figure out who I bumped into at TJ Maxx yesterday." I am generally up for a guessing game, but when I received her text about watching a television show that I love and never imagined her watching, I was at trivia. Therefore, I couldn't offer proper participation.

I gave it a go, but ultimately ended up waiting until Friday, when Harvey and I walked down the street and had dinner at my parents' house. She made salmon, Tracy's Favorite Potatoes (this is a future blog post; I'll make a note), and salad, in case you were wondering.

While hanging with my mom on Friday night, I asked some pointed questions and got some helpful answers.

Me: It's an American show?

Mom: Yes.

Me: And it's not on anymore? Like, you're watching it on a streaming network?

Mom: Yes.

Me: Is it a thirty-minute show?

Mom: I don't like comedies, Hannah. I don't watch thirty-minute shows. You know this about me.

Me: I know, I know... I just really like Modern Family and so I was checking. Um... Is the main character a girl?

Mom: No.

Me: Huh. Okay. Is it a medical show?

Mom: No.

Me: A crime show?

Mom: Nope.

Me: Does it take place in a school?

Mom: Yes!

Me: So is the main character a teacher?

Mom: No.

Me: A guidance counselor?

Mom: No.

Me: A coach?

Mom: Yes!

Me: Friday Night Lights?!

Mom: YES!

She's watching Friday Night Lights, folks! One of the greatest shows ever created and one that I RAVED about when I discovered it on Netflix. I binged the bejeezus out of that show! Tim Riggins? *swoon* Matt Saracen? Adorable. Coach Taylor? OHMYGODILOVEYOUSOMUCH!!!

I needed a blog for today and I was puzzling over what I should write about. I told Mary (you remember her: she's my marketing manager) that I might write about my mom's unexpected love of Friday Night Lights. I said, "She doesn't watch American shows, you know? But she's loving Friday Night Lights."

Mary's reaction was, "Your mom doesn't watch American TV?"

I tried to explain.

I knew that the blog would be better if I told my mom I was going to write it. And do you know what? I was right. I called her around five o'clock and said that I intended to write a blog about her love of Friday Night Lights. "Oh my gosh," she said immediately. "Do you know how many times today I've thought to myself, 'After this, you can just go home and watch Friday Night Lights? You're going to finish season one tonight!' I still have five episodes -- I should have started earlier -- but I am so sucked in, Hannah! I love this show!"

She then proceeded to tell me that it's not a show she ever thought she'd watch, but she'd just watched two ridiculous things (one of them was Devil in Ohio; I watched it too and you probably shouldn't waste your time, but it's a hell of a lot better than Echoes) and was looking for something mindless. So when she saw Friday Night Lights and remembered that I liked it, she decided to give it a chance. "I didn't expect to like it," she's since confided, "but I can't stop thinking about the characters!"

My mom loves Tim Riggins and THAT makes me very happy. She also loves Matt Saracen and Coach Taylor. For possibly the first time ever, we love all the same characters! She detests Buddy Garrity and is conflicted about Jason Street. I was like, "YES! That's the brilliance of the show! You feel for Jason, and you want to love him, but he's not always all that lovable."

If you haven't watched Friday Night Lights before, you really need to. It's a phenomenal show with character development that goes above and beyond. And it absolutely cracks me up that my mother, the woman who hates American television, is totally sucked in by an American TV show that is not only set in America, but in the heart of TEXAS!

"Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose."