With the season finale of "Friday Night Lights" airing on DirecTV on Wednesday, Variety's Stuart Levine (who reviews the last episode here) and Jon Weisman chatted with red eyes and heavy hearts about the show facing the end of its three-year run -- and how much "Friday Night Lights" could offer if it were to connect on a Hail Mary bid for a fourth season. Caution: Spoliers aplenty if you've been waiting to watch the third season on NBC, beginning Friday.

Stu: At some point, business will defeat creative and the show won't be able to come back. There's just not enough viewers (650,000 per episode, according to DirecTV) to keep the accountants at bay. And while it's incredibly tough to think about saying goodbye to all our friends in Dillon, there is something to be said about going out on top. Sure, a fourth season could offer a lot about the charcters and story arcs you mentioned, but will it be the same show? And will head writer Jason Katims and his talented scribes be able to keep up the great work? Well, looking at what they've accomplished in three seasons, there's little doubt they certainly could, but I couldn't bear the thought of watching characters that didn't matter to me as much as the ones that arrived when the show premiered in 2006. 

Jon: I guess I'd say if the opportunity somehow arose for a fourth season, why live in fear? Do we regret that the show has been on the past two years, even though the first season remains the show's best? Put it this way: If "Lights" had a 2009-10 pickup, we wouldn't say it should be canceled.

But certainly, it's going to take a white knight to make this conversation anything more than theoretical. If I were leading the Save Friday Nights Committee, I'd start the campaign right now, with the show taking its final bow on NBC (where the third season will reprise) starting Friday. How often, after all, has a network show come pre-approved by even a small sample of the public?

Stu: Yeah, certainly NBC could do a lot a worse than bringing back "Friday Night Lights," even though they know it'll get a small aud.

Changing subjects for a sec, what are some of your favorite moments from the three seasons? I was thinking about that the other day, and a lot of Matt Saracen scenes popped into my head, especially the one where Coach Taylor goes to his house in season two as he's laying in the bathtub, with the weight of the world on his shoulders -- caring for his ill grandma, replaced as quarterback, his dad stationed in Iraq.

In more generic terms, I also love it whenever Coach Taylor gathers his players and begins a speech with "Gentlemen …." No matter what he has to say, it carries such gravitas that you feel you're part of the team and are hanging by every word.

Jon: First scene that comes to mind is the visceral threat you felt in the first-season episode when the team bus was pulled over by cops after a victory over a school (and referees), where racism filled the air. I can't think of many moments in my entire life of television watching that felt so tense.

At the same time, I'd also say the lighter moments between Eric and Tami, often in an episode that would also find them sparring, warmly fill my memories of the show. "FNL" managed to make their relationship both idealistic and realistic -- really quite something.

I did truly enjoy the Matt Saracen arc, highlighted by the bathtub scene that you mention -- heck, there wasn't much about the show I didn't enjoy. I'd say my biggest love-hate relationship was with how the writers treated Landry and Tyra. Their relationship was one I adored -- it truly moved me how Landry won her over -- but it hurt how little the writers seemed to trust moving that relationship forward, instead choosing to repeatedly break them up (most notably with the misguided manslaughter storyline) and force Landry to win her back over and over again. The show that gave you Eric and Tami could have also given us one high school relationship with some staying power. Yes, high school is chaotic, but if Tim and Lyla is your most stable couple, maybe you're being too tough.

I guess you could say it was all worth it, though, when you heard Tyra read her college application essay the other night ...

Stu: Yeah, that scene was chilling, and it brought to the forefront all the challenges that Tyra faced, though she did create some drama on her own. I also loved the episode where assistant coach Mac is accused of making racist statements. Really powerful stuff.

But, for sheer joy, I'll say my all-time favorite is "Mud Bowl," which aired near the end of the first season. When the Panthers can't play at home because of a nearby explosion, they end up playing for the right to play for state in an abandoned field in the middle of a cow pasture, in a driving rainstorm as the players are sloshing and sliding all over. It was pure exultation, playing for nothing but love of the sport.

Jon: The point is, we could spend all day and not run out of great "FNL" moments to rehash. Whatever happens, this is a classic show that will only grow in stature as time passes.

Hot off the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences nomination vote-tallying machine, here are the top 10 finalists for Emmy noms in the comedy and drama series heats. The final noms will be announced on Thursday, July 17.

(My 2 cents on the list follows after the jump)

COMEDY

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

DRAMA

Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Lost
Mad Men
The Tudors
The Wire

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Before the entire "Friday Night Lights" production moves to Austin in the dead of summer — yeah, it shouldn't be too hot that time of year over there — the cast, crew and execs gathered at a watering hole in Santa Monica last night to celebrate the third season pickup.

It almost wasn't meant to be, but DirecTV decided "FNL" could be a watershed moment for its entertainment division and decided to pay for part of the production tab for the show, somewhere around 40%, with NBC picking up the rest. For its commitment, the satellite provider will have the exclusive window for 13 episodes that are scheduled to begin Oct. 1.

Then in midseason 2009 (probably February or March), NBC will start airing those same episode for folks who don't have access to DirecTV. Hopefully, diehard viewers who will have to wait and see the episodes on NBC will be able to keep themselves in a media blackout from reviews, blogs, plot developments, etc.

Cast members attending the bash Thursday were Aimee Teegarden, who just bought her first car and, much more impressive by our standards, threw out the first ball at the Dodgers-Mets game Wednesday afternoon; Kyle Chandler, who just might be the nicest and most down-to-earth leading man on TV; and Minka Kelly and Connie Britton, who both mingled among the masses.

Showrunner Jason Katims said season three would focus more on on-the-field action than in season two, and that issues will be raised about all the seniors on this year's team. Katims reiterated that senior year can be great fun for those about to graduate, but the Dillon High School gang will face situations that will, once again, test their mettle against trying scenarios.

Also there to relish all things "FNL" were in-house director Jeff Reiner, exec producer David Nevins and creator Peter Berg, who directed the Billy Bob Thornton movie.

Much has been said by the cognizati about the greatness of NBC's "Friday Night Lights," how it has managed to capture the simple majesty of everyday folks living through everyday trials and triumphs.

All the superlatives that have been hurled at the show during the past year are true, and justly earned. In primetime's sea of cops, docs, lawyers and supernaturals, "Friday Night Lights" is the bravest show on TV, and it trumped the odds against shows with anemic Nielsen numbers to secure a renewal for a second season, which begins Oct. 5 at 9 p.m. (Get plenty of vid clips and full episodes for streaming by clicking here.)

"Friday Night Lights" stood apart in its freshman year because its only storytelling fulcrum in the traditional sense (i.e. a built-in plot engine like the case of the week, disease of the week, etc.) a small-town high school football team's quest to reach the summit of the Texas state high school football championship. The Dillon Panthers' bid for "State" is greatly complicated after the team's star quarterback is injured paralyzed in the first game (and episode) of the season.

But to tag "FNL" as a "football show" is like saying John Ford's "Stagecoach" is about bandits and Indians running amok in the old West. The vast majority of "FNL" hinges on the writers' ability to find compelling stories within the stuff of life in a small Texas town. Like everything else about the show, even the town of Dillon was finely drawn as a vibrant, complex character -- neither dirt poor nor oil flush, neither a redneck wasteland nor an enlightened utopia.

Dillon has many classes, many races and many nuances that were slowly drawn out through the course of 22 segs last season in such a way that made it come alive to people who've never been anywhere near the Lone Star state.

For all that there is to gush about over "FNL" (The writing! The ensemble! The directing! The production touches!), what stands out most to me after two weeks of marathon viewing of the season one DVD set is how so much of the drama is rooted in a subject rarely tackled in such a significant way on the small screen: Parenting.

Pictured above: "Friday Night Lights" cast and producers Jason Katims and Jeffrey Reiner (first row far left) soaked up the kudos during the show's NBC's Television Critics Assn. press tour sesh in July.

Pity the poor Emmy announcer. She mispronounced the surname of "Grey's Anatomy" star Katherine Heigl, who joined the achingly handsome Kyle Chandler on stage to present the trophy for supporting actor in a movie/miniseries. First thing Heigl sez as she hits the mike: It's "Hi-gull."

Winner in the category added a heap of sweet to Heigl's sour. Thomas Haden Church (pictured below), a victor for the AMC oater "Broken Trail," thanked "David and Lynn Angell, who were there at the beginning." Sweet of him to remember David Angell and his wife. David, of course, was part of the Angell-Casey-Lee triumvirate who created the show, "Wings," that provided Church's breakthru role. David and Lynn died in one of the hijacked planes on Sept. 11, but their legacy, clearly, remains strong.

This just in: Katherine Heigl (that's Hi-gelle) has won in the supporting drama actress category for her role as the mixed up Izzie on "Grey's Anatomy."

I'm not sure if "Friday Night Lights" is the kind of show that lends itself to the "High School Musical" viewing-party treatment, but it's at least good to see that NBC is engaged in promoting the soph season premiere of the show.

Peacock has pacted with Houseparty.com to mount a viewing party contest for "1,000 lucky hosts" who'll get the chance to throw their own "FNL" themed affair complete with a sneak peek at the season premiere on Sept. 14. For people willing to apply at Houseparty.com for the privilege of promoting the show's Oct. 5 debut in its new Friday 9 p.m. slot, NBC will pick 1,000 of them to receive party kits full of "FNL" themed tchotskes relating to the show about a life in a small Texas town that is crazy about its high school football (megaphones, stadium cushions, rally towels, a DVD of the first four segs from last season with a special introduction from "FNL" stars Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton) and of course, a bonus DVD of the pilot of "Bionic Woman." (Don't know of the "FNL" crowd will be flocking to "Bionic" but you can't blame them for trying...)

Plans for the parties will be tubthumped all across NBC.com (it's already started on the "FNL" page), local affiliate stations' websites and each party host gets a page on Houseparty.com. (Gee, whatever happened to picking up some beer, wine and a few extra-big bags of potato chips and making an effort to vacuum before guests show up?)
NBC's longtime marketing guru John Miller sez it's all about (staged) word-of-mouth promotion:
"With word of mouth advertising being so effective, we wanted to create a natural venue for that kind of experience in the comfort of people's homes," he said.

Of course, fans who don't make the cut can strike back by downloading illegal copies of "FNL" episodes off the Internet, grabbing images of the show off of Google to scan on to T-shirts and generally getting drunk and unruly at their own "FNL" themed parties on Sept. 13. (Just a little joke. Don't send the piracy police after me, please.)

What Emmy didn't giveth on Thursday morning, the TCA Awards bestowed on Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton.

NBC's "Friday Night Lights," conspicuously snubbed by Emmy voters, got its due in nabbing best new program. Michael C. Hall of Showtime's "Dexter," another near no-show in the Emmy derby, was deemed best drama actor at the ceremony hosted by "Daily Show's" John Oliver.

Overall the Peacock swept the Television Critics Assn. kudofest with four trophies, including best comedy for "The Office," natch, and Alec Baldwin of "30 Rock" for top dog among comedy actors.TCA-ers didn't overlook NBC's other big frosh drama of last season, picking  "Heroes" the program of the year.

(Pictured: Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler of "Friday Night Lights")

Big panel, big show, big challenges.

The "Friday Night Lights" cast and crew were well-received by the TCA-ers in the show's sesh on Tuesday. The crix weren't overly gushy but there was a general consensus that this Peabody-winning show is a fine example of quality triumphing over anemic ratings. Getting a wider audience to appreciate the show had become something of a mission for the previous steward of NBC Entertainment, before Kevin Reilly hustled out of Burbank in June following the Ben Silverman shakeup.

To Ben's credit, in the eyes of "FNL" fans, he's vowed to support the show and one of his first bulletins on Monday in his exec Q&A was a time slot switch for the show that at least takes it out of the vortex of 10 p.m. Friday (where only CBS has found the right mathematical equation to get a decent number lately with "Numbers"). Now "FNL" is due to get a little hammock support at 9 p.m. on its namesake night between "Deal or No Deal" and "Las Vegas." And Silverman's co-topper, Marc Graboff, praised the show for being "efficiently produced," which was another thing that helped it survive for a second season.