UPDATE: On Monday, March 30, NBC and DirecTV inked the deal that will bring us two more glorious seasons of this remarkable show!

At long last, here are the answers to your questions for “Friday Night Lights” showrunner Jason Katims (pictured accepting a Vision Award in June).

Loyal readers will recall I first opened up the opportunity for questions prior to the NBC show’s third season premiere on DirecTV's 101 Network back in October. At the time Jason was too involved working on our favorite show to get to your questions. Then, he was swamped with writing  “Parenthood,” his pilot for NBC and Imagine.

I was persistent (some may call it annoying) and with the help of his marvelous assistant, we’ve received the answers we’ve been waiting for. A big thanks to both Jason and Jamie. And I can’t thank you readers enough for your patience.

Those who love "Friday Night Lights" know that the level of devotion you feel for the show can become an obsession. There’s nothing quite like it on television. The show can break your heart every time out. This piece from the Canadian Press does a great job of summing up fans’ feelings.

And yet, the ratings have never taken off (go figure) and as each season approaches its finale, we fans are left wondering if there will be more. Well, recently there has been scuttlebutt on the Web about a two-season renewal in the works. That’s right, TWO seasons. Nothing has been decided thus far and I don’t know any more than you folks, but if you read Jason’s answers carefully you’ll see that he seems optimistic about the future of the show. I have complete confidence that if/when it returns it will be every bit as riveting as it’s been for the first three seasons.

Of course, not all our favorite characters will be back if the series does complete yet another Hail Mary. It is, after all, a show with high school at its core. Kids graduate; people leave small towns.

EW’s Ausiello Files hints at which cast members we could count on seeing in seasons 4 and 5.

Indeed, already this season we fans have had to say goodbye to two favorite characters. At EW’s PopWatch, Scott Porter blogged about leaving the show and Jason Street behind. And Gaius Charles talked about Smash’s exit with TV Guide.

I used the questions that were most relevant at this point in NBC’s airing of the season and Katims answered 10 for us. I'll start with the question Jason and I chose as our favorite. Congratulations Anne, your signed DVD of Season 2 is on its way.

Enjoy!

Q. If you could choose one episode/moment (excluding the pilot) that captures the very essence of the show to sell the show to a new viewer, which one would you choose, and why? — Anne
A. I’d choose Episode 304 — “Hello Goodbye.” It’s the episode that bids farewell to Smash and has such a poignancy to it. But what makes the episode recommend itself is that there are so many other things going on simultaneously. Tyra meets Cash; Landry confronts Tyra as he is recovering from dental surgery; Tami loses the Jumbotron battle. It’s meaty and smart and all the characters and stories seem to be firing on all cylinders. Gaius Charles and Jesse Plemons give two of their finest performances.

Season Pass has never been about a roundup of TV news around the Web. We figure savvy TV lovers can peruse the Net on their own. But today we'd like to give a shoutout to our favorite TV sites — some are old friends and a few are newly discovered.

Amuse yourselves while you wait for the latest posts in our Q&A series. Coming up shortly are “Friday Night Lights” showrunner Jason Katims, who is still trying to work us into his busy schedule, and “The Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons, who is scheduled to sit down with me on Friday to answer your questions. Look for that post next Wednesday. For more upcoming features, have a look at the menu there on the right side of this page. And we are open to suggestions from readers as well.

Our favorite sites (in no particular order):
Cynthia Littleton’s On the Air blog: Our Variety colleague blogs about all things TV.
TV Series Finale, which remarks on the last episodes of your favorite (or not so favorite) shows. Recent posts include “The Riches,” “King of the Hill” and the MRC slate for the CW. I look forward to their take on the last ep of the venerable NBC series “ER,” which is on its its 15th and final season.
By Ken Levine, from the Emmy-winning vet sitcom scribe and baseball announcer. Hard for me not to dig someone who loves TV and baseball!
What’s Alan Watching?, by New Jersey Star-Ledger tube critic Alan Sepinwall. His “Mad Men” recaps left us feeling inadequate. We bow to his genius insights.
Television Without Pity for their snarky, in depth recaps of our favorite shows
Pop Candy, Whitney Matheson’s fun pop culture blog for USA Today
Coaxial, the TV page on fanboy fave site Ain’t It Cool News
The Watcher, our pal Mo Ryan’s TV blog on the Chicago Tribune site. Check out her funny comments on those silly CNN election night holograms. That ridiculous bit of technology reminded us of watching the NFL on Fox, where there are so many gimmicks and graphics you can scarcely see the play on the field.
Project Rungay, for a laugh-out-loud take from a couple of witty gay guys on one of our favorite reality shows and more
TV Tattle, a roundup of TV news and criticism

And there are many others. Check out our list of links on the bottom right-hand side of this page. Are there any we missed? Please clue us in.

Posted by Kathy Lyford

Update: Sorry everyone. Jason's been slammed producing the last episode of the season. He hasn't had time yet to respond to your questions. I hope to post them next week. Thanks for your patience.

"Friday Night Lights" showrunner Jason Katims has generously agreed to answer fan questions exclusively here on Season Pass. The person who asks the question Jason deems the best will win the Season 2 DVD set.

"FNL" returns to the air tonight only on DirecTV. In a Hail Mary pass from NBC to the satellite provider, our amazing show was saved to live another season. In a unique shared window setup, all 13 episodes will air on DirecTV's channel 101 starting tonight and then begin airing in February on NBC. I'm thinking NBC should have plenty of open spots on its sked by then, based on their new shows I've seen so far.

I've seen "FNL's" first episode and I can tell you it matches the quality we've all come to expect. The writers, directors and cast, especially the phenomenal Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler, are all still at the top of their games. The time lapse between the last episode of Season 2 and this first episode of Season 3 has been handled deftly. You will quickly be caught up with everyone's lives.

Here's how the Q&A works:

1) Leave a comment with your question between now and Friday, Oct. 10.
2) I will choose the 20 best questions and email them to Jason who will then answer at least 10 of them and hopefully more, depending upon his availability and the complexity of the questions.
3) Check back on this post for updates on when you can expect the answers -- I'm shooting for Wednesday, Oct. 22. Again, it depends on Jason's schedule.

Things to keep in mind:
1) Read through the comments to see what others have asked so we aren't getting the same question over and over.
2) You may ask more than one question, but I am going to spread the wealth so I will probably only choose one question per person to submit to Jason.
3) Nothing is off limits, Jason said, but giving away future plot points is always an iffy proposition. Ask wisely. Remember this is your chance to delve into the creative process of one of the finest shows on television.

Fire away. And enjoy the show tonight (if you have DirecTV).

P.S.

See the Marc Cherry/"Desperate Housewives" post here, which kicked off my Q&A series.

Future Q&As include "Ugly Betty" showrunner Silvio Horta (who has the questions in hand already); "Mad Men" showrunner Matthew Weiner, later this month; and "Lost" honchos Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse. Keep checking back with Season Pass for more. And I'm open to suggestions for shows you like to see included.

— Kathy Lyford

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.

— Stuart Levine