Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose! It’s hard to believe it’s already been 10 years since the beloved drama “Friday Night Lights” aired its final episode. In honor of the series’ finale anniversary on Feb. 9, 2021, Wonderwall.com is taking a look at what its stars are up to now. Keep reading for more…
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Kyle Chandler plays Eric Taylor, the head coach of the Dillon Panthers high school football team.
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After leaving the role of Coach Taylor on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” — for which he won an Emmy in 2011 — Kyle Chandler has continued to rack up big acting credits. He’s since appeared in several films including “Argo,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Carol,” “Manchester by the Sea,” “First Man” and “The Midnight Sky.” From 2015 to 2017, he took on his first leading role on a television series since “FNL” concluded, playing John Rayburn on Netflix’s “Bloodline.” The performance earned him two Emmy nominations. Next up, Kyle will appear in the films “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Slumberland.” He’s still married to Kathryn Macquarrie, his wife since 1995 with whom he shared two daughters.
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Connie Britton plays Tammy Taylor, Eric’s supportive wife who’s the guidance counselor at Dillon High School.
Following the conclusion of “Friday Night Lights,” Connie Britton — who earned two Emmy nominations for her work on the show — starred on the first season of FX’s “American Horror Story” and returned for season 8, “Apocalypse.” From 2012 to 2018, she portrayed country music singer-songwriter Rayna James on the hit ABC series “Nashville,” delivering a performance that earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for best actress on a television drama series. She also appeared on 2016’s “American Crime Story,” 2018’s “9-1-1” and “Dirty John,” the latter of which earned her yet another Golden Globe nod. Connie’s also appeared in a few films in recent years including “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” “Beatriz at Dinner,” “The Mustang,” “Bombshell” and “Promising Young Woman.” The same year she wrapped “FNL,” she became a mom, adopting son Eyob from Ethiopia. “I had no idea what I was even getting into, so it wasn’t so much ‘I can do this’ as much as I knew that I wanted to be a mom,” she told Andy Cohen on “Watch What Happens Live” in 2021.
Taylor Kitsch plays troubled Dillon Panthers running back Tim Riggins.
Sure, Taylor Kitsch captured our hearts as the tortured Tim Riggins, but that role merely marked the beginning of an impressive career. Since the end of “Friday Night Lights,” the Canadian actor has landed roles in films including “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “John Carter,” “Lone Survivor,” “American Assassin” and 2019’s “21 Bridges.” Taylor hasn’t let go of his small screen beginnings — in 2015, he starred as Paul Woodrugh on the second season of HBO’s “True Detective” and appeared on the 2018 miniseries “Waco” as well as 2020’s “Shadowplay.”
Zach Gilford plays Matt Saracen (right), the quiet and artistic Dillon Panthers quarterback.
We love you, QB2! After starring on “Friday Night Lights,” Zach Gilford appeared on television shows including “Grey’s Anatomy” and landed main roles on the short-lived series “Off the Map” and “The Mob Doctor.” In 2018, he appeared in the recurring role of Gregg on NBC’s “Good Girls” and since 2019, he’s starred as Ben Baines on FOX’s “L.A.’s Finest.” Zach also found love! In 2012, he married actress Kiele Sanchez, who co-starred with him on DirecTV’s “Kingdom” for two episodes in 2017. They share a daughter. Next up, Zach will appear on TV’s “Midnight Mass” and “Hombre.”
Jesse Plemons plays Landry Clarke, Matt’s best friend and teammate on the Dillon Panthers.
Jesse Plemons’ career blew up after he wrapped “Friday Night Lights.” From 2012 to 2013, he played Todd Alquist on the fifth season of AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” a performance that earned him his first Primetime Emmy nomination (he reprised the role in the 2019 TV movie “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”). In 2015, Jesse portrayed Ed Blumquist on season 2 of FX’s “Fargo.” Two years later in 2017, he earned his second Emmy nom for his work on the “USS Callister” episode of Netflix’s critically acclaimed anthology series “Black Mirror.” He’s also appeared in several films including “The Post,” “Game Night,” “Vice” and “The Irishman.” Jesse has four films on the way: “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Antlers,” “Jungle Cruise” and “The Power of the Dog.” As for his personal life? He’s been engaged to his “Fargo” co-star Kirsten Dunst since 2017. The couple welcomed son Ennis in 2018.
Minka Kelly plays good girl Lyla Garrity, while Scott Porter plays the Dillon Panthers’ former star quarterback Jason Street.
Goodbye, Miss Garrity! Following her breakout role on “Friday Night Lights,” Minka Kelly landed a recurring role on another NBC series, “Parenthood,” from 2010 to 2011. She went on score leading roles on the short-lived series “Charlie’s Angels” and “Almost Human.” In addition to appearing on shows including “Man Seeking Woman,” “Drunk History” and “Legends of Tomorrow,” since 2018, Minka has portrayed Dawn Granger, aka Dove, on the DC superhero series “Titans.” Minka’s also appeared in several movies including “The Roommate,” “Just Go With It,” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and “Night Hunter.” Next up, she’ll appear in the crime biopic “Lansky.” She’s also still making headlines thanks to her love life: After romancing stars including actor Chris Evans, musician John Mayer, retired MLB star Derek Jeter and actor Jesse Williams, she found love with “The Daily Show” host and comedian Trevor Noah in 2020.
Since portraying Jason Street on “Friday Night Lights,” Scott Porter has continued to act. From 2010 to 2011, he had a recurring role as Blake Calamar on “The Good Wife” and he voiced Cyclops in “Marvel Anime: Wolverine” and “Marvel Anime: X-Men.” Most notably, he starred as George Tucker on The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” alongside Rachel Bilson from 2011 to 2015. He also appeared on TV shows including “Rosewood,” the short-lived drama “Scorpion,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Charmed” and “Why Women Kill.” 2021 will be a busy year for the Nebraska-born actor as he’ll appear on three shows: “Carcerem,” “Lucifer” and the Netflix dramedy “Ginny & Georgia.” In 2013, Scott married casting director Kelsey Mayfield. They have two kids, son McCoy and daughter Clover.
Adrianne Palicki plays bad girl Tyra Collette, who romances Tim Riggins.
While there’s no arguing that Tyra’s character arc on “Friday Night Lights” was one of the show’s greatest, we’re happy to report that Adrianne Palicki has continued to find major success in showbiz since the show wrapped. In addition to appearing in notable films including “Legion,” “Red Dawn,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and “John Wick,” Adrianne has also returned to the small screen. From 2014 to 2016, she played Bobbi Morse on ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and since 2017, she’s starred alongside Seth MacFarlane on FOX’s sci-fi dramedy series “The Orville” as Commander Kelly Grayson. From 2007 to 2019, she also lent her voice to several characters on the Seth Green co-created adult animated series “Robot Chicken.” Adrianne was married to her “The Orville” co-star Scott Grimes from 2019 to 2020.
Aimee Teegarden plays Julie Taylor, Eric and Tammy’s studious daughter who’s also Matt’s love interest.
Since portraying the coach’s daughter on “Friday Night Lights,” Aimee Teegarden has continued to act. Most notably, she starred as Emery Whitehill on the short-lived The CW series “Star-Crossed” in 2014. She also appeared on Netflix’s “The Ranch” and ABC’s “Notorious.” In 2020, she starred in the film “Guest House” alongside Pauly Shore. In 2021, Aimee starred in the TV romance film “A New Year’s Resolution.”
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