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Cast Of Friday Night Lights: Where Are They Now?

Telisa Carter

June 8, 2015

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Friday Night Lights: Coach Taylor's Greatest Moments

Let’s face it, if we had it our way Friday Night Lights would still be running new seasons on TV as the five seasons it did get seemed much too short to begin with. It has now been over four years since we have had to say goodbye to our favorite Dillon Panthers and East Dillon Lions, not to mention the best on-screen coach of all-time, and while some have continued making shows and movies, others have seemingly disappeared. Unlike many series, Friday Night Lights, had a long list of cast members, especially after they introduced a whole new football team in season 4. Regardless we miss them all and wanted to check out what they were up to after being a part of one of the best sports drama series on TV.

Connie Britton (Tami Taylor)

Connie Britton, 48, will always be thought of as one of the best TV moms and wives after her performance as Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights. After playing the wife of Coach Gary Gaines for the 2004 film version, Britton was brought on for the same role in the TV adaptaion, and there was no better pair than Britton and Kyle Chandler (Coach Eric Taylor). Of course the stunning and talented actress has continued working since appearing in several movies and TV shows including a starring role in ABC’s hit show Nashville and has also signed on for another season of American Crime Story. As an activist Britton became the 10th Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme in April 2014. In her role Britton works to eradicate poverty, fight exclusion and empower women, and we couldn’t think of anyone better for the job.

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Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor)

Probably the least liked TV daughter of all time, Aimee Teegarden, 25, defined annoying in her role as Eric and Tami Taylor’s daughter Julie. Regardless, she was a big part of the show as her relationship with Matt lasted as a central focus through all of the seasons, winning her the award of TV Actress of the Year in 2011 by Young Hollywood Actors. Since the end of the show, she has also continued working, appearing in films such Scream 4, Prom and Love and Honor with Liam Hemsworth. She got a starring role in a new CW series, Star-Crossed, but it was cancelled after only one season in 2014. She most recently has been cast in the next installment of The Ring franchise, starring in Rings scheduled to hit theatres in late 2015.

Source: HawtCelebs

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Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke)

Jesse Plemons, 27, was the source of much of the humor of FNL, making him a fast fan-favorite on the show, and luckily for him his talent has kept him appearing in big name shows. Plemons was reunited with Friday Night Lights co-star Taylor Kitsch in 2012 for the film Battleship in which director Peter Berg who also created FNL wrote the part specifically for Plemons because “he makes Taylor better.” He then went on to shock fans in a much darker role on the hit series Breaking Bad, appearing in 13 episodes as Todd Alquist. In 2015 Plemons got a starring role in the second season of Fargo as Ed Blomquist, starring alongside Kristen Dunst as his wife Peggy. Like his FNL character, Plemons is also into music and sings, plays guitar and write songs for the band Cowboy and Indian (not Crucifictorious unfortunately.) Although he did bring back Crucifictorious when he reprised his role as Landry briefly in an appearance in Parenthood.

Source: Ace Showbiz

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Gaius Charles (Brian ‘Smash’ Williams)

Although Gaius Charles, 32, did not appear for the entire series, his character Smash Williams was central for season one and two as someone we equally loved and hated, as his egocentric character gave way to someone with a lot of heart. After exiting the show in 2008 Charles appeared in a few films including Salt in 2010 before becoming a series regular on the hit TV series Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Shane Ross. He has a role on the new show Aquarius starring David Duchovny and will also appear in the film version of The Stanford Prison Experiment. Charles is a devout Christian and took a break after Friday Night Lights to pursue a degree in theology.

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Scott Porter (Jason Street)

Actor Scott Porter, 35, shocked fans in the Pilot episode of the show where, in a twist, his character Jason Street, the state’s star quarterback, was injured in the first game of the season leaving him permanently disabled. Porter did an excellent job as Street as he put his life back together without football and he has done a good job keeping his work going after the show ended. Porter has appeared in 14 episodes of The Good Wife as Blake Calamar, as well as Hart of Dixie as George Tucker and has lent his voice to the superhero realm, voicing Cyclops in the X-Men TV series and Dick Grayson/Nightwing for the new Batman: Arkham Knight video game. Porter married Kelsey Mayfield in April 2013, after the two initially met on the set of FNL (she was a cheerleader for the University of Texas). The couple welcomed their first child on May 23, 2015, a son named McCoy Lee Porter.

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Matt Lauria (Luke Cafferty)

Matt Lauria, 30, was perhaps one of the main reasons we could easily adjust to Coach Taylor’s new team, the East Dillon Lions, in season 4 because there was no way not to love farm-boy Luke Cafferty. Lauria has also continued acting since the end of Friday Night Lights, playing a lead role as Caleb Evers in The Chicago Code and Ryan Wheeler in the relatively new series Kingdom. Of course he reunited with former FNL showrunner Jason Katims in Katmis’ show Parenthood which was loosely based on his Luke Cafferty character. At the end of FNL, Cafferty goes off to the war and in Parenthood he is Ryan York, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Lauria is also an electric guitarist and has been married to musician Michelle Armstrong since 2006.

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Michael B. Jordan (Vince Howard)

Michael B. Jordan was relatively unknown before starring in the last two seasons of Friday Night Lights as confident Lions quarterback Vince Howard. While once again we grew to love him and his friendship with Lauria’s Luke Cafferty character, his acting career has really taken off recently. He also appeared in Parenthood as Alex and also starred in 2014’s That Awkward Moment alongside Miles Teller and Zac Efron before getting two huge castings. Jordan will be portraying Adonis Creed, the grandson of Apollo Creed, in the spin-off from Sylvester Stallone’s hit franchise Rocky, dubbed Creed. Jordan is also cashing in on the superhero craze dominating theatres as he landed the role of Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in the newest reboot of the Fantastic Four.

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Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Jess Merriweather)

As yet another new season 4 cast member, Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s character of Jess Merriweather was the perfect mix of Friday Night Lights‘ former female leads Lyla Garrity and Tyra Collette. She dominated as a girl who was all about football, helping Coach Taylor coach the new team as well as portraying the love interest of first Landry and then Vince. Jurnee, 28, ALSO turned up on Parenthood for seven episodes as Heather Hall before landing a recurring role on the massively successful show True Blood for 19 episodes as Nicole Wright. She is currently working on one TV series and one film and remains married to musician Josiah Bell who she said “I do” to in October 2010. Currently her brother Jussie Smollett is starring in another critically acclaimed show, Empire. Apparently acting runs in the family.

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Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity)

Minka Kelly, 34, was one of the hottest women on TV when she starred as Lyla Garrity for three seasons before making her last appearance in season 4, episode 6. Kelly went on to star in The Roommate alongside Leighton Meester and unsurprisingly also had a turn on Parenthood as Gaby for nine episodes. She landed a lead role as streetcar racer Eve French in the Charlie’s Angels TV series that was cancelled after only one season in 2011 and also starred in the series Almost Human but it too was unfortunately cancelled after season one. She also appeared as the lead actress for Maroon 5’s music video for their single “One More Night” in 2012. Kelly had a relationship with baseball superstar Derek Jeter for a few years before breaking up for the final time in 2012. She went on to reconnect with Avengers star Chris Evans in the fall of 2012, but the pair split a year later in 2013.

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Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette)

Tyra Collette was a great character on Friday Night Lights and we can’t imagine anyone other than actress Adrianne Palicki, 32, taking on the role. Although we will never know what happened to Tyra and Tim after they reunited in the last episode, we do know that Palicki has continued working in both movies and TV. She had roles in Red Dawn, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and John Wick and then landed a lead role on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird. Her role has inspired a rumored spin-off of the show focused on her character as well as Nick Blood’s character Lance Hunter. In September 2014 she got engaged to her boyfriend, stuntman Jackson Spidell.

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Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen)

Matt Saracen was possibly the most lovable character on Friday Night Lights as he transformed into a star quarterback after Jason Street’s injury but remained an emotional artist at heart. Zach Gilford gave his all to the role which makes it surprising that he has not found more success following the end of the show. Gilford appeared in ABC’s Off the Map but it was cancelled after 13 episodes, he then went on to star in another show, The Mob Doctor but it too was cancelled after the initial 13 episode run. He appeared in The Last Stand with Arnold Schwarzennger and co-starred in The Purge: Anarchy along with his wife Kiele Sanchez. Gilford met Sanchez in 2010 on the set of The Matadors and the couple became engaged in 2011 before getting married on December, 29 2012.

Source: E Online

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Kyle Chandler (Coach Eric Taylor)

Kyle Chandler, 49, is an excellent actor but his role as Coach Eric Taylor will go down in history as one of the best TV portrayals of all time, winning him a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Losing Chandler as the voice of reason in our lives stung but luckily his talent has kept him working and he has appeared in several films since the end of Friday Night Lights. Chandler had been in Super 8, Zero Dark Thirty, The Spectacular Now, and The Wolf of Wall Street before landing a starring role in another well received TV series, Bloodline. He will also be starring in the new film Carol alongside Cate Blanchett as her jealous husband after she begins a lesbian affair with a department store clerk played by Rooney Mara. Chandler has been married to his wife Kathryn since 1995, and he also spends his time as a volunteer firefighter and advocating for the end of shark finning. No surprise, Chandler really is a great guy, just like Eric Taylor.

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Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins)

Taylor Kitsch was the surprising star of Friday Night Lights for all five season as troubled football player Tim Riggins. Kitsch’s popularity as Riggins made him an obvious choice for a leading man due to his appeal and consequent box office draw and while he landed starring roles in films such as John Carter and Battleship, his performances have been heavily criticized. Although many claim he ruins movies, he has kept his career going, and landed a starring role on the second season of the critically acclaimed series True Detective for its second season. Kitsch will be starring in the show alongside some Hollywood heavyweights including Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams and Colin Farrell.

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Telisa Carter

Telisa enjoys learning and writing about all things entertainment in the world of Hollywood. When she isn't catching up on her favorite TV shows, she likes to read, and obsess over all things football.