Five reasons to watch 'Friday Night Lights'

(Credit: NBC Photo: Bill Records)

The actual football season has been going on for nearly two months now, so that can only mean one thing: fake football season is about to begin. "Friday Night Lights" returns to DirecTV for its fourth season this week, and though you've been told it's one of the best shows on TV close to a million times, you probably still aren't watching it.

But that's OK. It's never too late. And if you're still in need of convincing, we've outlined five reasons that will push you over the edge. Just how good are they? Not a single one of them even mentions Tim Riggins!

5. Survival of the Fittest
Television series, by nature, have to possess a combination of high ratings and quality programming in order to stay on air. (The average show barely makes it past its first season.) So how is it that a show as ratings repellent as "Friday Night Lights" has made it this far as the financial Frankenstein creation of a struggling network and a niche satellite provider? By being unparalleled in awesomeness, that's how. "Friday Night Lights" hasn't been spared the guillotine thanks to fan campaigns or dumbed-down programming, it's still here because it's so good that programmers can't bear to cancel it—even if they lose money on it.

4. Hot Twentysomethings Playing Hot Teenagers
Let's not be unreasonable. "FNL" might be Shakespeare compared to "Gossip Girl," but it's still a high school series with a fresh-faced cast. And if anyone's worrying about that changing now that most of the original student body has moved on from Dillon High, rest easy. New cast members Madison Burge, Matt Lauria, Michael B. Jordan and Jurnee Smollett are all extremely easy on the eyes.

3. A Model Marriage
Half of U.S. marriages end in divorce, and that stat is probably dwarfed by the occurrences of marital implosions on television. If the overwhelming failure of love has got you down, turn your attention to Eric and Tami Taylor. As the patriarch and matriarch of the series, their quips, teamwork, PDA and all around perfection as a couple and parents will make you question just how much you love your own family.

2. Enter: Plot Twist!
This list is directed at all of you non-viewers out there, so we'll keep this as spoiler-free as possible: This season marks a big change for the series. The dynamic that drove "FNL" for the first three years was irrevocably altered in the latest finale, and season four is all about the fallout. Expect a challenge for the writers and actors and some outstanding story development if they rise to the occasion—which they undoubtedly will.

1. There's No End In Sight
Many have hesitated jumping on the "FNL" bandwagon for fear of committing to a series that's permanently under risk of sudden cancellation. Well, in addition to the fact that the old adage of it being better to have loved and lost is appropriate for matters of both the heart and the tube, "Friday Night Lights" actually has a certain future for the first time in its TV tenure. Last spring, NBC and DirecTV chose to renew "Friday Night Lights" for not one but two more seasons. It's going to be around until at least 2011, with at least another 26 episodes set to run.