“I’ve Been Asked….”: Friday Night Lights Reboot Return Addressed By Riggins Actor Taylor Kitsch

Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch addresses the possibility of returning as Tim Riggins in the upcoming reboot. After years of speculation that the seminal sports drama would be brought back, it was announced late last year that a Friday Night Lights reboot was in the works for the Peacock streaming service. The project would hail from Universal Television, like the original series, with showrunner Jason Katims returning alongside director Peter Berg and producer Brian Grazer. However, at this early stage, casting remains unknown.

In an interview with SiriusXM's Jessica Shaw to promote his Western series American Primeval, which premieres January 9 on Netflix, Kitsch was asked about returning for the Peacock project. With American Primeval also hailing from Berg, Kitsch was asked whether he'd be interested in collaborating with the director for the Friday Night Lights reboot. The actor shared that he would be open to making a guest appearance, though he wouldn't want to be a main cast member. He also shared some other thoughts about returning as Riggins. Read the exchange below:

Shaw: I know they’re rebooting Friday Night Lights. Are you like, if they’re like, ‘Hey, will you—?’ Will you be like, coach, or will you be whatever? Or do you feel like 'I gotta stay away?' Because Pete’s involved with that too.
Kitsch: I know I’ve been asked, and we’ll leave it at that.
Shaw: To be coach?
Kitsch: No. But to be a part of some kind of reboot. I’m always flattered. Never say never. But I would come in and do something that, maybe for an episode or something. But I don’t want to go and do the whole thing. I’d go and have fun. But I don’t want to lead or anything. I love the continuous, challenging roles and to keep pushing.
Shaw: Would you want to go in for, like, an episode as Riggins or a totally different character?
Kitsch: Sure, yeah, I would do both. That’s a good point. Yeah, I could create something that could be, hopefully, pretty fun. But I think if you saw me as someone else, you’d be like, ‘that’s Riggins’, especially in that element, if you’re in Texas or doing it the way they’re going to do it. So yeah, I would. I mean, I’d maybe play an opposing team’s coach or something, and be on screen for like, eight seconds. I would do that, sure.

What Kitsch's Latest Comments Mean For The Friday Night Lights Reboot

It's A Potential Path Forward

The logline for the reboot reveals that the story will be set in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, as a high school football team and their interim coach make a run for a Texas High School State Championship. In the process, they become a beacon of light for their town. Nothing about the brief preview rules out an appearance by the original Friday Night Lights cast. This is a positive for Riggins, who decides in the final season that he wants to stay in the town of Dillon.

It's too early to say, just yet, if the Peacock reboot will lean in the direction of bringing back old favorites versus trying out the premise with a new cast. Kitsch's remarks suggest a middle ground, with the original actors coming in and out but not taking over the spotlight for long. But arguably more important than who might come back is how the new series is handled both in terms of narrative and presentation.

Our Take On The Friday Night Lights Reboot

It Could Work With Key Elements

Friday Night Lights collage of Coach Taylor and Dillon Panthers Lions players

The reboot sparked a bit of a bidding war between streamers, with Peacock beating out the likes of Netflix. It may well maintain the fondness for Friday Night Lights, which has remained popular since the finale in 2011. But it would do well to offer at least 13 episodes, which would be on par with the original, and even as many as 16 episodes. This old-fashioned approach would keep Peacock subscribers invested since the original series was able to execute that very well years ago.

Source: SiriusXM