Dousing The Lights?

AS THE actor who plays the quarterback on NBC 's high school football drama Friday Night Lights, Zach Gilford has some inside information: He knows how the Dillon Panthers ' season ends in the April 11 finale. (They're in the championship game.) But last week, as he packed for a two-month vacation to the Himalayas , he fixated on a more personal cliffhanger: Will Lights return for a sophomore season? "I wish I knew," he sighed.

By at least one measure Friday Night Lights should be in line for renewal. The show smartly portrays teen life with only rare slips into O.C.--style melodrama, and it captures the passion for high school football that bleeds into every aspect of Texas life. Since premiering last October, many reviewers have praised the series, but they've also described it as "the best show you're not watching."

So why aren't people tuning in? (Lights is ranked 114th in the ratings this season.) NBC officials have cited the show's challenging mix of genres—sports, soap opera and social commentary. But Lights executive producer Peter Berg suggests that the network shares the blame. The show has aired on three different weekdays, and its current Wednesday slot is opposite powerhouse American Idol . "It's like we're sending our child to school every day, and he's getting beat up," says Berg.

NBC president Jeff Zucker will decide the show's fate in May. While Berg waits, he is planning for next season. He would like to add a second school to the mix by having a character leave Dillon—logical candidates would be coach Eric Taylor, who is flirting with a college job, or Gilford's character, junior quarterback Matt Saracen, who could transfer. Berg is also anticipating the departure of next year's graduates by introducing younger characters. When Gilford returns from vacation, he and his castmates might face a situation in which even if the show is renewed, their airtime could be diminished to make time for the new cast members. "I told the guys early on to be prepared for an experience that is one to two years, and that may be it," says Berg. Perhaps someone should have told him the same thing.