‘Friday Night Lights’ Highlights DirecTV’s Fall Lineup
Will Also Include Companion Show ‘Live From Dillon’
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 9/23/2008 12:13:00 PM
DirecTV’s The 101 Network will kick off the new season with its biggest fall lineup to date, including the third season of Friday Night Lights and its new companion show Live From Dillon, as well as brand new seasons of returning shows Supreme Court of Comedy and Rock & A Hard Place.
The schedule will also include a sneak preview of the new original series from Starz Entertainment, Crash—all commercial-free and in HD, officials said Tuesday.
It starts Oct. 1 when Friday Night Lights makes its 101 Network debut at 9 p.m. ET. The series will air in HD and commercial-free for the first time ever. The new season will follow Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) as he copes with an uncertain team after the graduation of star running back Smash Williams (Gaius Charles). DirecTV subscribers get to watch the episodes first before the show’s NBC run in 2009.
Friday Night Lights fans will get to spend more time with their favorite cast members on the new companion television show Live From Dillon (Wednesdays immediately following Friday Night Lights beginning Oct. 15). The program will feature different cast members each week as they discuss their characters, plot lines and even take live viewer questions. The Taylor Family (Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton and Aimee Teegarden) are scheduled to appear on the first episode.
As part of the new season, DirecTV’s original series Rock & A Hard Place and Supreme Court of Comedy both return for a second season Oct. 21 for a fun-filled “Rock and Rule” Tuesday night. Meat Loaf returns as the host of Rock & A Hard Place, a trivia game show that pits rock legends from the past and present against each other in a game of wits, wisdom and kazoos—all in the name of charity. The 12 new episodes will feature match ups like Bananarama vs. Right Said Fred, Lisa Lisa vs. Da Brat and Tony Orlando vs. Jeffrey Osborne.
Following “Rock” is Supreme Court of Comedy. It’s People’s Court with a twist as real plaintiffs and defendants with real small claims cases decide to forego the traditional legal system in lieu of having their cases tried by America’s truest judges of character, comedians.
In addition to original series premieres, DirecTV’s The 101 Network will also feature a sneak peak of Crash, the first original drama series from Starz Entertainment on Oct. 1. From the producers of the Academy Award-winning Best Motion Picture of 2006, Crash is a provocative new 13-episode drama starring an ensemble cast led by film icon Dennis Hopper.
The 101 Network will premiere the first episode of Crash along with a “Making Of” special featuring a behind the scenes look at the series starting Oct. 1 at 10 p.m. ET in anticipation of its Starz primetime premiere Oct. 17.
