Friday Night Lights cast: Where are they now?

It's been years since we last cheered on the Panthers. See where the cast of the beloved high school sports drama landed after leaving Texas.

By
Madeline Boardman
Madeline Boardman
Madeline Boardman is a former digital features director at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2017.
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Updated on February 23, 2023 09:43AM EST
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS -- Season 1
The cast of 'Friday Night Lights'. Photo:

Michael Muller/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

It was all the way back in 2006 that Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) first taught America, "Full eyes, clear heart, can't lose."

Friday Night Lights arrived with a mix of established (but not necessarily star) talent and young actors who would become big names in their own right, like Oscar-nominee Jesse Plemons and, later, Michael B. Jordan. The show consistently captured audiences with its constant and varied drama. But where did FNL's stars go after the lights dimmed on its Texas football field?

Here's what the cast of Friday Night Lights has been up to since the show ended with its fifth season in 2011.

01 of 13

Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor)

Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor)
Van Redin/NBC; Mike Pont/FilmMagic

Kyle Chandler had clear eyes and a full heart as Coach Eric Taylor. The wise family man acted as a father figure to many of the boys on the Dillon High School Panthers, and helped develop the football program at East Dillon High.

The New York-born actor dropped the drawl and picked up gigs in Oscar-nominated movies after FNL's 2011 wrap, appearing in Argo (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Manchester by the Sea (2016). He also starred as Dr. Mark Russell in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021); played a dad in the Netflix fantasy film in Slumberland (2022); and had TV turns on Bloodline, Mayor of Kingstown, and Super Pumped.

02 of 13

Connie Britton (Tami Taylor)

Connie Britton (Tami Taylor)
Paul Drinkwater/NBC; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Connie Britton and her famed head of curls stole the show as Tami Taylor, starring opposite Chandler as the football coach's no-nonsense wife. The ever-charming Mrs. Coach raised the family's two daughters while growing her own career in academia at Dillon High.

The Britton-sized hole in fans' hearts was filled just months after Friday Night Lights ended, when the Spin City actress booked a role in the first season of American Horror Story. She then signed on for ABC's Nashville, starring alongside Hayden Panettiere, and made appearances in movies such as This Is Where I Leave You (2014), Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015), Bombshell (2019), and Promising Young Woman (2020). In 2021, Britton went on to star in the first season of HBO's hit anthology series The White Lotus, and in 2023, she reunited with FNL's showrunner on Apple TV+'s Dear Edward.

03 of 13

Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor)

Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor)
Paul Drinkwater/NBC; Joe Scarnici/FilmMagic

Just 15 years old when FNL debuted, Aimee Teegarden took on the role of Julie Taylor, the daughter of Eric and Tami Taylor. She began the show as a first-year high school student, growing through the series as she meets her first love, faces changes at home, and experiences a healthy dose of rebellion against her parents.

After graduating from Dillon High and her gig as Julie, Teegarden eyed television roles, appearing on Punk'd and starring on the CW's short-lived Star-Crossed. She also showed up in the Liam Hemsworth-starring Love and Honor (2013), Rings (2017), and The Road to Galena (2022), among other titles.

04 of 13

Scott Porter (Jason Street)

Scott Porter (Jason Street)
Michael Muller/NBC; John Shearer/Getty Images

Scott Porter opened the show as Dillon's star quarterback, Jason Street. The athlete's fate soon turns, however, as he becomes paralyzed from the chest down after following a debilitating injury in the first game of the season. After a tough personal battle, Jason stays close to the game with a post-high school career as a sports agent.

Jason Street didn't define Porter for long, as he booked a recurring role on The Good Wife before FNL even wrapped. He appeared in movies like 10 Years (2011) and The To Do List (2013) and continued his television work with starring roles on Hart of Dixie and Ginny & Georgia.

05 of 13

Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen)

Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen)
Paul Drinkwater/NBC; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Zach Gilford played Matt Saracen, FNL's boy next door with a heart of gold. The Panthers' quarterback takes over for the injured Jason Street and becomes close to the Taylor family as he dates Julie and bonds with Coach Taylor in lieu of a relationship with his own father.

Following Friday Night Lights, Gilford nabbed a spot as Taylor Swift's love interest in her "Ours" music video, and booked a gig as a series regular on ABC's Off the Map. The medical drama was soon cancelled, but Gilford turned to other TV projects like The Mob Doctor, The Family, Good Girls, L.A.'s Finest, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club, and starred in The Purge: Anarchy (2014) and There's Something Wrong With the Children (2023).

06 of 13

Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity)

Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity)
Paul Drinkwater/NBC; Donato Sardella/Getty Images

Minka Kelly became Lyla Garrity with the 2006 premiere of Friday Night Lights, bringing the high-achieving head cheerleader to life. Lyla was in a relationship with Jason Street at the time of his injury, but her life gets messy as she starts seeing Tim Riggins behind Jason's back and faces drama at home with her parents' marital troubles. She eventually gets back on track and ends up enrolling at Vanderbilt.

After FNL, Kelly picked up a starring role on ABC's short-lived Charlie's Angels remake. She wasn't idle long after the show's cancellation, however, as she then booked gigs in films such as Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013), She's in Portland (2020), and Lansky (2021), and on series Almost Human, Jane the Virgin, Titans, and Euphoria.

07 of 13

Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins)

Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins)
Bill Records/NBC; Vera Anderson/Getty Images

Taylor Kitsch made viewers swoon as the dreamy Panthers football player Tim Riggins. The rebellious Prince Charming took his favorite phrase of "Texas forever" to heart, staying in the Lone Star State after graduating from Dillon High and pursuing questionable business ventures with his brother.

The Canadian star had a less than successful turn as the title character in Disney's box office bomb John Carter, but soon got back on his feet with parts on critically acclaimed TV projects like The Normal Heart and season 2 of True Detective. Kitsch also appeared in the films Battleship (2012), Lone Survivor (2013), and 21 Bridges (2019), as well as on the series The Defeated and The Terminal List.

08 of 13

Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke)

Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke)
Virginia Sherwood/NBC; Steve Granitz/WireImage

Jesse Plemons had a bit of renaissance as Landry Clarke, going from Saracen's nerdy friend to a football jock. When he wasn't on the field or studying, he was falling for resident bad girl Tyra Collette and playing in his Christian metal band, Crucifictorious.

The Texas actor returned to TV after FNL with roles on Breaking Bad, Bent, Fargo, and No Activity. Plemons also added to his filmography with Black Mass (2015), Game Night (2018), The Irishman (2019), and The Power of the Dog (2021)—for which he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor—and Windfall (2022).

09 of 13

Gaius Charles (Brian "Smash" Williams)

Gaius Charles (Brian 'Smash' Williams)
Paul Drinkwater/NBC; Paul Marotta/Getty Images

Gaius Charles found his home in Texas as Dillon Panthers running back Smash Williams. The star athlete got an added boost from steroids in the early seasons before Coach Taylor steps in, and later landed a spot on Texas A&M University's football team.

The New York actor left Texas for Seattle, booking a role as medical intern Shane Ross on Grey's Anatomy. In addition to his gig on the drama, Charles also appeared on NCIS, Aquarius, Taken, and Roswell, New Mexico.

10 of 13

Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette)

Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette)
Bill Records/NBC; Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Adrianne Palicki played high school hottie Tyra Collette. A supporter of the Dillon Panthers, and dealing with a dark home life, Tyra has flings with Tim Riggins and Landry Clarke before enrolling at the University of Texas.

The star turned to action movies after FNL, having roles in Red Dawn (2012), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), and John Wick (2014). On the small screen, Palicki made appearances on Criminal Minds, About a Boy, and Drunk History, before booking a starring role on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Bobbi Morse. After the series' end in 2016, Palicki went on to star as Commander Kelly Grayson on The Orville.

11 of 13

Matt Lauria (Luke Cafferty)

Matt Lauria (Luke Cafferty)
Bill Records/NBC; Maarten de Boer/Getty Images

Matt Lauria joined Friday Night Lights in the fourth season, playing newcomer Luke Cafferty. Luke joins the East Dillon team and helps beef up the program as he romances Becky Sporles (Madison Burge).

The Lipstick Jungle alum continued his focus on TV following FNL, working on Burn Notice, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Person of Interest. Lauria also found regular role on Parenthood, Kingdom, Tell Me a Story, and CSI: Vegas.

12 of 13

Michael B. Jordan (Vince Howard)

Michael B. Jordan (Vince Howard)
Bill Records/NBC; Paras Griffin/WireImage

The celebrated actor played Vince Howard in FNL's fourth and fifth season. After facing trouble with the law, Vince joins the East Dillon team, playing football for the first time. He finds success on the team, but is often distracted by his parents' trips in and out of jail.

Michael B. Jordan became a bona fide movie star with the 2013 release of critical darling Fruitvale Station. He went on to expand his résumé with roles in Fantastic Four (2015), Fahrenheit 451 (2018), Just Mercy (2019), and A Journal for Jordan (2021). The actor is also best known for his roles as Adonis Johnson in the Creed films (2015–2023) and as Erik Killmonger in the Black Panther movies and on What If...? (2018–2022).

13 of 13

Jurnee Smollett (Jess Mirrwether)

Jurnee Smollett (Jess Mirrwether)
Bill Records/NBC; Paras Griffin/Getty Images

The little sister to Empire's Jussie Smollett, the star played Jess Mirrwether in the second half of FNL's run. She develops a relationship with Vince and gets involved with the football team as a coach-in-training.

After Friday Night Lights, Smollett booked roles on The Defenders, The Mob Doctor, True Blood, Underground, and Lovecraft Country. She also starred as Black Canary in Birds of Prey (2020) and Hannah in Lou (2022).