Friday Night Lights is one of the most well-respected teen dramas as it masterfully combines football and high school angst. The small town Texas setting is perfect, showing how these teenagers are dreaming of sports stardom while struggling to imagine moving away from the only home they've ever known.
There are many great couples on the series, and the romantic drama does make up the bulk of the storylines. But even though fans love the pairings, there are many other relationships that could have taken place. Here are 10 couples who would have made a lot of sense on Friday Night Lights but who never got together.
Landry And Lyla
Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons) and Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) have a serious relationship, but Landry would be better suited to a romance with Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly).
This might sound like a crazy idea because Lyla's two main love interests are Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) and Jason Street (Scott Porter) and it doesn't ever seem like she can be with anyone else. But Landry and Lyla are so different and they could be an adorable couple. Lyla is a perfectionist and has a tendency to be a bit uppity at times, and Landry's chill demeanor could really complement her.
Lyla And Matt
Lyla could also be a great match for Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford). Yes, he and Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden) are an awesome couple and it's great that they end up together, but Lyla and Matt would have also made a lot of sense as a pairing. They've both grown up in the same small town in Texas and they both understand football since she's a cheerleader and Matt plays on the team.
Most importantly, though, Matt has had a lot of tragedy in his life as he's being raised by his grandmother and he doesn't see his parents anymore. Lyla is a bit of a "poor little rich girl" and it would be good for her to learn that life isn't perfect. Matt could teach her how to care about someone.
Tyra And Luke
Tyra's main love interests on Friday Night Lights are Tim and Landry, so it would have been cool to see her date someone else (and hopefully with less conflict).
It would have made a lot of sense for Tyra and Luke Cafferty (Matt Lauria) to date. He plays football for the East Dillon Lions and his dream is to leave Dillon. Since Tyra is a lot smarter than people give her credit for, they could help each other become the best versions of themselves and reach their dreams together.
Tim And Julie
Tim Riggins is a fan favorite on Friday Night Lights. He's handsome and spends a lot of time drinking, and he's never thought about leaving his life in Texas behind.
Tim has a real lack of motivation to make something of himself, and even dating Lyla doesn't seem to do much for him because he doesn't seem to change until the series finale. Even in the third season when Tim has the opportunity to go to college, he's still acting lazy and like he doesn't care. Julie is a sweet go-getter who has a great work ethic and it seems like she could be a source of inspiration for Tim. They would be an entertaining couple, that's for sure.
Jason And Julie
Julie would also be an interesting match for Jason. It would have made a lot of sense for these two to date because they're both good, nice people who want to do the right thing and it seems like Julie could inspire and motivate Jason to get his life back after his horrible injury.
Julie is wise beyond her years and since Jason always seems like a mature person who has a good head on his shoulders, they seem like they have similar personalities. Julie is new in town and so she's not as obsessed with Dillon, Texas football as everyone else, and since Jason is transitioning out of that world, they could explore life outside of sports.
Becky And JD
Becky Sproles (Madison Burge) and JD McCoy (Jeremy Sumpter) both come from tricky families. While Becky's mom Cheryl totally ignores her, JD is the product of an angry, abusive father who wants nothing more than for his son to achieve unrealistic levels of football success.
These two characters never dated but they should have as they would understand the pain that they have felt from not feeling loved by their families. And they could teach each other that there are more things in life than sports and feeling pressure.
Jess And Smash
Jess Merriweather (Jurnee Smollett) and Smash Williams (Gaius Charles) are another couple that would have made a lot of sense. Smash has his problems and he has a tough time in high school, and it would have been nice to see his character have a real love story. It seems like it could have helped him.
The two have a love of football in common as Jess is pretty obsessed with it and even becomes an assistant coach at the end of the series.
Tim And Jess
Jess would also be an awesome match for Tim. They could also talk about football, and since Jess is going places and nothing is going to stop her, she could make Tim realize that he needs to grow up and start thinking about what he wants his life to look like.
Tim has been enabled his whole life by his older brother, Billy (Derek Philipps) to sit around and be lazy and do nothing with his time. He needs a love interest who will really push him.
Matt And Tyra
Tyra and Matt could have been another pairing on Friday Night Lights that made a lot of sense. She dates his best friend Landy for a while so he definitely knows her, and since that relationship is too complicated and Tyra had a toxic romance with Tim Riggins, she needs a healthy and normal connection with someone.
It seems like Matt and Tyra could be great together as he's a really good person, and that's what she needs.
Tyra And Smash
Another logical couple would have been Tyra and Smash. They are both misunderstood and have felt like they can't amount to anything, and they would definitely bond over those negative feelings.
They flirt a lot at the beginning of the show but don't officially date, so it would have been interesting to see how their romance would have gone.