The Landry Friday Night Lights murder plot in season 2 was one of the strangest moments for the acclaimed sports series. Friday Night Lights followed the Dillon Panther team in Texas as coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) attempted to build a winning program and shape the lives of many young men. The drama was largely a grounded story that focused on the lives of these characters, but one misguided storyline became so infamous that the show tried to pretend that the Landry Friday Night Lights murder plot never happened.

Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons) was the nerdy best friend of Matt whose role on the show grew thanks to Plemons becoming a fan-favorite member of the Friday Night Lights cast. Landry got involved with the football team in Friday Night Lights season 2 as well as developing an unexpected relationship with Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki). However, before the relationship could really begin it was sidelined by an unexpected storytelling twist, creating the much-derided Landry Friday Night Lights murder plot.

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What Happened With The Landry Murder Storyline

Landry and Tyra standing by a truck and talking in Friday Night Lights

The groundwork for the Landry Friday Night Lights storyline was laid in the finale of season 1. This episode featured a scene in which a stranger sexually assaults Tyra in the season 1 finale as she waited for Landry to meet her, but he arrived in time to chase him away. However, Friday Night Lights season 2 continued this storyline in an unexpected way. The stranger from before was still following Tyra and attempted to attack her again. This time when Landry arrived, the confrontation ended with him hitting the man in the head twice with a pipe.

In a shocking moment for Friday Night Lights, Landry killed Tyra's attacker which resulted in them trying to figure out how to hide the body and cover up what Landry did. The Landry Friday Night Lights murder storyline was messy, and it took a backseat as Friday Night Lights season 2 progressed, ending up completely dropped by the time season 3 began. The decision to move past Landry's killing was likely due to its poor reception and the hope of soft-rebooting the show in season 3.

Why Friday Night Lights Ignored Landry's Murder

Landry Clarke holding a football in Friday Night Lights

Audiences responded negatively to the Landry Friday Night Lights murder storyline in season 2, so the decision to move past it makes sense in that regard. While there could've been a way to have this storyline play out better, Friday Night Lights season 2 stumbled in part due to the 2007 writers' strike. This included losing four episodes on the season, which may have impacted the original plans for the Landy Friday Night Lights murder plot. Some people, believed the entire storyline was an attempt by NBC to draw in more viewers by sexing up the series, but it was one of many decisions that didn't fit with what the series established itself to be.

Although Friday Night Lights never delivered a satisfying resolution to the murder storyline, moving past it allowed Landry's arc to get back on the right track. Still, it is a section of the show's story that largely feels unnecessary, considering how later seasons never again address this dark moment. Landry is instead allowed to continue playing football for Dillon, including his time at East Dillon. However, Landry's prior actions don't result in him getting the girl of his dreams, as Tyra moves past her feelings for him during season 3, and their friendship is effectively over during Friday Night Lights season 4.

Landry's Ending Was Just Low-Key Enough To Fix The Murder Plot

Tyra and Landry stand together in a kitchen at a party in Friday Night Lights

While it was strange to see Landry's murder coverup fall right off the table in Friday Night Lights season 4 and beyond, Jesse Plemons' Friday Night Lights character wound up getting a conclusion that fit the character and allowed the murder to fade from memory just enough to let it slide. Landry doesn't end up with Tyra, nor does he get to play football in college, but the conclusion of his arc is about something more.

In the end, Landry's journey is about enjoying the simple pleasures, and by forgetting about the murder plot and his romance with Tyra, the show afforded him more time to be happy with his friends. By the time Friday Night Lights ended, it was believable that Landry had a good future ahead of him at Rice University and beyond.

The Landry Murder Is A Go-To Story For Writers' Strike Problems

Though the show has been off the air for over a decade, the Landry Friday Night Lights murder plot has gained renewed interest. With the 2023 WGA strike being a main focus in Hollywood, this storyline is looked at as an example of how much a show can suffer without its writing staff. Clearly, the storyline was already in the works before the writers walked off the show, but the strike meant it was a rushed and likely unfinished idea that became the final product.

In the movie world during the 2007 strike, sequels like Quantum of Solace and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are looked at as examples of what happens when a much-needed rewrite is not possible. As the 2023 writers' strike affects countless shows, audiences could begin to see similar issues to what happened to Friday Night Lights. While the show managed to recover just fine and continued to be a beloved series right to the end, the Landry Friday Night Lights storyline remains a blemish of the show's reputation.