Michael B. Jordan joined the main cast of Friday Night Lights toward the end of the series, which may lead fans to wonder the number of episodes featuring the actor and what seasons they belonged to. Friday Night Lights ran for five seasons from 2006 to 2011, following the interpersonal relationships of a high school football team in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas. Before it was developed into a TV series by Peter Berg, H. G. Bissinger’s 1990 nonfiction book (also titled Friday Night Lights) about a real-life football team was adapted into a 2004 film, directed by Berg.
Jordan played the role of Vince Howard in the series, a teenager with a troubled past who is given one last chance after being recruited by Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) to play football. Despite having never played before, Vince was naturally gifted and quickly became the team’s star running back. After an improvised play revealed undiscovered throwing abilities, Vince was made quarterback of the team.
The character of Vince was added to the cast in season 4, with Jordan remaining a main cast member for the following two seasons. In Friday Night Lights season 5 — the show’s final season, Vince struggled with an inflated ego while being recruited by colleges. This was amplified by the return of his father following five years of incarceration, who offered advice that contradicted Coach Taylor and forced Vince to choose between father figures.
Many cast members from Friday Night Lights have gone on to greater success in film and television, but Jordan has seen the most dramatic rise to fame, despite only being a cast member for a total of 26 episodes from 2009 to 2011. Following the final season of Friday Night Lights, he appeared in the George Lucas-produced WWII film, Red Tails, and as the lead in the found-footage superhero film, Chronicle. Since then, Jordan has been involved in several successful franchises, but clearly hasn't forgotten the time spent on Friday Night Lights. In Jordan’s cameo in Space Jam 2, the actor appeared as himself to give the Looney Tunes basketball team a pep talk in the fashion of Coach Taylor. In case there was any doubt about the reference, Jordan even quoted the team’s motto, “Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose," which caught on after a similar locker room pep talk in the show’s first season.
Amidst the many recently revived shows from the past, is it possible there might be a reboot of Friday Night Lights? Although the series had a loyal fanbase and critical acclaim on its side, Friday Night Lights often struggled with ratings, nearly being canceled after season 2. The dedication of fans supporting the show played a part in it continuing, and likely why Berg began to develop a feature film continuation of the series after its cancelation. These same fans are the ones asking for a reboot of Friday Night Lights, which would be especially appealing with the prospect of Jordan reprising the role of Vince.