You Can't Lose Seeing the Cast of Friday Night Lights Then and Now

"Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."

While it's been more than a decade since we have heard Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) give one of his inspiring speeches to his football team, it feels like only yesterday that we were enjoying the acclaimed series for the first time when it premiered in October 2006.

That and thirsting over Taylor Kitsch's Tim Riggins.

Today, the NBC show's legacy is stronger than ever thanks to a strong following of new fans discovering the show, as well as many of its cast members adding to their already impressive resumes.

Whether it is seeing Chandler take on more series regular roles in shows like Bloodline or watching Connie Britton shine as the star of Nashville, American Horror Story or Dirty John, there is no doubt that the show about a little Texas town and its football program set up plenty of its performers for superstardom. (Hello, Michael B. Jordan!)

And now, we're taking a look at how the Friday Night Lights cast has kept busy since we left them back in Dillon. Take a look at what Minka Kelly, Scott Porter and more are up to now.

Coach Taylor can still be seen inspiring others in many other shows and movies, such as when he starred on the series Bloodline and in the short-lived Catch-22.

He also reprised his character Dr. Mark Russell in Godzilla: King of Monsters and starred alongside George Clooney in the 2020 film The Midnight Sky. Most recently, he's starring in Godzilla vs. Kong.

The superstar quickly found a home as the lead of Nashville, a drama series surrounding the country music scene in the iconic music city, as well as leading the first installments of American Horror Story and Dirty John.

Most recently, she acted in the Oscar-nominated film Promising Young Woman and also had a multi-year stint on the Fox hit series 9-1-1.

After her run on Friday Night Lights, she had a recurring part in Parenthood and starred in the thriller The Roommate.

Kelly current stars on HBO Max's DC comics series Titans. She will next be seen in HBO's Euphoria.

The actor went on to be a part of another small-town show, this time with the lighthearted series Hart of Dixie. He also got married to the football show's casting director.

Porter can currently be seen on Netflix's Ginny & Georgia.

After his breakthrough role on the football drama, he had major roles in shows like Breaking Bad and Fargo, and also got engaged to Kirsten Dunst in 2017. The two recently welcomed baby no. 2. 

Plemons has acted in a number of recent highly acclaimed award season films including Vice, The Irishman and, most recently, Judas and the Black Messiah.

After his role on the show, he went on to star in other compelling dramas like True Detective and the mini-series Waco, as well as in a terrifying role in the crime-drama film 21 Bridges.

Following FNL, the Illinois native joined the since-canceled NBC series, Good Girls. He will next appear in Netflix's upcoming supernatural horror series, Midnight Mass.

The actress starred on The Orville between 2017 and 2019, and also had roles in films like John Wick and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

The actor, who played the up-and-coming quarterback on the final season of the show, broke out after the series ended with major movie roles including Just Mercy, Fruitvale Station and, of course, as Killmonger in Marvel's Black Panther. He's also been named People's Sexiest Man Alive.

Since her role as Julie Taylor, she has taken on recurring parts in series like Notorious, The Ranch and Star-Crossed. While many of the shows have wrapped, Teegarden is still actively promoting ocean conservation.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

Originally published June 17, 2020 at 12:05 a.m. PT.

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