MovieChat Forums > Friday Night Lights (2006) Discussion > FNL blows Parenthood out of the water

FNL blows Parenthood out of the water

posted 8 years ago by baylieismine04
5 replies | jump to latest

I just finished FNL and wow, this show is a masterpiece! I'd watched Parenthood when it was airing and I know they have the same creator (producer?). I liked Parenthood at first but by the end it had really began to bug the crap out of me. It seemed like they'd taken that show to the extreme end of trying to seem realistic and in the process, I ended up hating a lot of the characters and the constant bickering made me want to pull my hair out.

But Friday Night Lights managed to be completely realistic and relatable in an organic way. The storylines, unlike Parenthood, were never predictable and handled in a way that seemed so true to life. I'm so glad I finally decided to watch it and didn't let my poor impressions of Parenthood influence me.

The only thing constant in life is change

[–] tukai 8 years ago

I agree. I ended up only watching Parenthood to see the occasional FNL cast member.

[–] faulknerster 8 years ago

Parenthood was pretty much a watered-down FNL minus the football and shaky camera. I was initially pretty disappointed by it but eventually lowered my expectations and found it enjoyable enough. It tried to adapt the free form style of FNL, but that didn't suit the show's more conventional format and light weight storytelling. And some of its actors (particularly Lauren Graham) was misused throughout most of its run. It's apparent that Jason Katims wanted to keep some of FNL's DNA but make something more commercial. What he ultimately ended up with was a fairly bland show without much identity.

[–] lesleyemclain 8 years ago

I'm a huge fan of Parenthood, and I can't really put them even on the same page. I just watched FNL for the first time over the summer, mostly for Eric Chandler (he is incredible in the Netflix series Bloodline), and really love it. But the only similarity between the two shows I see is the dialogue style. The way the characters, especially Eric and Tammy, talk over each other is virtually identical. Except, on the fan boards for Parenthood, people rant about how insane it makes them that they do that. The family dynamics of FNL are more relatable, the Braverman's are more of an "ideal" family.

[–] baylieismine04 8 years ago

While I agree that there are times that Eric and Tami will talk over each other, they don't do it nearly as much as in Parenthood where everyone does it multiple times an episode. One thing I noticed between the two shows is that Kristina from Parenthood often spoke with the same inflection in her vocal tone that Tami Taylor did. I wonder if Monica Potter took cues from FNL?

The only thing constant in life is change

[–] Julie_Julii 8 years ago

The two shows were produced by more or less the same team, yes, but I don't see the worth in comparing the two.

Parenthood was a more traditional family drama whereas FNL was something all of its own I guess.

I guess you could say FNL took a more indie filmmaking and experimental approach to a youth orientated sports show, subverting the tropes and focuses more on character than story.

Parenthood felt more like a throwback to the 80s and 90s and had more wide appeal by grounding the drama in a lot of light, silly moments.

Both shows had their problems of course, and I agree that Parenthood doesn't carry the same artistic or iconic status of FNL - but has many many merits and Parenthood probably reduced me to tears more than FNL ever did.