Where The Friday Night Lights Cast Is Now

It isn't hyperbolic to talk about "Friday Night Lights" as one of the greatest sports dramas of all time. Loosely based on both a non-fiction book by H.G. Bissinger and a 2004 film from director Peter Berg (who created the series, which was then showrun by Jason Katims), the NBC series ran for five seasons and 76 episodes, following a small Texas community that practically revolved around the highs and lows of their local varsity football team.

In addition to its stellar writing and directing, "Friday Night Lights" was lauded for its outstanding cast, which largely consisted of young newcomers with impressive acting talent. This is increasingly evident as each of the main cast members continues to land starring roles in popular movies and television shows, including prestige streaming dramas, Academy Award-winning films, and blockbuster hits. Though this does make their involvement in a potential reboot series somewhat complicated, it's fascinating to see where the Panthers and Lions have graduated to after leaving the gridiron.

Let's see what happened to the cast of "Friday Night Lights" after the show ended.

Grey Damon didn't join the cast of "Friday Night Lights" until its 5th and final season, playing basketball player-turned-East Dillon Lions wide receiver Hastings Ruckle. He was part of the series' main cast until its finale in 2011.

After the finale, Damon became a sought-after television star, with multiple networks hoping to launch a series with him as one of their stars. ABC Family first got their claws on him for the supernatural teen drama "The Nine Lives of Chloe King," and when that series was cancelled after a single season, they cast him in the mystery thriller "Twisted." It too lasted only one season. "Star-Crossed," another fantastical, science fiction series Damon was cast in, this time by The CW, was cancelled after one season as well. He fared slightly better when he returned to NBC in 2015 for the historical crime drama "Aquarius," which was cancelled after two seasons.

Damon did manage to break into the film industry, playing demigod Chris Rodriguez in "Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters" and a young Josh Brolin in Spike Lee's remake of "Oldboy." In 2018, he also starred in "The Possession of Hannah Grace." Since 2018, Damon has starred in the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off series "Station 19," playing firefighter Jack Gibson (pictured above).

Dora Madison (credited on "Friday Night Lights" as Madison Burge) joined the series as Becky Sproles in a recurring capacity during season 4 and was promoted to the main cast at the start of season 5. Her storyline largely focused on her tumultuous relationship with former Panthers tailback Luke Cafferty (Matt Lauria), which initially results in an unplanned teen pregnancy.

Madison followed "Friday Night Lights" with several supporting roles in small films and television shows before being cast as a recurring character on the 8th and final season of "Dexter." The following year, she appeared alongside Grey Damon in "Star-Crossed."

After a one-off guest starring appearance on "Chicago P.D.," Madison joined the One Chicago universe in full force as paramedic Jessica Chilton on "Chicago Fire" (seen above), acting in 19 episodes across the NBC franchise from 2015 to 2016. More recently, she can be seen in the films "Lapsis," "Christmas Bloody Christmas," and "Big Boys."

Matt Lauria's Luke Cafferty was introduced in season 4 of "Friday Night Lights" as one of the core East Dillon Lions players followed by the story. Coincidentally, he's a former Panthers player who gets transferred around the same time as Kyle Chandler's Eric Taylor. He remained part of the series' main cast through to its finale.

Lauria had memorable roles on "The Chicago Code" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" before he was cast as army veteran Ryan Yorke in season 4 of the NBC family drama "Parenthood." The series was created by Jason Katims, the former showrunner of "Friday Night Lights." Lauria recurred on the series until its finale in 2015. From 2014 to 2017, he starred as prisoner-turned-MMA fighter Ryan Wheeler on the Frank Grillo-led Audience Network sports drama "Kingdom."

Other notable roles include John Deakins in the Valentine's Day horror film "Down" (part of Hulu's "Into the Dark" series), the Handsome Outlaw in "To Leslie," James in "80 for Brady," Trevor Tillerson in "Outer Range," David Callahan in "Duster," and Josh Folsom on "CSI: Vegas" (pictured above). As of writing, he's slated to star in the upcoming CBS crime series "Sheriff Country."

The daughter of former East Dillon Lions star quarterback Virgil Merriweather (Steve Harris), Jurnee Smollett's Jess Merriweather grew up with a complicated relationship with football. Through seasons 4 and 5 of "Friday Night Lights," audiences saw as she learned to reconcile with her family's past and accept her connection to the sport, eventually becoming a promising coach.

As season 5 of "Friday Night Lights" was airing, Smollett was cast to star alongside Jerry O'Connell and Jim Belushi in the CBS legal comedy series "The Defenders." It was cancelled after a single season. She then recurred on "The Mob Doctor," "Do No Harm," and "Parenthood," before joining the cast of the HBO vampire drama "True Blood" for its 6th and 7th seasons as activist Nicole Wright. When the series ended in 2014, she was cast in Misha Green and Joe Pokaski's antebellum drama "Underground," which ran for two seasons on WGN from 2016 to 2017. Smollett and Green would reunite for the short-lived HBO horror series "Lovecraft Country" in 2020.

That same year, Smollett smashed into the big screen as the DC Comics character Dinah Lance / Black Canary in "Birds of Prey," which was initially meant to set up a spin-off film centered on her character. Though that never materialized, she was soon after cast in the middling action thriller "Lou" and the bizarre Chris Hemsworth-Miles Teller Netflix satire "Spiderhead." She currently stars opposite Taron Egerton in the AppleTV+ series "Smoke" (pictured above) and is set to join Misha Green and Scott Speedman in the upcoming thriller project "Sunflower."

Michael B. Jordan had already been building toward a legendary run on television when he joined the cast of "Friday Night Lights" in season 4 as Vince Howard, the struggling novice quarterback of the East Dillon Lions. As a child actor, he had appeared in almost 60 episodes of "All My Children," and had delivered an unbelievably powerful performance as teenage drug dealer Wallace on the acclaimed HBO crime drama "The Wire."

Jordan continued to act on various TV series (including a two-season recurring guest star arc on "Parenthood") as he broke further into the film industry with indie hits like Josh Trank's "Chronicle" and, most notably, Ryan Coogler's directorial debut "Fruitvale Station." The same year, Jordan and Trank would weather the unbearable firestorm that was 2015's "Fantastic Four," the actor fortunately starred in Coogler's triumphant "Rocky" legacy sequel "Creed," playing the son of Carl Weathers' character from the series. "Creed" was an undisputed hit critically and commercially, spawning two successful sequels – the second of which served as Jordan's directorial debut.

Coogler and Jordan continue to be close creative partners, with the filmmaker bringing him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to widespread acclaim as Wakandan insurgent Erik Killmonger in "Black Panther." In 2025, Coogler cast him twice in the period horror film "Sinners," with Jordan playing twin bootleggers Smoke and Stack Moore (pictured above). Overall, his filmography is uniquely impressive in terms of quality and cultural impact. As of writing, Jordan is attached to several high-profile film projects including "Creed IV," a sequel to the Will Smith zombie film "I Am Legend," and an adaptation of "The Thomas Crown Affair" which he will both direct and star in.

Gaius Charles had barely made his professional screen acting debut when he was cast as hotheaded Panthers running back Brian "Smash" Williams in "Friday Night Lights." He was part of the series main ensemble for the first two seasons, then took on a supporting role in season 3. His last appearance on the series is in season 3, episode 4, "Hello, Goodbye."

After leaving Dillon behind for good, Charles went on to join the cast of "Grey's Anatomy" as Dr. Shane Ross, appearing in some of the series' essential episodes. His time on "Grey's" was followed by various guest starring roles, including on "Agents of SHIELD," "Aquarius," "Blindspot," and "God Friended Me." He also had a main role in the first season of the television adaptation of the Liam Neeson action thriller "Taken." Recently, Charles has been seen in the Keke Palmer indie film "Alice" and on the AMC series "The Walking Dead: Dead City" (pictured above). 

The tragic downfall of Scott Porter's Jason Street in the pilot of "Friday Night Lights" makes for one of the best series premieres ever produced. Despite being sidelined by a career-ending injury, however, Street remained central to the show's plot for seasons 1 and 2.

Though Porter missed out on the chance to play Captain America, his post-"Friday Night Lights" career has been filled to the brim with superheroes, as he's found new success in the field of voice acting. He's provided the voice for video game versions of characters like Cyclops ("Marvel Anime," "Marvel Heroes," "Ultimate Alliance 3"), Aquaman ("LEGO Batman 3"), Nightwing ("Batman: Arkham Knight"), the Winter Soldier ("LEGO Marvel Super Heroes," "Marvel vs. Capcom"), the Scarlet Spider ("Ultimate Spider-Man," "Marvel's The Avengers"), The Flash ("Harley Quinn," "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League") and Star Lord (Telltale's "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Marvel Rivals").

Porter also continues to act on camera, and has since been seen on "The Good Wife" and starred in the CW dramedy series "Hart of Dixie." Since 2021, he has played Wellsbury Mayor Paul Randolph on the Netflix series "Ginny and Georgia" (pictured above).

Adrianne Palicki was part of the main cast of "Friday Night Lights" for its first three seasons, playing town troublemaker Tyra Collette. When she left the series in 2011, she was on the verge of what seemed to be her next big break: a new "Wonder Woman" television series that would feature her in the title role. The series never made it past the pilot.

Throughout the 2010s, she established herself as a reliable action star, appearing in the 2012 remake of the war film "Red Dawn," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," and "John Wick" (playing the assassin Ms. Perkins in the latter film). After returning to TV with the sitcom "About a Boy," she was cast as the Marvel superhero Bobbi Morse / Mockingbird on ABC's "Agents of SHIELD." There were plans for her to lead her own spin-off series titled "Marvel's Most Wanted," but they were ultimately scrapped. From 2017 to 2022, she played Commander Kelly Grayson on the "Star Trek"-inspired sci-fi comedy "The Orville" (pictured above).

Once the devoted girlfriend of Jason Street prior to his injury, Minka Kelly's Lyla Garrity had to reckon with an immense lack of stability that pervaded all aspects of her life. She left the series at the end of season 3, graduating with several other main cast members.

Kelly reunited with Jason Katims for nine episodes of "Parenthood" before being cast as part of the trio of leads in a short-lived "Charlie's Angels" reboot series. Following the latter series' cancellation, she was cast as first lady Jackie Kennedy opposite Matthew McConaughey's JFK in Lee Daniels' "The Butler." She also starred along Karl Urban in the Fox sci-fi crime thriller "Almost Human," though it too was cancelled almost immediately.

From 2018 to 2021, Kelly had a supporting role on the DC Comics series "Titans" as young vigilante Dawn Granger / Dove. In 2022, she appeared in the second season of HBO's hit teen drama series "Euphoria." Most recently, she starred in the Netflix western "Ransom Canyon" (pictured above).

Stepping in for Jason Street as the Panthers' quarterback, Zach Gilford's Matt Saracen was the heart of the first three seasons of "Friday Night Lights." After his departure as a main cast member, Gilford reprised his role several times in seasons 4 and 5.

Fresh out of the series, Gilford was cast in "The Mob Doctor" (which was cancelled after one season) and "The Purge Anarchy." The latter project established him as a compelling horror protagonist, at least in the eyes of genre master Mike Flanagan, who proceeded to cast the actor in "Midnight Mass," "The Midnight Club," and "The Fall of the House of Usher." Gilford also dials up the creep factor for serial killer Elias Volt, an antagonist he's played on "Criminal Minds" since 2022 (pictured above). Other notable projects include "Good Girls," "L.A.'s Finest," and "The Family."

Though Jesse Plemons made a name for himself on "Friday Night Lights" as awkward second string Panthers receiver Landry Clarke, the actor has fully stepped into the spotlight since he departed the series' main cast at the end of season 4. Breaking out even further through "Breaking Bad" as white supremacist meth dealer Todd, Plemons immediately began to book prominent roles in some of the most lauded films and television shows of the past decade.

These roles include Val Dodd in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," narrator Kurt in Adam McKay's "Vice," Chuckie O'Brien in Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," Jake in Charlie Kaufman's "I'm Thinking of Ending Things," George Burbank in Jane Campion's "Power of the Dog" (for which he earned an Oscar nomination), Tom White in "Killers of the Flower Moon" (also with Scorsese), and the Soldier in Alex Garland's "Civil War." He has also earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for roles in "Fargo," "Black Mirror" and "Love and Death." 

After working with Yorgos Lanthimos on the film "Kinds of Kindness," Plemons reunited with the director for 2025's "Bugonia" (pictured above). As of writing, he's also attached to "Jonty" (a new project from "Succession" creator Jesse Armstrong with his "Peep Show" co-conspirator Sam Bain), an untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu film (also set to star Tom Cruise, John Goodman, Emma D'Arcy, and Riz Ahmed), and the upcoming "Hunger Games" prequel film "Sunrise on the Reaping," in which he will play Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Plutarch Heavensbee.

Taylor Kitsch had largely left "Friday Night Lights" by 2009, having remained a main cast member throughout the first four seasons. He played Panthers running back Tim Riggins, a troubled character who struggled with an alcohol addiction disorder from the series premiere.

Kitsch was seemingly singled out by Hollywood at the time as a surefire movie star, with 20th Century Fox bringing him into the "X-Men" universe as Gambit in the ill-fated "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." In 2012, he was cast as the titular character in Disney's "John Carter," an ambitious sci-fi adaptation that was not only panned by critics, but became a historic box office bomb. Two years later, Kitsch was replaced by Channing Tatum in Fox's future "X-Men" plans.

The actor persevered, however, and delivered memorable performances in HBO's lauded and star-studded adaptation of "The Normal Heart," the second season of "True Detective," Showtime's "Waco," and the Netflix miniseries "American Primeval" (pictured above). He is currently set to lead "Eleven Days," a thriller also starring Rhea Seehorn, Diego Luna, and Jason Isaacs.

Aimeé Teegarden was one of only three actors to remain part of the main cast of "Friday Night Lights" for all five seasons of the series, playing Julie Taylor. When the series came to a close, she was cast in "Scream 4," a so-so entry in the franchise that nonetheless gives Teegarden one of the best "Scream" deaths ever.

After several other film roles (including in "Prom," "Beautiful Wave," and "Love and Honor"), Teegarden was cast in the web series "Aim High" and the network series "Star-Crossed," neither of which lasted longer than a single season. "Notorious," a crime procedural she starred in on ABC, shared the same fate. In the 2020s, Teegarden found a niche in holiday TV movies, such as "A New Years Resolution," "My Family Christmas Tree," and "An Easter Bloom" (pictured above).

For all five seasons, Connie Britton portrayed Tami Taylor, the school's guidance counselor (and eventual principal) who is also married to Kyle Chandler's Eric Taylor. Britton continued to be a prominent presence on TV, immediately starring in the inaugural season of Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story" ("Murder House") before being cast on the ABC music industry drama "Nashville." The latter season ran for six seasons and 98 episodes.

Britton then went on to enjoy shorter stints in the miniseries "Dirty John," "The White Lotus," and "Zero Day" (pictured above). She was also part of the main cast of the 1st season of "9-1-1." On film, Britton has played roles in "Bombshell," "Promising Young Woman," and "Breaking." She's slated to star in both an untitled HBO series from "Scrubs" and "Ted Lasso" creator Bill Lawrence and a sequel to her 1995 film "The Brothers McMullen."

Football coach Eric Taylor may be Kyle Chandler's defining role for many readers, but the actor has continued to deliver strong performances across film and television in the decade or so since "Friday Night Lights" ended. He went on a particularly hot streak in the years immediately after the finale, acting in acclaimed films such as "Argo," "Zero Dark Thirty," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and "Manchester by the Sea."

In 2015, he joined the cast of the Netflix drama "Bloodlines," starring alongside Ben Mendelsohn. Despite receiving praise for its remarkably strong performances, the series was mired by negative reviews and ended in 2017. Chandler continued to book roles in films, including the rebooted "Godzilla" series and "First Man." After James Gunn took over the DC Universe, it was announced that Chandler would co-lead an HBO miniseries titled "Lanterns," in which he will star as Green Lantern Hal Jordan alongside Aaron Pierre's John Stewart (pictured above).