THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Friday Night Lights' 14 years later

friday night lights then and now micahel

It's been over a decade since viewers were first introduced to the Dillon Panthers on NBC's "Friday Night Lights."
Many of the show's stars, like Michael B. Jordan and Jesse Plemons, have gone on to have major film careers.
Other actors from the series, like Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler, have appeared on many TV shows since.
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Nearly 14 years later, the phrase "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose," still resonates with fans who fell in love with the Dillon Panthers on "Friday Night Lights."

The TV series made its debut in 2006 and wrapped in 2011 — and many of its leading cast members have gone on to become Hollywood regulars.

Here's what the stars of "Friday Night Lights" are up to 14 years after the series made its debut.

Connie Britton starred as Tami Taylor, who played an integral role in guiding the students of Dillon High.

Before becoming a TV show, "Friday Night Lights" was a book — and then it was a film.

Connie Britton starred in the 2004 film adaptation before the NBC series even began. In it, she played Sharon Gaines, who was the lead coach's wife but with a different name.

Before playing coach's wife Tami Taylor on the NBC series, Britton also appeared as Diane Huxley on the drama "24."

Since her "Friday Night Lights" days, Britton has had a number of notable roles.

Britton has stayed busy since the series ended — she played Rayna Jaymes on "Nashville," Vivien Harmon on "American Horror Story,"and Debra Newell on "Dirty John."

Her upcoming roles include Dean Walker in "Promising Young Woman" and Lola Bell in "Good Joe Bell." Both films are slated for a 2020 release.

Kyle Chandler played the Panthers' coach Eric Taylor, who helped lead his football players through high school on and off the field.

Prior to 2006, Kyle Chandler had starred on numerous TV shows and in a few made-for-TV movies.

Some of his most notable early roles include Dylan Young on "Grey's Anatomy" and Jeff Metcalf in "Homefront."

Chandler won an Emmy for his role as Coach Taylor in 2010 and has continued acting.

Chandler has gone on to star on acclaimed TV shows like "Bloodlines" and in big-ticket movies like "Argo,""Manchester by the Sea,""The Wolf of Wall Street," and "Zero Dark Thirty."

Taylor Kitsch became an overnight heartthrob with his portrayal of the brooding and troubled Tim Riggins.

Taylor Kitsch was relatively unknown before landing this role as the Panthers' star football player.

The same year that "Friday Night Lights" was released, he played Justin in "John Tucker Must Die" and Kyle in "Snakes on a Plane."

He has since starred in films like "X-Men Origins: Wolverine,""John Carter," and "Battleship."

This year, Kitsch will be returning to TV as the lead opposite Michael C. Hall on "Shadowplay."

Prior to playing high-school cheerleader Lyla Garrity, Minka Kelly was living out of her suitcase.

In October 2019, the actress penned an Instagram post reflecting on her "Friday Night Lights" experience.

In it, Minka Kelly admitted that she originally didn't think the series "about a player who breaks his neck in the pilot episode is going anywhere."

She also explained that prior to scoring the role of Lyla Garrity, she'd been working as a scrub nurse at a surgery center and had been living out of a suitcase at her friend's apartment.

Since then, she's starred on a number of TV shows.

In recent years, she played Gaby on "Parenthood," Eve French on "Charlie's Angels," and Abbey Whitman on "Jane the Virgin."

In one of her most recent roles, Kelly played Dawn Granger on the DC Universe series "Titans."

Zachary Gilford played Matt Saracen, a student who becomes the team's quarterback after star Jason Street's unexpected injury.

Zachary Gilford didn't really have many screen credits under his belt before 2006.

Gilford has been in a range of projects over the past few years.

In addition to starring in Taylor Swift's music video for "Ours" in 2011, he's played Zach McCall in "Devil's Due," Shane in "The Purge: Anarchy," and Connor Hooks on the TV show "Lifeline."

Next, he's set to play Agent Daniel Pederson on the show "Hombre."

Adrianne Palicki played Tyra Collette, a troubled teen who eventually becomes the first in her family to go to college.

Prior to appearing on "Friday Night Lights," Adrianne Palicki had several smaller roles as Kara/Lindsay Harrison on "Smallville" and Brianna on "South Beach."

Palicki has since starred in a number of action-based films and has done voice work for TV shows.

In recent years, the actress appeared in fast-paced flicks like "G.I. Joe: Retaliation,""John Wick," and "Red Dawn."

She's also done a lot of voice work for the animated series "Robot Chicken" and once had a recurring role on the show "Supernatural."

One of her most recent roles was as Bobbi Morse on the TV series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Aimee Teegarden played Eric and Tami Taylor's oldest daughter Julie.

Aimee Teegarden was relatively unknown before taking part in the series, though she had a cameo on Disney's "Hannah Montana '' series the same year that "Friday Night Lights" debuted.

Teegarden has continued to appear on TV series.

In recent years, she appeared as Rhonda Kimball on "90210" and Amanda Miles on "Aim High."

The actress has also been in a few films, like "Scream 4" and "Bakery in Brooklyn."

Most recently, she had long-running roles as Ella Benjamin on "Notorious" and Nikki on "The Ranch."

Jesse Plemons played the iconic Landry Clarke.

Prior to playing Landry Clarke, Jesse Plemons had several small credits on the "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" series and in the film "Varsity Blues."

In recent years, Plemons' career has sky-rocketed.

Recently, he has had major roles on hit series like "Breaking Bad,""Fargo," and "Black Mirror."

He also famously starred in the "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie" in 2019. That same year, he appeared as Chuckie O'Brien in the acclaimed "The Irishman."

He's set to appear in the film "Jungle Cruise" in 2020.

Scott Porter starred as Dillon's star quarterback Jason Street, who suffers from an unexpected injury during the first episode.

That same year, Scott Porter played Casey Hughes on "As the World Turns" and Jason Miller on "The Bedford Diaries."

Porter has since voiced a number of video-game characters while tackling other acting projects.

He's since appeared in films like "Prom Night" and "Dear John" and on shows like "The Good Wife" and "Hart of Dixie."

Porter has also voiced quite a few video-game characters over the past few years, and is set to appear on the upcoming TV series "Ginny & Georgia."

Gaius Charles played Brian "Smash" Williams, a football player who Coach Taylor takes under his wing.

Before tackling his breakout role, Gaius Charles was relatively unknown, though he had a credit as Carver on the show "The Book of Daniel."

Since then, Charles has had a number of small roles.

Charles has appeared in films like"The Messenger" and "Salt," and has had guest-starring roles on series like "Grey's Anatomy" and "NCIS."

This year, he's set to play Bronson on the TV series "Roswell, New Mexico."

Brad Leland's role as town mayor and car salesman Buddy Garrity was a staple during the show's entire run.

Like Britton, Brad Leland also appeared in the 2004 film "Friday Night Lights." In it, he played football booster John Aubrey.

Unlike many of his castmates, the actor had numerous film credits to his name prior to 2006, including "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Patriot."

He's since starred on shows like "Veep," and "The Leftovers."

In terms of upcoming projects, Leland will be playing Frank Smith in "The Orphan Train" and Colt in "Land."

Michael B. Jordan made a late entrance as troubled football player Vince Howard.

Michael B. Jordan had several significant acting credits under his belt by the time he starred on "Friday Night Lights."

He'd already appeared in "The Sopranos" and on shows like "The Wire" and "All My Children."

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan said the role of Vince Howard particularly appealed to him due to his background as an athlete. Plus, he did his own stunts.

"The feeling that I had commanding those guys on the offense and being the quarterback and shooting everything myself and how everyone responded to me … to be Vince in that moment was something that I'll never forget," he said.

Today, Jordan is an A-list actor.

Jordan has gone on to play Alex on "Parenthood," Adonis Johnson in the "Creed" franchise, and Erik Killmonger in Marvel's "Black Panther."

Over the next few years, he's scheduled to reprise his role as Erik Killlmonger in Marvel's "What If…?" and Adonis Creed in "Creed III."

He will also be playing Damany Lewis in the drama "Wrong Answer."

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