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October 05, 10:28 PM

Thanks everyone!

Connie: We are truly so grateful to the fans who have supported our show. Keep telling us what you think cause we really do want to shed the truest light on what it is to be a teenager or parent or what it is to be a human being, whether that's in a small or big town.

Jeff: And on behalf of the crew, writers, and actors, I'd like to thank our fans for watching us cause they've been a big part of why we're coming back. And we're going to make it worthwhile. This season is going to have some really great episodes. It's going to be fantastic and I'm really proud... so thank you all.

October 05, 10:27 PM

On the murder

Connie: For those concerned about the murder, I would say just keep watching. Jesse Plemmons is such a great actor and he does this story so well and I would encourage people to keep watching as you see him go through the fallout of what happened and all the emotions and drama that comes with that. Characters overcoming major issues is what our show does well.

October 05, 10:26 PM

For Dan: Goals for Season 2

Jeff: I just want to keep telling stories that people can relate to. I want to be very honest with the show. It goes with the actors, the camera people, the writers, and Jason. I want people to relate to our show. If we do that, our show has served its purpose.

Connie: I completely agree with Jeff. I just want to keeping going deeper and deeper with life experiences and getting to different levels with our characters.

October 05, 10:25 PM

Thoughts on Texas and its role

Jeff: These stories can work anywhere - they're universal stories. The reality and the texture are not forced onto the show. The process that Connie just described is the way we "find" the show. We find places that are real. We shoot in real houses and keep them the way they are. And we use real people from the community and a lot of non-actors become part of the show.

When Jason Street was going through the quad rugby, those were real quad rugby players... so were the nurses and the coaches.

Connie: And the ministers of the churches, too.

Jeff: So we basically allow the community to play a large part of the show and we let our actors interact with real people on camera.

October 05, 10:20 PM

The FNL Process

Jeff: It starts with Connie complaining to me.

Connie: Haha. No, the writers work hard on the script. The actors get them and read them. The writers are in LA and we are in Austin, so they aren't even present when we get the scripts. The actors are encouraged to give feedback and the writers work on re-writes. Now, we have a final script and we shoot on the set. Even with the script, we are still unsure what will happen. We have great camera people that will shoot things differently and then we can move into a slightly different direction. I think that's what people respond to, it's so organic. It feels so real and true to life.

Jeff: I think the process is what makes this show so interesting. It's a very free process. It's about discovery. If something feels not right, you almost have to make that work. But, with our show, we can discover an emotion or behavior that will make the scene more interesting. We will go there.

Connie: I think the writers trust the actors to make discoveries. It's all part of the process. We count on the writers to give us great stories, they count on us to do great deliveries.

Jeff: We are lucky, because not a lot of writers are open to actors making suggestions or making changes, especially in television. Pete Berg was the guiding light of this show and I think we have stuck to his look with episodes.

Connie: I feel for other television actors. They don't get to be as collaborative as we do. Our environment is very unique and we feel very fortunate.

October 05, 10:18 PM

For mark: Any comment on cutting back on football scenes?

Jeff: Jason Katims, and I believe, that football is still an important element of the show - a kind of backbone. I mean obviously we've told a lot of stories within football and there's a limited amount of ways you can have a team win or lose, and it's the personal stories that's more important to us. But saying that, it's still important for us and we will have football games with interesting stories in those games, but we just chose not to open with football. Football, though, remains a great frame to tell different kinds of stories and if you want football, please be patient. Those stories are coming.

October 05, 10:18 PM

For Dennis: The New Coach

Jeff: The new coach on the show comes from Tennessee, where he won a few championships. In Texas, football coaches make pretty good money. It's worth moving to Texas for a coaching position.
I really like the actor, Chris Mulkey, who plays the coach. He's terrific in the role.

October 05, 10:17 PM

For Sabrina: Does Connie rehearse a lot with Aimee?

Connie: We really don't rehearse very much at all and it just kind of works out. I think she's doing a great job this season for sure. I don't know how much of that for her is reality and how much is actually acting, but we don't rehearse that; it just kind of happens. But when we're not working, we have a completely different kind of dynamic.

October 05, 10:15 PM

Will new time affect the show's authentic voice

Connie: The show's themes will not change because it's on later. Right, Jeff?

Jeff: I have teenagers, too. I think the writers have been insightful when it comes to themes. As a father or a teenager, you will be able to relate to upcoming storylines. It can even bring a teenager and parent together. We were very cautious of that when working on the show this season.

October 05, 10:14 PM

For Steve: Great musical selection! Love Wilco.

Connie: No kidding! Love Wilco. Jeff and I have even seen them together.

Jeff: I got Connie backstage.

Connie: Jeff I know has a lot of responsibility for those music selections.

Jeff: Our editor has great taste. And Jason Katims is really into music. And we have one editor who is into country music so there's usually a country song. But we all have different kinds of taste, which is why there's so much different music in the show.

Connie: Just like Austin itself.

October 05, 10:14 PM

For Nick: Reading scripts

Connie: What I look for when reading scripts is how these stories stay connected. It's a very Tami thing to do. So, as a character and actor, I like to see a connection. Each week, I try to find a dimension with Tami. How she connects with her family on the show.

October 05, 10:10 PM

Will the teens be seen more together?

Jeff: Well, Jason, Riggins, and Street have a storyline together, where they take a roadtrip to Mexico. It will be a two episode arc. Riggins eventually moves in with Tami and the Coach. I think you will see how the characters are intertwined more during this season.

Connie: That is why I love this show. It shows that in small towns, lives are always connected. Friday Night Lights knows how to capture that.

October 05, 10:10 PM

Will we see Eric and Tami's extended family?

Connie: Yeah. We're going to meet my sister very soon. I do keep wondering about my parents, but we will meet my sister. My sister on the show is very different from my character. It's more interesting that way.

October 05, 10:08 PM

Connie and the girls on the show

Connie: Thanks for saying I am not old enough to be a mom on the show. That's the best question, so far! I do have a sisterly relationship with the younger actresses on the show. I don't look at myself as the "mom" on the show. I think we have more of a peer relationship.

October 05, 10:07 PM

Will the show get deeper into race issues?

Jeff: I think we are going to deal with that in a very specific way... not a huge plot, but very specific kind of behavior, you know, as Smash goes and ventures into the world he's obviously going to go on recruiting trips, so I think we will be dealing with it.

Connie: I also think the Santiago storyline that comes up later in the series will touch on that too. He's a character who comes up later in the season. He's Hispanic and he's been in juvie and comes from a rough background and it's about how that character integrates into this kind of word.