''Friday Night Lights'' renewed for 3rd season

NBC announced on Wednesday (April 2) that it is renewing its sophomore drama series Friday Night Lights through a partnership with DirectTV. The 13-episode third season of the Peabody Award-winning drama will start airing on Wednesday, Oct. 1 on DirecTV’s entertainment channel ”The 101.” The third season will then debut on NBC Friday nights (9-10 p.m. ET) in the winter 2009, some time after the Super Bowl. The critically-acclaimed, low-rated show’s fate had been up in the air until word of an arrangement with DirecTV started to leak out a few weeks ago. The second season of Friday Night Lights, cut short by the writers’ strike, was also a question mark last year.

Check back on EW.com later today for a full wrap-up of NBC’s upfront presentation.