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Friday Night Lights is a sports drama developed by Peter Berg. The high school football squad in the little West Texas town of Dillon captured the imagination of the fans. It was aired on NBC for two seasons beginning October 3, 2006. It received multiple Emmy Awards and was featured on numerous best-of lists. If you like Friday Night Lights, many other shows can deliver a similar experience.
These are stories about sports, families, and the pressures that young athletes face. Some are focused on football, while others are pursuing basketball, wrestling, or even Olympic goals. Each series offers a unique viewpoint on difficult choices, small-town living, and personal growth.
Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.
9 shows like Friday Night Lights
9. Swagger (2021)
Swagger, an Apple TV+ basketball drama, has that Friday Night Lights feel, but with a fresh twist. It's set in the Pacific Northwest, where the hard world of AAU basketball is put on full display. It tells the story of Jace Carson, a 14-year-old elite player who will go to any length to remain at the top of the national rankings. The families and coaches who strive to take these kids to the top are also the centre of discussion in the show.
Swagger is way more aggressive compared to Friday Night Lights. The show has numerous intense game scenarios, including spectacular dunks. The players show off for the audience and social media. The TV show explores the themes of skill, pressure, and the audacious mindset that accompanies striving for excellence.
8. Playmakers (2003)
Playmakers is a sports drama show that aired on ESPN for one season in 2003. The show offers a raw glimpse of professional football and all that goes on off the field, including what the players do when they are not in the spotlight. The show is about a fictitious football team known as the Cougars, and it depicts the players going through serious problems, which include drug abuse, steroid use, injury, personal issues, and other real-life situations. The interest in the series is fueled by the characters of running back Demetrius Harris, linebacker Eric Olczyk, and quarterback Derek McConnell.
The NFL protested strenuously, forcing the show's cancellation after 11 episodes, but it remains memorable for its honest portrayal of the sport. Leon Taylor suffered a knee injury in the opening episode of the fifth season, which would have ended his career. Playmakers emphasise the human stories associated with the sport more than athletic accomplishments.
7. Texas 6 (2020)
Texas 6 has all the makings of a real-life Friday Night Lights. Even the music sounds like Explosions in the Sky. The show follows a six-player high school football team from Strawn, Texas. The town has only 626 people. The team is chasing its third state title.
Fans of Friday Night Lights will enjoy the story of kids who work hard and never give up. The coach is emotional and deeply cares. The town supports the team with heart and pride. The six-man league is what makes Texas 6 unique.
6. Heels (2021)
Heels shifts from Texas football to professional wrestling in Georgia. Like the show Kingdom, it uses a well-known yet lesser-known sport to tell a family drama. It shows the poignancy and tension of small-town life as Friday Night Lights did.
The stars are Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig as Jack and Ace Spade, two brothers engaged in the Duffy Wrestling League, which their father founded. Jack acts as the heel, while Ace is the face. The league does not raise huge amounts, but Jack wants to save it. When one brother breaks the plan during a big match, their bond is shaken, and the story takes a wild turn.
5. Last Chance U (2016)
The Last Chance U is a five-season Netflix documentary series that aired in 2016. The show follows various football programs at community colleges, featuring talented athletes who have been given a second chance at their dreams. It is a documentary series available on Netflix that covers the lives of college athletes facing disadvantaged backgrounds. It also follows the people who support their academic and athletic performance, such as Academic Advisor Brittany Wagner and Coach Buddy Stephens.
4. Titletown High (2021)
Titletown High is a Netflix reality show covering the 2020 football season of Valdosta High School in Georgia. The school has a very successful football game in the country. However, they have not won a state title since 1992. Over eight episodes, the series follows the Wildcats as they take to the field for another run at the title under new, extremely controversial coach Rush Propst. The audience will be taken through key players, including quarterback Amari and his balancing act between relationships & family drama.
This sports drama show embodies the ideal small-town feeling with its surpassed community identification with football. In season 1, episode 4, the coach, Propst, is seen discussing with Amari (quarterback) how to stay away from his issues with girls and focus on the game. As happened in Friday Night Lights, Coach Taylor never failed to have serious talks with players about priorities. Like Friday Night Lights, the show reveals the absolutely strong football culture in small Southern towns.
3. Kingdom (2014)
Kingdom is a three-season drama series that ran on DirecTV. It is based in Venice, California, and in an MMA gym on Navy Street. Alvey Kulina, an MMA fighter, owns and maintains his gym with his girlfriend, Lisa. Both of his sons, Jay and Nate, train and fight in the gym. Jay is an addicted drug and alcohol user, and Nate is a young fighter with a lot of promise. Other series stars include Ryan Wheeler, a skilled boxer who returns from jail. The show centres on family and relationships, addiction and ambition, set in the brutal world of mixed martial arts.
The show's reputation stems from its themes of emotional depth and harsh narration about shattered people fighting for a sense of purpose. In the first-season episode one, Alvey struggles to keep his gym open as he trains his son, Nate, for an important fight. This drama, like Friday Night Lights, explores themes of masculinity, purpose, and redemption, focusing more on character development than on the sport.
2. Olympo (2025)
Olympo is a Netflix Spanish sports drama that premiered in June 2025. The sitcom focuses on Pirineos High Performance Centre in Spain, an athletic residential campus that houses young athletes who want to compete in the Olympics and World Championships. Its main character is Amaia, a synchronised swimmer, who is a powerful and ruthless athlete, but driven by competitive obsessions. When her teammate Nuria suddenly improves her performance, Amaia discovers that some use undetectable performance-enhancing medication.
The series shows the lengths to which athletes will go to achieve their dreams. Other characters are Zoe, who is a troubled newcomer, and Roque, who is an openly gay rugby player who has to deal with homophobia. In this season, which consists of eight episodes, Amaia is under extreme pressure from the institution and her mother to perform at any cost. This is similar to Friday Night Lights, where we see young athletes carrying their communities on their shoulders. Just like Friday Night Lights, Olympo shows that elite sports are way beyond winning; they are a means of understanding the price of glory.
Also know: Find more about Olympo episodes!
1. All American (2018)
All-American came out almost 15 years after Friday Night Lights, but told a similar story in a modern setting. It also follows high school football players and their lives on and off the field. The TV series stands out due to its emphasis on the experiences of young Black athletes.
All-American brings a fresh and needed point of view. It shows the challenges and hopes of its characters in a real and honest way. The show keeps the heart of sports drama but adds a deeper look at identity and community.
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