Connie Britton

A rather glorious thing happened in March, when TV's acclaimed if undersampled Friday Night Lights was renewed for not one but two more seasons. Although the series' NBC return is a small eternity away (summer 2010) and its DirecTV premiere is still "TBD," we tackled the opportunity to speak with Connie Britton about Tami's "roller coaster" past, and apparently finite future.

TVGuide.com: I want you to know that my wife got hooked on Friday Night Lights this past season — and I think it's largely due to the tactile and real performances given by you, Kyle Chandler, et al.
Connie Britton: Aw, that's so awesome! That's what I'm talking about, that's what we need to do. 

TVGuide.com: Hey, every head counts. What was your favorite thing about playing Tami last year?
Britton: For me, it felt like a roller coaster. The whole aspect of being principal was really interesting, because when I first heard about that, I was heady with power! I was like, "This is the be-all and end-all," Kyle was jealous. ... It was fantastic. And then they were like, "Yeah, but you're going to have a huge head-to-head issue with Buddy, and ultimately you'll lose." [Laughs] I was like, "No fair!" 

View photos from Friday Night dates gone by 

TVGuide.com: What are the odds that Tami and Eric will be working at rival Dillon high schools next season?
Britton: Knowing our writers ... read more 8 Comments

Sigh. Connie Britton. Where do I begin?

The Friday Night Lights stars came by last week to talk up Season 3, which is currently unspooling Wednesday nights at 9 pm/ET, on DirecTV's 101 channel. (NBC will then broadcast the episodes in early 2009.) First tackling the matter of Tami Taylor's new job, Connie raves, "I was so excited" to become principal. "I have arrived!"

Britton then talks about Tami going toe-to-toe with Buddy and his cronies, and assesses the new dynamic between Coach and Mrs. Taylor (at the 1:30 mark).

I then asked Connie about the two exits coming up this season (2:00), one of which she singled out as being "pretty intense." The other, she says, brought about "a really emotional night" of filming.

We then wrap up with Connie reflecting on her 24 run (she wishes she could have been killed off in grand fashion!), before she lets slip with one final FNL tease.

Watch the full video here.