With only three episodes left, NBC’s small town drama “Friday Night Lights” still has yet to be picked up for another season. Despite numerous critical accolades, some television viewers are still reluctant to give the series a chance. But after another tour-de-force effort last week, I am throwing one more “hail mary” out into cyberspace in hopes of convincing our Idol Chatter readers to give the show a chance tonight.

Last week’s episode focused on the theme of second chances with paralyzed ex-quarterback Jason Street. He faced another defeat when he didn’t make the quad rugby team he tried out for, but he was able to help the new Dillon quarterback, Matt Sarancen, overcome his fears on the field. Other characters also were looking for another chance to set their lives right–one father tried to unite his family after his affair with a woman was discovered, and another ball player decided to give his relationship with a troubled girl with a bipolar disorder another chance.

Tonight’s episode promises another opportunity for the folks of Dillon, Texas to work together and rise above yet another obstacle as the ball field is destroyed prior to state finals. Meanwhile Coach Taylor must finally decide whether or not to take a college coaching job and leave behind the students he has spiritually and emotionally fathered.

To skeptics, I know all of this sounds a little bit soap-operaish–but reall, it isn’t. Well, at least most of the time it isn’t. Very rarely does television celebrate community and the spiritual significance of the ordinary the way “Lights” does week after week. In a TV landscape being overrun by reality series, crime shows, and mediocre sitcoms, it would be a shame to see this “Light” be extinguished