Friday Night Lights (Series 1-5), directed by Peter Berg

You don’t have to take any interest in American football, or even in sport generally, to get a lot out of Friday Night Lights. For the outsider the obsession with high school football in small town Texas is bizarre, but by all accounts fairly accurate. The first series introduces super coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami and the town of Dillon, where the Dillon High Panthers reign supreme. Deep and complex themes, well-developed characters and satisfying story arcs move through all five seasons, with the exception of one strange turn in season two. A good man and a good marriage are at the heart of the show, but neither is ever too good to be true. We see the politics of schools, and of small towns, from the point of view of kids and teachers; the joys and perils of parenting; and of course the intricacies of football and what it means to be part of the team, or not. Deeply engaging, it is one of those series that is sad to finish, although it is good that it did not run too long and jump the shark.