I’ve just watched the most recent episode of Friday Night Lights and I’m certain that this is one of the finest dramas ever on television.

Yes, it’s all wrapped up in the dressings of small-town Texas football, but it’s really more about the cycle of success and failure in our lives. There aren’t simple solutions to tough questions. There are repercussions for every decision that echo long past our foresight. This is the reality of life.

Success is never fully achieved, because each success opens the door to a new challenge. The same holds true for failure. No failure is ever so great that one cannot rise above it. You don’t need to go on to be the next Nobel Prize winner, but if you can learn enough to not make that mistake again, you are a better person for it. This TV show understands that.

The writers allow all of the major characters to have true weaknesses and strengths the way real people do. The actors get to be realistic in their portrayals. They can find the irony in a tough situation or the horror that might lurk at the heart of what seems to be a great thing.

Nothing is showy or jaw-dropping in the show. It’s simply a mirror held up to our lives that isn’t afraid to show our entire experience as human beings.

Every season and episode thus far is available on Hulu. Watch it now!