The fifth and final season of "Friday Night Lights" begins tonight -- if you have DirecTV, that is. If not, you'll have to wait for NBC's run next year.

Here's a quick rundown of the ever-changing cast. On the team, quarterback Vince  Howard (Michael B. Jordan) is back, and so is Luke Cafferty (Matt Lauria). Also back are students Becky (Madison Burge) and Jess (Jurnee Smollett). And a new character is introduced --  Hastings Ruckle (Grey Damon) -- when  Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) recruits from the basketball team. 

In other parts of the "Friday Night Lights" universe . . .

I'm really starting to think America just doesn't get this show. The beleaguered drama about a football-obsessed small town in Texas is universally praised by critics but just can't pull decent ratings anywhere.

Starting out on NBC, "Friday Night Lights" was saved from cancelation by DirecTV, which now airs the show in its first run. The series gets a later run on NBC.

Then ABC Family picked it up in syndication this summer and had said it would air every episode and air them in order. But now TV Guide is reporting that the cable network has removed "Friday Night Lights" from its schedule, citing, you guessed it, low ratings.

It's puzzling, really. "Friday Night Lights" is an incredibly compelling portrait of small town America. The writing is solid and the acting is superb. Every single week it's hearbreaking and inspiring, funny and sad. So come on, America. Get in the game! The final season begins on DirecTV on October 27.

Ken Kwapis, the creator of "Outsourced," has directed the pilot episodes of "The Office," "The Larry Sanders Show," and "The Bernie Mac Show."

"Outsourced" is nothing like any of those shows.

The new NBC sitcom is based on a 2006 movie of the same name, and takes place overseas at a call center in India. The action begins just after an American novelty company shuts down their entire call center and sends those jobs overseas -- and with those jobs, an fresh-faced caucasian American manager to train and run the team.

The early buzz about the show from critics has been that it's borderline racist. Kwapis counters that argument by pointing out that a third of the show's writers are of Indian descent and that Indian-American focus groups love it. I'm not sure if I'd go so far as to say it's racist -- maybe it is and maybe it isn't -- but I certainly do not think it's very flattering to Indians.

The semi-trailblazing quality of "Undercovers" (NBC, 8 tonight) is being downplayed by the cast and the network, and perhaps they should. Although it's not common, this isn't the first time black actors have headlined a one-hour network show.

But part of my anticipation for the show was based on seeing Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw play a kind of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" part precisely because black actors routinely should be considered for roles like this, but aren't. Look at them and tell me they aren't as pretty as Brad and Angie.

Unfortunately what they do lack is the Brangelina's flat-out star power, as well as the ease with banter and sweet chemistry of Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner  from "Hart to Hart." Without those qualities, "Undercovers" is kind of flat.

There's nothing at all distinctive or even good about NBC's "The Chase." Sure, it's from Jerry Bruckheimer, but as far as keepers go, it's the Jerry Bruckheimer who brought NBC "E-Ring," not the Jerry Bruckheimer who brought CBS "CSI" and "Without A Trace."

"The Chase" is all action and no brains, a generic procedural about a group of uber-macho US Marshalls in Texas who chase bad guys and kick butt. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but there's just nothing interesting about these particular butt-kicking marshalls.

The Chapel Hill News has a great profile today of a Carrboro native whose dance group has made it to the semifinal round on NBC's "America's Got Talent" show.

Ryan Gaunt, a Chapel Hill High alumnus, founded the group AscenDance with his fiance Isabel von Rittberg in 2006. Their act combines rock climbing with dance. It's really something to see.

Read the full article at The Chapel Hill News and click below to watch a video of their audition from the show.

"America's Got Talent" airs on NBC on Tuesday nights and Wednesday nights at 9pm.

The "Last Comic Standing Live Tour" is coming to Meymandi Hall in Raleigh this fall.

The NBC competition reality show had its seventh season finale this week, and winner Felipe Esparza will now tour the country with Tommy Johnagain (who came in second), Myq Kaplan, Roy Wood Jr., and Mike Destafano.

The Raleigh show, presented by Goodnight's Comedy Club, takes place on Friday, October 29. Since the show is at Meymandi Hall, you'll need to go through them to get tickets (or call 800-745-3000).

Watch a clip of Felipe on "Last Comic Standing" below.

Compared to last season's cliffhanger finale that booted Coach Eric Taylor across town to an unknown future, the last episode of the fourth season of Friday Night Lights appeared to tie up more loose threads than it left behind.

A final homecoming by Matt Saracen grants Julie the closure she needed to break up on good terms and accept their dreams have them charted for separate paths.

The hottest high school principal in all the land chooses to give up her post rather than follow through on a trumped-up apology to satisfy the school board members and abortion opponents looking to scapegoat Tami Taylor for Becky's abortion.

Tim Riggins likely bids his farewell to the show, taking the fall for brother Billy's lamebrained chopshop venture for a prison stint. (Will his dog Skeeter get visitation rights?)

And oh yes, East Dillon delivers an upset win over West Dillon that has even Slammin' Sammy Meade singing Coach Taylor's praises on the air.

Heading into this week's season finale of Friday Night Lights, the show's writers appear intent on leaving miserable as many of the central characters as possible.

The only ray of sunshine left for the viewers is the slim home that Julie Taylor's parents will sign off on her graduating high school early to roam the country as a Habitat for Humanity do-gooder.

Good for Julie and good for those of us weary of Julie's whining and drastic mood swings, the only tedious note of an otherwise sterling fourth season.

The Jensen Project (8pm, NBC) - Perhaps this should be called the "The Wal-Mart Project." This original family adventure movie was produced and financed by Wal-Mart and Proctor & Gamble, because the companies believe people will buy their products if they see advertising on family-friendly programming. The movie is about two former members of a secret society of genius researchers who embark on a mission with their teen son to thwart a rogue colleague and secure potentially deadly technology. Along the way, family bonds are strengthened. And we're guessing, Wal-Mart rolls back prices on Charmin.

Eureka (9pm, Syfy) - A runaway project named "Tiny" causes a panic in the town during the Founder's Day celebration.

Haven (10pm, Syfy) - As she tries to adapt to her new life in Haven, Audrey joins Nathan in a probe of the destruction of a local bar, which is soon followed by other strange events.

DC Cupcakes (10pm, TLC) - A new unscripted series follows two sisters (alas, without multiples, as far as I can tell) who own a booming cupcake business in Washington, D.C. In the premiere, the sisters build a huge Mardi Gras mask out of 1,000 cupcakes and donate them to a charity fundraiser. In a second episode airing at 10:30, the sisters make a life-size dog out of cupcakes for a local animal shelter fundraiser.