25 of the most memorable TV teachers
By Sundi Rose
Coach and Tami Taylor – Friday Night Lights
Although these two aren’t technically teachers, per se, I’ve learned more from these two than I did in the first year of college (sorry, professors). Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) plays the football coach in a small Texas town in which the players enjoy the same kind of celebrity as rock stars and professional athletes. The Dillon Panthers, including their coach, endure an incredible amount of scrutiny, and this can often translate to the gross kind of entitlement we see in the fame-obsessed Hollywood set.
Coach Taylor isn’t having any of that nonsense. The town might believe they should reside on Mount Olympus, but Coach’s main focus is to keep them humble and focused on what’s important. He routinely has to wear many hats in their lives, including father figure, older brother, disciplinarian and friend. He does so with the kind of shoulder-shrug charm that would make anyone think he might not have it in him.
He absolutely does have it in him, and it telegraphs as a subdued integrity that makes you desperate for a pep talk from Coach. However, when Eric needs a pep talk, he turns to his guidance counselor wife, Tami, played by the glorious Connie Britton and her gorgeous hair. While Coach Taylor offers a little more tough love, Tami is a soft place to land for the students of Dillon High.
She presents a safe place for them to come when they are facing some pretty big life stuff. Her students often come to her first when major crises hit, and she counsels them without judgment or side eye. A hug from Tami Taylor feels like it could solve most problems, and it often does throughout the run of the show.
Clear eyes. Full heart. Can’t lose.
You can watch Friday Night Lights in it’s entirety on Hulu right now.