Taylor Kitsch talks about the return of Friday Night Lights (tonight), as well as his charity work, why it's important to be a role model for kids, and how he motivates himself to work out in the new Men's Health.

In his breakout season as the volatile fullback Tim Riggins, Taylor Kitsch appeared on the cover of Men's Health in January, showing us how to eat our way to a six-pack.

Last month, he took part in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, which benefits Children's Hospital Los Angeles, but not just to show off his abs. Taylor is out to support fitness activities for kids.

In an interview with Men's Health, Kitsch talks about childhood obesity and the magazine's new initiative, Men's Health FitSchools. His advice can also help you shape up, too.

Men's Health: What can we expect in the premiere of Friday Night Lights?
Taylor Kitsch: Some intense stuff happens in the first episode with Landry (Jesse Plemons) and Tyra (Adrianne Pilicki). It's going to shape their characters for the rest of the season. I'm excited to see it myself.

Men's Health: How about the rest of the season?
Taylor Kitsch: Episode 2 might be more intense than the first. Tim Riggins is even more lost this year. He goes to Mexico with Jason Street (Scott Porter) and he lets loose. Last year, Riggins was very dark, but there's better balance this year. At times, he's comic relief, but there's also a serious matter with his best friend who has an idea to go for stem cell surgery, which he thinks will probably make him walk the next week. His friend has tunnel vision, so he's trying to figure out how to get through to him.

Men's Health: Is the mood as intense on set as it is in the show?
Taylor Kitsch: We have a lot of fun when we shoot the football scenes. Kyle Chandler (who plays Coach Taylor on Friday Night Lights) and I chuck the ball around in between takes. Just yesterday I was thinking, 'Man, I'm getting paid to throw the ball around and run routes.' I just laughed. It's really fun.

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Everybody who's ever been a parent, or a teen, or especially a parent of a teen, can relate to the restrained insight of Friday Night Lights.

A Newsday review notes that in the acclaimed NBC series' second-season debut, Kyle Chandler's character is stunned when his crush-riven daughter, Julie (Aimee Teegarden, pictured) resists his inquiring about her life in the months he's been halfway across Texas coaching his new college team.

"What does this have to do with you?" Julie answers flatly, with her teen logic / obstinacy, and some justification.

Then things get worse. After she's been out half the night chasing a guy, dad arrives to retrieve his teary girl, who finally pours forth in the car.

Turns out she's just mortified that if she makes nice in this podunk town of Dillon, Tex., she'll end up like, yes, her parents.

The Season 2 premiere episode of Friday Night Lights presents her admission a bit too easily, and eloquently, but that's not the point.

The miracle here is, as they say about the frog who sings off-key, not how well it's done but that it's even done at all. Television doesn't deal with the heart anymore as acutely as this show does. Maybe TV never did.

• The way Chandler and long-distance wife Connie Britton look into each other's eyes, with innate knowing and bedrock devotion.
• The awkwardness of those desperate-to-mature high-schoolers, whether it's how to touch a girl's arm the first time or how to rebuild trust after they've stupidly slept together.
• And there are the adults they grow into, sometimes without growing at all. Friday Night Lights boldly lets characters screw up unspeakably or stew in silence, revealing volumes more than words ever could.

This is that rare case where the spin-off surpasses the original, writer-director Peter Berg weaving thicker webs here than he could in his 2004 feature film.

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Brian "Smash" Williams takes the handoff.

Crack! A defender immediately levels him.

A confused, angry Smash shakes off the hit and looks around the practice field in defiance. Nearby, an assistant chants, "Hit squad, hit squad," high-fiivng players.

Cut. Actor Gaius Charles, a.k.a. Smash Williams, has some fake sweat applied to his arm and then does the scene all again.

According to the Dallas Morning News, this tackle is as close to real as it comes on television's Texas football-baes series, Friday Night Lights.

And the added layer of sweat is downright unnecessary as intense heat radiates on the Austin set on this September day as the critically acclaimed show fights its way into a second season, which premieres Friday on NBC.

Nothing has been easy for Friday Night Lights, which suffered high expectations and so-so ratings its first season. Cast and crew were left hanging as network execs waited seemingly until the last minute to pick up the show.

"All of us expected to come back," says Scott Porter, who portrays Jason Street, a former star quarterback now in a wheelchair.

"We knew what we'd done quality-wise. We try not to pay attention to ratings, but we know we live in a fast-food world."

A resurgent Jason Street faces bigger challenges in Friday Night Lights' second season as some feeling returns to his hands.

"The new coach calls him the mascot," Mr. Porter says of his character. "He looks at him as handicapped and not as a real person. Street has recurring dreams of walking, and that sends him on a soul-searching journey."

The second-season pickup comes with other changes.

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The season premiere of Friday Night Lights is just two nights away and TV Guide sleuth Michael Ausiello has all the latest news, spoilers and rumors. Here's what he has to say in his latest column ...

The new season of Friday Night Lights starts tomorrow and it's imperative you convince everyone and their brother to watch this show. And if they don't do so willingly, don't be afraid of blackmail via incriminating photos and videos.

Violence is also acceptable, ig only as a last resort.

This may seem excessive, but the show is on life support and desperate times call for desperate measures. I just screened Episodes 2 and 3 and I can tell you, in no uncertain terms, that this show is as good, if not better, than it's ever been.

I'm even coming around on that controversial and dark plot twist.

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On the down side, it's John Mayer. Not a fan. On the plus side, Minka Kelly and Friday Night Lights as a whole might get a little exposure as a result of the cute, talented actress dating him! Here, in this People magazine photo, the new couple is seen in Hollywood shopping for some artwork.

Lyla Garrity is the top cheerleader on TV in the opinion of many, but she does have some competition. The All-American girl played by Minka Kelly on Friday Night Lights is rivaled in part by another "super" youngster.

Can Lyla compete with Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) of Heroes? We decided to take a look at how they'd match up in a 10-round bout. Ding, ding!

1. HIGH SCHOOL HONORS

Lyla Garrity: Team Captain
Claire Bennet: Homecoming Queen
Edge: Even

2. POTENTIAL FOR INJURY

Lyla Garrity: Below average.
Claire Bennet: Zero.
Edge: Claire

3. FATHER'S OBSESSION

Lyla Garrity: Panther pride
Claire Bennet: The demise of his former employers
Edge: Lyla

4. CHEERS FOR ...

Lyla Garrity: Dillon (Texas) High School Panthers
Claire Bennet: Odessa (Texas) High School Wildcats (Season One); Costa Verde (Calif.) High School Edge: Lyla. They won State!

5. PARALYZED BOYFRIENDS CHEATED ON

Lyla Garrity: Jason Street
Claire Bennet: None
Edge: Claire

6. IS THE TARGET OF ...

Lyla Garrity: Malicious websites detailing her sexual escapades
Claire Bennet: Agents from the evil Company that wish her harm
Edge: Even

7. BEST FEATURE

Lyla Garrity: Amazing body, gorgeous brown hair
Claire Bennet: Pinky toe that grows back when cut off
Edge: Lyla

8. UNUSUAL VICE

Lyla Garrity: Watching instructional quadriplegic porn
Claire Bennet: Jumping off buildings, setting self on fire
Edge: Lyla

9. NEWLY COMMITTED TO ...

Lyla Garrity: Christianity
Claire Bennet: Chandra Suresh
Edge: Lyla

10. THEY SAID IT

Lyla Garrity: "You're changing Jason, and it's so real... we're never going to last, because I'm not changing with you."
Claire Bennet: "That's easy for you to say. You're not wading into the shark-infested waters of 11th grade."
Edge: Claire

THE VERDICT: Lyla Garrity takes home the title in a 6-4 squeaker! Score one for Friday Night Lights! Don't count out the Heroes starlet yet, though. She has a tendency to bounce back from setbacks rather quickly.

Peter Berg is one of the most recognizable directors in Hollywood, even if that's only because he used to be on TV (Chicago Hope).

Since then, he's gotten behind the camera for the movie version of Friday Night Lights and become the executive producer of the TV series of the same name, which finally returns for a second season this Friday, October 5.

He also just released, The Kingdom, set in Saudi Arabia and featuring a small role by Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler as well as a cameo by Minka Kelly (in addition to stars Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper, of course).

Peter Berg spoke to New York Magazine about Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Muslims, multitasking, and leaning on Jeff Zucker.

New York: The Kingdom has tons of explosions and stunts — how do you learn to manage all that?
Peter Berg: I've had every job you could have on a movie set. I was a grip, a prop man, a stand-in, a PA. The key to big action sequences is having a vision for what you want. Way before we started, I had beers with our stunt coordinator, playing with toy cars like little kids, and I'm telling him, "This car will hit that car, and it will swerve and twist."

New York: Do you think the film has a political message?
Peter Berg: I hope that it's pretty clear that the movie doesn't support religious extremism, but it does support dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims.

New York: But it doesn't portray Saudi society in general very positively.
Peter Berg: Yeah, if there was a tourism department of the Saudi government, which there's not, I bet we'd be getting some phone calls from them right about now. But The Kingdom presents the most optimistic and moderate portrayal of an Arab character that I've ever seen in a film.

New York: What's your input these days on Friday Night Lights?
Peter Berg: I watch the rough cut of all the episodes, and generally I love everything they're doing, so my role is to be a fan. Every once in a while, I'll have an opinion on something.

New York: Like what?
Peter Berg: There's something very dramatic and violent that happens in the first episode. I encouraged the producers to carefully consider what the impact of that would be. I didn't want it to appear that we were being sensational.

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Buzz is already building online about the mother of Friday Night Lights spoilers, a seemingly unthinkable plot twist that those who have already watched the Season 2 premiere online are certainly well aware of.

While trying not to give too much away, but this is a plot development that may be really divisive to the show's fan base. The plot twist near the end has ignited controversy and disappointment from some.

Some fans feel it yanks a show that's built on a very effective, realistic feel into the realm of contrived, melodramatic plot devices. Why did they go there?

Is Friday Night Lights really willing to punt (so to speak) some of its best qualities in a quest for better ratings? Is this a good move?

We have our opinions and those of you who have seen the Friday Night Lights plot twist surely have yours. Here, Matt Roush of TV Guide weighs in:

In a perfect world, we could delay discussion of the troublesome plot twist until the show premieres this Friday. But since NBC opened the door by making the episode available early to enterprising fans, we can't.

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Last week, we brought you pictures of three beautiful Friday Night Lights stars - Adrianne Palicki, Minka Kelly and Connie Britton - from InStyle magazine, which ran a feature on the trio entitled, fittingly, "Friday Night Hair."

They sure do have some nice hair, and here's the article that InStyle ran along with the photos. You can learn how to get their looks!

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When the weekend arrives, it's time to let loose. And that goes for hair too. Here, the women of the NBC drama Friday Night Lights flirt with some of fall's freshest, most festive styles: polished retro waves, a tousled bob and soft, sexy volume.

Adrianne Palicki's tousled bob

In a world full of extensions, this cropped cut feels utterly fresh. "It's messy and sexy, and because it's short, it's easy and fast," says their stylist, Harry Josh.

It's also a nod to Adrianne Palicki's bad-girl role on Friday Night Lights, in which she plays Tyra Collette. "She exudes bombshell," he says.

How to get the Adrianne Palicki look

1. Josh spritzed Adrianne Palicki's dry roots with John Frieda Sheer Blonde Full-Blown Volumizing spray ($6; walgreens.com), then he used a tail comb to give the actress a side part so her hair would drape over one eye.

"Zigzag the part all the way back," he says. "It doesn't make sense to do a straight, clean part with a messy look. It's like an oxymoron."

2. To create seductive waves, Josh used a medium-barrel curling iron on 1- and 1½-inch sections of hair. He haphazardly twisted the iron in alternating directions and left the ends out for a rumpled, undone effect.

3. To finish, Josh asked Palicki to shake her head back and forth while he misted locks with L'Oréal Paris Elnett hairspray ($13; zitomer.com). The result, he says, is "a really glamorous, modern bob."

Minka Kelly's 1940s waves

To break away from the high school cheerleader she plays on the show, Minka Kelly, a natural blonde, swaps her high ponytail for a sultry retro set. "It takes a few systematic steps to achieve, but it's definitely the most glam," Josh says.

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Those of you used to seeing the amazing Kyle Chandler on Friday Night Lights probably already think of him as a wholesome, family-oriented guy.

Well, Coach Eric Taylor's TV family of wife Tami (Connie Britton), daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) and soon-to-be-born baby #2 (name revealed Friday) isn't far removed from the real thing for this handsome actor and father.

Kyle and his wife, Katherine, have two daughters, Sydney and Sawyer, ages 9 and 6. In the photos below, Kyle poses with them in Best Life Magazine earlier this year. The magazine is a few months old by now, but since our site is brand new, we figured you might like to see the scans. They're very sweet.

Kyle Chandler: The ultimate family man.