Friday Night Lights may have ended in 2011, but fans’ love for Coach Eric and Tami Taylor will never fade away.
Throughout its five seasons, Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton brought true love to the small screen as the beloved Texas couple who never let any challenge come in between them — whether they were expecting a new baby or planning a cross-country move. Part of why fans were so drawn to the Taylors’ love story was the devotion that Chandler, 54, and Britton, 53, gave to their characters’ union.
The Nashville alum revealed to Entertainment Weekly in March 2017, years after the show had gone off the air, that she and Chandler shut down the writers’ idea to have their characters work through an infidelity story line.
“There was so much passion about these characters that we were playing and this world that we were creating,” Britton said at the time. “We felt very strongly about the things that we felt strongly about … We were like, ‘We’re never letting the writers have us have an affair. If they try to do it, we’re not going to do it.’ And we told them so.”
The American Horror Story star continued, going into detail about what gave Eric and Tami that special spark. “What we thought would be really interesting and what we thought this would be the perfect format for on the show was to actually show what most couples go through, which is just trying to be partners to each other and get through the day. They need each other and they also, like, really love each other,” she said. “This is a show about very simple people trying to get through their life in a way that feels valuable and meaningful. So we decided these two people were going to be partners to each other in that.”
For years, the Taylors’ undying love for each other made them one of the strongest power couples on TV. Though their relationship was often tested, they stayed “Texas strong” and saw each other as equals every step of the way.
Scroll down to see why fans still swoon over Eric and Tami’s love story.
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Even when they were faced with tough decisions — like spending an entire pregnancy miles apart — they valued each other’s opinions and never put their own needs above the success of their partnership.
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At the end of the day, these two were always ready to cozy up on the couch or have a laugh together.
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Through some of their toughest moments, the pair always made sure to tell each other they loved and respected one another.
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“No matter what happens, no matter where you go, no matter what you do, I’m always gonna be behind you. Always and always and always,” Tami told her husband in one tear-jerking scene.
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Despite their hectic work lives, Eric and Tami were always there for their family. They knew they had to be on a united front to keep their teenage daughter, Julie, in line.
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Whether it was career advice or relationship woes, these two could always tell each other what they needed to hear — no matter how harsh it may have sounded.
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But stood their ground when they weren’t. “I’m right 100% of the time,” Tami once said. “You can ask my husband.”
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Eric and Tami’s passion for each other had no limits, but they always knew where to draw the line (especially when it came to making out on their daughter’s bed).
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Even when they fought, these two were able to come out the other side unscathed. “Marriage requires maturity. Marriage requires two people that will listen, really listen to each other. Marriage, most of all, requires compromise,” Eric once said.
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Though all their ups and downs, Eric and Tami put family first. “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”
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