Thursday, Mar. 29, 2012
Jason Katims
Age: 51
Occupation: TV writer and producer
For five seasons, writer-producer Katims' Texas-football drama Friday Night Lights played by the motto "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." In truth, Katims' soulful TV series don't guarantee clear eyes; they deliver well-earned tears along with uplift. FNL (adapted from the book and movie) showed how high school football brought hope to a community in tough times; his current NBC show Parenthood minutely observes the challenges of an extended family (including raising a child with Asperger's syndrome, a story line based on Katims' own experience).