Type: Romantic
Show: NBC’s Friday Night Lights
Featured Characters: Eric and Tami Taylor
Friday Night Lights is without question one of the bests when it comes to family shows. In its entirety, it’s an impeccable reminder of what the good life should can look like. Thereby, Eric and Tami Taylor are also one the greatest, warmest married couples on television, making each of their scenes an absolute delight to watch. #MarriageGoals—they define it.
To quote another writer: “For five seasons, fans never feared that Eric and Tami would call it quits. The Taylors were solid. No matter what life threw at these two, they tackled it like they were Tim Riggins leading Smash Williams down the field at State. Tami and Eric—much like Texas— were forever” (source). If this little paragraph is not the absolute perfect summary of their relationship then I don’t know what is. They are not only constantly exuding hope, but their hard work and perseverance is an unceasing inspiration.
Their lives were anything but easy, and interestingly, they’re one of the only pairs on my list of favorites whose entire development hasn’t been shown. And that’s ultimately what makes them so special—you don’t always have to get the whole story to see beauty. What we were given with Eric and Tami was a married couple taking the world by storm. One day at a time. Backstory is wonderful, but what we saw with them was always more than enough. They weren’t just in the background, they were at the forefront through every obstacle, teaching viewers and characters how situations could be handled properly.
They were, in every way, the heart of Friday Night Lights.
Eric and Tami and Equality
One of the most important details about their relationship was the equality. Eric and Tami Taylor were true partners. And no matter how awful his day was, at the end, Eric would continually praise his wife. He would remind her of how wonderful she is every time he was given the opportunity to. Without Tami’s ceaseless support, Eric wouldn’t have been as great of a coach. He needed someone to constantly believe in him, someone who’d remind him of how capable he is at difficult times, and someone who’d love him even when he’d fallen.
They gave 110% to their relationship all the time, and it’s this exact devotion that gave those around them hope.
They believed in each other so much that they sacrificed their own dreams for one another all the time. While Tami’s done it more than Eric, it doesn’t change the fact that it was difficult for him to leave Texas in the end. However, at the end of the day, what mattered more than anything was his love for his wife. It was stronger than anything else he’d faced in the world, and he knew that if this was something that would make her happy, it would make him happy as well. It may have taken some time, but there was no other choice at the end of the day. Tami was his choice and she would always be.
On another note, their teamwork was the exact kind of parenting someone like Julie and others needed to be exposed to. Their trust in each other inadvertently gave them patience to take on everything respectfully and honorably.
It gave them the means to understand how to take on every situation, including the ones they couldn’t control or started off looking towards through anger. It would only last for moments until they would talk things through with one another in order to find ways to resolve their issues with love and kindness.
Steadfast Loyalty
One of the things, I personally appreciate with this couple is the fact that they never had ridiculous drama involving love triangles of the sort. At a time where the trope was pushed constantly, writers never went there with Eric and Tami.
Special thank you to Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler who actively pushed writers never to give them this storyline because they wanted to create a solid marriage. Britton describes this wonderfully in this particular interview, so I’d advise readers to watch after reading this.
Because of their steadfast loyalty, it was always great to watch Eric and Tami Taylor take on everything together.
There are moments where love doesn’t always solve the problems, and they’re not on the same page, but that’s not never a threat, it’s merely an obstacle. Real relationships are full of disagreements, and they’re filled with perpetual adoration.
Eric and Tami were a perfect pair to remind viewers that while it’s not always sunny, when love is real, it’s always beautiful. It’s not always glitz and glamour but ceaseless support makes every part of a real relationship worth it. They can handle whatever comes their way because the love between them sparks every bone in their body. They’re honest, they’re forgiving, they’re open, they’re closed—they’re complicated, but at the end of the day, it’s always been clear that there’s no one else in the world for them. Life’s a journey they’ll always be on together.
Their love is a promise to fight through whatever is in their way with adoration and integrity. Friday Night Lights is one of the very few series that accurately depicts families and characters beautifully thereby, making Eric and Tami one of the most impeccable couples written in TV history. We could all learn a thing or two from their unbreakable love.
We could all learn a thing or two about the fact that steady couples aren’t boring, but in truth, they are the heart of the series. They are soft and vulnerable. They are exhausted and enamored. They are wildly in love with one another, ensuring that true partnership is fortified through challenges and compassion.
In every way, their presence on our screens was always a comfort to watch. Their adoration was hopeful, and the fervent respect they both had for one another will never not be incredibly admirable. As I said and as I’m sure no one will argue against, they are #MarriageGoals.