“Friday Night Lights” ran from 2006 to 2011, garnering much critical acclaim and eventually a cult following.

That cult, however, was a small cult. Today there remains fewer and fewer people who can recognize the characters beyond the high school football genre tag.

This ‘Flix Fix, the first of Fall 2013, is meant to do what ‘Flix Fix does best and dig deep into the bowels of Netflix Instant Watch to pull out something half-watchable, like a long-dead television show.

Without further ado, for those who find that a full student schedule leaves them just enough time to binge-watch 76 television episodes, consider joining the league of loyal “Friday Night Lights” fans in watching all five seasons now on Netflix.

Take the leap and find out what “Clear Eyes, full hearts” is all about and why so many people want show star Kyle Chandler to be their dad.

Based on the real lives of the Permian Panthers of Odessa, Texas, circa 1988, “Friday Night Lights” is an unveiling of small-town Middle America, where football is not only the town’s focal point, it is an all-consuming way of life.

Every character, episode and season is structured around the high school team.

Yet for those who did not grow up in small town Texas or missed that particular high school way of life, do not flip to the funnies just yet. “Friday Night Lights” is a football drama, but one rooted in exploring the hope and hopelessness of real characters caught between themselves and their town’s expectations.

High school, relationships, and family make “Friday Night Lights” a people show in which it is okay to root both for players and for the hair of the coach’s wife, the fabulous Connie Britton.

Beyond offering an opportunity to become somewhat sports literate, “Friday Night Lights” is also a window into the intense culture of a small town in Texas, the realities of which are largely overlooked in the rest of television. It is a genre of drama all its own.

The show may be all too real for some, but others will fall (sometimes harder than expected) for the characters as they follow their lives. The show is filmed in a documentary style, which involves more freedom and following of the actors than constructed shots.

Still others will delight in the shout-outs to real places in Texas including the Austin School for the Deaf, Hill’s Cafe, and Fran’s Hamburgers among others.

At the very least, “Friday Night Lights” will entertain by offering a far grittier football story than St. Edward’s unblemished legacy.