Tim Riggins
Encyclopedia
Tim Riggins is a character in the NBC
/DirecTV
drama Friday Night Lights
, portrayed by actor Taylor Kitsch
. Tim Riggins was the fullback
/running back
of the Dillon Panthers.
His jersey number is #33
Tim has been described as a character "who has puppy-dog, lady-killing eyes under his scraggly bangs." He is the fullback
/running back
of the Dillon Panthers and the best friend to Jason Street
. Tim is depicted as a womanizer and his ex-girlfriends include Tyra Collette and Lyla Garrity, with whom he has an off and on relationship. He copes with many of his problems through promiscuous sex and heavy drinking, and is a complete bad ass.
Upon graduation from high school, Tim went to fictional San Antonio State College for a short time where he played football before dropping out, realizing that it was never part of his plans. After returning to Dillon, Tim and his brother Billy operate an autobody shop, "Riggins' Rigs," but with pressure mounting on Billy to provide for his pregnant wife, Mindy, he agrees to turn his shop into a chop shop to earn more money. After Tim discovers Billy's secret operation which he initially opposes, he agrees to help out in order to make enough money to buy a plot of land he had set his eyes on. However, the police discover their scheme and arrest Tim, the only person who had been in the shop that night. In the season four finale, "Thanksgiving," he realizes that his brother needs to stay and provide for his family and turns himself in to the sheriff's office and takes full responsibility for the chop shop, even though it was not his doing.
In season 5, Tim appears in the first episode, and the last 3. He gets out of jail and is angry at Billy, even though Billy bought him the land he and Jason and Lyla had dreamed of owning. Unsure of what his own future will be, he helps Becky come to terms with her life and he works for Buddy Garrity. In the end he reconnects with Tyra Collette with whom he had an on-off relationship in high school, finally realizing that "Texas Forever" is still his dream.
, Canada
. In his early youth Kitsch was an avid hockey
player, but had to give up the sport after a knee injury. In 2002 he moved to New York, where he studied acting, and soon started to land movie roles. In 2006 he had roles both in the internet-propelled Snakes on a Plane
and the critically panned The Covenant
.
Kitsch says he is able to relate to the character of Tim Riggins based on his own personal experiences. "My father is out of my life, more or less", he revealed in an interview, "so I discover stuff that maybe I wasn't even dealing with as a person." Also his background as a young and promising athlete helped him connect with the role. Nevertheless, he admits to differ from his character at least in his relations with the opposite sex; "...I didn't have as many girls at my fingertips. I don't know many guys who do!"
magazine opined that "there may be no more compelling, tortured soul on the "FNL" roster than Riggins". Scott Tobias, on the other hand, writing for The A.V. Club
, had less enthusiasm for the character. According to Tobias, "he gives you the poses of a hunky, smoldering, haunted young man, but rarely the three-dimensional, flesh-and-bone reality of it." In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly
ranked Tim Riggins as number 100 of their "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years."
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
/DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
drama Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
, portrayed by actor Taylor Kitsch
Taylor Kitsch
-Early life and modeling career:Kitsch was born in Kelowna, British Columbia. He has two older brothers and two younger half sisters. Originally set to become a professional hockey player, he played for the Langley Hornets in the Canadian BCHL before a bad knee injury ended his career...
. Tim Riggins was the fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
/running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
of the Dillon Panthers.
Character biography
In the beginning of the series Jason Street had an accident that he blames himself for, even if he was 30 yards away.His jersey number is #33
Tim has been described as a character "who has puppy-dog, lady-killing eyes under his scraggly bangs." He is the fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
/running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
of the Dillon Panthers and the best friend to Jason Street
Jason Street
Jason Mitchell Street is a fictional character in the NBC/DirecTV television drama Friday Night Lights, portrayed by Scott Porter...
. Tim is depicted as a womanizer and his ex-girlfriends include Tyra Collette and Lyla Garrity, with whom he has an off and on relationship. He copes with many of his problems through promiscuous sex and heavy drinking, and is a complete bad ass.
Upon graduation from high school, Tim went to fictional San Antonio State College for a short time where he played football before dropping out, realizing that it was never part of his plans. After returning to Dillon, Tim and his brother Billy operate an autobody shop, "Riggins' Rigs," but with pressure mounting on Billy to provide for his pregnant wife, Mindy, he agrees to turn his shop into a chop shop to earn more money. After Tim discovers Billy's secret operation which he initially opposes, he agrees to help out in order to make enough money to buy a plot of land he had set his eyes on. However, the police discover their scheme and arrest Tim, the only person who had been in the shop that night. In the season four finale, "Thanksgiving," he realizes that his brother needs to stay and provide for his family and turns himself in to the sheriff's office and takes full responsibility for the chop shop, even though it was not his doing.
In season 5, Tim appears in the first episode, and the last 3. He gets out of jail and is angry at Billy, even though Billy bought him the land he and Jason and Lyla had dreamed of owning. Unsure of what his own future will be, he helps Becky come to terms with her life and he works for Buddy Garrity. In the end he reconnects with Tyra Collette with whom he had an on-off relationship in high school, finally realizing that "Texas Forever" is still his dream.
Taylor Kitsch
Taylor Kitsch is a native of British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In his early youth Kitsch was an avid hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, but had to give up the sport after a knee injury. In 2002 he moved to New York, where he studied acting, and soon started to land movie roles. In 2006 he had roles both in the internet-propelled Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American horror-action-thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006 in North America...
and the critically panned The Covenant
The Covenant (film)
The Covenant is a 2006 American action supernatural thriller written by J. S. Cardone, directed by Renny Harlin, and starring Steven Strait, Taylor Kitsch, Toby Hemingway, Chace Crawford, Sebastian Stan, Laura Ramsey, and Jessica Lucas...
.
Kitsch says he is able to relate to the character of Tim Riggins based on his own personal experiences. "My father is out of my life, more or less", he revealed in an interview, "so I discover stuff that maybe I wasn't even dealing with as a person." Also his background as a young and promising athlete helped him connect with the role. Nevertheless, he admits to differ from his character at least in his relations with the opposite sex; "...I didn't have as many girls at my fingertips. I don't know many guys who do!"
Reception
Critical reception of the Riggins character has been varied. VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine opined that "there may be no more compelling, tortured soul on the "FNL" roster than Riggins". Scott Tobias, on the other hand, writing for The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
, had less enthusiasm for the character. According to Tobias, "he gives you the poses of a hunky, smoldering, haunted young man, but rarely the three-dimensional, flesh-and-bone reality of it." In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
ranked Tim Riggins as number 100 of their "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years."