• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 11, 2011

ESPN, which appeared to have sworn off scripted programming, will air "Friday Night Lights" on multiple platforms as the show ends its run on NBC. ESPN Classic is set to begin carrying repeats of the show regularly, while the coming Longhorn Network about University of Texas sports will also offer it later this summer.  

More surprisingly, the flagship ESPN network will carry the first two episodes of the series Tuesday night opposite the baseball all-star game on Fox.

On July 21, ESPN Classic will begin carrying all five seasons in order, with back-to-back episodes on Thursdays. ESPN Classic has been struggling to find an identity and within the ESPN family has been de-emphasized in favor of the ESPNU network.

Connor Schell, who oversaw ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary series and also a top executive at ESPN Classic, stated that "FNL" "captures the blend of drama, excitement and heartache that embodies what it means to be a sports fan, leading to its very loyal and passionate following among viewers."

As part of a cross-promotional effort behind "FNL," new ESPN site Grantland.com will offer an oral history of the series with details from the cast and crew.

The Longhorn Network, a joint venture of ESPN, UT and IMG College, will air all five seasons when it launches in August. The show with high-school football as its maypole is set in Texas.

"FNL" never did particularly well in the ratings, but had critical acclaim.

Season one included 22 episodes, but season two only had 15. The final three had 13. Looking to keep the show on the air in its latter seasons, NBC reached a deal with DirecTV, where the two would share production costs and episodes would debut on DirecTV in the fall before moving to NBC.