Friday Night Lights is based on a best-selling book by journalist Buzz Bissinger that follows the 1988 football season of Permian High School in Odessa. Although Bissinger's novel would go on to sell 2 million copies and spawn the 2004 film and a TV series, the citizens of Odessa felt bitter about how they were portrayed in the book. To this day, Bissinger is no longer welcome at Odessa-Permian events.