"A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 3.95 million household viewers and gained a 1.2/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, character development and emotional tone.
(Jeremy Sumpter) continues seeing Madison (Whitney Hoy), although his delays during training start bothering Eric (Kyle Chandler).
As Shelby (Kim Dickens) prepares to take Lorraine (Louanne Stephens) to the market, she exits the car while moving, falling into the ground.
Tami (Connie Britton) gets involved in a town debate as Superintendent Dunley announces a redistricting strategy, which would open a new school.
Lyla (Minka Kelly) continues avoiding Buddy (Brad Leland), so the latter asks Tim (Taylor Kitsch) to help him.
In December 2008, DirecTV announced that the eleventh episode of the season would be titled "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall".
[2] In its original American broadcast on NBC, "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" was seen by an estimated 3.95 million household viewers with a 1.2/4 in the 18–49 demographics.
"[6] Todd Martens of Los Angeles Times wrote, "While it wasn’t necessarily out of character, as Joe has been inflicting abuse on his son all season long, it was a bit much, especially for this emotionally-charged episode.
"[7] Alan Sepinwall wrote, "The episode did a great job of laying the groundwork for Joe McCoy's explosion, as he let various perceived mistakes and violations by J.D.
"[9] Jonathan Pacheco of Slant Magazine wrote, "“It’s gonna blow, don’t ya know.” It's a phrase that a Dallas sports radio host was fond of saying back when the polarizing Terrell Owens joined the Cowboys.
[11] Bridget Carpenter, Patrick Massett, and John Zinman submitted this episode for consideration for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.