The end is near for fans of Friday Night Lights. So near, in fact, that you can almost taste tears. But as the show prepares to wrap up its final season on DirecTV, it also brings with it many happy returns. Already this season, we’ve welcomed back Scott Porter (currently onThe Good Wife) as Jason Street, now a married father and rising sports agent. And last week, Julie finally made a good decision and went to visit Matt in Chicago. Zach Gilford’s surprise return in the final seconds of the episode, his warm smile as Matt opened his door to find Julie standing there, brought a grin to my face.

In tomorrow night’s episode, Matt and Julie’s reunion takes an unexpected, mature turn. “What Julie did for me in season four – kind of helping me figure out what I need to do to get my life on track – I kind of get to play that part for her,” Gilford told me at TCA Press Tour, where he was promoting his new ABC series Off the Map. “It’s a nice little role reversal.”

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PopWrap: What attracted you to “Off The Map?”
Zach Gilford: Aside from its behind-the-scenes pedigree, it was so different from my last show – which everyone knows I loved. I mean, that was a perfect job. But it’s so good to play an adult and a doctor on a show with a totally different tone. It’s a fun, slightly over the top, action-adventure drama versus the very earnest “FNL.” Not only was it a chance to show that, hopefully, I can do something else, it was a chance to actually do something else.

PW: Were you looking for a job that would wipe Saracen momentarily from people’s minds?
Zach: I think momentarily is the best way to put it. I would never want to wipe him permanently from anyone’s minds – but the fear with TV is you’ll be pigeon-holed as that character forever. It takes some people a while to get that next show, so I was lucky to step from one to the other and have them be so different.

To read the rest of this interview go to: NYPost.com

With Off The Map set to launch its 13-episode freshman run this Wednesday at 10/9c, TVLine spoke with Zach Gilford about why he welcomed this chance to go (slightly) bad, and how it feels to see the clock run out on FNL.

TVLINE | How has Hawaii been treating you?
I can’t complain. I just went for a run along the ocean and it was very pretty.

TVLINE | Was it somewhat by design that you wound up playing a cocksure guy, on Off The Map?
Yeah, it was a chance to do something else. And the cool thing about TV is that over the course of a season you get to develop a character. A few episodes in, you get to hit your stride, like, “Oh, this is what this guy does, this is how he acts.” You find a lot more stuff to make it seem real.

To read the rest of this interview go to: TVLine.com

Zach Gilford will be promoting his new ABC Drama “Off the Map” on Chelsea Handler’s E! show “Chelsea Lately” on Tuesday January 11th. “Chelsea Lately” airs at 11pm EST.

Author’s note: I will give up Conan for an evening to see Mr. Gilford.

I was never a big “Grey’s Anatomy” fans (stop making everything so damn difficult for yourself Meredith) and I didn’t check in when Addison opened her “Private Practice” either. But come January 12, I will absolutely be watching the latest small screen offering from “Grey’s” mastermind Shonda Rhimes, “Off The Map.”

My reasons are threefold.

1. Zach Gilford
QB1 scrubs in for his first post “Friday Night Lights” gig as Tommy Fuller, one of three young doctors who travel halfway across the world a small South American town — better known as “la ciudad de las estrellas” (the city of stars) — to rediscover why medical school was such a good idea in the first place.

To read the rest of this article go to: NYPost.com

According to series producer Shonda Rhimes’ Twitter, Zach Gilford’s new show “Off the Map” will premiere on ABC on January 12th at 10pm. The show will air every Wednesday in the 10pm time slot.

Can’t wait for 7 to be back on the small screen!