We sat down with Friday Night Lights’ Connie Britton prior to her Conversations session at the SAG Foundation, and she dished what’s in store for the citizens of Dillon in season four, which kicks off production on Sept. 2.

When we left the Taylors at the end of season three, Coach (Kyle Chandler) was banished to the run-down East Dillon High School, while Tami remained principal of the Panthers. Could this split actually revive their marriage? “Wait, there’s nothing wrong with the marriage,” joked Connie. “Hello! The marriage doesn’t need reviving. How dare you?”

Actually the impact of the separate schools may “add a new dimension” to their relationship, Connie said. “It’s very hard to even grasp what it means—this whole new school that needs all this help that Coach is going to be going to, with redistricting and all that. I think it’s going to be more [about] us trying to figure out what our new roles are in these places than it’s going to be us at odds with each other. Maybe we’ll find a way to come together and help each other with our competitive schools.”

While the Taylors are adding a new spark to their marriage, little Julie (Aimee Teegarden) may be in for more trouble this season. “It’ll be much more interesting if she’s not a good girl, don’t you think? At the end of the day, I’m her mom, [and] I want her to be awesome,” Connie said. “Maybe she can have one more spell, and then I want her to pull it all together and get into a great school and live an awesome life.”

So what does this mean for Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) and Julie? Connie told us, “At the end of last season it wasn’t like he was going to be gone.” However, Zach won’t be in many episodes this season, so it doesn’t seem like they could last. “Exactly!” exclaimed Connie. “I don’t know how that’s going to sort itself out.”

Speaking of doomed relationships, Taylor Kitsch recently told us he’s coming back for season four, but Minka Kelly is only back for a few episodes, which Connie teased is not good news for Lyla and Riggins fans: “Riggins is going to have to move on. The reality of the situation is he’s in Dillon; he’s never going to leave Dillon probably, and she is. She has a whole future, and I think it would be really interesting to see what that does to him. Maybe she’ll come back and do some episodes, and we’ll see where she’s gone off to and see the difference between the girl who gets out and the guy who doesn’t. Those old high school relationships where you think [you're] going to be forever together and then you’ve got your whole life ahead of you and everything changes. ”

TVGuide.com: I want you to know that my wife got hooked on Friday Night Lights this past season — and I think it’s largely due to the tactile and real performances given by you, Kyle Chandler, et al.
Connie Britton: Aw, that’s so awesome! That’s what I’m talking about, that’s what we need to do. 

TVGuide.com: Hey, every head counts. What was your favorite thing about playing Tami last year?
Britton: For me, it felt like a roller coaster. The whole aspect of being principal was really interesting, because when I first heard about that, I was heady with power! I was like, “This is the be-all and end-all,” Kyle was jealous. … It was fantastic. And then they were like, “Yeah, but you’re going to have a huge head-to-head issue with Buddy, and ultimately you’ll lose.” [Laughs] I was like, “No fair!” 

TVGuide.com: What are the odds that Tami and Eric will be working at rival Dillon high schools next season?
Britton: Knowing our writers, I bet that’s the way they’ll go, because that will be so interesting and challenging. And that’s how we do it at Friday Night Lights. 

TVGuide.com: Last season we said sad goodbyes to both Smash and Jason…
Britton: C’mon, admit it, you cried during those episodes. 

TVGuide.com: Maybe. Will Season 4 serve up anything similar for Matt (Zach Gilford), Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) or Lyla (Minka Kelly), all of whom could be heading off to college?
Britton: The writers just now are concocting their story ideas, but I would think they do a little arc for all those characters — or at least the ones they can. All these actors are going off and doing awesome movies and stuff. We are the farm team for Hollywood, with our actors, our writers, our director…. It’s crazy.

TVGuide.com: Executive producers Jason Katims and Jeffrey Reiner have gone off to do other projects (NBC’s Parenthood and Trauma, respectively). How might their absences affect the mood on the set?
Britton: I don’t think it will be different at all. We’ll have some different players on the team, but we also will have a lot of the same players. There’s Michael Waxman, who was our First [Assistant Director] for a long time before starting to direct some episodes, and we just love him. I think he’s going to be picking up some of the Jeff Reiner slack. 

TVGuide.com: Plus you’re going into this transition as one of the business’ best-oiled machines.
Britton: I really do think that’s true. We’ve always attributed the success and greatness of Friday Night Lights to its process, and that involves every single person, from every department. 

TVGuide.com: What was the thinking behind a two-season pick-up? Was it financial?
Britton: I’m not involved in all those negotiations, but if I had to guess, the only reason somebody would do a two-season pick-up is if there’s a financial advantage. It impacts syndication, packaging…. 

TVGuide.com: So are you shooting Seasons 4 and 5 back-to-back? That’d be cost-effective.
Britton: No, I think there will be a little break between seasons, if for no other reason than to let the writers regroup. 

TVGuide.com: Did you have your hand slapped at all for telling EW.com that after these next two seasons, the show is done?
Britton: No! I don’t think I’m out of bounds in saying that. I think that is the intention. 

TVGuide.com: Hey, end dates are the new black — everybody is doing them.
Britton: Exactly, and we are all looking at it as an advantage. One of the things that’s so hard about TV is that time at the end of the season where it’s a guessing game of, “Will we ever see each other again?” That’s tough, man. So for us to have the luxury of knowing what we have in front of us and, frankly, knowing when we get to say goodbye, is great. Listen, if the show suddenly started making phenomenal amounts of money and gets phenomenal ratings and they’re like, “Let’s keep it going,” that would be great. But I have a feeling that this is a really good way to be really specific with stories.

Although FNL star Connie Britton recently said the original two-season pickup would likely be the end of the show, she told us, “You never know—if it does do really, really well, maybe they would go on for more seasons.”

So what do the possible final seasons hold for the Taylors and the rest of Dillon?

Connie teased bad news for the couples in Dillon in season four, which goes into production on Sept. 2. FNL veteran Peter Berg is directing the first episode, which will likely have a time lapse similar to season two. Said Connie, “I bet that they will do it from that three-month ending to the beginning of the new school season, which would be September.”

If Connie’s wish for a season six isn’t granted, that’s actually OK with her. “Everybody is really embracing the idea of having two seasons and being able to be really specific with these arcs and know where we’re going to end up,” she said. “That’s exciting to be able to do that on a TV show. I really do feel like these two seasons are going to be really strong. I think it’s going to be a lot of change, but I think it’s going to be really strong. Part of that is because they are thinking of it in terms of two seasons. In a way, it’s much more like a movie focus.”

So where would Connie want to see the Taylors end up if they must say goodbye in season five? Connie told us: “Julie would’ve graduated, so I’d love to see her off somewhere fantastic. I think it would be interesting to see [Coach and Tami] end up at the same school again, back to being on top a little bit, but even as I’m saying that I’m thinking, what if we end up moving away out of Dillon? That could be really interesting, too.”

Finally, with Emmy nominations just a few short weeks away, Connie isn’t stressing too much over it. “I’m so used to not being nominated that if I get nominated I’m really going to freak out,” she joked. “But it would be awesome. It would be so great.”

We second that. Regardless of an Emmy nom or not, Connie’s extremely pleased with the fan support that brought Friday Night Lights back from within an inch of death. “Our fans are so awesome. People who are watching this show are just so amazingly invested and passionate. It’s just a joy. Anytime I run into someone who watches this show, the investment is like a dream. It’s incredible. [It's] just so satisfying to work on something that people feel that strongly about, it’s the best.”