[FACING UP TO FEARS: Bad boy Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) has to confront his fear of commitment in his relationship with cheerleader Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) in Friday Night Lights.]

By VICTORIA BARKER

THERE is no time like the present, or so the saying goes. But how does the past, or even the future, come into play in real - and reel - life at this precise moment?

This week's Telly Buddy picks demonstrate how even the smallest decision made yesterday can make a big difference today.

Take NBC football drama Friday Night Lights for example. Set in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas, the 13-parter follows the Dillon Panthers American football team through the highs and lows of the season.

But it's not all jock-talk and testosterone - this show tackles a myriad of issues, ranging from relationships and family to education.

In this series' third season, which premieres on Friday, the one to really watch is resident bad boy Tim Riggins, played by actor Taylor Kitsch. You'll know him as sexy mutant Gambit from the recent Wolverine flick.

In this show, he's all dirty hair, abundant charm, and bad intentions, as Vanity Fair noted in a recent story on the character.

This season, he's shacked up with cutesy cheerleader Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly), his former best friend's former girlfriend.

But it goes deeper than just hooking up with the girl. He's forced to face his fear of commitment and, therefore, his past, in order to try to make a real go of the present relationship. Who can't relate to that dilemma?

Kitsch is known to ad-lib lines a lot in the show, so watch to try and guess what those are.

Similarly, documentary Treasure Quest digs up events of the past, but in the literal sense.

Watch as the Odyssey Marine Exploration crew partake in some modern-day treasure hunting - to the tune of US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) in the first episode alone.

Using technology such as ROVs (remotely-operated vehicles) and sonar scanning, the team explores shipwrecks in the English Channel dating back centuries.

The latest? The 700-ton British trading ship Merchant Royal, which went down in 1641.

The team unearths more than just gold and silver in the wreckage. They find the tusk of an African elephant, which they then use to decipher the time period in which the ship sailed.

Sure, the show may be geared slightly towards a geekier audience, but it's fascinating to think about what today's technology can tell us about the past.

Looking to the future is TNT law drama Raising The Bar. Produced by Emmy-winning producer Steven Bochco, who is behind programmes like NYPD Blue, it chronicles the professional and personal lives of a group of young lawyers.

It's no Ally McBeal in terms of sexy storylines, but the second season's 15 episodes, which attracts 5.5 million viewers per episode in the United States, have a lot going for it.

Its stellar cast (which includes NYPD Blue's Mark-Paul Gosselaar and ER's Gloria Reuben) play their roles perfectly.

And, if the first episode's case - in which a woman is sued for punching another woman with a hot dog - is a sign of things to come, Raising The Bar will certainly entertain.

Having those lawyers show us how our decisions - whether impulsive or otherwise - today can greatly affect our tomorrows, it is safe to say that our future is truly what we make of it.

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