Rent Sports Night on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Aaron Sorkin
Starring: Josh Charles, Peter Krause, Felicity Huffman, Joshua Malina, Sabrina Lloyd, Robert Guillaume
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
Casey and Dan are sports anchors and best friends on "Sports Night", a nightly cable program.
Verdict
This was Sorkin's precursor series to The West Wing, one of my favorite shows, and this has a lot of the same attributes. The dialog is really good, there's a lot of walking and talking, and the characters are full of obscure facts.This feels too much like a typical workplace comedy. This doesn't capitalize on the business. I'm sure it's a budget restraint that we don't see any athletes, but it is noticeable. The stakes are interpersonal drama. I wanted something bigger, and this treads middle ground. This is a sports show that shows no sports nor athletes. Most of the athletes mentioned are fictional.
It depends.
Review
Sorkin was inspired to create this show from watching Sports Center late at night while writing The American President. It was canceled after the second season. While studios made offers for a third season, they were dependent on Sorkin's involvement, and he was already working on The West Wing by that point.
It's easy to make a lot of comparisons between this and The West Wing, but this always feels lesser. I can't help but read into how Sorkin would evolve the ideas seen in this show. While the first season has a few episodes that focus on broader issues, it's always concluded in episode. The second season's focus is on a potential buy out. This show feels disconnected from its subject because we rarely see athletes or specific news stories. There's the odd mention of an actual athlete, but most stories and athletes are fictional. Even the excerpts we see from the show don't include footage from any sports or actual games. That's the disconnect. Seeing actual athletes would provide this another gear and a level of intrigue it needs like Arliss or Ballers. As is, it doesn't feel authentic.
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| Peter Krause, Josh Charles play Casey McCall, Dan Rydell |
Casey McCall (Peter Krause) and Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) are the anchors with Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman) as the executive producer. The first episode is hectic as the station scrambles to ready the show. The laugh track is incredibly annoying. Sorkin hated it, and it was eventually removed in the first season. It feels out of place, especially for a show that often explores serious topics. It reminds me of NewsRadio, a rather standard workplace comedy.
This is a show about relationships and struggles as well as social causes. Dan and Casey while friends often are at odds over their popularity. Casey and Dana are a couple to be shipped from nearly the beginning. I want this to be about deadlines and getting the story. There's too much personal drama and not enough sports drama. These story lines don't need a sports show setting. The show never leverages it to the full extent. Would Casey and Dan never go to a game? The few times a producer goes on site it all happens off screen. I'm sure it's a budget constraint but it's noticeable. It's not funny enough to be an outright comedy and the drama is too shallow to be engrossing. The dialog is good, though I question how much the writers know about sports or their passion. This show could easily delve into divisive sports issues and rivalries. I don't think the writers have a stance, and I wish they did.
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| Felicity Huffman, Josh Charles, Peter Krause, play Dana Whitaker, Dan Rydell, Casey McCall |
In the second season, managing editor Isaac (Robert Guillaume) recovers from a stroke he had in the first season as the actor actually did experience a stroke. A ratings expert is brought in to improve the show which irritates the staff. The show has always been a solid show on a third place network, but this season they need to improve. The looming threat of a buyout provides the second season with more purpose and stakes. Most of the time the show is too occupied with who the characters are dating. I want to see how a sports show is made. How do they get their stories? The whole show is too typical. Despite a unique setting, this could be nearly any workplace setting.
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