Unlikely Glossary Project
Sports Night
TODO: Make this a flagship page
One of the true cornerstones of UgPFolk cultural literacy. Viewed during its original run by
Nick and
Renee; later spread to include all sorts of people, but particularly
Dan, who was hooked via the Comedy Central syndicated run.
Sports Night was a short-lived half-hour comedy-drama that suffered from poor promotion and handling on the part of ABC, which was unable to disabuse viewers of the impression that it was either a sports program or a sitcom. The creative force came from Aaron
Sorkin and
Thomas Schlamme, and the show was defined largely by Sorkin’s fast-paced dialogue and his penchant for interwoven comedo-tragic plot elements, as well as by a stellar ensemble cast.
Characters
- Isaac Jaffe (Robert Guillaume): The curmudgeony boss, whose title varies widely from episode to episode. Isaac began working as a stringer for the Atlanta Journal, won a Pulitzer for his coverage of the Gemini missions, and retired as London Bureau Chief for CNN. He provides most of Sports Night’s racial diversity.
- Dana Whittaker (Felicity Huffman): The brilliant and competent, but sometimes slightly crazed top producer, with a penchant for sudden revelations regarding musicals and church. She comes from a “good family” and attended a series of all-female schools; given that she knew Casey in college, one of these
- most likely undergrad, but possibly her MA in broadcast communication - was in proximity to the Great Lakes. Her brother plays in the NFL.
- Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd): Senior Associate Producer, also somewhat wacky. Natalie hails from a small town in {{(Ohio?}}, is probably a Catholic (her family is devoutly Christian, and she was taught by nuns in elementary school {{... of Perpetual Sorrow?}} She’s kinkier than the average Sorkin character, and enjoys benevolently meddling in others people’s business. Possibly attended Northwestern.
- Casey McCall (Peter+Krause): Senior anchor; conversationally anal retentive, trapped in doomed love cycle with Dana. Casey graduated Phi Beta Kappa from a college which is probably somewhere in the Great Lakes region. (Possibly Ann Arbor?) He has, however, an envy of post-graduate degrees. He’s divorced, has a 10-year-old son, and routinely screws up his romantic life.
- Dan Rydell (Josh Charles): Junior anchor, not a “framed picture of mental health,” Tom Waits and Baltimore Orioles fan. Graduated from Dartmouth. A bit Jewish. Has a tendency to misuse phrases, though not so strong as Natalie’s.
- Jeremy Goodwin (Joshua Malina): Junior producer, intense dork, fairly Jewish. Probably went to Amherst.
- Sally Sasser (Brenda Strong): Runs second-tier CSC program “West Coast Update.” Competes habitually with Dana professionally, sexually, or is perceived to, or both.
- Sam Donovan (William H. Macy): Ratings consulant brought in by Isaac to stave off a network takeover. Cultivates assholity as a professional virtue. Recovering alcoholic; member of the Anti-Handgun Coalition.
h2. Episodes
- Sports Night Pilot
- The Apology
- The Hungry and the Hunted
- Intellectual Property
- Mary Pat Shelby
- The Head Coach, Dinner and the Morning Mail
- Dear Louise
- Thespis
- The Quality of Mercury at 29K
- Shoe Money Tonight
- The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee
- Smoky
- Small Town
- Rebecca
- Dana and the Deep Blue Sea
- Sally
- How Are Things in Gloca Morra?
- The Sword of Orion
- Eli’s Coming
- Ordnance Tactics
- Ten Wickets
- Napoleon’s Battle Plan
- What Kind of Day Has it Been
- Special Powers
- When Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Cliff Gardner
- Louise Revisited
- Kafelnikov
- Shane
- Kyle Whitaker’s Got Two Sacks
- The Reunion
- A Girl Named Pixley
- The Giants Win the Pennant, the Giants Win the Pennant
- The Cut Man Cometh
- The Sweet Smell of Air
- Dana Get Your Gun
- And the Crowd Goes Wild
- Celebrities
- The Local Weather
- Draft Day: Part I – It Can’t Rain at Indian Wells
- Draft Day: Part II – The Fall of Ryan O’Brian
- April is the Cruelest Month
- Bells And A Siren
- La Forza Del Destino
- Quo Vadimus
h2. Quotes about Sports Night
- “Dude, I finally understand Aaron Sorkin’s Sports Night. It’s a comedy that’s too good to be funny.”
h2. Music
The show’s theme and music are by WG Snuffy Walden (also of West Wing, Thirtysomething, etc.) The show also occasionally features songs from outside sources. Dan and later Nick have invested a certain amount of effort in compiling a master SN playlist. Here’s Nick’s current version (I’m calling it 0.8):
- 1 Theme (WG Snuffy Walden)
- 2 Afternoon Delight (Starland Vocal Band)
in “The Apology”
- 3 Hymn to Her (The Pretenders)
in “The Hungry and the Hunted”
- 4 Someone to Watch Over Me (Keith Jarrett)
in “The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail”
- 5 Boogie Shoes (KC and the Sunshine Band)
in “Dear Louise”
- 6 The Weight (The Band)
in “The Quality of Mercy at 29k”
- 7 Never Been to Spain (Three Dog Night)
not in “Small Town”
- 8 Crimson and Clover (Tommy James and the Shondells)
in “Sallly”
- 9 How are Things in Glocca Morra
not in “How are Things in Glocca Morra
- 10 Sloop John B (The Beach Boys)
in “Sword of Orion”
- 11 Eli’s Comin’ (Three Dog Night)
in “Eli’s Comin’”
- 12 She Will Have Her Way (Neil Finn)
in “Special Powers”
- 13 It’s in His Kiss (Betty Everett)
in “Special Powers”
- 14 Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves)
in “Shane”
- 15 It Hurts So Bad (Susan Tedeschi)
in “The Giants Win the Pennant, The Giants Win the Pennant”
Note that this version is missing Todd Thibaud’s “Sweet Destiny,” and probably some other things.
Here’s a crappy LightScribe label I made for this so I could give Rosie a copy.
See also: Sork English, Sorkin
Revised on October 25, 2005 04:40
by
Anonymous Coward