|
Sports Night Episode Guide
|
| ! |
Skip through the months: October November December January February March April |
! |
JanuaryJanuary 25, 2000A fun and simple episode...have you noticed that this show is always simple...maybe that's why this show is great. Well, Sam Donovan is back in town. Dana freaks over his return, because he always changes everything. Dana does this little schizo thing which is very cute b/c she is so intimidated by Sam. By the end of the episode, Casey notes that "maybe Sam drives Dana a little too crazy" as in there might be a love connection. Anyway, Michael Jordan wants to do an interview on Sports Night, but all he wants to talk about is cologne. Sam and Dana decide to book the interview and to steer the interview towards basketball even though they know that MJ has been coached in how to steer the conversation back towards cologne. Then we learn that MJ's people want finally approval on the interview before it airs. Dana realizes that the only reason CSC (the network of Sports Night) got the interview is because MJ's people figured that CSC, unlike ESPN or FOX, would let them have final cut of the interview. Dana asks Isaac to cancel the interview. Isaac asks Sam if they need the interview, and Sam says no. Dana likes that Sam supported her.Also this episode, Dan considers changing his name to Daniel. Casey has to do a presentation for his son's class...he does highlights of recess activities. Sally Sasser introduces herself to Sam as the girl who was having sex with Gordon (Dana's ex-fiancee). Sam reasons that this is why Gordon and Dana broke off their engagement. Sally shares that the reason they broke off their engagement was b/c Gordon knew that Dana was more upset that Sally was sleeping with Casey than she was upset that Sally was sleeping with Gordon.
FUN FACT: The name of Casey's son is Charlie
January 18, 2000A simple and well-paced episode. It's boxing night on CSC, and Dan and Casey are hosting the light heavyweight championship of the world. Since the promos began for this fight, ratings for the fictional Sports Night have doubled. Isaac tells Dana that she has to stop being addle-brained and focus on the show to make this one of the best episodes ever. Dana's big concern is over whether the fight will be short which will force Dan and Casey to extend their coverage. In the meantime, Dan's dad comes to visit him. Dan's dad is not very nice nor is he supportive of his son. We can tell that Dan is really troubled by the lack of love his dad shows him. Anyway, just before the fight begins, Dana asks to speak with Casey. She says that she made a mistake in letting him stray away from her. He says that he doesn't need another woman around him telling him that he's not perfect. She asks what his response would be if she asked him out tonight. He says he would say no, but that she should try asking some other time. Anyway, the fight begins and ends seven seconds into the first round. Dan and Casey use their humor to make it through the eighty-eight minutes of extra boxing coverage they have to provide, but they succeed at this mission. And when I say succeed, their jokes and teasing of some of the color commentators were uproarious as were some of the filler information that they learned like how to clean your bowels before the fight and how to receive a proper rub down from two Turkish men while you are naked.ISAAC'S SECRET: He wishes his nickname was "The Hammer" but claims that he cannot be called that because you can't give yourself a nickname. Besides, Hank Aaron is "The Hammer." QUOTE OF THE EPISODE: You shouldn't wear your hair so short. You're starting to look gay. --Dan's dad to Dan NEXT WEEK: The guys get an interview with Michael Jordan, only their subject matter has been limited to cologne. Also, Casey becomes jealous of a budding relationship between Dana and Sam (the ratings' guy who we haven't seen for a while that is played by William H. Macy who is in a real life with Felicity Huffman, the actress who plays Dana). January 11, 2000A touching episode of Sports Night that shied away from the usual humor to allow for some poignancy. Dan wants to do a news feature on the Dodgers-Giants pennant game forty-nine years ago. He discusses this idea with Jeremy, and Jeremy says that he should talk to Isaac b/c Isaac was at the game. Dan is hurt that he never knew Isaac had been at the game, and so Dan goes to talk to Isaac. Isaac says that he was at the game and that Dan can do a feature on the game, but that Isaac will not be interviewed on TV. Dan at first thinks that this is because Isaac is scared to appear on TV after his stroke, but when confronted, Isaac shares his experience at the game. It was the bottom of the 9th, and the Dodgers lead 4-1. The game should have been delayed a minute b/c the next batter normally took a few extra minutes to warm up, but this time the batter didn't. The lack of a delay was unbeknownst to Isaac who went to the bathroom and was washing his hands when a grand slam was hit which led to the Giants winning. Isaac was at first sad, but by now he realizes that he saw his daughter being born and graduated from college and his life is important so who cares about a game.In the background, Casey continues Dana's dating plan. He is on date #8 when he sees Pixley. He hits on Pixley even though she is with another guy, and he writes his phone number on her hand. Word of this gets back to Dana, and she becomes a bit jealous. Casey says that he'll call the whole dating scheme, but she says no. Later, Dan comes to see Dana and tells Dana the story of Isaac and washing his hands as a metaphor for Casey and Dana's relationship...Dana should not go and wash her hands while Casey is dating other women. She takes this advice to heart and goes to find Casey at the bar. The bartender tells Dana that Casey and Pixley were at the bar together, and they just left together. NEXT WEEK: Isaac demands a fantastic episode that forces Dan and Casey to dress to the nines while Dana pursues Casey. January 4, 2000College Football airedDecemberDecember 28, 1999This was an amusing episode. The irony to the episode was that the crew was planning tomorrow's episode of the show-within-a-show version of "Sports Night," and they only had six-and-a-half minutes of tape for a one-hour show. Dan kept on saying that he could stretch the material. Basically, this episode of Sports Night had two stories that were stretched into a half-hour show. The first story was Casey's implementation of Dana's dating plan. Casey had his first date of what would hopefully become a six-month run of dating other women. Dan's prediction is that after this one date, Dana will tell Casey to end dating out of jealousy. Casey goes out with the girl and tells her that he is only dating her because Dana is making him. This ends the date, so Casey comes to report to Dana. She says that the date didn't count because he told this girl the truth. Casey says that he was having a wonderful time with the girl and didn't want to unfairly string her along. Upon hearing that Casey was enjoying the date, "jealousy rears its ugly head" out of Dana, but she denies her jealousy. Will she call the six-month dating scheme off? Who knows. The second story is about Jeremy. He is deciding whether or not to write an acceptance speech for an award for which he has been nominated. Natalie overhears a phone call Sally (remember her? she's the girl that slept with Casey and causes Dana to feel threatened) receives telling her that she will win the award for which Jeremy has been nominated. Natalie decides not to tell Jeremy about his loss, but when Jeremy is nagging Isaac about the acceptance speech, Isaac lets out that Jeremy isn't going to win the award. This is, of course, after Jeremy's annoyingness had become so bothersome that Isaac threatened to shove his Pulitzer up Jeremy's butt. Jeremy finds out that Natalie knew about his loss and confronts her. Natalie says she only wanted Jeremy to have some time to feel happy about his nomination. The two are happy happy. And it seems that Sports Night with its two stories and "Sports Night" with its six-and-a-half minutes will both have successful episodes.SPORTS NIGHT NEWS: Congratulations to Felicity Huffman on her Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Television Series. Also, despite the January arrival of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Sports Night will stay on the air on Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30 CST. NEXT WEEK:Rerun. December 21, 1999This was the official Christmas episode, and it was fun. Dana's brother, Kyle, shows up after being exposed for steroids use. She plans on yelling at him, but Casey tells her that she shouldn't. She seems to ignore his advice, and she yells at him, but then changes her tone of voice and says that she will support him. She says that he'll pay his fine, apologize to everyone, work hard, and get back on the football field next year. Also, Natalie asks Dan for some advice on a tape of hers. She wants to be a newscaster so she shows her tape to Dan. Dan says it was good. Natalie asks if Dan will tell Dana that she should be put on rotation for substitute anchor on Sports Night. Dan says yes, but then realizes that he shouldn't have, because Natalie's tape wasn't that great. He tells her the truth. She accepts that she has many years to work before she is ready for the air. Also this week: Secret Santa presents cause trouble for many. Casey is Isaac's Secret Santa and doesn't know what to get him so he asks. Isaac says a cheese grater. Casey goes crazy searching for the perfect cheese grater, and Isaac is so touched by Casey's efforts that he puts the grater where a trophy once was. Also, Dan doesn't know what to get Jeremy. But Dan does want to go to Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral even though both are Jewish. Who knows what will come of this or if it will ever be mentioned again.NEXT WEEK:According to Dana'a plans, Casey dates another woman. December 14, 1999I'll make this simple. It was a sweet episode. Dan continues seeing Abby, his therapist. She reasons that he has an obsession with pleasing people which explains his constant flirting with every girl. He vows to stop this if possible. He tries to stop flirting, but it is very hard for him as flirtatious talk consumes his behavior. So far, Dan has behaved.Also this week, Jeremy has to fire an employee. The employee is a bad worker, but Jeremy can't bring himself to fire this guy. Natalie orders Jeremy to do this firing, but he can't. Jeremy is especially intimidated because this employee is a relative of J.J. (a guy who works for CSC, the network the show airs on) In the end, Jeremy fires the employee. Casey travels to some random place to break a story on steroid use in the NFL. Casey returns with bad news. One of the seven steroid users is Dana's brother who is QB of a team. Who knows where this story will go? NEXT WEEK: Dana shows more care in breaking the story about her brother's steroid use than how the steroids have affected him. December 7, 1999What a lame episode. I was very disappointed. On the one hand, all the characters were too cutesy and on the other hand the drama did not hit at all. Dan continues to see Abby, and she psychoanalyzes him in a bar. Their relationship has not yet been defined. She tells him what's wrong with him and explains his insecurities, like Dan's inability to talk to people for more than five minutes at a time, and after he talks for these five minutes, he has nervous reactions. Dan only feels secure while on TV. One day, Dan is taping a promo and cannot pronounce one tennis player's name. He freaks and after failing over thirty times, he goes to visit Abby. He tells her that he wants her to treat him even though he has a crush on him. She says that the crush is normal for people to have on their psychiatrists. BUT at least the incest is over (keep in mind that Abby played Dan's sister in the movie "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead"). As for the rest of the show, Casey videotapes an interview with the newest Yankee. Casey is a friend of this player because the guy gave Casey his first interview and first break many years back. During the interview, Casey asks the guy how he likes New York, and the guy insults NY. Dana is happy because she realizes this comment will make for good ratings, but Casey wants to edit the clip. Dana won't let him so Casey asks Isaac. Dana overhears this asking and says the decision is hers. She lets the interview air unedited. The guy comes to see Casey, and Casey says that the comment was the guy's own fault. That's all.NEXT WEEK: A story that uncovers the use of steroids on a football team creates major tension in the studio. NovemberNovember 30, 1999hiatusNovember 23, 1999hiatusNovember 16, 1999hiatusNovember 9, 1999hiatusNovember 2, 1999In case you forgot since last week, this show rocks. The real action this week involved Jeremy's new computer system that was supposed to make Sports Center Y2K compliant. he is so proud of his system and everything seems to be working until everything fails and all the power goes out. Jeremy is heartbroken and goes through this sad realization that he has no control and that he has no place in the future. It's sad and Natalie tells him that he'll be OK, but he's not OK until he learns that the whole system shut down because someone accidentally pushed the PANIC button. Jeremy is now happy and well. Also this week, Dan meets a girl named Abby Jacobs in a bar. She gives him her card and he's very excited about their date. A note on Abby. She is played by the girl that played Josh Charles's (Josh Charles plays Dan) sister in one of the best movies ever.."Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead." I suppose this is some sort of incest thing. But anyway, Casey asks Danif he is supposed to be seeing her as a date or as a patient. Dan realizes that he's only been scheduled for an hour of time at Abby's office, but why would a psychiatrist pick him up in a bar? Dan shows up at Abby's office and tells her about Casey's theory. She tells him that it's his choice whether their relationship is a boyfriend-girlfriend or patient-therapist. Then she tells him that he's angry at his father. He disagrees and then asks her what she would tell her date this. And then he adds that his father "she loved me very much." Why did he say "she?" The two of them sit down in her office and that's all we know except that Dan is seeing Abby again next week.DEEP THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: The human mind will not be deprived. --Casey Y2K THOUGHT OFTHE WEEK:I find it funny that a computer that can calculate the quadratic equation in a nanosecond can't count to 2000. -- QUOTE OF THE EPISODE: I am facing the future as the servant of no master...and you'll take back that nerd thing..order me a beer, strike that. Make it a mountain dew. --Jeremy NEXT WEEK: A lot of fun stuff is going to happen, and emotions will run the gamut...what a surprise. OctoberOctober 26, 1999I just love this show. The big story this week involved Dana. She went out on a date with a guy from high school. It wasn't actually a date, just a reunion of sorts. Anyway, when she comes back from the date she tells Natalie that she's not wearing and undies. Natalie accidentally tells this to Casey who gets upset. He finally confronts her about. Dana explains that her panties at first just moved down a little bit when she shifted in her chair, and then because her date was so boring, she stayed entertained by pushing down her panties. Casey says that he's not mad; he just wishes that she had taken off her panties while he was at the dinner table with her. Dana then takes Casey to his office where her panties are waiting in his desk. Other stories this week include Jeremy helping Casey to rig an internet poll which asks the question, "Who do you like more, Casey or Dan?" Jeremy makes it so that Casey wins the vote, 2.2 million for Casey and 232 for Dan. Jeremy helps Casey as revenge for how Dan initiated Jeremy into the office. Neither Jeremy nor Casey will admit to cheating. Also this week, Jeremy discovers that Natalie has been writing letters to his sister, Louise. Jeremy doesn't know what to do so he threatens to write letters to Natalie's dad. We don't know that he does or doesn't do this.QUOTE OF THE EPISODE: It's not that you want to win so bad, it's that you won't admit you want to win. --Dan to Casey NEXT WEEK: Jeremy prepares the office to become Y2K ready. October 19, 1999Another phenomenal episode. For the record, Dana and Casey are still on their Casey has to date other women. As for the rest of the show, Sam Donovan (the ratings guy that Isaac ordered) tries to change the show. In the backdrop J.J. and the other network guys try to change the show. Sam steps forward and makes the network people step down....he threatens them and tells them that they're no good for the show. It seems that Sam is going to earn some respect.NEXT WEEK: Jeremy discovers that Natalie has been coresponding with his sister October 12, 1999Not as top rate as the season premier, but still I'm sure what will be one of the most endearing episodes of the week. As Casey prepares for his and Dana's first date, Dana decides that she and Casey can't date yet. Dana thinks Casey should date other women first. She believes that his lack of adult relationships will doom their relationship which she doesn't want. He protests, and the issue hasn't been resolved. As for Dan, he has a meeting with Hillary Clinton in which he advocates the removal of public funds for nonsecular schools. He meant secular (which means without religion as opposed to nonsecular or religious) and obsesses over the fact that Clinton now probably finds him stupid. The final storyline involves Isaac hiring a ratings guy who is now working on the show to try and improve the ratings. Ratings guy is played by William H. Macy (Felicity Huffman's real life husband).NEXT WEEK: Will people be fired? Will Dana quit when she clashes with the ratings guy? |
 |