Parents' Guide to

Sports Night

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Sophisticated dramedy features some mature themes.

TV FX, Syndicated Comedy 1998
Sports Night Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

Produced by Aaron Sorkin, SPORTS NIGHT (1998-2000) is a series about the behind-the-scenes antics of the creative staff of a fictional sports news show of the same title. It stars Peter Krause as anchor Casey McCall, who, along with long-time fellow anchor Dan Rydell (Josh Charles), managing editor Isaac Jaffe (Robert Guillaume), executive producer Dana Whitaker (played by Felicity Huffman), and assistant producers Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd) and Jeremy Goodwin (Joshua Malina) produce a quality show that has the potential to push them out of third place in the ratings. They work hard and love what they do, but the pressure placed on them by the network creates some complicated personal and professional situations.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Sports Night, which was inspired by shows like ESPN SportsCenter, combines humor and drama as it deals with themes surrounding contemporary sports, and often questions the ethics of some of the choices the media make when producing television. The relationship issues that develop between the cast lead to both comical and some not-so-funny, moments, including actor Robert Guillame's highly-publicized stroke, which was worked into the storyline.

Interestingly, the show made history by being a situation comedy that moved away from the traditional TV comedy elements of the time. It slowly eliminated the pre-recorded laugh track while it was on the air, and incorporated unique techniques that are now considered Sorkin trademarks, including the use of quick sarcastic exchanges, and the "walk and talk" (characters walking and talking quickly). As a result, many critics argue that it was canceled too soon. Nonetheless, today's viewers will appreciate the show's sophistication, as well as the stories being told here.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way TV shows transform over time. What kinds of things do we see in situation comedies today that we didn't see 10 years ago Are there things that were considered funny decades ago, but are considered inappropriate to laugh about today?

  • What kinds of unique challenges come with producing a successful sports show? Do you think this series offers a realistic portrayal of what those challenges are?

TV Details

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