Think you have to spend an hour to get good dramatic payoff? Think again.

The ensemble cast is only one reason why "Sports Night" works so well.

"Sports Night" airs Tuesdays at 9:30 pm on ABC.

These days, it seems the hallmark of quality in television is owned by the one-hour drama. "NYPD Blue," "ER," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (for some of us, anyway, including Robert Bianco of USA Today, may God bless him), and "The X-Files" inevitably set the standard by which we judge other shows. Recently (thanks to declining quality of "Felicity") I discovered a new, burgeoning standard in the form of the half-hour comedy: "Sports Night."

I hesitate to call "Sports Night" a sitcom because of the associations that word calls to mind: cheap humor, sight gags, less-than-wonderful production values. "Sports Night" doesn't use any of these. Instead, it uses brilliant writing, high-quality production, and a fabulous cast to affect me in half an hour as much as any of the dramas do in an hour. No surprise since it comes from the guy who wrote A Few Good Men and The American President and is produced by Imagine Entertainment. Most importantly, "Sports Night" makes me laugh without using the zaniness of every other sitcom on television. What? Originality in a half-hour network show? Why, yes!

Let's just say up front that "Sports Night" isn't a sports show. It's not just for sports enthusiasts. I, personally, couldn't care less about the Super Bowl. Does "Sports Night" still appeal to me? Yes! A thousand times, yes! Because what makes this a great show isn't the sports connection. The quality of the show is derived from those essentials that every great show must have: incredible cast and incredible writing.

"Sports Night" follows the cast and crew of a late night sports show (think "Sportscenter") on CSC (Continental Sports Channel, think ESPN). The Sports Night team includes co-anchors Casey McCall (Peter Krause) and Dan Rydell (Josh Charles), Managing Editor Isaac Jaffee (Robert Guillaume), Executive Producer Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman), Senior Associate Producer Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd), and Associate Producer Jeremy Goodwin (Joshua Malina). Here's the lowdown: Casey and Dan are best friends; Casey is recently divorced and took the co-anchor job at "Sports Night" after turning down the "Late Night" offer (which went to Conan O'Brien instead); Casey is in love with Dana, his ex-wife's former best friend, but also in denial about it; Jeremy is an overeager sports nut who recently (meaning this season) began a relationship with Natalie; Isaac is shrinking (from osteoperosis).

Unlike a lot of half-hour shows set in the workplace, "Sports Night" actually depicts work.

Considering this show is only a few months old, the chemistry among the cast members is amazing. What we're given is a situation in which some of these characters have known each other for decades. Unlike many shows which take some time to build the kind of chemistry that underscores so much history, "Sports Night" seems to have hit the floor running. There is never a moment when you question that Dana has been Casey's producer for something like ten years. What makes "Sports Night" so exceptional is that there are no exceptions. Unlike "Friends" or "Frasier," there is no "I like 'Sports Night' except...." There is nothing on the show I don't like. Even the sports. I'm not a sports person, but keep in mind, this isn't a sports show (except for the occasional cameo). It's more about the behind-the-scenes than the actual show.

In one of the best episodes of the season, Isaac must decide whether or not he'll stand up to the owner of CSC ( who may be looking to fire him) and laud a football player and six of his teammates who quit the football team, and ultimately the university, because the university flies the Confederate flag outside its stadium. CSC's owner, Luther Sachs, is an alum of said university who donates lots of money and has lots of clout with the school's president. When pressed about his decision, Isaac informs Dan that he has to stop thinking of Isaac as the representative of all things black. At the same time, "Sports Night" tells its audience that it needs to be wary of taking Isaac Jafee as the show's token voice of Black America. That's just smart writing. And it's the first time I've ever heard that sentiment expressed on TV. Ultimately, Isaac gives an on-air editorial in support of the players, challenging Luther Sachs to use his influence to correct the flag situation.

So, intelligent writing, seamless cast, great alternative to the flaky "Felicity." What more could you ask for? And TVLand seems to agree with me. They've awarded "Sports Night" their very first "Future Classic" award. I think this show is in the first of many brilliant seasons to come. Get in on the ground floor.

Date: January 11, 1999

Copyright © 1999 by Lisa McInnis