Directed by Thomas Schlamme
Written by Aaron Sorkin
After an Establishing Shot of a building in New York City at night, we go to the control room of Sports Night, where Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman), the producer of the show, is giving instructions to the sound crew, including Will (Ron Ostrow), Chris (Timothy Davis Reed), and Dave (Bernard Hocke). Elliot (Greg Baker), a production assistant, reminds everybody the show starts in 60 seconds.
In the studio, at the anchor desk, Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) tells Casey McCall (Peter Krause), his co-anchor, he needs to start getting out of his house. Casey points out he hasn't lived in his house for 6 months now.
Isaac Jaffe (Robert Guillaume), the managing editor and executive in charge of the show, comes into the control room. Dana and Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd), Dana's second-in-command, greet him, and Dana asks Natalie to ask "the boys" if they got the change on the feed. Natalie yells the question into the microphone. Casey, visibly flinching from the sound in his earpiece, responds, "If you shout into a microphone when I'm wearing an earpiece it poses the question, 'Is there a decibel level where the human head will just, you know, *explode*?!?'" Isaac wants to know if this answer, and Casey's bad mood earlier that morning will mean another crappy show. Dana tries to ask this, and when Casey tells her to shut up, Dana concludes it's going to be another crappy show. As the clock starts to wind down, Dan finds an error in the script; it quotes "high-level sources" from the Swiss Olympics Committee about Helsinki's bid for the 2010 Olympics when, as Dan points out, Helsinki is really in Finland. After some confusion in the control room over this, Dana says they'll fix it on the Teleprompter. With just a few seconds more, Dan invites Casey to go out with him after the show, and to crash at his place afterwards, but Casey snaps he doesn't need a cruise director, since he's getting a divorce. Dan decides to quit trying. The two of them get counted down into the broadcast:
After the teaser is over, and they cut to commercial, Elliot confirms Helsinki is, indeed, in Finland.
The next day, in the news room area, Dan is walking towards his and Casey's office and collecting money from a bet he made in the office pool. Casey tells him basketball star Jason Grisham was arrested the previous night for getting into a fight at a strip club. Dan tells Elliot and Kim (Kayla Blake), another assistant, to get Grisham, his lawyer and his agent on the phone. As Dan and Casey head into their office, Casey remarks, "32 points. It was a career high and then he sends a guy to the hospital with 14 stitches. Can you imagine if he'd had a lousy game?" Dan is more concerned about the fact Casey slept in the office, even though Casey denies it (he claims he came in early), and in telling Casey about his "New York renaissance". Natalie comes in to tell them the rundown is in five minutes.
As they walk to the conference room, Isaac tells Dana the show's going badly. Dana says Casey needs time because of his personal problems, and they owe him. Isaac understands that, but he says the network may step in, and he doesn't want that.
Inside the conference room for the rundown meeting, where everyone is gathered, Isaac brings up the Helsinki mishap. Dana admits they've been shorthanded since two people left, but Natalie's been interviewing prospects for an associate producer position, and Dana's meeting with the finalist that afternoon. Dan tries to go on about his New York renaissance, but no one wants to hear it. Dana starts the rundown, which includes a piece on Santori, a placekicker who's going to get cut from "the mighty Bengals of Cincinnati"; everyone thinks he's a good guy, but Casey says that doesn't matter because he can't kick. After some bantering, Dana finally manages to move them on, but J.J. (Robert Mailhouse), who's representing the CSC network, has concerns about segment 23; more specifically, the network does. He wants to know who Ntzoke Nelson is, and why they're doing a feature on him. Natalie explains Nelson is a South African teacher who led protests against apartheid, and was beaten up for it and thrown in jail; despite the fact both his legs were broken and doctors said he'd never walk again without the assistance of a cane, he's running in the 15,000 meter race in the World Pacific Games, which CSC is covering. J.J. appreciates the fact the show is promoting other network events, but according to his numbers, 11 to 17 year olds (their prime demographic) don't want to see stories like that. Casey, who's been passed a note, said he has Jason Grisham on the phone, and tells J.J.:
After Casey storms out, J.J. asks everyone except Dan, Dana and Isaac to leave as well. Once they do, J.J. brings up Casey's on-air performance lately, and tells Dan it's time to think of doing the show with another partner, since Dan has a big future with the network. Dan replies that he won't work with anyone except Casey, here or someone else, and for now, he's going to forget this conversation. After asking Dana and Isaac if they need him (they don't), he leaves as well. Isaac warns J.J. not to take him on like that again, and J.J. tells Isaac the network isn't going to wait forever before leaving. Isaac then reminds Dana he wants Dana to intercede before the network forces Isaac's hand.
As Dana's walking through the newsroom, she complains about not getting a decent satellite picture from Buenos Aires. Jeremy Goodwin (Josh Malina), who's sitting in a chair by Natalie's desk, pipes up that a weather system might be interfering with the satellite picture. Dana doesn't know who he is. Jeremy introduces himself, and Dana recognizes him as the associate producer she's going to interview later, but tells him she's not ready for him yet.
Dana finds Casey at his desk in his office. She tells him to take 30 seconds off one segment to use in another one, which he's more than happy to do, but he's less enthused when she tells him, "You're screwing up my show." Casey is in no mood to hear a pep talk, but Dana tells him while he may think there are 250 other people who can do the show better than her (which he denies), she loves the show, and she remembers when he did too. Dana says once again Casey is screwing up the show, and leaves, yelling for Natalie.
Back in the newsroom area, Dana tells Natalie she's ready to interview Jeremy. Natalie notices Jeremy looks nervous, and asks if he wants a drink of water or something, but Dana tells her she wants to get on with it. She asks Jeremy what his favorite sports are, and he says he's strongest on football (he's also good on baseball and hockey, though not as good), so Dana, naturally, wants to talk about basketball. She asks him to name three things the Knicks can do to contend for the finals. Jeremy starts to wig out, and babbles about how much of a sports nerd he is (he served as an equipment manager for every team in high school and he devours box scores) and how he's watched the show since its inception, so he needs more time to answer. Dana and Natalie both tell him to calm down and answer the question. Jeremy finally names them; improve their free throw percentage, run the floor, "and tell Spike Lee to sit down and shut up". Dana and Natalie both confirm he has the job, and welcome him.
Dan's in the studio at the anchor desk, looking over the script, when Casey joins him and says they need to talk. He's thinking of quitting the show for good, and it's not because he's gotten another offer, he just wants to get out of sports.
Dan goes on to call out Casey on his behavior three months, pointing out how everyone likes him and has been standing by him the last few months ever since his divorce - especially Dana, whom he says has been risking her job every day to keep the network from firing Casey - while Casey, in turn, has done nothing but snap at everybody. While Dan is yelling at Casey, Kim has been telling staffers to go to the newsroom, and she comes up to Dan and Casey, interrupting Dan's rant to tell them there's something they'll want to see.
In the newsroom area, everyone is watching and cheering on Ntzoke Nelson as, with 900 meters left, he's on pace to break the world record in the 15,000 meters. Casey and Dan are both stunned and excited as well. Casey runs over to a phone, calls his ex-wife Lisa, and asks her to wake up his son Charlie. As Isaac looks on, Casey puts the call on hold, goes into a conference room, and picks up the phone there. Once Charlie gets on, Casey asks if he did all his homework, and tells him to turn on his channel to watch the race, and tells him why. Casey also says he's going to be on in 12 minutes, and if his mother says it's okay, Charlie can watch the beginning of the show. He tells Charlie he loves him and hangs up the phone.
Back in the newsroom area, the race has finished, and Dana tells everyone to get ready, as they'll be doing a promo. Natalie says they'll need Casey, and a woman staffer goes to get him, but Isaac says he'll take care of it. Isaac goes into the conference room just as Casey sits there.
Dana tells Dan about a teaser for two NBA games, and Casey, as he walks into the studio, says he'll take it. Casey also admits he was wrong, and says it won't happen again. Dan asks if Casey wants to go on the Staten Island Ferry after the show, and Casey responds since it's 17 degrees with the windchill and it'll be close to midnight, that yes, he absolutely wants to do that. Dan counters they can follow Jason Grisham's lead. As they get counted in to the teaser, Casey, looking more energized than he did the previous night, tells viewers they can look forward to coverage of the NBA games, as well as Ntzoke Nelson's world record run. Dana approvingly says he's back. When they cut to commercial (with 9 minutes before the start of the show), Casey asks Dana to come out to the studio. He kisses Dana on the cheek, tells her, "No one can produce this show but you," and hugs her. Dana, sniffling, tells wardrobe to get Casey a new shirt because she got her mascara on the one he's wearing, and tells Natalie to check the satellite feed from Buenos Aires, which she's sure is in Argentina but wants Natalie to double check anyway. As Casey and Dan discuss rugby, we Fade to Black.
This episode contains examples of:
- All Women Are Lustful:J.J.: But can't we find a good looking, 22 year old American, who might actually win?Dana: Well, if you find him, send him over to my place, but in the meantime...
- Big Applesauce: Obviously, since the show is set in New York City, but also, there's Dan's "New York renaissance".Dan: (to J.J., after Casey storms out) You ever ride the subway all day long? I mean, just for the fun of it?
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The Laugh Track (
forced on the show) is particularly distracting. Also, while Jeremy is supposed to be nervous, Josh Malina's performance is full of Large Ham here; he tones it down in subsequent episodes. - False Reassurance / Bait-and-Switch Comment: After Casey storms out of the rundown meeting, Dana starts to apologize for Casey's performance at this and other meetings. J.J. tells her he's not concerned about Casey's performance at the rundown meetings; he is, however, concerned about Casey's performance on the air lately.
- A Father to His Men: Subverted, at least at first:Isaac: I think the show's going to hell in a handbasket and I'm ready to fire the whole bunch of you.Dana: Yes, but you won't, 'cause we're all like family here and I'm very much like a daughter to you.Isaac: No. This is a television show here and you're very much like an employee to me.
- Foreshadowing: Natalie describes Jeremy to everyone else this way, "He is so totally cute, and intense, with a dark mystery about him that says 'This is not a technician, this is an artist'." So it's no surprise her feelings for Jeremy become a major plot point as the series goes on.
- He Is Not My Boyfriend: When Dana tells Isaac Casey needs more time, Isaac asks if she has a "thing" for Casey, which she flatly denies. This also becomes important later on.
- Insistent Terminology: As Kim and Elliot tell Dan about Jason Grisham:Kim: A guy called him something he didn't like and Grisham hit him with a bottle of Cognac.Elliot: It was brandy.Kim: It was Cognac.Elliot: It was Courvoisier.Kim: Courvoisier *is* Cognac.
- The Klutz: His first time in the control room, Jeremy sits down where he thinks a chair should be, and falls down.
- Smug Snake: J.J.
- True Companions: Casey to Dan, though that won't stop Dan from giving him a What the Hell, Hero? speech when he needs to.
