'Night' has great potential

When is a sitcom not a sitcom? When said sitcom is "Sports Night." Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, "Sports Night" is at its best when it's not trying to be funny, giving it the feel of a half-hour drama.

The idea for "Sports Night" is "SportsCenter" meets "The Larry Sanders Show." Series creator and writer Aaron Sorkin (screenwriter of "A Few Good Men" and "The American President") has a great idea, which isn't quite realized. While "Sports Night" has the intelligence of "SportsCenter" and "The Larry Sanders Show," ultimately it lacks their zing.

Courtesy of Touchstone Television The cast of "Sports Night," Joshua Malina, Sabrina Lloyd, Josh Charles, Felicity Huffman, Peter Krause and Robert Guillaume, get pumped for their premiere tonight on ABC.

The pilot episode focuses on the show's stars, Josh Charles and Peter Krause who play "Sports Night's" anchors Dan Rydell and Casey McCall, respectively.

McCall is recently divorced and in a funk that is dragging down the show. This is bringing heat from the network onto the show's executive producer Isaac Jaffee (Robert Guillaume) and the show's producer Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman). Though the pair has protected McCall until the point where the pilot picks up, they accept the fact they might have to replace him. Rydell's refusal to do the show without McCall is the only thing saving him.

While the strength of the pilot episode is its characters and character interactions, the comedy falls short. The humor derived from Joshua Malina's Jeremy Goodwin, the show's new assistant producer. He's a spaz. The smallest pressure sets him off into a mad, sweaty rant, which is too clichéd to be funny. In both the pilot and "The Apology," Malina's brand of physical humor is embarrassing.

What also falls short are the one-liners characters blurt out every once in a while. The comments seem out of place with the show's more serious atmosphere. The writers and producers of "Sports Night" either need to punch up the scripts a bit, or need to make the decision to become a half-hour drama. The show needs to commit itself one way or the other.

Courtesy of Touchstone Television Peter Krause and Josh Charles pose for a sportscaster moment in "Sports Night."

"The Apology" works better than the pilot by shedding many of the attempts at humor. The episode revolves around Rydell publicizing his opinion that marijuana should be legalized. This sets off a controversy that leads to the network insisting he apologize on air. Though he isn't sorry, Rydell reluctantly gives in.

The show is at its best when it is focusing on Rydell's struggle. It relies on comic content to come from the interaction between Krause's McCall and Malina's Goodwin. As in the pilot, Malina's brand of humor doesn't fit the show. What does work is Natalie Rosen (Sabrina Lloyd), who plays the other assistant producer. She tells everyone she can't evaluate Goodwin's job performance objectively because she thinks she might have feelings for him. But after Malina's terrible performance, it's hard to understand why she might have these feelings.

Given that the show's writer Aaron Sorkin's ability for balancing the serious and the humorous in "The American President," "Sports Night's" lack of comedy is a disappointment. Perhaps the confines of series television - a half-hour to develop a story, censorship, etc. - don't suit Sorkin's talents. Or maybe the show just needs some time to find its groove. Given time, "Sports Night" might end up being one of the funniest serious comedies.

For now, however, "Sports Night" has to rely on the chemistry between stars Charles and Krause, and the excellent supporting cast (with, of course, the exception of Malina). Special attention must be paid to both Lloyd and Guillaume who are scene-stealers, easily making the transition from reserved to comedic.

"Sports Night" might not be a great show, but it might become one. The show has a lot of potential, even if it's not using it to the fullest.

09-22-98