ABC | Release Date: September 22, 1998
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
84
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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100
The Hollywood ReporterBarry GarronMay 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: A wonderfully engaging combination of comedy and drama that could succeed simply on the passion of its characters and the strength of the performances. But the show also boasts intelligent dialogue and a willingness to grapple with thorny issues, both personal and professional. [21 Sept 1998]
100
Washington PostTom ShalesMay 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: You needn't be the least bit interested in sports to enjoy Sports Night, the best new ABC sitcom of the season. [22 Sept 1998, p.E01]
100
Season 1 Review: The pace is fast from start to finish, the situations believable, the actors are obviously enjoying their work, the production is excellent. If there's any justice in the TV business (talk about a reckless assumption), ABC, a network that desperately needs a new hit show, should have one in Sports Night. [22 Sept 1998, p.E-1]
90
VarietyRay RichmondMay 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: The most entertaining new comedy premiering in primetime this fall, precisely because it doesn't look or feel like anything else the networks are tossing against the wall. It cleverly defies all of the dreary fall sitcom trends: black people moving into white neighborhoods, single parents struggling to hold housefuls of screaming brats in line, gay men yearning to make sense of a straight world, and young adults basically acting like idiots. [21 Sept 1998, p.44]
90
Newark Star-LedgerAlan SepinwallMay 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: At a time when every TV comedy seems content to look and sound like every other TV comedy, any show that tries to break the mold deserves to be applauded. And a show like Sports Night that's snappy, well written, thought-provoking, and sometimes funny and moving at the same time deserves no less than a standing ovation. [22 Sept 1998, p.59]
90
Seattle Post-IntelligencerJohn LevesqueMay 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Felicity Huffman, Robert Guillaume and a marvelous pack of supporting players lend a palpable pulse to the most stylishly produced workplace/relationship series to arrive in some time...Though packaged like a comedy, "Sports Night" isn't always funny. It's just seriously good TV. Sign up for season tickets. [22 Sept 1998, p.E1]
90
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenMay 4, 2013
Season 1 Review: Smart writing, talented actors playing realistic characters and a pace and cinematography reminiscent of HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show" or "Arli$ $ " make Sports Night one of only a handful of new series that warrant viewer attention. There's just one problem: It's a half-hour series that bears more resemblance to a drama than a sitcom. [22 Sept 1998, p.G-7]
90
Houston ChronicleAnn HodgesMay 3, 2013
Season 1 Review: What makes Sports Night such a standout is Aaron Sorkin's crisp and clever script. It's crammed with characters who seem full-fleshed and real after just one encounter. And, trust me, you do NOT have to be sports fan to get it. [22 Sept 1998, p.1]
90
Deseret NewsScott D. PierceMay 3, 2013
Season 1 Review: There isn't another half hour like it on network television right now. It's a 30-minute show, but it isn't a sitcom. As a matter of fact, it's at least as much a drama as it is a comedy. It's also one of the best new shows of the season. [22 Sept 1998, p.TV]
80
The New York TimesCaryn JamesMay 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: The series is acted with razorlike timing. [21 Sept 1998, p.E5]
80
Kansas City StarAaron BarnhartMay 4, 2013
Season 1 Review: It has personality to spare, so much that you forgive it for its romantic notion that a bunch of highly paid TV people constitutes a "family." [22 Sept 1998, p.F1]
80
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertMay 1, 2013
Season 1 Review: For a new series, Sports Night already has a nicely developed sense of ensemble and texture. Charles and Krause show a natural chemistry as anchors and friends, and Robert Guillaume has strong presence as the imposing executive producer. The most appealing actor, though, is Huffman, who is dynamic as the committed producer who lives only for airtime. She's got caffeine running through her veins. [22 Sept 1998, p.C1]
75
USA TodayRobert BiancoMay 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: Sorkin has created a funny, free-flowing comedy that more closely reflects the rhythms and look of a feature film. He may still have something to learn about the sitcom form, as witness the abrupt shift to sentimentality that ends the first two episodes. But when he's on his game, he provides moments of unexpected and acute insight that can almost leave you breathless. [22 Sept 1998, p.3D]
75
Chicago Sun-TimesPhil RosenthalMay 1, 2013
Season 1 Review: One of the better new series this fall despite a habit of turning mawkish in the last five minutes each week. It's helped immensely by its very endearing characters. [22 Sept 1998, p.41]
60
Orlando SentinelHal BoedekerMay 4, 2013
Season 1 Review: The problem is that it's difficult to get into this series' awkward rhythm as it bounces from comedy to drama. A weak, out-of-place laugh track doesn't help. [22 Sept 1998, p.E1]
50
Dallas Morning NewsManuel MendozaMay 3, 2013
Season 1 Review: The corny, almost maudlin conclusions, coupled with the show's we-are-family, us-against-the-network motif, is too sincere to swallow. [22 Sept 1998, p.4C]