Pilot (Sports Night)
| "Pilot" | |
|---|---|
| Sports Night episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Thomas Schlamme |
| Written by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Production code | 1-01 |
| Original air date | September 22, 1998 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
|
Pilot is the pilot episode of the television series Sports Night, written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Thomas Schlamme, which premiered on ABC in the United States on September 22, 1998. The pilot introduces viewers to a varied group of personalities working on a fictional late-night American sports show called Sports Night, on the CSC network.
The episode centres on the team's attempts to broadcast a feature about an African athlete who is due to take part in his first race following recovery from a potentially career-ending injury. One of the two lead anchors on the show, Casey, is called up for having an unprofessional attitude on and off screen in the light of his recent divorce from his wife, and is even thinking of leaving the show. Producer Natalie is stuck in a dilemma when she becomes attracted to her colleague Jeremy, who is the new sports statistician at the network.
Six characters receive top billing in the episode: Casey McCall (Peter Krause), Dan Rydell (Josh Charles), Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman), Isaac Jaffe (Robert Guillaume), Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd) and Jeremy Goodwin (Joshua Malina). Several recurring characters also appear in the first episode, including Kim (Kayla Blake), Elliot (Greg Baker), Chris (Timothy Davis-Reed) and Will (Ron Ostrow). Robert Mailhouse guest-stars as J.J., while Bernard Hocke and Nina Jane Barry appear as Dave and Claire respectively.
The episode received largely positive reviews. The episode has received multiple nominations and has won Outstanding Directorial Achievement for a Comedy Series at the 52nd Directors Guild of America Awards and also a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.
...
Wikipedia