TVSquad

(S01E23) This is one of my favorite episodes of the show. It has so many great lines and exchanges that I really can't put all of them down here. It's the first season finale, and the way it ends, it almost seems like they weren't sure if the show was coming back and they wanted to end it in a very definite manner, with many plots tied up and the return of a beloved character.

Casey's son Charlie is coming to the studio, and he seems to have an odd relationship with his father. Meanwhile, Dana bought that camera she talked about endlessly in the last episode and wants to take a picture of the staff in their nice clothes to break in the camera, and Dan is still wondering if Rebecca will change her mind and come back to him.

(S01E20) While Isaac continues to recover from his stroke in the hospital, Dana is in charge, and the network execs are putting a lot of pressure on her. Meanwhile, Rebecca might want to go back to hubby Steve, which doesn't please Dan too much, and Jeremy wants to break up with Natalie, because there are way too many things happening right now, including his parents breaking up.

Oh, and there's a bomb threat called in to the building.

(S01E19) It must be hard as hell to do an episode of a show where something bad happens to one of the characters that actually happened to the actor in real life. In this episode, we find out that Isaac had a stroke after returning from a vacation. Actor Robert Guillaume had a stroke in real-life too. It's a tricky thing for a show to write in a real-life incident into a show, but because of the way this show is structured - a seamless blend of comedy and drama - it actually works.

Before they find out about Isaac, the staff is getting ready for special March Madness coverage. They're working on a Saturday, Bobbi Berstein is coming in to co-anchor (which thrills Dan, since she still thinks they slept together in Spain), and Dan is wondering why Rebecca's ex-husband Steve is in her office. On a Saturday. He thinks it's like "Eli's Coming," the classic Three Dog Night song, that something bad is about to happen. But as Casey reminds him, the song isn't about that, it's about a womanizer. No matter, Dan still thinks it's going to be a bad day.

(S01E14) While Dan and Dana are having relationship problems (Dan isn't sure if he should ask out a woman that Natalie introduced him to in the elevator and Dana is worried that Gordon is going to break up with her because she works too much), Isaac is upset about a Wall Street Journal article that says that station owner Luther Sachs isn't too happy with him (stemming from that on-air defense of the football players a few episodes earlier) and isn't sure if he can trust J.J., Luther's go-between.

(S01E12) Isaac knows that one day he won't be in charge at the show forever (especially after embarrassing him by supporting the college players in the last episode) , so he wants to groom Dana to take over someday. But she doesn't even want to talk about it. He wants her to come to the monthly executive meetings, but she doesn't want to. He tells her not to tell anyone what they've talked about.

She immediately tells Natalie.

Meanwhile, Dan thinks it's time to get Casey back into the dating scene.

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(S01E02) No one mixes comedy and drama better than Aaron Sorkin. I don't mean in that "dramedy" kind of way (ugh, I hate that term), I mean in a natural, realistic way. You saw it all the time on The West Wing, and also on Sports Night. It's in particularly fine form in this episode, one of my favorites.

Dan is in trouble with the network for saying in an Esquire interview that marijuana should be legalized. Meanwhile, Jeremy puts together his first highlight reel, and Natalie tells Dana to show an interest in Casey now that he's divorced.

Here's a piece of advice: don't ever, ever tune into TV Land on a Saturday when you don't have anything planned. If they're playing the right show, you'll get completely sucked in to the point where the sun will go down and you'll have never gotten out of your pajamas.

How do I know this? Because I've been watching the Benson marathon since about 10 AM, and have barely switched away from it since. I was going to pick up dry cleaning and go out for a nice lunch, maybe get some writing work done. But here it is, 5:00, and all I've done is laugh my ass off at one of my all-time favorite shows (one I haven't seen in many years). God, Kraus was funny. And Benson's insults towards her and Clayton were legendary, and... oh, crap. I need to go out for dinner tonight. Guess I'll actually need to leave the apartment...

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of your favorite shows, in order, every week.

(S01E01) Sports Night is the show that Aaron Sorkin created before The West Wing. It didn't last very long (two seasons), but it has a lot in common with The West Wing: intelligent writing, fast-paced dialogue, and a strong ensemble cast of smart, moral characters all working toward a common goal. In this case, that goal is getting out a nightly show on the CSC network. It also have several of the same behind-the-scenes people as TWW, and a few on-camera people too.