Is everything all right?
Yeah.
Previously on "Sports Night"...
No, I meant with you and Gordon.
You need to let the show go once in a while.
Yes, I do.
-- What shirt ar e you missing? Your f avorite. -- My white J. Pr ess.
Maybe it got mix ed up with someone else's laundry.
-- How'd the shirt get left behind? -- I spilled wine.
-- The 2:00 A.M. is my show. -- And you do a good job.
Natalie tells me that Rebecca r eally liked me and that I should call her.
That's the second time you called me Danny.
-- Do you like it? -- Yeah.
Listen, I better get in action.
Do you think Casey's been seeing Sally?
-- What's on your mind, Casey? -- You're wearing my shirt, Gordon.
Studio "A," this is Master Control.
You're up on router 9 tonight. Have a good show.
Standby audio, standby VTR.
-- Kim, I'm still looking f or two back in the teens. -- We're getting there.
Can I hear a roll call f rom the field, please?
-- This guy won't die. -- He won't.
-- He will not die. -- He just won't.
-- Can you believe this? -- The man won't die.
Dear Louise, here's what's going on right now.
CSC is carrying the Continental Challenge live.
Sampras is playing a first-round match
against a guy named Alberto Fedrigotti,
who's ranked 178th in the world tennis standings
and who Sampras should have easily finished off by now.
I gotta be perf ectly honest with you,
I've never heard of this guy.
His name's Alberto Fedrigotti.
I've never seen him play.
Sampras won the first two sets in a walk
and was up 4-love in the third.
The crowd filed out to the parking lot a half-hour ago.
The match was over.
Ex cept nobody told Alberto Fedrigotti.
This guy won't die!
He r eally won't.
He battled back and was up a break,
and, to Sampras' astonishment, was serving for the set.
We were still assuming Sampras would break his serve
and we'd be able to get the show underway.
- Two minutes to VTR. - Standby 2, 2A, and 3.
Pr eview animation. Standby F /X-3.
Dana, I'm at r eady-1.
Hang on. We may have to hold f or a f ew minutes.
And the thing is, we're supposed to go on the air at 11:00,
and if Fedrigotti holds his serve and forces a new set,
that means we've got to hold for another half-hour
while Sampras makes this guy say uncle,
and nobody here likes to hold.
In the studio, Dan and Casey were waiting for the cue --
"60 seconds to VTR."
Dan was doing what he always does when it's two minutes to air --
he was annoying Casey.
-- I don't think you should be this way. -- I'm being this way.
-- Yeah, but I don't think you should be this way. -- I am this way.
-- Seriously, all right? -- Danny.
-- Seriously. -- No. No seriously. We'r e doing the show.
-- This has something to do with the shirt, doesn't it? -- Danny.
Does it have something to do with the shirt?
-- You'r e wir ed. -- No, I'm not.
-- You'r e wir ed. -- I'm perf ectly calm.
You'r e wir ed. I don't want to talk about it.
In the control room, Dana was resigned to going up three or four minutes late
to allow Sampras to close out the match,
but she just wasn't emotionally prepared
for the thing to get thrown to a fourth set.
Can you believe this guy is doing this to me?
I don't think it's personal, Dana.
Oh, it is personal, Jer emy.
Don't worry. My Pete's gonna take car e of him.
Your Pete?
Pete Sampras has a little crush on me.
-- Really? In Natalie world or -- -- Yeah.
-- In Natalie world. He sends me flowers a lot. -- Ah.
One time he came over and cooked me dinner.
He was wearing the most beautif ul charcoal gray --
Hang on.
- -- I didn't see the forehand passing shot
that Fedrigotti made to force the new set.
Neither did Sampras.
This guy won't die.
Do you want to talk about it now?
No.
I mean, now that I'm not wir ed.
-- We gotta hold. -- No.
-- Yes. -- Why?
Just to bother you.
-- Why ar e we holding? -- 'Cause some guy named Fettucine Alf r edo just --
Jer emy, what's his name?
Alberto Fedrigotti.
Alberto Fedrigotti just took Sampras to a f ourth set.
Why would he do this to me?
He's not doing it to you personally, Casey.
He's doing it to me personally.
All right, Dave. I guess take us down f rom r eady-1.
Kim, Elliott, why don't you talk to the field?
Let's stay on top of the late scor es.
And don't anybody go too f ar.
Dave, you should take us down f rom r eady-1.
Kim, Elliott, you should get on the phone
and call our people in the field
and back them up about 45 minutes.
Obviously, we'll keep updating the late scor es.
And please, don't anybody go too f ar.
Dana, we just did this.
Ah.
No, this is good...
'cause now we can talk about it.
Want to get a doughnut?
-- I was gonna stay and write a letter to Louise. -- Ah.
Hey, uh, Mildr ed. It's Dana.
Is he ther e?
Do you want to go someplace and make out?
That sounds good,
but I r eally want to write this letter to my sister.
Okay.
It's gonna be 20 minutes -- half-hour tops, I promise.
Come by her e at 12:30 and pick me up.
We'r e gonna have a gr eat time tonight.
Okay, I'll see you then.
Hi.
Ar e, uh, Kim and Elliott --
Yeah.
Good.
Oh, hey, did someone tell Isaac --
-- Yeah. -- Good.
Ex cellent.
Cool.
Natalie.
Yeah.
I have nothing to do.
- -- Do you want to go with me to get a doughnut?
Mmm, nah.
Do you want to go someplace and make out?
No.
-- I'm gonna get a doughnut. -- Okay.
What ar e you doing?
I'm writing a letter.
To your sister?
To my sister.
That's nice.
Louise is a nice name.
She's named f or our grandmother.
Yeah?
Yep.
My grandmother's name was Alice...
on my mother's side.
My f ather's, it was Penelope...
which is a name you don't hear much anymor e.
-- Penelope was -- -- You know what's hard?
Writing her e and talking ther e.
I have unscheduled time on my hands.
And I know how difficult that must be f or you,
but... I want to write this letter.
Okay.
Want to play garbage-can basketball?
-- Dana! -- A little garbage-can basketball?
No.
That's fine.
Anyway, Michael said when he saw you
you were upset about the divorce and talking about leaving school.
For the moment, I'm not going to lecture you.
I know you're concerned about Mom and Dad, and we're on this hold right now,
so my intention is simply to take your mind off things with some tales of "Sports Night."
I'm gonna have to get up for a second, though, 'cause I know what's about to come f rom Dana.
Is it 'cause you'r e chicken?
Be right back.
I'm back.
I should tell you, in the interest of f ull disclosure,
that Dana's a surprisingly good garbage-can basketball player.
I'm likely to have a random visitor or two while I write this,
but for the most part, everyone here has gone
to some neutral corner for a little bit.
Casey...
I'll tell you what the problem is her e.
No provolone cheese?
No provolone.
You'r e saying you don't want to talk about it?
I'm saying I'd like just once f or ther e to be provolone.
Is this one of those times
when you say you don't want to talk about it
but you r eally do?
No, but it's shaping up to be
one of those times when I say I don't want to talk about it
but we end up talking about it anyway.
You'll be happy to know that Dan finally got a date with Rebecca.
They've been out to dinner twice,
but because of a kind of emotionally abusive marriage that Rebecca just got out of,
she's been very cautious with Dan.
Hey, Casey. Hey, Dan.
-- Hey, look at this. -- Hi.
-- You'r e her e. -- I know.
We'r e actually on a hold. The tennis coverage is running over.
I know.
You look nice.
Thanks.
Am I in trouble?
Yes.
-- I'll leave. -- Casey, do you r emember the r eason why
Dan came down to my office in the first place?
Uh, please, oh, please, don't drag me into this.
It was to tell me that he couldn't ask me out
because he'd started seeing a woman named Elaine. Am I right, Casey?
You see, I'm sitting her e with no provolone.
Then, when he became helplessly in love with me -- as men ar e prone to do --
he said he'd tell Elaine that they couldn't see each other anymore.
-- Rebecca -- -- Oh, by the way,
I took a couple of phone messages while I was sitting her e.
Did my f ather call, by any chance?
Elaine called.
Look at this. Hey, Elaine called f or you, Casey.
Mmm.
You'r e pitif ul.
Ther e hasn't been the kind of time necessary --
You've got a little time on your hands right now, doesn't he, Casey?
This is big-time television.
The guy puts out Swiss cheese and nothing else.
Her e's the thing. I would do it right now.
I would do it right this second.
But I'm in sort of a pr eshow mode.
That's a very delicate energy, and it can't be tamper ed with.
All anyone her e is thinking about is the broadcast.
-- Guys, a little garbage-can basketball? -- Dan's in pr eshow mode.
That's a good one.
See, the thing about the pr eshow mode is that --
I'll see you after the show.
You bet.
Kim!
Her e's what's inter esting about sports.
None of that would've happened if tennis boy here had gotten beat when he was supposed to.
-- Yeah? -- Next time I step out of my office and ask you to catch my phone calls,
can you do me a f avor and, you know, do it?
Still can't get the gr een light f rom Rebecca?
Shut up.
Dave...
You've got "H."
Kim, you've got "H-O."
Will, you've got "H-O-R-S,"
which is sad.
I'm winning, which is inevitable.
Natalie, your shot.
From Elliott's desk, off the conf er ence room glass, into the garbage can.
Meanwhile, the Sampras/Fedrigotti match
is deep in the fourth set.
I'm starting to see signs that we'll be going on the air soon.
Everyone's assuming that Sampras will finish off this guy in just a few minutes.
But there's a look on Sampras' f ace now
that you have to be around sports long enough to recognize.
He's the greatest player in the world,
and he's been on the court with this guy way too long.
-- What's going on? -- He just broke his serve.
Ah. It's about time. I'll go tell everybody.
-- Elliott. -- Yeah.
Fedrigotti just broke Sampras' serve.
All right, f rom the plant, ricochet off Will's head --
Guys, we got a ballgame.
What?
He just broke Sampras' serve. It's 4-2 in the f ourth.
Doesn't this guy understand that I'm in television?
This match, which was supposed to be a walk,
was heading into its fourth hour.
And that was a bad break for Dana,
'cause tonight's the night that Dana's meeting Gordon's f riends.
He broke serve?
Yeah.
Dana and Gordon have been on thin ice lately,
due mostly to Gordon's feeling
that Dana's more involved with the show than with him and that Dana's not making an effort.
She knew that canceling their date tonight would inf uriate Gordon.
She tried catching him at the office
before he left to come over, but he'd already left to come over.
Well... we've got ourselves a ballgame.
I r eally don't believe it.
He just absolutely will not die.
Elliott, call the field.
Back them up another 45 minutes.
This man is ruining my night.
You'r e up $50.
I have plans tonight.
I have plans tonight with people who ar en't any of you.
He just won't die.
He'll understand.
No.
He will.
I'm meeting his f riends. They'r e at the r estaurant.
He's coming her e to pick me up.
This is just the kind of thing that he was --
Hey.
Ther e's another option.
What?
Give the show to Sally.
-- Natalie -- -- It's after midnight.
-- Dana, if you want -- -- No way. No way.
As if things weren't bad enough,
Dana has the clock to contend with.
It's after midnight right now,
and if the fifth set of the Sampras/Fedrigotti match goes long,
it will be past 1:00.
At some point, a decision will be made whether to go on with the late broadcast
or to hand off the show and let the 2:00 A.M. pick up the scores and highlights,
and handing off the show means Sally.
You've done it bef or e.
As a last r esort, as a worst-case scenario.
-- Yes. -- Mm-hmm.
A scenario that's so bad ther e's no other choice.
-- A worst-case scenario. -- Right.
How bad do you want Gordon not to br eak up with you?
I -- I don't -- I don't think that should enter into it.
You'r e right.
-- That it shouldn't enter into it? -- Yes.
-- I am. -- I know.
Mm-hmm. I'm confident I'm right.
And you know what's happening tonight?
The world in which I'm confident
is running right smack into the world in which I'm not...
I understand.
...like when your par ents come to school.
-- I'm just wondering -- and don't get mad -- -- What?
Would you car e this much if Sally wasn't involved?
This isn't about Sally.
Okay.
This isn't about Sally.
Sally Sasser has Dana's job on the 2:00 A.M. show,
which is called "West Coast Update."
And while "West Coast Update"
may be considered the ugly stepsister around here,
Sally Sasser is considered anything but.
And it hasn't escaped Dana's notice
that Sally's looks haven't escaped Casey's.
Everything was fine until your Pete
started playing like two pounds of stuff ed cabbage.
Do not blame this on Pete.
How has he not put that guy away yet?
He's lulling him into a f alse sense of security.
I'm not handing the show to Sally
so I can meet Gordon's f riends.
This is wher e I like to be.
This is what I want to do.
This is what I car e about.
This...
and my honeydew.
What's going on?
Fedrigotti won the f ourth set.
-- Dana -- -- We'r e still in a hold.
The show hasn't started yet?
If the show had started, Gordon, I'd be in the control room.
Dana, they ar e gonna be sitting at the r estaurant.
Honey, I'm r eally, r eally sorry, but ther e's nothing I can do.
Natalie can't do the show?
-- I didn't pr ep it. -- She didn't pr ep it.
But, I mean, at this point, isn't it just calling out numbers f rom a script?
You produce a lot of live television at the district attorney's office?
-- Natalie... -- U.S. Attorney's office. Can't, uh --
Listen, I'm the ex ecutive producer of "Sports Night."
When I say I can't leave, I can't leave. I'm not lying.
-- I didn't say you wer e. -- I'll be done in an hour and a half.
Well, they'll be gone in an hour and a half.
I'll make it up to them.
These wer e plans we had, Dana.
News happens, Gordon. This is news.
This! This is sports.
Yes!
Here are some people who are staying late after school.
Hey, Sally.
It's starting to get late.
Yeah, I'm not dumping the show, Sally.
I'm saying they'r e tied up in the fifth.
-- I know. -- It's not Pete's f ault.
-- No, Pete looks good. -- I'll say.
Sally, you've met my boyf riend, haven't you?
Gordon.
That's f unny. My name's Gordon, too.
Yes, that's hysterical, dear.
Gordon had my shirt.
What?
He was actually wearing it.
What do you mean?
I'm saying he had my shirt.
Whoa, start f rom the beginning.
-- I'm talking about it. -- I know.
You asked me to talk about it, I'm talking about it.
-- Gordon had your shirt? -- Yes.
The shirt you left at Sally's?
Yes.
Gordon's sleeping with Sally?
Yes.
-- You'r e sur e? -- Yes.
-- How are you sure? -- He told me.
-- He told you? -- I'd figured it out. He had my shirt --
And you've known about this f or how long?
A week.
-- And you'r e telling me when? -- I'm telling you now.
Why is Dana still with him?
She doesn't know.
-- She doesn't know? -- She doesn't know.
Because you haven't told her.
That's right.
Because to tell her that Gordon slept with Sally...
you'd have to tell her that you slept with Sally.
Hey.
What's going on?
Two games apiece in the fifth.
Finish the letter?
-- I'm taking a br eak. -- What's Dana thinking?
-- About dumping the show? -- She's not gonna dump it.
Half past 12:00 and Gordon's her e.
I've known Dana f or 15 years. She's not dumping the show.
-- You guys need anything? -- Nah.
She's not dumping the show.
-- Casey... -- I don't want her to find out, Danny.
Yeah. All right.
Just the market analyst I'm looking f or.
What's going on?
We'r e waiting f or the tennis match that wouldn't end to end.
-- Listen... -- Yes.
I've called Elaine.
I've told her that while she seems like a very nice woman, I've met someone else.
I've met a woman named Rebecca --
wonderf ul, sensational -- dar e I add sexy -- Rebecca,
and Rebecca is who I'm dating right now.
-- That is what I have told Elaine. -- Really?
No, but I left a message on her machine to call me.
-- Dan, listen to me. -- Rebecca.
-- Do you like "Beck"? Can I call you Beck? -- No.
-- Rebecca's fine. -- It's okay if you want to go out with Elaine.
I don't want to go out with Elaine.
-- It's okay if you do. -- I don't.
This isn't school.
-- I know. -- I'm sorry, Dan --
-- Hey, Jer emy. -- Hey.
What's up?
There's a sort of impromptu meeting in the conference room going on.
-- You might want to get in on it. -- What's going on?
It's quarter to 1:00.
Sally?
Yeah.
I gotta go.
I want to see a show.
I was told ther e'd be a live sports show of some kind.
I hear the anchors ar e kind of cute, and I want to see the show.
You and me both.
I'll be down in my office.
Will you give me a call when the tennis match that wouldn't end ends?
Absolutely.
Rebecca...
Yeah?
I'd never make a f ool out of you.
Okay.
What made you say that?
Nothing. No r eason.
I'll see you in a f ew minutes.
Gordon --
-- This is the kind of thing -- -- Please, lower your voice.
This is the kind of thing that I'm talking about.
I'm very sorry that I can't spend time with your f riends tonight.
No, no. You can spend time with my f riends,
and you can spend time with me.
You just heard Sally tell you that you can.
Okay, and why don't we just have one of the guys in your office take over your caseload?
-- Hey. -- Hey.
Oh. Late night f or you guys.
Hmm?
l-I said late night f or you guys.
Yeah.
Hey, Sally, you must have slept with this guy Fedrigotti. How long you think he can keep at this?
I was just thinking, "It's been such a long time
"since Dan said something charming to me," and then ther e it was.
I do what I can. What's going on?
She just told you she could do the show at this point.
Let me tell you something.
-- I know she could do the show at this point. -- So what ar e you saying?
I'm saying this is my show. This isn't my hobby.
And I'd appr eciate it if you didn't come in her e
and try to broker deals between Sally and me.
I need to get something f rom you, Dana.
I need a sign.
I mean -- I thought you wanted a lif e.
I need you to give me something...
or...
What? Or what?
You know what? It's 1:00 A.M. I'm dumping "Sports Night."
Sally, you'll run the show with my team in the room
and Dan and Casey at the desk.
I'll never get it, Louise.
I understand what makes a woman think that any man is better than nothing.
I'll just never understand what makes a woman think she's got nothing.
So ther e you go. I'm not kidding.
Let's go. Let's do our show.
Dana handed off the show for the night
and went with Gordon and his f riends.
Casey didn't see it coming,
and to see his f ace at the moment he found out,
you'd think a string inside of him broke.
I have a hunch it's gonna be a while
before Casey and Dana are quite the same with each other.
Meanwhile, Sally ran the show without a hitch.
2A and 3.
Standby F /X-3.
Show me Cincinnati and get me Judy in Oakland.
Rebecca stuck around and watched the show live f rom the studio.
My guess is that either she's never seen
a live television broadcast or she really likes Dan.
Either way, she was very ex cited.
Oh, my God, it's happening. The show's starting.
Yeah. Yes.
-- You guys are all set. -- Have a good show.
-- Oh, my God. -- Thank you, Alyson.
-- You have 30 seconds. -- Yes.
Ar en't you nervous?
-- Rebecca... -- Yeah?
...r emember I was talking to you about being in show mode?
-- Yeah. -- Show mode.
-- Oh.
I'll, um -- I'll stand over ther e.
-- Ex cellent. -- Okay.
-- Hard not to like her. -- Tell me about it.
Fedrigotti lost his match, as the whole world knew he would.
But I wish you could've seen the look in his eyes
when Sampras hugged him at the net.
It was a sight to see.
20 seconds live.
Good show, everybody.
All right, ready for the lecture now?
Under no circumstances are you to leave school.
End of lecture. There will be a test on that material.
Look, things are gonna be a little rough for a little while,
but, Lou, I want you to keep your head in the game.
We'll come out the other side of this, no problem.
In the meantime, stay out of trouble, Louise.
Love, Jeremy.
In 3... 2...
Good evening. From New York City,
I'm Casey McCall alongside Dan Rydell.