DVD Review HTF REVIEW: "Sports Night: The Complete Series" (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Porter]

Just got this set for Christmas. A pleasant surprise. I've been going through these like crazy. I am very annoyed by the laugh track myself. Thankfully they did not add it to "Mary Pat Shelby" to preserve the drama.

 

[EricW]

i picked this set up because A) all the raves from reviewers and this forum and B) cuz i'm a huge Larry Sanders fan. needless to say, i wasn't disappointed. i love the characters, relationships and stories. i could do without the dialogue sometimes though. "you're gonna get the call" "i'm gonna get the call?" "you're gonne get the call" "i'm gonna get the call? what does that mean?" "it means you're gonna get the call" was this fresh back in 1998? sometimes i feel like the writers of the show are like the characters themselves - they have to fill a 25 second segment with dialogue so they just end up saying it over and over again. anyways, aside from that, and the over-acting in the first few episodes, this is a great series. i'm halfway throught he first season and i'm glad to hear the laugh track is taken out in season 2.
the show's not about just laughter as i rarely laugh outloud when watching, but it's still very entertaining and fun.

 

[Lyle_JP]

The annoying repetitive dialog is just Aaron Sorkin's shrooms talking. The same phenomenon can be seen (to a lesser extent) on "The West Wing".

Despite the irritating dialog (must be a New York thing), both shows have great characters and stories.

-Lyle J.P.

 

[Huzefa]

The annoying repetitive dialog is just Aaron Sorkin's shrooms talking. The same phenomenon can be seen (to a lesser extent) on "The West Wing".

Despite the irritating dialog (must be a New York thing), both shows have great characters and stories.

-Lyle J.P.

I hope you're joking. That 'repetitive dialog' as you call it, is exactly what drew me to the show in the first place. It's the same reason I'm drawn to the west wing right now. It's better than having a character draw out his lines and having the audience realize the joke too early. It's very fun to watch them go at it.

 

[Chad A Wright]

I finally got this set for Christmas and can't tell you how happy I am. Whenever I would look over at my TV collection, I would always think, "Wow that's some good stuff, but I wish they would put out Sports Night." I never dreamed they really would. This is hands down one of the best TV shows ever. And I happen to enjoy the repeat dialogue. Just don't watch 3 discs back to back, you'll find yourself talking like them

 

[EricW]

you'll find yourself talking like them

i'll find myself talking like them?

 

[ThomasC]

i'll find myself talking like them?

you *will* find yourself talking like them.

 

[EricW]

you *will* find yourself talking like them.

i think i'm talking like them.

 

[Kevin Porter]

Okay which him is talking like them? I think talking like them is it a mistake. Yes, it is a mistake to talk like him. Is it him or them? I think its them. Talking like them is obviously wrong. Stop talking like them. Or you can keep talking like them. Okay, go ahead and keep talking like them.

 

[Kevin Porter]

So can someone explain the point behind this kind of dialogue? I mean sometimes it does feel like it's just filler. There has to be a point right? Or is it just Aaron Sorkin's mushroom-influenced writing?

 

[Mark Silver]

Kevin,

Everyone can like or dislike the dialog to their own taste. Personally, I think you are wrong it definitely not "filler". It's a pattern, a style (specifially Sorkin's style), like poetry or a song lyric. Some people like it or they don't. Just like David Mamet's work, some people like the way he writes, some people want to rip their ears off their head.

For me, it is one of my favorite shows of all time. The first season of West Wing is the same way, but became tamer in season two.

The Sorkin style, the quick wit, the way you know all about what "the call" is, without having a clue about what "the call" is. Or how every conversation between Dana and Natalie will somehow end up with Natalie saying, "You are secretly in love with Casey."

I agree with you in one respect. Usually dialogue is used to move a plot forward. Normally, extraneous dialogue or "filler" is unnecessary and unwanted. But "Sports Night" was a character piece, where you got to know and love the characters. You waited each week to spend 22 minutes in their live, therefore the plot was secondary.

This wasn't supposed to sound so sappy or melodramatic, but it is the best explanation I can give.

 

[Chad A Wright]

You know, I want to know why this wasn't nominated for DVD release of the year. I mean sure there were no extras, and not even an insert to speak of. But come on, it's SPORTS NIGHT!

 

[EricW]

The Sorkin style, the quick wit, the way you know all about what "the call" is,

i like 90% of the dialogue, and i do think it's fresh or at least different from mainstream stuff, but it's that other 10% when they have temporary amnesia (repeating the same line over and over again) that really gets to me

 

[Mark Silver]

I always felt that I was watching more of a "stage play" then a T.V. show. Sorkin's characters always have a great way of diving into long poignant monologues that just aren't seen on TV much (especially in comedic shows).

If anyone read or saw the play version of "A Few Good Men" it also has the "Sorkin style", some, but not all of which carried over to the movie (mostly in the Kevin Pollack dialogue).

 

[EricW]

okay, i finally finished watching the series, and i must say i'm sorry that it didn't last longer. although, the last half of the final season was kind of a letdown like other posters have said. it was wierd because only yesterday i watched Adaptation. anybody who's seen that movie can draw the parallels.

also, Sports Night's final episodes reminded me of Larry Sanders - i guess any kind of show-within-a-show would wind down similarly (i never watched the last Murphy Brown). Larry Sanders had a much better finale though. it would have been much wierder watching the SN's final episodes when it was live though, wondering along with the fictional characters whether or not the show would end (were viewers hoping it would get picked up by another network?). buying the DVD collection kind of ruins the suspense.

back to the last half season: Nat and Jeremy breaking up? Casey and Dan having a fight? both these things happening out of nowhere?
it's not that these things couldn't have happened(and on a lesser show it would have been much worse), but the pacing felt way too fast.

 

[Corey_Smith]

For just a minute I wanted to go back to the player lock up issue, as well as mention another. I've tried it on two different players, a Toshiba 2130 and a new Sony DVP NC80V. On the Toshiba, the subtitles suddenly ghost. However, on the Sony, it locks up the player. On Disc Four and only with the subtitles ON, in the last few minutes of the final episodes, black lines appear in various spots across the entire width of the screen.

I bring this up because I have replaced the set through BVHE several times to no avail. How can I explain it to BV that the problem isn't with my players and that sending a new set of the same pressing will not help at all?

I'm curious if any one else sent their copies to be replaced?

Thanks.

Corey