MovieChat Forums > Sports Night (1998) Discussion > Deciding if I should give it a try...(Wh...

Deciding if I should give it a try...(What are similar shows)

posted 14 years ago by grease1739
7 replies | jump to latest

I just finished Six Feet Under and love the show. This has peaked my interest in other Peter Krause shows. I'm a guy who enjoys sports, but I know this isn't a requirement to like the show.

Some of my favorite shows of all time are, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Entourage, Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development, Spaced, The Wonder Years, 30 Rock and even Studio 60 during it's short run. I've never watched the West Wing, as I don't get into politics too much, but I enjoy smart writing that isn't pretentious.

What shows are similar to Sports Night, and do you think I should give it a try based on my tastes?

Thanks!

"Carlos the dwarf?"
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[–] Idiocrat 14 years ago

If you appreciated Arrested you're probably going to enjoy this. They're not similar just great writing in both. West Wing is by far the most similar (I don't think you need to be interested in politics to like it) of the shows you mentioned that I've seen. I never did see any of Studio 60 but imagine that Sorkin was still using his very verbal style that he had used for Sports Night and West Wing.

The first season has an annoying laugh track. For the most part its light hearted comedy but there are some dramatic depths not very often seen in half hour comedies (the end of the second episode for example). You will be sad when season two comes to an end you know there will be no more. Alas two years of greatness are better than none.

P.S. If you like great comedy writing Community on NBC is the best show on television right now.

[–] Alanix-1 14 years ago

Based on your tastes, RUN, do not walk, to your nearest DVD retailer, and buy the Boxed Set. You will NOT be disappointed!

[–] iam2dope 14 years ago

If i had to just to your taste you will definetely enjoy this.It's a itsy bit more light then Studio 60 which i do also love.The best Sorkin show though is imo The West Wing.
Combines intelligent humor with drama like no other show and you don't really have to be Political engaged ,if anything you'll be more intersted in politics because West Wing brings it with entertainement.
I see you also love Deadwood and that offcourse is also brilliantly written and has amazing dialogue.Maybe try The Wire if you like Deadwood.

[–] colwood 14 years ago

I know this is kinda late and you may have already seen it. But if you liked Studio 60, I think you'll like Sports Night. IMO they were very similar, though for as much as I liked S60, I always thought Sports Night was Sorkin's best work!

[–] fidelio1980 14 years ago

Yeah, it's hard for me to imagine that someone who liked Studio 60 wouldn't like Sports Night.

From what I've seen, almost all of the people who liked Studio 60 were die-hard Sorkin fans. There were also plenty of Sorkin fans who didn't like it (I'm among them), but if you did, you're almost guaranteed to like Sports Night. I've never met anyone who liked Studio 60 who didn't like Sports Night.

[–] juviejay 13 years ago

If you're looking for smart, funny, well written shows I'd recommend checking out shows by David E. Kelley. He's my favorite television writer. He's got a new show on NBC now called "Harry's Law." It's pretty good. My favorite shows by him are Ally McBeal, Boston Legal and The Practice. One warning, though, he doesn't always feel constrained by realism or plausibility.

And if you're really willing to step outside the fourth wall, I'd also recommend Moonlighting. Though it is old and suffers from some uneven writing (and absent stars) in the later seasons, the first two or three are solid gold. And you get to see Bruce Willis when he was still funny and had hair :)

Other well written shows that I like include Firefly and Castle, both of which star Nathan Fillion. Castle currently airs on ABC

And, of course, if you want to step outside the realm of dramas and sitcoms, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are two of the funniest, most well written shows on television, though they do deal with politics.

She's not naked. She's holding a gun...strategically.

[–] juviejay 13 years ago

Oh, and check out Archer if you don't mind animated series...es?

She's not naked. She's holding a gun...strategically.