I’ve been a Netflix subscriber for about two years now.  This entire duration, I have been recommended to watch Sports Night, one of Aaron Sorkin’s first television forays.  I really loved Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, so I decided to start watching Sports Night.

I could not make it ten minutes into the show.  The series itself is dated in many ways.  First, is the fashion trends from when we were transitioning into the new millennium.  Second, the camera quality doesn’t show Sorkin’s usual cinematography.  Last, and most importantly, I could not get over the laugh track.  It bothered me from the first moment the show started, and I was turned off.  The show stayed in my Instant Queue for over a year, unwatched.

I have been hearing a lot of Sorkin’s new show, Newsroom, and am really jealous of HBO subscribers.  Since The West Wing isn’t on Netflix Instant, I decided that if I wanted my fix, I needed to watch Sports Night.  After watching the pilot a few times, I skipped to the second episode and have been hooked ever since.

Let this important fact be known: I love, love, LOVE Sports Center.  The biggest perk to moving home is not free food or rent, it is having cable again for the first time in two years.  I began my obsession for ESPN in the summer of 2008, and it has never gone away.  The fact that the two main characters of Sports Night are based off of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann, along with some storylines inspired by Craig Kilborn, I instantly fell in more love with the show.

The series has already dealt with major life issues, such a sexual assault, the homeless community in New York City, and of course, love in the workplace.  I am hooked to the show, and I understand why it has such high ratings on Netflix.  Sadly, what I don’t understand is why there are only two seasons.  I do understand that Sorkin decided to dedicate more time to his up-and-coming show, The West Wing, but I will definitely miss Dan and Casey once I finish the series.

I would highly recommend this show if you: like sports, like Sorkin’s other shows, or just like television in general.  Trust me, the laugh track does dissipate throughout the series and is gone by the second season.  Plus, seeing a walk and talk always cheers me up!