 | The Doubleheader
|  |
Greg Baker
As Eliot on Sports Night, Greg Baker
played a credulous and occasionally witty member of the production staff.
Often seen bantering with Kim, Eliot attended run-down meetings and seemed
to act as the gopher during show tapings. On The West Wing, Baker
played the person manning the laptop during the online question and answer
with Surgeon General Millicent
Griffith. Yes, 'twas Baker who sent her
fateful comments on the legalization of marijuana into cyberspace (Ellie).
Lisa Edelstein, of late a series regular on NBC's short-lived Leap of Faith, guest starred as Bobbi Bernstein, substitute anchor and tormentor of Dan, on Sports Night. Although Dan didn't remember, Bobbi swore they spent the night together in Spain, and then he never called her; Dan spent the majority of the time trying to convince her she was wrong (Small Town). Edelstein reprised the role in Eli's Coming. On The West Wing, Edelstein played Sam Seaborn's friend and one-time lover, Laurie, who was putting herself through law school by working as a high-priced call girl. Sam and Laurie's friendship may have fallen apart after they were photographed together by a tabloid reporter who exposed Laurie's "night job" (The Pilot, Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc, The State Dinner, In Excelsis Deo, and Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics).
A veteran of TV and movies, Felicity Huffman starred as Dana Whitaker on Sports Night, which aired on ABC from 1998-2000. The über-competent yet flighty Dana executive-produced the 11p.m. sports show, dated a semi-loser named Gordon, and claimed she wasn't secretly in love with Casey McCall, one of Sports Night's anchors. In 2001, she gave a memorable performance as Republican strategist -- and the Senate Majority Leader's Chief of Staff -- Ann Stark in the West Wing episode The Leadership Breakfast. Stark, who used to have drinks and discuss politics with Toby Ziegler, fed his words to a reporter and set up her boss' run for the presidency.
To date, Josh Malina is the only actor to score a regular gig on both Sports Night and The West Wing, and he has Rob Lowe to thank. On Sports Night, Malina played the nervous Jeremy, a new associate producer who was quickly assimilated into the gang. Jeremy dated Natalie Hurley, his sort-of boss, for most of the show's two-year run. In The West Wing's fourth season, Sam Seaborn, Toby's deputy, almost accidentally ends up running for Congress, and Malina plays Will Bailey, the campaign manager responsible for such a strange turn of events (Game On; Election Night; Process Stories). When Toby Ziegler is stuck writing Bartlet's second Inaugural address by himself, he grudgingly accepts Will's help (Arctic Radar). Malina officially joined the cast in the episode Holy Night.
Guest starring in eight episodes of the first season, Ted McGinley played Dana Whitaker's slightly smarmy, cheating boyfriend, Gordon, on Sports Night. Gordon and Casey shared a mutual dislike, and Casey's brief fling with Sally Sasser, Dana's personal and professional rival at CSC, exposed Gordon's affair. Dana broke off her engagement to Gordon, who did not appear in the second season of the show. McGinley, however, showed up on The West Wing playing Mark Gottfied, the host of political talk show Capital Beat. Gottfried hosted a special edition of the show live from the White House after President Bartlet's State of the Union address, and has an unexplained history with Press Secretary CJ Cregg (In This White House; Bartlet's Third State of the Union; The War at Home).
It's entirely possible that Janel Moloney caught the attention of Aaron Sorkin during her guest turn as Monica on Sports Night. In the first season episode The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee, Casey McCall, one of the show's anchors, goes on The View and takes credit for his wardrobe; Monica gives him a deserved dressing down, as she and the rest of the wardrobe department are responsible for making both him and Dan Rydell presentable every night on the air. Moloney was in the running for the role of CJ Cregg on The West Wing, but ended up cast as Donna Moss, a recurring character. During the filming of the pilot, Bradley Whitford, who plays Donna's boss, Josh Lyman, recognized the chemistry between their characters and suggested to Sorkin that Moloney have more screen time. The role of Donna Moss was expanded throughout the first season of the show, and Moloney became a series regular in the second season of The West Wing.
As Dave on Sports Night, Jeff Mooring appeared in most, if not every single episode as an important member of the production staff -- and once was sacked by Dana Whitaker. The show's technical director, Dave attended run-down meetings, and ran the graphics in the control room. On The West Wing, Mooring played Phil, a reporter in CJ's press room in The U.S. Poet Laureate.
Like his fellow Sports Night techies, Ron Ostrow finally showed up on The West Wing. As Will on Sports Night, Ostrow often argued with Chris and Dave, and was reportedly scared of lumber sports; like the actors who portrayed Chris and Dave, Ostrow appeared as one of CJ's reporters in Election Night.
Timothy Davis Reed played series regular Chris, a ranking member of the production staff on Sports Night. Chris, a sound editor, appeared in most, if not all, of the episodes of Sports Night, attending run-down meetings and bickering with Will in the control room. In the third season of The West Wing, Reed showed up playing Mark, a reporter in CJ's press room in The U.S. Poet Laureate.
Siemaszko played Holly on Sports Night, Charlie McCall's nanny (What Kind of Day Has It Been?). Her role on The West Wing was a good deal more substantial: She played Ellie Bartlet, the elusive, soft-spoken middle daughter of the President and First Lady. When Surgeon General Millicent Griffith causes a public relations uproar, Ellie calls Danny Concanon to give a quote in support of Griffith -- who happens to be her godmother. Jed Bartlet is at a loss as to how to deal with her, as he feels his daughter has "always belonged to Abbey." Still, by the end of their awkward visit, they seem to have made some progress (Ellie).
While Casey McCall is in Ohio investigating a possible drug scandal in the NFL, Dajani, as Tina Lake, fills in alongside Dan Rydell. Dan, who's in therapy, is doing his best not to flirt with her, which she says is a shame, as she likes flirting with him. As his behavior growns ever stranger, she suggests that he needs therapy (Kyle Whitaker's Got Two Sacks). Over on The West Wing, Dajani played Lily Mays, the First Lady's Chief of Staff, who lobbied Sam to let "my guy" have the news cycle; he argued with her, pointing out that his guy won an election. All of which was irrelevant, since the revered Fed Chair died, guaranteeing neither the President nor the First Lady would have the news cycle (The White House Pro-Am).
De Lancie, perhaps better known as Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation, guest starred on Sports Night as Bert, the network finance representative who had to break the news to Isaac and Dana that their Olympic coverage was severely cut -- and that layoffs may be coming (April Is the Cruelest Month). De Lancie played a similarly odious role on The West Wing, appearing as universally disliked pollster Al Kiefer. Josh Lyman's distaste for Kiefer increased when he learned Joey Lucas was involved with her fellow pollster, and Toby Ziegler remarked that Kiefer's "the guy who runs into the 7-11 to get Satan a pack of cigarettes" (20 Hours in LA). Kiefer later came out to Washington to advise the President on what might happen if Congress introduced English as the national language as political retribution (Mandatory Minimums).
As Chuck "The Cutman" Kimmel, Garfield played a frustrating fill-in broadcaster during a live boxing match, who refused to answer to any name but "Cutman." When the match, scheduled for two hours, ends in seconds, Dan Rydell and Casey McCall are forced to fill time by conversing with the ringside Cutman (The Cutman Cometh). Garfield also hammed it up on The West Wing playing Roger Becker, a former client of CJ Cregg's during her Hollywood days. After dropping from third most powerful person in Hollywood to ninth in a magazine, Becker had CJ fired -- which was convenient for her, as Toby Ziegler showed up poolside with a job offer that same day (In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part II).
Recognizable from his role in the Police Academy franchise, Graf appeared on Sports Night as Chase, a network lawyer who was sent to speak to Dan after his controversial -- and misunderstood -- remarks about marijuana were printed in Esquire (The Apology). As Colonel Chase on The West Wing, Graf played a National Security Counselor who participated in Situation Room discussions (The Portland Trip, The Drop-In).
Clark Gregg gave a memorable turn on Sports Night as the mysterious, sideburned stranger who runs into Dana Whitaker several times at Anthony's. Dana's upset about the looming sale of CSC and he offers eerie insight into the major bidders. As it turns out, Calvin Trager is the owner of Quo Vadimus, the company that wins the bidding war, and Dana's new boss: "Anyone who can't make money off of Sports Night should get out of the money-making business" (La Forza del Destino, Quo Vadimus). Gregg first appeared on The West Wing as Mike Caspar, Josh Lyman's friend at the FBI whom Sam Seaborn goes to see about the possibility of a Gault pardon (Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail). He reprised the role in Bartlet for America as the Special Agent acting as a reluctant liaison to the White House regarding the rash of black church burnings in Tennessee.
Aaron Lustig showed up in an early episode of Sports Night as network wonk Stanley, who is sent to convince Dan that he needs to apologize for his remarks to the press about the legalization of marijuana (The Apology). On The West Wing, Lustig played Jerry, a Senate Aide who loves it when Josh comes up to the Hill to give them a lesson they so richly deserve (Let Bartlet Be Bartlet).
As Dan Rydell's publicist on Sports Night, Catherine faced an uphill battle to get Dan to take her advice -- he fired and then rehired her during the course of the episode (Bells & a Siren). On The West Wing, Ubach played a humorless stereotype of a feminist -- her character Celia Walton was a temp in the Communications Department who reprimanded Sam Seaborn for making a sexist remark to Ainsley Hayes. Celia provided an opportunity for both Ainsley and Sam to argue that he's not a sexist (Night Five).
Thank you Kelly Kirkpatrick in--erm, I mean, thank you, Lisa R., for the majority of the Minor League players.
The Name Game --- Recycled Dialogue --- Familiar Faces
For more on the dear, departed Sports Night, checkout tktv.
Did I miss an important similarity or recycled line of dialogue?
Have I turned a corner somewhere? Let me know.
Thanks to Ryan, Dina, Krissie, Kasey, hilaryclaire, Michael, and Dana for various additions to the Sports Night pages.
"You're watching Sports Night on CSC, so stick around..."