Series from 1998
The crew of a sports news show deals with challenges.
Casey begins to slow down at the job, due to his impending divorce. The staff tries to get him out of his haze and J.J. and the network brass threaten to fire him. At the same time Casey himself thinks about leaving until he witnesses that he'd only do this for the wrong reasons. Dana hires a new associate producer, neurotic, but brilliant Jeremy Goodwin. Dan has a New York Renaissance....
Dan is misunderstood on his opinion over marijuana and the law. When Luther Sachs reads this, he demands an on-air apology; Isaac seconds it, as does Dana. But no one will answer as to whom he should be apologizing to. Casey worries about why he is not considered "cool" like Dan is. Dan is stalked by one of the CSC fitness show stars.
Jeremy gets the "call" from Isaac and Dana, to go out on assignment for CSC's hunting show. While he wants to move up, he has a problem with hunting animals. Natalie tries to orchestrate romance between Casey and Dana, during one of Luther Sach's parties. Technical errors occur on the set.
Casey spins out of control, due to jealousy when Dana starts seriously dating Gordon. He swats flies that no one else can see, kicks fire hydrants and other odd behavior. Dana, Natalie, and Jeremy wonder where all their "good" ideas went and CSC has to pay royalties after Dan sings Casey "Happy Birthday" on the air.
Dana is excited to be getting a notorious football player, Christian Patrick on the show. The staff is not when his lawyers force them to not mention the ex-girlfriend he badly abused, Mary Pat Shelby. When Natalie goes to pre interview him, he assaults her. Dana's decision about whether to break the story is a difficult one, and it is not the same as Dan and Casey's. Also Dan wrestles with whether or not to get a goatee and Dana realizes her absence of a sense of humor.
This title for this episode represents it three main themes. "The Head Coach" involves Dan's harsh treatment on a coach's bad decision. "Dinner" is about Jeremy's major decision about where to take Natalie on their first date. And "The Morning Mail" is about the hate mail Natalie receives after the events of last week's episode.
