Sports Night Episode Ratings Heatmap
1998 · 2 Seasons · 45 Episodes · Overall Score: 8.0/10 (31 rated)
S1E11: The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee (2 votes)
View Episode →Season 1 holds the highest collective average score across the series.
Season 1 Details →Lowest score variance (σ = 0.35), maintaining an average of 8.2.
Complete Episode Rating Matrix
Interactive score chart by season and episode number. Darker green indicates higher ratings; amber and red denote lower reception.
| Episode | Season 1 | Season 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ep 1 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Ep 2 | 8.5 | – |
| Ep 3 | 8.5 | 8.0 |
| Ep 4 | 8.0 | – |
| Ep 5 | 8.0 | – |
| Ep 6 | 7.5 | 8.0 |
| Ep 7 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Ep 8 | 8.0 | – |
| Ep 9 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
| Ep 10 | 8.0 | – |
| Ep 11 | 9.0 | 8.0 |
| Ep 12 | 8.7 | – |
| Ep 13 | 8.7 | – |
| Ep 14 | 8.0 | – |
| Ep 15 | 8.0 | 8.5 |
| Ep 16 | 8.5 | – |
| Ep 17 | 8.5 | – |
| Ep 18 | 8.5 | – |
| Ep 19 | 8.5 | – |
| Ep 20 | 8.0 | – |
| Ep 21 | 8.0 | 4.0 |
| Ep 22 | 8.0 | – |
| Ep 23 | 8.5 | – |
| Season Avg | 8.2 | 7.4 |
Ratings Analysis & Trajectory
Across 2 seasons and 45 episodes, Sports Night has earned an overall series rating of 8.0 out of 10. The series reached its critical peak early, showing a slight contraction in audience satisfaction in later chapters.
The single highest-rated hour of television in the series is Season 1, Episode 11 ("The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee"), rated at an extraordinary 9.0/10 with 2 ratings. Conversely, the lowest-rated installment is Season 2, Episode 21 ("La Forza Del Destino"), landing at 4.0/10.
The most precipitous single-episode shift occurred in Season 1 between Episode 13 ("Small Town", 8.7) and Episode 14 ("Rebecca", 8), a swing of 0.7 points.
Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes of Sports Night
| Rank | Episode | Title | Score | Votes | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Season 1, Ep 11 | The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee | 9.0 | 2 | Dec 15, 1998 |
| #2 | Season 1, Ep 12 | Smoky | 8.7 | 3 | Jan 5, 1999 |
| #3 | Season 1, Ep 13 | Small Town | 8.7 | 3 | Jan 12, 1999 |
| #4 | Season 1, Ep 2 | The Apology | 8.5 | 2 | Sep 29, 1998 |
| #5 | Season 1, Ep 3 | The Hungry and the Hunted | 8.5 | 2 | Oct 6, 1998 |
| #6 | Season 1, Ep 16 | Sally | 8.5 | 2 | Feb 23, 1999 |
| #7 | Season 1, Ep 17 | How Are Things in Glocca Morra? | 8.5 | 2 | Mar 9, 1999 |
| #8 | Season 1, Ep 18 | The Sword of Orion | 8.5 | 2 | Mar 23, 1999 |
| #9 | Season 1, Ep 19 | Eli's Coming | 8.5 | 2 | Mar 30, 1999 |
| #10 | Season 1, Ep 23 | What Kind of Day Has It Been | 8.5 | 2 | May 4, 1999 |