What Is It?

A sitcom about a sports show that's not exactly a sitcom, and not at all about sports. It was the brainchild of Aaron Sorkin and aired for two seasons before ABC stupidly canned it. It starred Peter Krause and Josh Charles (the straight brother from Six Feet Under and the gay roommate from Threesome, respectively) as the hosts of a SportsCenter-like show on an ESPN-like network. Also on board were Robert Guillaume (Benson) as their boss, desperate housewife Felicity Huffman as the no-nonsense producer, and Sorkin's trusty sidekick Josh Malina (the nebbish from all Sorkin projects) as the assistant producer. UR: -22

Why is it underrated?

Imagine all the wit, charm, and camaraderie of The West Wing without any of the politics or world-shaking crises. That's Sports Night. It had a complete lack of the shoegazing self-importance that makes Studio 60 so saggy and maudlin, and therefore was … what's the word? Fun.

This Monday, August 11, at the Borders bookstore in Columbus Circle, the Yankee Pot Roasters will be signing books and helping readers determine with absolute confidence their underrated/overrated quotients.

Monday, August 11, 2008 at 7 p.m.

Borders
Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Circle
New York, N.Y.

Who Is She?

Lisa Simpson! Adorable nerdy daughter of the Simpsons clan. Voracious reader, precocious writer, brilliant saxophone player, and the great unrequited love of Milhouse Van Houten.

Why Is She Underrated?

Lisa is the heart and soul of the Simpson family. Not just the voice of reason among the absurdities of Homer, Bart, and Marge; she’s also as close to a “normal” person as you’ll find in Springfield, and thus the one character with whom the viewer can most identify (albeit unwittingly so).

Matt Groening has stated¹ that lil’ Lisa is his favorite character because she is the only one with a chance of eventually escaping Springfield. (Of course, several episodes have revealed glimpses of possible futures, in which Lisa either becomes President of the United States or lives in squalor married to Millhouse.)