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The Sports Night crew is abuzz after hearing a rumor that the network hired a ratings consultant to help boost the show from being a consistently lackluster third-place finisher. As Dana (Felicity Huffman) does her best to refute the rumors, Isaac (Robert Guillaume) informs her that not only is the rumor true but he's the one that hired the consultant. Meanwhile, Casey (Peter Krause) is trying to figure out what to do on his first date with Dana as Dan (Josh Charles) announces his impending breakfast engagement with First Lady and Senatorial candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Dana stops Casey's date plans dead with her decision to postpone their evening out for six months while Casey gets more dating experience, while prepping the staff for the ratings consultant's arrival. The consultant, Sam Donovan (William H. Macy), shows up unexpectedly and shocks everyone by instantly taking charge of the show's line-up, leaving everyone with no alternative but to follow along.