NewsRadio

I absolutely love NewsRadio.





As I write this, I'm impatiently waiting for my DVDs to arrive, but despite the fact that I haven't seen it in years, I still find myself laughing at the memory of it.





Phil Hartman was a genius, and created a classic character in Bill McNeal. I'd love to bore you with all my favourite moments, but there's no way I could do justice to them.





The episode where he's trying to write his autobiography ("I Suck: The Bill McNeal Story"), the episode where he gets Joe to make him a stun-gun because he's worried about a stalker, the one where he starts to carry a cane - you'll just have to watch them!!

Some sites to consider as good resources for this show and others are:





http://www.keenefx.com/newsradiomugs.htm





http://discussion.lycos.com/results.asp?query=news+radio+wnyx&adf=





http://epguides.com/NewsRadio/guide.shtml





http://www.geocities.com/mcnealperspective/





I believe after watching 2 to 3 episodes anyone to everyone will get hooked. The show is repleat with known comics and up and coming comics. Dave Foley from Kids in the Hall, Phil hartman from Saturday Night Live, and Andy Dick from various cable shows.

I really enjoy this show


The actors were perfect for thier roles, got the show on dvd and definitly think that it's still one of the best shows on dvd, I can't wait for the dvd's of the rest of the series





The show ended right when it should of and even with the last season with john lovitz it was good, but the show even with the death of phil hartmen still made it great, and i would recommend it to everyone





don't have a favorite character and they really just mixed and matched, the show just was great and top of the show as it should have been.

This show makes the sitcoms of today pale in comparison. At first, it looks as if it's just a newer version of WKRP in Cincinati. But after awhile, it finally dawns on you that this is much different. The show starts off with Dave Nelson (played as Dave Foley) who just got hired for the News Director position for WNYX. He soon meets the boss who is supposed to be a multi-billionaire called Jimmy James. Soon, Dave meets the current news director who Mr. James makes Dave fire. After a few episodes, you start to place yourselves in other people's shoes and wonder why they act like they do. It's very wacky and keeps you interested in the plot. Which you keep thinking to yourself "what's going to happen next?" This is the kind of comedy that newsradio is like. Not some over-the-top, boring, cliche, sitcom like most that are on network television. Another thing that i've noticed about it is the slightly odd style of comedy. Nevertheless, if you like sitcoms like Everybody loves Raymond, or Less than Perfect, then you'll like NewsRadio.

This show had to be a milemarker for other sitcoms in the 90's. Newsradio explored office politics, relationships, and crises through a group of co-workers at WNYX NewsRadio. It was a show that everyone talked about when you mentioned it, but no one admitted to watching.





Newsradio had a great casting and an excellent group that had some special scenes. They kept the show together and made it seem like a 90's sort of Mary Tyler Moore show. All for one and all working on things with the main focus the news, but what was happening in their lives also.


Now, this show had to have been one of the best comedies of the 90's. There was a thread of comedy that you can't find in today's humor. There was some innuendo's and ridiculous events that you find in all sit coms from I love Lucy to Friends, but it worked well with this group.





The beauty was in the equations you saw - Dave the main character was normal everyday guy and yet he was in an office and surrounded by every brand of nutcake imaginable. And some of them went on to be great names. Phil Hartman was the DJ egomaniac named Bill Mc Neal that was fantastic. Andy Dick, Maura Tierney, Joe Rogan have all gone on to new shows and each in different directions. Andy is still in an office sitcom, Maura a hospital drama (ER), Joe is on reality tv (Fear Factor) and DAve is hosting the card game show. It is pretty neat that they each found new venues.





I wish it was on late night tv more often. I would watch it. I am pretty sick of Raymond. Give me Dave!

i never watch the show on primetime. i first watched it as a repeat when it was on opn back in 1999. the whole cast totaly rule. my favroite is phil hartman. phil is so good. andy dick is funny. its so sad that hartman passed away and the show couldnt go on it will be really really missed

The best ensemble cast in the history of television...well, almost. Now, the cast reads like a who's who of television stars (Andy Dick, Dave Foley, Phil Hartman, Maura Tierney, Khandi Alexander, and Joe Rogan) and the fact that so many diverse talents gelled into such an amazing and cohesive comedic unit is just amazing. Always funny, never touching, always changing, never poignant, NewsRadio managed to resist NBC's guest-star syndrome and the sitcom's melodramatic side and came up with some of the best 4 years of television comedy in the 90s. Unfortunately I have to detract points for the very iffy fifth season with Jon Lovitz. Still, "NewsRadio" was definitely a precursor to modern-day classic "The Office."

What can you say about a show like news radio? I personally think that this was one of the funniest shows of the 90’s. This show was great in it first three seasons until Phil Hartman was no longer with us. This show also has Stephen Root who you may know as Milton from office space. The cast in this show is unbelievable they work great together and end up with a very funny show. My main reason for this review is so that the younger generation who maybe has not heard of it can check it out and maybe even buy the DVD’s.

I love this show. It was extremely great. Especially the seasons when Phil Hartman was on it. This show had so many memorable episodes, such as the 'Wacky Ball' one and the 'Space' one. There are shows that tried to copy this one, but none ever reached the comedic level that this one achieved.

i miss this show soooo much. dave foley, phil hartman, andy dick and stephen root were an amazing cast, that fed off of each other as the show evolved. even after the tragic death of hartman with the addition of jon lovitz the show still continued its excellence. i loved the original story lines and the relationships that developed between the characters, dave-lisa, dave-jimmy. the show should be a case study on character development (a trait that is so blatantly missing from the crap being spewed out in sitcoms today) here's hoping for more work for dave foley, and another sitcome that can reach the greatness of newsradio! if you havent seen it yet, do yourself a favor and buy the dvd!!

This show is one of my favorites. The humor wasn't that original in a way but the characters were so well writen and acted that they were part of the humor. Everything they said sounded just right from their mouths.





And Phill Hartman. God, he was one of the greatest comedians i know. Playing Bill McNeal was one of the greatest moments to him at least I see it like that. He is the number one cynic character on tv. I still quote many his likes like "there comes a time in every friendship when you have to say, I never liked you, get lost, "Let me tell you what I told my brother last Thanksgiving: give me my money back!" or lately when I smoked too much and the morning after went to the bathroom: "It smells like an ashtray when I pee?" Those moments with him are the greatest.





The second greatest comedian on this show was Andy Dick whos physical comedy was something so funny I haven't seen after the silent films. The other character like the MacGyver like Joe Garelli or the true capitalist(in a satire way)Jimmy James were great. But I have to say that Phil Hartman was the driving force of the show.





The episodes were often great and I don't know a bad episode on this show. The problem was that it ended too soon. I can understand that. Rest in peace Phil... Jon Lovitz did as good job he could but it was a hard job and it was the best to call it a day. The last seasons were funny enough with the fact that they did actualy anymore any work. The radio station was merely just a place to express the characters. I deeply recommend this one!

This is quality comedy brilliant through its vast range of characters .the star and probably the reasons i love this is phil hartman you may know him from such films and tv series as coneheads,snl and simpsons . In this he plays bill a top radio jockey who loves chasing the money and the fame he has all the best lines and storys. then theres jo rogan from fear factor and ufc hes joe the jock handyman who likes making unhelpful changes to the office and who loves the women .Then theres andy dick from the andy dick show whos matthew the overly camp geek who is a little dence .Then theres the hot beth (vickie lewis)who is crazy and sex mad and likes wearing crazy cloths who assistant to dave (dave foley)who is the radio manager who is just come to the big smoke after living in a small town who soon falls for lisa (Maria tierney e.r)who thinks she should have his job but soon helps him out there is the main boss jimmy james who is hilaroius and kooky and keeps an eye on the money there are 3 people who came and went like katherine ,max who where played by khandi alexander and jon lovitz this should be realesed soon on dvd soon and will be a cult classic again

I echo the sentiments that say NewsRadio was an underappreciated show. Yes, at times the show was hard to get (especially during at least half of its final season), but overall it was a good TV show. It's too bad it got cancelled, but not all TV shows have long lives.

Not many sitcoms that I have watched have been as consistently funny as NewsRadio. Every character was likeable and played their roles perfectly, even if Phil Hartman clearly stood above the rest for generating the laughs as Bill McNeal.





All of the characters are hilarious, but my favourite is Dave, because even though he is the most normal character in the show, he still gets his funny moments, which are even better because of this.





It is a shame that NewsRadio didn't have the longest run, but the years that it did have were fantastic, and the show ended before it got too stale, which was likely to happen before long without Hartman.

being a huge KITH fan, i wasn't sure how Newsradio was going to be...but boy, was i wrong. this was a great show, a throw back to the ensemble cast. They all worked great with each other, and fed off each others energy and made it one of the best shows on the 90's.





After Phil Hartman died, it was not the same. But when he was around, man, it was a sitcom force to be reckoned with.





Everything was funny about this show, and i loved the relationship that Dave and Lisa had, i missed it towards the end, but all shows have to keep it fresh.





Loved the show, and i still miss it.

The sad thing about NewsRadio is that even after Phil Hartman died the show was still better and funnier than any sitcom on these days. And don't even get me started on how great it was WITH Phil Hartman. NewsRadio has the best quotes and sight gags. Each character is so unique and quirky- and there are so many awesome characters. It's definitely worth buying all the seasons. There's not much else I can say.

Fantastic, funny and intelligent is all you need to describe Newsradio. They frolicking fun of Andy Dick, Phil Hartman, Joe Rogan and Vicki Lewis coupled with the romance of Dave and Lisa and the perfect Boss Jimmy James made the show a pure pleasure to watch every week even though the dimwits at NBC moved it around ALL THE TIME. Jerks!





Much like 8 Simple Rules when John Ritter died, Newsradio lost it's luster with the death of Phil Hartman. It was still a great show but it was doomed once Phil was killed by his looney wife. Phil was the reason the show was on the air and watching afterwards always brought the comedy legend Phil Hartman back to life only to snatch it away when you remember his horrid death.

This show is truly underappreciated. Every episode was packed full of brilliant, smart comedy. It included a wonderful cast that had many current stars and soon to be stars. This launched the careers of Joe Rogan, Andy Dick, and Maura Tierny, while continuing stellar careers of Phil Hartman, Dave Foley, Stephan Root, and Khandi Alexander. The beauty was the meshing of everyone to form a cast that had no real standouts. Together, they tackled the business of radio. They dealt with egos, money, and everything else imaginable in the business. The only downfall was the loss of Phil Hartman, tragically murdered by his wife in the middle of the series. The show could never recover from one of its key components missing. Up until that point, though, the show never missed a beat.

As a sitcom NewsRadio managed to acheive a character balance that is not often acheived by even the best shows. Many shows that purport to have an ensemble cast are often dominated by single characters whose zany actions dominate comedic moments or by relationships which dominate the more serious times. NewsRadio, though at times dominated by the comedic genius of Phil Hartman, avoided these typical problems by having a cast that could transition from comedic centerpieces into the "straight-men" for other actors. Some of my favorite moments were caused by Dave Foley exiting his generally more stayed role and engaging in sarcastic and hilarious banter, usually with Andy Dick and Joe Rogan. Also the Dave-Lisa relationship was the dominant romantic entanglement but it did not dominate the show in terms of creating an overwhelming pathos as is done by many long-term sitcom relationships. As well, this is one of the few shows that has managed to reign in the manic energy of Andy Dick and not only make him palatable but also make him an integral(not dominating) part of the cast. Finally, Stephen Root, as Jimmy James, created a characterization that, for me, dominates every other role in which I have seen him. When I see him I almost expect a Mr. James type of speech.





Final word: Fantastic

This show was personaly one of the top five shows of the 90's, second only to Roseanne. The show had plenty of petential and wasn't done with it, but because of the unfortunate death of the star of the show Phil Hartman the show was unable to live on and that is the only reason for the fact it fell in it's fith season. Aside from all of this it was a triumpit peroid of time that will always be underapreciated by all. This was AWSOME and should be brought back in syndication for the younger viewers to enjoy it.

Newsradio is the best sitcom ever. All the characters are extremely funny. My favorites are Joe, Bill, and Jimmy. Mostly I like it just because it was so hilarious. As it went on, the show became less and less about radio and more about a bunch of weirdoes doing crazy stuff in front of a radio booth.

I was on the board of the radio station at my college. I looked at Newsradio as the example for what a radio station should be like, unfortunately the show is about a professional New York station, and we could only broadcast to the parking lot. Our station manager always wanted bigger and better, kinda like Bill McNeil, and I was the level-headed one, like Dave or Lisa to bring him down. We had an enginneer, who by the way looked nothing like Joe Rogan. And there was this kid who's show name started with "What's Wrong With..." who was just like Matthew. And our advisor wasn't a millionaire like Jimmy James. Sadly, my life didn't really measure up to the show, but what does.


Now that I'm out in the real world, I'm pretty sure Newsradio isn't an accurate view of running a radio station, but it is damn funny.

I've always loved this show ever since it was on A&E during the time and I just have to say that this is the best sitcom


of the 90's ever! It has a hilarious cast, and a nice concept for a show that doesn't suck. There were also a lot of memorable episodes from the show like the Goofy ball episode,


the suicide jumper episode, the one where the rat dies, and the one where Kevin McDonald guest stars! But the series wasn't that great after Phil Hartman was killed and replaced with Jon Lovitz, but I can't blame them for that. The best thing that's probably happened to this show is that now it's on Nick@Nite! Now I finally have a reason to watch that channel


because all the other shows on there are crappy (except Freshprince,


that one is okay I guess).

Newsradio is populated by some unique and eccentric characters who will steal your heart. For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed almost every episode and the characters. But the problem is that they make some extremely stupid mistakes as well and also run out of ideas quite often thus making for a lot of filler episodes. I also hated the Matheew character a lot. He was one dimensional, intentionally stupid and extremely unfunny. His talent was mostly wasted in this series. Then of course, there are some cases of overacting by others. But despite all that, its a great show.

A really funny show about a group of co-workers who are friends and work together at a newsradio and help each other. The show was really funny, but became a little desperate and jumped the shark when Bill was shot to death. The episode, "Bill Moves On", is really moving and made me cry. The show should've lasted a lot longer.





But it deserved a five-season memory.


Loved it!

I can't remember the first time I saw NewsRadio, but I do remember that I was laughing hysterically. I can't get enough of this show. The cast is extremely funny and talented. Dave Foley comes off as stiff and upright in an easily comical way. Andy Dick, Joe Rogan, and Phil Hartman stir up tons of laughs as they get into wildly outrageous scenarios. Who knew that life at a radio station could be so funny. Maura Tierney, Vicki Lewis, and Khandi Alexander are the Charlie's Angels of funny in this show. The dialogue is quirky and quick and each episode leaves you aching with laughter.





Absolutely Fabulous!

One of the things I've noticed over the years is that the language is really what carries the program. I would be hard pressed to find a better suited cast to convey these unique and quirky characters. Indeed, the characters are so complex and well thought out that their possibilites for interaction, as well as individual storylines, is virtually limitless. One only has to look at the variety of material they were able to cover over their four year run to see how refreshing the show could consistently be. Who ever would have thought of putting these personalities together??? There's the coffee addicted News Director from Wisconsin (though he may be a Canadian spy...) who is also a great ventriloquest, knife thrower and tap-dancer, the ditzy red-headed secretary with a bizarre fashion sense, the MacGyver wanna-be, conspiracy theorist handyman, the eccentric billionaire boss, the ultra-weird clutzy spaz, the neurotic perfectionist reporter with a talent for math and plenty of other bizarre personalities. Its true that the tragic death of Phil Hartman affected the show, but not necessarily in a detrimental way. Jon Lovitz was a perfectly suitable replacement. All in all I have to praise the comedic talents off all involved for making the show so spot on. Many dismiss it as too over the top, but that is obviously a creative choice that can be quite appealing. Plot lines like becoming addicted to a white-noise machine or faking a round the world ballooning trip can't be taken too seriously. The show is borderline obsurdist comedy, which is something that is making a subtle comeback in recent months from shows like "Scrubs". One only has to look at episodes like "Sinking Ship" and "Space" to see that the writers never intended to take anything too seriously. The "radio" aspect of the show is perhaps more profound than expected. The diologue is so strong that one can listen to an episode with no video and still follow along perfectly and still be quite amused.





When all is said and done I would love to see some more episodes. Failing that, the show could quite cheaply and successfully translate to cd with some audio only episode. I'd love to listen to the antics of this radio family on my daily trek to work.

I recently renewed my interest in Newsradio upon seeing repeats on TBS. It was an underappreciated show in its day, always hovering on the brink of cancellation. But the writers did an excellent job crafting a workplace comedy revolving around a Newsradio AM company WNYX. Each of the characters for the show had their own eccentricities that you came to learn and love about them. Dave is the boss, with a nerdy past from Wisconsin, who is addicted to coffee. Lisa is the neurotic overachiever, who loves politics and has a surprising past criminal record. Bill is the on-air voice talent for WNYX, with a self-centered ego-locing personality. Matthew is the naive clumsy reporter who worships Bill, loves penguins and cats, and imagines the Hamburgler breaking coffee pots in the station. Catherine is the other on-air voice talent, who is sexy, tart, and wishes there were more minorities in the station. Joe Garelli is the station electrician, who is a fix-it man who makes his own duct tape. Beth is the spunky secretary with a droll sense of humor, and her own unique fashion sense. Finally, Jimmy James is the humorous congenial multi-billionaire owner of the station who loves deal-making, Dave's mom, and misquoting movies. A great comedy show which spawned some funny classic TV episodes. Very similar to Seinfeld in its New York setting and mix of situational and farcical humor, but focused on the workplace setting. It's got a great off-on romance between Dave and Lisa, hilarious writing, and great comedic actors with a lot of pizzazz and chemistry. Should have lasted longer than it did, but it was marred in its final season by the death of Phil Hartmann and the sub-standard replacement of Jon Lovitz into the mix. Great show!

NewsRadio is probably one of the funniest shows that I have ever watched. The characters each bring different things to the show and have their own distinct personality and you can't not relate to one of them. While watching this show, you can't help but think, 'hey I've done that'. The jokes and one-liners are great. Each episode has it's own little story line that is just great fun and they are always making fun of this one character. The more you watch the show, the more you grow to enjoy it. You learn that almost everything said has some tie back to an earlier episode and it makes the words that much funnier. The show never gets old because it changes so fast. You're always laughing!





NM

As far as TV sitcoms go this is a great great show. I was a late comer to the show as I never really saw an episode until the recently started airing on TBS. The cast is what makes it tick. One of the best casts ever assembled for a sitcom take a some what lackluster idea (a radio station?!) and brings it up to the level of comedy gold. Dave Foley who while a respected sketch comedian I think is one of the biggest unknowns on the show (I know Kids in the hall and all but not a mainstream show) Mix him with great comedians including Andy Dick, Vicki Lewis, Joe Rogan, Stephen Root, and the absolutely amazing Phil Hartman! An all-star cast by any means. I think one of the most telling signs of the quality of the cast was the ability to to replace Phil Hartman after he tragically passed away. Jon Lovitiz is almost as Great.





i definitely would recommend this show to anyone who is looking for a high quality sitcom, as this continually delivers. The relationships that interplay within the office space are genius and well played. This show is definitely a great comedy and worth the watch when given the chance.