This article is about the sitcom. For the Australian radio network, see
ABC
NewsRadio.
NewsRadio is an American sitcom, originally broadcast from 1995 to 1999 on NBC. The show was created by executive producer Paul Simms.
Overview
The series is set at WNYX, a fictional news radio station in New York City populated by an eccentric station owner and staff. The show began with the arrival of new
news director, level-headed Dave Nelson (Dave Foley), fresh from the heartland of
Wisconsin. While Dave turns out to be less naive than his youthful appearance suggests, he
never fully gained control of his co-workers.
The fast-paced scripts and ensemble cast combined physical humor and sight gags with smart
dialogue and absurdist storylines. Plots frequently involved satirical takes on historical
events, news stories and pop culture references appealed to a sophisticated,
college-educated target audience. The third- and fourth-season finales took the absurdism to the extreme, setting the characters
first in a news radio station in outer space, and then as crew members aboard the Titanic.
There are 97 episodes of NewsRadio (see list of NewsRadio
episodes). Reruns continued in syndication for several years before disappearing in most markets, but the show recently
returned on Nick at Nite, TBS network and
TVTropolis in Canada. The program became available in syndication to local stations starting in July 2007 through
The Program Exchange.
The show was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center in Studio
City, CA
Cast
Regular cast
- Dave Nelson (Dave Foley) is the station's sarcastic, coffee addicted, and
long-suffering news director. A former Boy Scout and 4-H
Club member, Dave is a talented tap dancer, knife thrower and ventriloquist. Other staff members and, specifically, Bill often mocked Dave for his various talents and
youthful appearance. He is a science fiction geek, a
former arcade game addict and collected Buzzcocks albums
during his youth. His favorite TV show is Green Acres while his favorite movie is
Logan's Run. In the third season it was revealed that he is
Canadian. There was a rumor that Foley's character, Dave Nelson, was named after the
Twin Towers. The towers were once called "David" and "Nelson" in reference to the
Rockefeller brothers who initially championed the project [1], and Dave was sometimes seen in the
opening credits with the towers in the background. According to Paul Simms, this is a
coincidence. Simms says "I named this character Dave because I wrote it with no one else but Dave Foley in mind. Nelson is my
mother's maiden name."[2]
- Lisa Miller (Maura Tierney), with whom Dave has an intermittent relationship,
is promoted and demoted within the show's run, serving as reporter, on-air personality, producer and news director. Lisa's
parents raised her in a regimented environment (which Dave called a "Skinner
Box"). She abruptly decided to go into news radio while eating a cheesesteak. Before
this decision, she wanted to be a forest ranger, although in an earlier episode she said she
was a political science major. A ridiculous overachiever, Lisa is able to perform
complex mathematical calculations without the use of a calculator and also went so far as to retake her SAT exam well out of college. Her extensive crime record, which includes breaking and
entering and carjacking, is a direct result of her ambitious desire to excel. This
caused her to spend a total of two months in juvenile detention.
- Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman) is a co-news
anchor for WNYX. Bombastic, egocentric, and insubordinate, Bill is frequently a thorn in the news director's side. But
despite his abrasive personality, Bill does have a streak of genuine kindness. As news director, Dave, and Lisa both struggled to
deal with Bill. His relationships are often unorthodox or contentious. This is especially evident when Bill wistfully describes
seemingly painful or sad childhood memories as "good times, good times." In the second season, his real name was revealed to be
Evelyn (pronounced "Evil-In", as in Evelyn Waugh) though he used his middle name as his
primary name on any official documents. As a result of Hartman's death between the fourth and fifth seasons, Bill's death is
addressed in the first episode of the fifth season, where Bill is revealed to have died of a sudden heart attack. Dozens of
references are made to Bill's hypothetical death prior to Hartman's death; in both fantasy episodes, however, every character dies except for Bill and Matthew.
- Catherine Duke (Khandi Alexander) is the second of WNYX's news anchors. As
an African American and minority at the station, Catherine secretly wishes there were
more minorities on the staff. She is often bitter rivals with co-anchor Bill McNeal, partly due to an office affair they had
earlier, casting doubt on the wisdom of Dave and Lisa's relationship. Catherine leaves the station for a job in London during the fourth season. She makes a brief appearance in the fifth season premiere for Bill's
funeral. The role of Catherine was played by a different actress, Ella Joyce, in the
pilot episode. Alexander took over the role in episode 2.
- Jimmy James (Stephen Root), the station's eccentric, extroverted
billionaire owner who often helps his co-workers learn life lessons, places strange bets
with his rich friends and is desperately looking for a wife. Despite his divergent business interests, he seems to enjoy
micromanaging WNYX (despite the fact that most of his decisions are made seemingly at a
whim), but usually gets Dave to make any decisions or announcements that will be unpopular with the staff. He is seen as a loving
father figure by everyone in the office, often in spite of his eccentricities, which are bizarre even by the staff's standards.
Jimmy knows many secrets about his staff but also has a few of his own. He claims to have been Watergate informant Deep Throat, and was once prosecuted
by the federal government, who accused him of being notorious skyjacker
D.B. Cooper. He has been banned from the White House
after calling Rosalyn Carter "hotlips", stealing a couch from the Lincoln Bedroom and peeing in the Rose Garden after drinking too
much Billy Beer. He shows signs of being infatuated with Dave's mother. The name "Jimmy
James" came from the Beastie Boys song "Jimmy
James".[3]
- Beth (Vicki Lewis) is Dave's quirky secretary,
whose work mainly consists of eavesdropping, getting coffee for Dave, and being the coolest person in the office. She wears
crazy, often ridiculous outfits, and perpetually chews gum. She is Dave's office confidante, and reluctantly advises both him and
Lisa throughout their relationship. Her last name is never revealed; in "Freaky Friday", she claims she doesn't even have one.
The name "Beth" came from the Kiss song "Beth".[4] There was strong fan speculation
during the last season that Beth would be revealed to be Jimmy's daughter, but this never materialized. In the third season DVD
commentary, the writers revealed they had been planning to have Jimmy adopt Beth as his daughter (presumably the genesis of the
rumor), but never followed through with it.
- Matthew Brock (Andy Dick) is a news reporter
and official "office weird guy". Clumsy and simple-minded, the child-like Matthew causes the most havoc in the office. He
idolizes Bill, who in return calls him "Spaz" and makes him the butt of often cruel jokes. (At one point, Dave tells Matthew:
"Bill is not a god." Matthew replies, "Time will tell, Dave.") When Bill dies, Matthew keeps insisting he faked his death to live
his dream of starting a new life abroad but a letter Bill left behind makes him face the truth. The staff is easily annoyed with
him, but they nonetheless think of him as a kind of little brother. Despite his apparent dimness, it is revealed in the fourth
season that Matthew is a skilled dentist who gave up his practice because radio was his "passion."
- Joe Garrelli (Joe Rogan) is the station's electrician and all-around "fix-it guy".
He builds all the things he needs, rather than purchasing them (including his own homemade duct
tape), and espouses various conspiracy theories. He is rowdy and immature, and
will frequently try to start fights for no apparent reason. His last name is the subject of a running gag: whenever it is
mentioned, someone looks perplexed and says, "Your last name is Garrelli?" He is a self-proclaimed ladies man, yet is too shy to
approach his true love, Catherine. He has never set foot outside of New York City. The
character of Joe was originally named Rick, and was played by another actor, Greg Lee, in the
pilot episode. Greg Lee tested horribly, however, and the writers replaced him with Rogan. Ray
Romano was originally cast to play Joe, but was fired because his style of verbal comedy did not mix well with the
fast-paced repartee of the rest of the cast. The writers commented on the Season 1 DVD commentary
that his particular brand of slow speech contrasted horribly with the fast-paced hectic arena of a New York talk radio
station.
- Max Louis (Jon Lovitz) is Bill McNeal's replacement in the final season, an old
colleague of his whose odd mannerisms and personality-changing compulsions kept him moving between literally dozens of radio jobs
before winding up at WNYX. The eccentric Max has a thing for redheads named Beth and puppies named Daisy. He is unrelated to two
earlier characters Lovitz had played on the show.
A picture of McNeal/Hartman remained as part of the set in the news director's office during the final season. Lovitz, who had
gotten his start with Hartman in The Groundlings and also worked with Hartman in the
1986 movie ¡Three Amigos! as well as Saturday Night Live, later said he agreed to do the show out of love for his friend, saying,
"I'm doing this for Phil." When the show was canceled, Andy Dick became very vocal about off-screen feuds with Lovitz on the set
(which oddly mirrored Matthew's initial reluctance to accept Bill's replacement).
Cast appearances
The only actors to appear in all 97 episodes are Dave Foley, Stephen Root, and Andy Dick.
Joe Rogan appeared in every episode except the pilot, which was produced before he was cast, and Season 4's "Monster
Rancher".
Maura Tierney missed Season 3's "Twins" because she was busy filming Liar Liar.
Vicki Lewis missed Season 3's "Sleeping" because she was busy filming Mouse Hunt.
She missed Season 4's "Jackass Junior High" and "Sinking Ship" because she was busy filming Godzilla.
Phil Hartman appeared in every episode through the first four seasons; he died before production began on Season 5.
Recurring characters
The only recurring character to appear in more than one production season was
Jimmy's lawyer, Roger, played initially by Norm MacDonald, but replaced with
NewsRadio writer Drake Sather in subsequent episodes when MacDonald was unavailable. During the last season,
Patrick Warburton had a recurring role as Johnny Johnson, Jimmy's nemesis and
Lisa's love interest (and eventual husband).
Several other actors appeared in multiple seasons playing different characters, notably Lovitz, David Cross, Toby Huss, David
Anthony Higgins, Dave "Gruber" Allen and Bob Odenkirk.
Tone Lōc and Toby Huss played security guards Lorenzo and
Junior in two Season 2 episodes. The characters were based on the security guards at the studio where NewsRadio was
shot.
Lauren Graham had a four-episode run as Andrea, an efficiency expert who shakes up the office (firing Matthew, demoting Dave, and promoting Lisa to news
director). She is sometimes referred to as Planbee after Matthew misunderstands her being Jimmy's "Plan B" for the office.
She was intended as a possible replacement for the departing Alexander, but focus groups
disliked the character, who disappeared before Alexander left, and without explanation. It is worth noting that on a season 4
commentary, Tierney gives the hiring of Graham as a possible explanation for Alexander's departure, which contradicts the idea
that Alexander intended to leave before Graham appeared on the show. All of the changes introduced during Graham's time on the
show would be reverted by midseason to the way things were before her arrival.
Brad Rowe had a four-episode run as Walt, an office intern with a crush on Lisa, causing more worry for Dave. Intended as a regular for season five, the character
disappeared without explanation after "Sinking Ship" (most likely due to the fact that his character was often used as an impetus
for Bill's actions in several episodes).
Steve Susskind had a recurring role as Milos the Janitor, appearing in three
episodes in the second season.
Guest appearances
An inordinate number of guest characters had the last name Johnson, and there were multiple guests named Dr. Mandel.
When Alexander appeared as Catherine Duke in the fifth season opener (in which the McNeal character was killed off to coincide
with Hartman's death), she was credited as a recurring character.
Kevin McDonald, Foley's former castmate from The Kids in the Hall, made a guest appearance as the knife-wielding Throwdini in the episode
"Stupid Holiday Charity Talent Show" during Season 4.
Other guest stars inluded John Ritter, Dennis
Miller, Janeane Garofalo, Bebe Neuwirth,
Ben Stiller, French Stewart, Scott Adams, Jon Stewart, Tiffani
Amber Thiessen, and, in a non-speaking cameo, Ron Jeremy. Celebrities appearing as
themselves included Chuck D, Al Roker, Bob Costas, Jerry Seinfeld, James
Caan, Adam West, George "Goober" Lindsey and
metal band Anthrax.
Guest stars Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo,
Bob Odenkirk, John F. O'Donohue and
David Cross all worked on The Ben Stiller
Show with Andy Dick.
Guest stars in Season 4's "Chock" episode, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk and Brian Posehn all worked together on
Mr. Show. Each of them appeared separately in earlier episodes of NewsRadio.
Cross guest starred as Mr. James' weird nephew in Season 2's "Houses of the Holy", Odenkirk appeared as the doctor in "The
Injury", and Posehn asked questions at Mr. James' book signing in Season 4's "Super Karate Monkey Death Car".
Relationship with network
Despite critical acclaim and an extremely loyal fan base, ratings for the show were inconsistent. NBC moved the show 11 times,
often to inhospitable timeslots, making it difficult to maintain an audience. After stabilizing the show on Tuesday nights,
ratings did well, only to plummet when the show was moved in the fall of 1996 in an attempt to establish a block of sitcoms on
Wednesdays. The show spent the remainder of its life on the brink of cancellation.
A factor in the show's treatment may have been the uneasy relationship between the show's producers and the network. The
writers and producers were vehemently against NBC's notes and would often falsely set up situations that the network had
requested. After the pilot was shot, NBC had pushed for a "Sam & Diane"-type relationship
between Dave and Lisa, but Paul Simms opted to have the characters sleep together in the second episode and have tension come
from the aftermath. Later, NBC ordered a wedding to be incorporated into the show to boost ratings, and in response, the show
"Our Fiftieth Episode" featured a B-story in which Jimmy tries to force Joe and Lisa into a fake on-air marriage, which Lisa
outright refuses. The show would later relent in its final season, and Lisa married Johnny Johnson in an episode that became
NBC's "Spotlight of the Week".
Another instance of network interference was an October 10, 1995 promotional gimmick NBC planned in order to capitalize on the
success of the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral. As a twist on
the title of the film, NBC planned for three of its Tuesday night sitcoms to have funerals as the central plot and the fourth to
feature a wedding; NewsRadio was given one of the funeral episodes. Rather than fulfilling NBC's directive in a
straightforward manner, the writing staff wrote "Rat Funeral", an episode in which the WNYX staff befriend a rat, then mourn its
death.
Another major point of contention between NBC and the show was NBC's insistence that the show include story arcs, which the producers were vehemently against, preferring shows that were self-contained. On the
occasions when they did use arcs, they would usually become bored and end up dropping them with little or no explanation. One
example is a late third season arc in which Lisa decides she wants to have a baby with Dave but doesn't want to get married;
after being introduced, the idea is given passing mention in a couple of episodes, then promptly abandoned without explanation.
(Later, in the fourth season episode "Look Who's Talking", the idea would suddenly be brought up again, with Lisa explaining that
the window has passed.)
NBC would also on occasion display displeasure with the content of episodes. For instance, many episodes in the second season
begin with a short comic situation ending with Dick falling over or knocking something over just before the NewsRadio
title sequence. According to DVD commentary, NBC ordered a halt to this because they found it tiresome. One episode, "The
Injury", was produced early in the second season, but did not air until the summer following the third season, due to
excessive use of the word "penis." The writers admit that they were trying to see how many times they could use the word on-air
in response to NBC's relaxing of standards for other shows. The episode remained in the censorship offices for nearly two years,
and the number of times the word was used was cut down in the footage to three. "The Injury" appears on both the Season 2 and
Season 3 DVD releases, but does not include two additional uses of the word that showed up only in the syndicated airings.
NewsRadio was briefly canceled in May 1998, after its fourth season, but the decision was reversed a day later, with an
order of 22 episodes placed for a fifth season. A few days after the renewal, Phil Hartman
was murdered by his wife. His absence cast a pall over the fifth season and NBC left the series "on the bubble" until the day the
final episode of the fifth season aired, months after production had wrapped.
Additional information
- As the series progressed, the writers made a conscious effort to incorporate elements of the actors' real-life personalities
into those of their characters. This is especially true of Lisa and Joe, the characters played by Maura Tierney and Joe Rogan,
respectively.
- The last nine episodes of season two are named after Led Zeppelin albums, though not in
order of their release. All of the albums except for Led Zeppelin III have an
episode named after them. In addition, episode 3.13 is named "Led Zeppelin Boxed Set". None of the episode titles have any
connection to the episodes' contents.
- In addition to the actors' personalities influencing the show, many plots were derived from the quirks of the writing staff;
many stories (particularly those revolving around the breakroom's food supply) won't make sense otherwise, atypical to
non-entertainment workplaces.
- In 2007, Andy Dick guest starred in the ER episode "Crisis of Conscience", reuniting him with NewsRadio co-star Maura Tierney.
- Although the location of the WNYX offices was stated in the show as being on the corner of 59th Street and Madison Avenue, the building used for exterior shots was 1450 Broadway, on the corner of 41st
Street. The exterior of the building has been changed in recent years.
Episodes
DVD releases
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have collected the original
broadcast episodes of NewsRadio and released them in 3 disc season sets, with the last set released on March 20, 2007. Along with the episodes they have included multiple
audio commentaries with the writers and actors, as well as creator Paul Simms, as well
as other "special features", including "gag reels" featuring cast (and sometimes writer)
bloopers and One Man NewsRadio featurettes, in which writer/director Joe Furey recreates scenes from the show playing
every part from the show.
|
DVD Name
|
Region 1
|
Special features
|
| The Complete First and Second Seasons |
|
- Season two gag reel
- 20 episode commentaries
- Featurette
- Filmographies
- Weblinks
|
| The Complete Third Season |
|
- Gag reel
- 10 episode commentaries
- Featurettes
|
| The Complete Fourth Season |
|
- Gag Reel
- 10 episode commentaries
- Short film
|
| The Complete Fifth Season |
|
- Gag Reel
- Two short films "One Man Newsradio"
- 10 episode commentaries
|
External links
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