In 1990, NBC introduced us to WNYX 580 AM, a fictional all-news broadcast station
with an eccentric group of characters. They did almost everything but report
the news and for quite some time, we watched their zany adventures as they passed
the time away. Unfortunately, a very small audience limited the show to just
five and a half seasons but thanks to an effort to get the show on DVD, fans
have the opportunity to cherish this lost charm.
Newsradio Seasons 1 and 2 are now available in a new DVD set
from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. It was one of the funniest screwball
comedies of the 90s, but schedule shuffling and a little known cast kept the
show from reaching spectacular ratings. It starred Dave Foley (“Kids in
the Hall”) as Dave Nelson, a smalltown guy from Wisconsin who gets a job
as the news director at WNYX 580 AM, the number 2 news radio station in New
York City. And while Dave may seem like the fish out of the water – a
Midwestern country boy in Manhattan – he is by far the most normal person
and the hilarity of the show focuses on him trying to control everyone around
him.
The other cast of characters include:
• Bill McNeil (Phil Hartman) – an egocentric, overconfident news
broadcaster who seems to think that he can get away with anything.
• Beth (Vicki Lewis) – the office, fun-loving secretary who is in
tune with the office gossip and constantly complains about how little money
she makes.
• Joe Garrelli (Fear Factor’s Joe Rogan) – the station electrician
who constantly makes threats by unplugging circuits, wires, and whatnot. He’s
also a big fan of the supernatural and is extremely paranoid.
• Jimmy James (Stephen Root) – the station’s owner and multibillionaire.
Talking with a southern accent, Jimmy James comes off Ted Turner, but more jolly
and with a knack for stupidity.
• Catherine Duke (Khandi Alexander) – another station broadcaster
who stays out of the office and is generally disgruntled with all the silliness
taking place.
• Matthew Brock (Andy Dick) - the not-so-bright klutz of the office who
is constantly picked on, tortured, and stepped on for amusement.
• Lisa Miller (Maura Tierney) - the ambitious and sexy bookworm who's
goes out with Dave but finds herself the butt of jokes in the office.
The first twenty-nine episodes chronicle Dave’s persistent attempt to
run an office of characters and personalities as they endure crazy office politics
and schemes. While there isn’t really any overall story arc to anybody,
a lot of focus of the first dozen episodes or so is how Dave and Lisa try to
keep an office romance a secret from everyone else. Of course, Beth the secretary
does find out early on and acts as their ally in exchange for details of all
their saucy details.
Meanwhile, outside of Dave’s office, almost anything and everything happens
on a daily basis that has nothing to do with news radio. In one episode, Dave
instigates a “no smoking” policy in the office after a city ordinance.
Bill seems to have trouble giving up smoking so Dave decides to give up coffee
along with Bill. Hilarity ensues when both try to go one entire day without
their addictions. In another episode, Dave calls an exterminator to try to get
rid of a rat problem. Little does he know that the one rat in the office has
become an office mascot to the staff. When the rat is killed by one of Dave’s
traps, he’s deemed cruel and insensitive by the entire office.
What makes “Newsradio” different from other sitcoms on NBC that
aired during its time, such as “Seinfeld,” “Friends,”
and “Frasier,” is that the show is hardly about relationships. The
Dave-Lisa romance is just 5% of what goes on during the show. It’s simply
a daily look into a crazy bunch of people who work in the same office. It’s
not trying to make a statement about anything or reflect real life in anyway;
it’s purpose is to entertain.
Fans who miss the show will be glad to know that the entire cast (minus the
late Phil Hartman of course) as well as the creators and writers of the show
provide commentary on 20 of the 29 episodes on the DVD set. There’s also
a gag reel which highlights some of the lighter moments in show, as well as
a featurette taped for NBC during its inaugural season.
For anybody who misses a good old sitcom, NewsRadio will surely
satisfy your funny bone and will have you pining for Season 3 to arrive on DVD
shelves.
Season One and Two Score: A+
Special Features Score: B
Overall DVD Score: A-
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