With its hilarious ensemble cast, NewsRadio portrays the
crazy antics of radio station WNYX. When news director Dave Nelson (Dave Foley) meets his
fellow coworkers he realizes that he is in over his head. Broadcaster Bill McNeal (Phil
Hartman) is a conceited blowhard, boss Jimmy James (Stephen Root) is a ruthless
billionaire, and everyone else is clinically insane. Dave becomes instantly involved with
Lisa (Maura Tierney), the only seemingly normal person around, and their relationship
becomes the focus of seasons one and two.
Although it follows a typical formula (the office sitcom), NewsRadio manages to
find a unique comic voice with its absurd jokes. A maniacal Santa, elaborate April
Fools’ tricks, Donald Trump-style marriage negotiations, and Matthew’s (Andy
Dick) constant pratfalls are only a few of the more outlandish scenarios found on the DVD.
Watching these first 29 episodes; however, I noticed that it took a lot of time for the
show to find its voice. With most sitcoms, the first couple of seasons tend to be rocky,
and NewsRadio is no exception. There are a good ten episodes before the actors
really get comfortable with their characters, and it takes even longer to establish the
tone. The first season is more realistic, concentrating on problems that might actually
occur in a radio environment. These episodes are funny, but rather conventional. It’s
not until the writers start focusing on cartoony premises that the show really hits its
stride. As Jimmy James becomes more gleefully insane and Bill McNeal gets more maniacally
manipulative, NewsRadio inches its way closer and closer to classic sitcom status.
While the first two seasons are great, they are merely stepping stones toward the more
interesting third and fourth seasons.
The image on the DVD is adequate. While the picture is clean, I found that the colour
seemed somewhat faded. There’s a washed out look to most episodes, but especially
those in the first season. The audio is fine, allowing the voices to be heard quite
nicely. A pleasant surprise is that the remaining cast and crew have come together to
record 20 audio commentaries for the set. With their honest and candid comments (these
people aren’t afraid to confront some tough topics or reveal some embarrassing
stories), these commentary tracks are great. You find out why the cast was banned for life
from the SAG awards, hear creator Paul Simms confront NBC head Warren Littlefield about
their constant scheduling changes, and slowly begin to uncover what the heck is going on
in Andy Dick’s brain. The featurette that accompanies the DVD is disappointing
compared to the commentaries, but it does showcase some Phil Hartman interviews, so
it’s not a total waste. There is a nice, but overlong, gag reel, running a little
over ten minutes, that features some mildly funny outtakes. While there aren’t a
large variety of features, the in depth audio commentaries will surely satisfy any
viewer’s behind-the-scenes curiosity.
