The Workplace Sitcom With Controversial Cast Better Than The Office
If there’s one workplace comedy that doesn’t get much love these days, it has to be NBC’s NewsRadio; a show that has so many laughs-per-minute that you’ll wonder how it slipped under your radar if this is the first time you’re hearing about it (especially if you’re a fan of The Office).
If you’re not familiar with the series, you’re at the very least familiar with its ensemble cast, as most of them are still actively working today in various capacities.
Featuring the likes of Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Andy Dick, Maura Tierney, Vicki Lewis, Joe Rogan, Khandi Alexander, and the gone-but-never-forgotten Phil Hartman, NewsRadio is the fast-talking, over-the-top sitcom that you need to escape the never-ending horrors of modern everyday life in 22-minute increments.
Starts Grounded, But Goes Gloriously Off The Rails
NewsRadio starts out like most workplace comedies in the sense that most interactions are relegated to the workplace in question before expanding to increasingly unhinged and surreal territory during its later seasons. Set primarily at WNYX, a popular New York City talk radio station, we’re first introduced to Dave Nelson (Dave Foley). Dave is the new news director at WNYX, and the first task given to him by his eccentric billionaire boss, Jimmy James (Stephen Root), is to fire the news director he’s replacing.
It doesn’t take long for Dave to form an on-again-off-again romantic relationship with Lisa Miller (Maura Tierney), one of the on-air personalities at WNYX who was gunning for the same job he just accepted.
Dave’s easygoing nature doesn’t exactly make him an authority figure, but he tries to lead the station even though everybody is set in their ways and unwilling to follow his orders.
Every Exaggerated Personality Type Under One Roof
The ensemble cast that NewsRadio offers runs the gamut from narcissistic and neurotic to downright clumsy and careless, and the casting choices couldn’t have been more perfect for this series.
Though Dave Nelson is what I would consider to the protagonist, as most events are shown from his perspective, he truly shines thanks to his ongoing exasperation with his colleagues and subordinates at WNYX.
The primary source of humor comes from Dave’s efforts to whip the station into shape even though he’s the fish out of water, and everybody has been set in their ways for years.
You Might Remember Me From When The Simpsons Consistently Put Out Good Episodes
Though Dave is the news director in NewsRadio, he can hardly get a word in edge-wise with Phil Hartman’s Evelyn William “Bill” McNeal. If you’re a die-hard fan of golden-era Simpsons, you might remember him from his portrayal of TV personality Troy McLure, Lionel Hutz, and countless other guest spots before his tragic and untimely death.
Bill isn’t necessarily an antagonist in NewsRadio, but he certainly doesn’t make anything easy for anybody either, as his ego takes center stage whenever he’s on-screen. Constantly hogging the spotlight with what I can only describe as god-tier levels of scummy charm, Bill is a live-action avatar of Hartman’s work on The Simpsons dialed up to 11. Bill has an uncanny ability to recall incredibly traumatic events from his past in a way that comes off nostalgic and whimsical, turning him into a live-action cartoon character.
I’ll admit that NewsRadio dipped in quality after the void Hartman left behind, but John Lovitz did an excellent job trying to fill his shoes with Max, a character who is the exact opposite of Bill in every conceivable way, in season 5.
Even Young Joe Rogan Was Into Conspiracy Theories
While Dave is constantly butting heads with Bill, and trying to keep his relationship with Lisa secret, he is constantly interrupted by Matthew Brock (Andy Dick), who is such an incompetent reporter that WNYX loses sponsors whenever he misspeaks on air.
Meanwhile, Joe Garrelli (Joe Rogan), NewsRadio’s handyman and electrician, goes off the deep-end with conspiracy theories, and booby traps the break-room freezer when he suspects that his gelato is being stolen by his coworkers. Joe is also hopelessly in love with Catherine Duke (Khandi Alexander), who is tired of living in Bill’s shadow and makes her grudge apparent whenever she gets the opportunity to do so.
Caught in the middle of all the madness is Dave’s secretary, Beth (Vicki Lewis), who offers misguided relationship advice during the early seasons when she’s the only other person who knows about his relationship with Lisa.
Streaming NewsRadio
GFR SCORE
NewsRadio may sound like your typical workplace comedy like The Office or Parks and Recreation, but one thing that sets it apart (aside from being a traditional sitcom and not a mockumentary) is its pacing. To put it simply, the dialogue moves at such an intimidating pace that I can’t help but wonder if Gilmore Girls took a page from the NewsRadio playbook because you almost need to watch this series at half-speed to pick up on its rapid-fire joke delivery.
As of this writing, you can stream all five seasons of NewsRadio on The Roku Channel, or purchase episodes on-demand through Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video.
