NewsRadio

[domino harvey]

NewsRadio is a must not buy. Do not EVER buy a complete series set from Sony! They place them on a SPINDLE INSIDE A CARDBOARD BOX. Like, what you'd get blank CD-Rs on, only with 2/3 empty spindle, rattling around in a plastic Russel Stover tray. TVShowsonDVD has an article about it, rightly calling it the Worst DVD Packaging of All Time

[Jeff]

Thanks for pointing that out. This would have been my first "complete series" box from Sony. Based on the atrocity you describe though, I'll be avoiding it.

[mfunk9786]

Everyone will be selling off their season sets, and all I need to get is Season 4 to be finished with my NewsRadio collection (fuck Season 5)

[domino harvey]

Season Five is uneven but how could anyone's NewsRadio collection be complete without Toby Huss as Jack Frost, Joe imitating a stock broker ("SELL, DUDE"), Matthew thinking Lisa is a satanist, and one of the best lines in the series' history: "ARE YOU DOOBIE KEEBLER?"

[mfunk9786]

Toby Huss as Jack Frost, Joe imitating a stock broker ("SELL, DUDE"), Matthew thinking Lisa is a satanist, and one of the best lines in the series' history: "ARE YOU DOOBIE KEEBLER?"

Domino, you should sell used cars. I tend to forget about amazing things like this. You also pointed out that the food critic episode was during Season 11 of The Simpsons. Wonderful.

[swo17]

The only thing that could get me to buy the complete NewsRadio is if they were to restore all the 'penises' to the penis episode ("Injury"). They managed to put that same episode on two different sets, both in censored form. Infuriating.

[domino harvey]

Great "Random Roles" interview with Maura Tierney at the AV Club

[bearcuborg]

Any NewsRadio info is appreciated. I haven't re-watched my DVDs in ages, but when I last did I played the commentary tracks. I'd love to know the guest star they hated... I feel like they bleeped it out, or just didn't say.

Also, it's my feeling that David Alan Grier would have been a great replacement for Phil. If you ever heard him on Loveline or Adam Corrola's podcast, he has similar inflections/vocal characteristics. He could have played the same smug character, or just about anything really. He's a great a talent.

[domino harvey]

I believe the mystery bad celeb was George Hamilton (it was bleeped, I think, but someone from the cast confirmed it later, if my memory can be trusted). Those commentary tracks are probably the greatest ever recorded, especially the ones for the first two seasons before all of their agents told them to chill out a bit. Some of the most honest, second-hand fun behind the scenes details ever. That article made me want to stop everything and just kick back with some NewsRadio tonight, even though I could probably recite most episodes word for word from memory after watching them so often in high school

[med]

It was definitely George Hamilton. In one of the other commentary tracks—I forget which episode; maybe it was the one Hamilton appeared in?—they mentioned the problems they had with him, but they do so in a sugarcoated, almost deferential way.

[hearthesilence]

I wonder if any of the creative heads of the show (or perhaps just Phil Hartman) was a big Leo McCarey fan? I wasn't familiar with McCarey's work when I watched the show, and revisiting episodes now, you'll notice that 1) when Bill (Hartman) is ostensibly made the boss, he plays the piano to help him think, a joke possibly inspired by McCarey's on-set habits, 2) one episode had the station owner lose Bill in a poker match, a joke possibly inspired by McCarey's film adaptation of Ruggles of Red Gap.

[hearthesilence]

To this day I think Bill's line "Jerry Seinfeld: a case of too much too soon, or too little too late?" is one of the most perfectly crafted comic lines ever

Anyhoo, we should continue this line of discussion here

The show was probably Phil Hartman's best work outside of sketch comedy. The "Chock" episode in season 4 may be the best example of how effective he was because his character was responsible for one of its best laughs, and he didn't have to say a word or even appear on screen to deliver the gag. Dave's old a cappella friends ask him why he's so down on a cappella, and the next thing we see is one guy leaving the room in tears, another chasing after him to calm him down, and the last guy ready to hurt Bill. If it was anyone else, it would have still been amusing, but the fact it was Bill made it HILARIOUS because you could clearly imagine the insulting, demeaning shit he said off-camera.

And of course, Dave's old buddies are none other than David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, and Brian Posehn, playing different characters than their previous guest appearances. It seemed like the show was conceived by putting together key players from every acclaimed sketch comedy that had aired around that time - Foley from Kids in the Hall, Hartman from SNL, Dick from The Ben Stiller Show, etc. The ensemble experience paid off in the show's chemistry, but it was especially enjoyable to see their former colleagues from those shows dropping in all the time, even if it was just for one brief scene.

[therewillbeblus]

While the show had so many wonderful moments and strong gags, in later-life revisits I laugh hardest at the end of this bit perhaps because I can relate too hard

My sister and I watched this show religiously as kids, young enough where I recall it being startlingly informative for my understanding of adult sexual relationships, for better or worse

[hearthesilence]

While the show had so many wonderful moments and strong gags, in later-life revisits I laugh hardest at the end of this bit perhaps because I can relate too hard

LOL Nobody played enraged as funny as Hartman, and nobody played a funnier complete asshole.

This throwaway exchange only gets funnier with each passing year:

Bill : This idea is both fair and democratic.
Dave : Thank you, Bill.
Bill : And I want no part of it. It reeks of communism...

[domino harvey]

I think my fave Bill moments are either the one where Bill shares stories about his childhood with Lisa (With "Good times, good times" forever entering into my lexicon), or the episode where he decides to do Mark Russell ("I don't know who that is") piano bits in the middle of the office on the same day Dave's being evaluated as a boss

Also, for the record, the plot point in the fourth season wherein Lisa and Dave have to campaign in the office for who will be boss, and neither wants it, and so they both have to "campaign" in such a way that doesn't piss off Jimmy but also makes them look like bad choices, is arguably the most brilliant comic set-up and delivery of all time. Such a great, pure comic idea, and every line just hits it out of the park in that scene

[hearthesilence]

I loved it when Hartman tried to accompany Beth on piano for the talent show.

"NO! PREH...TEE....LIKE...ME!"

[bearcuborg]

I think my fave Bill moments are either the one where Bill shares stories about his childhood with Lisa (With "Good times, good times" forever entering into my lexicon), or the episode where he decides to do Mark Russell ("I don't know who that is") piano bits in the middle of the office on the same day Dave's being evaluated as a boss

Also, for the record, the plot point in the fourth season wherein Lisa and Dave have to campaign in the office for who will be boss, and neither wants it, and so they both have to "campaign" in such a way that doesn't piss off Jimmy but also makes them look like bad choices, is arguably the most brilliant comic set-up and delivery of all time. Such a great, pure comic idea, and every line just hits it out of the park in that scene

That’s storyline has my favorite line, where Jimmy James keeps pointing out to Lisa how Dave would do and say things differently as boss, and

Lisa says, “Sir, I’m not Dave!”

Jimmy: “Dave wouldn’t say that...”

Eh, it’s hard for me to single out a favorite episode, or even favorite recurring bits because I have so many (Your last name’s Guerelli?) but I have to give props for the death of Bill episode. The emotion is palpable, but the cast and writers bravely gave it their all in what is still a very Newsradio style episode.

[domino harvey]

Here’s some good streaming decision news: this is now streaming on Amazon Prime

[swo17]

How is the penis episode presented, if at all?

[domino harvey]

It’s included as the last episode of Season Two. Haven’t watched, can’t speak to the number of “penises” uttered

[swo17]

Uncensored?

[domino harvey]

Sorry, see above

[swo17]

I just checked 18:38 into the episode and it's still a censored version.

I'd forgotten Norm Macdonald was in this one though!

[therewillbeblus]

For anyone with the Mill Creek Season 1+2 DVDs, The Injury is listed as the last ep of S2 on the final disc, but isn't on the menu. Is there an easter egg? Thankfully I already ordered the Sony to complement the rest of my Sony DVDs and get the additional commentaries, but pretty shameful if false advertising