NewsRadio, at one point was one of the most promising sitcoms around. It had a strong cast and a fresh coat of paint on the workplace comedy concept. The story of the show is sadly one of how fast the ship can go in the wrong direction.
LAST: Season 5 – RIP Phil Hartman
A tragedy happened between season 4 and 5 of the show: Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife (in a murder/suicide). Nothing about what happened on the show after that seems very important. For what it is worth, Hartman’s friend, Jon Lovitz, took over his spot on the show. The show continued his steep decline at an even more rapid pace than before. It is a sad end to a great artist (and far less importantly, a sad end to a once very good show).
4. Season 4: Zany
If season 3 was up and down, season 4 became more consistent but not in the good way. The show makes the classic mistake of just becoming way too zany. Almost every single element of the show got worse, as the show tried pushed to be broader and broader in every manner. Pretty much the only aspect of the show that was occasionally funny was Phil Hartman’s performance (as he was able to overcome the writing at times). I have no idea if it’s true, but it truly felt like the show was trying a new direction in order to attract a larger audience or something. Regardless of why the show felt different though, the season was a disaster.
3. Season 3: Hit or Miss
After such a rock-solid start to this show in the first two seasons, season 3 was quite jarring for how uneven it was. While it was still very fun and watchable overall, it is a notable step down from what came before just for how many misses there were. Given what followed though, it can be safely said that this season was the final season worth watching.
2. Season 1 – New Boss in Town
The first season of the show was a late in the season pickup in the tradition of Seinfeld and like what would notably happen with The Office and Parks & Recreation. I actually think a 6-7 episode first season order is the way to go with more episodic programs. It gives everyone the chance to try some things out in a way that pilots cannot. It basically gives the show a chance to make the pilot over and over again in order to perfect the core dynamics of the show. NewsRadio‘s season one was an exceptionally successful version of that.
1. Season 2 – Screwballs
The one thing about this show that still stands out as weird all these decades later is the insistence on putting Dave Foley and Maura Tierney immediately into a relationship. That is the dominant story of this season and the whole show. The Sam/Diane vibes that were forced onto so many sitcoms always felt trite but never so misplaced on an otherwise good sitcom as it was here. That being said, the ensemble is so well utilized that it is hard to complain too much. The show is truly off to the races this season and just is absolutely rock-solid beginning to end. A truly unheralded sitcom.
The Reel World 