Rating: 
Summary: Hysterically funny and underrated.
Review: NewsRadio was part of NBC's Must See TV on Thursdays, and Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and Sundays. Basically, if there was a hole in the schedule this workhorse was plugged in. Unfortunately, that also led to quite a bit of viewer frustration since it was hard to find the series at times.This set brings together the first two seasons. It starts off with Dave (Dave Foley) being hired as the new Program Director for a New York all news radio station. First, he has to fire the old PD, and make nice with the reporter (Maura Tierney) who wanted the job. Some of the early episodes only hint at what the characters would become. Jimmy James (Stephen Root) starts out far less wacky than the character became by the fifth season. Phil Hartman's Bill McNeil was brilliant out the blocks. Matthew (Andy Dick) was annoying right from the beginning. MIA from the pilot is Joe Garrelli (Joe Rogan) who joined in the second episode. Overall, NewsRadio was a great show that never got the recognition it deserved from NBC. Fortunately, it gets a new lease on life thatnks to a very reasonably priced DVD set. The release date has been changed. The creator of the show heard about the DVD set and called the company to make sure that he was able to add extras to the discs. Now, instead of a bare-banes compilation there will be commentary tracks, out-takes and other extras.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best most underrated shows
Review: Like Sportsnight, Newsradio gave us behind the scenes looks at the lives and antics of a broadcast station. This one was radio. And like Sportsnight, the show was smart, funny, well crafted TV. Unlike many shows, NR focused on characters and situations to get it's comedy. Most shows fail today because they only give us situation comedy and don't give us characters we can be invested in. NR had richly textured characters who were always true, and the humor grew out of these characters just being themselves. And the cast was brilliantly talented. Everyone knows how great Hartman was, but the real jewel here was discovering Stephen Root, who is a comic genius. Though I dislike Andy Dick, his character here served him well, and made him brilliant. this show was an ensemble, and like Sportnight,Wings (lets hope this one makes its way to DVD soon too) or Friends, it works becuase of the teamwork on and off camera. Here's hoping the whole series comes out on DVD. This is one to treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Release date
Review: In response to Tifanie Elges' query regarding the release date for Newsradio, I pulled this little nugget off of the website www.tvshowsondvd.com : "12/27/2003
A few weeks ago we told you that NewsRadio was delayed. The set was originally scheduled for release on Feb 3rd, and the new date, or the reason for the delay, wasn't known. This past week we contacted Columbia TriStar to find out why the set was delayed, and we got some good news. The set that was to be released in Feb was going to be a 3 disc set with very few special features. Creator Paul Simms caught wind of this and called Columbia TriStar and asked to take part in the set. Simms has material that can be used for special features and plans to add more. Because of Simms' involvement, the set couldn't be finished for 2/03, and the new date isn't known." I'm guessing it probably takes a few months to do commentaries and get all the extras together, so I'm thinking it will probably come out sometime this summer. But who knows? I do know that you will definitely not have to wait until 2010.
Rating:
Summary: good times, goood times
Review: NewsRadio was simply the best work-comedy of its time, like "Mary Tyler Moore," "MASH," and "Cheers" before it. Because it wasn't afraid to defy the conventions of the form, it didn't get the popularity or respect it deserved. If you're not planning on buying this DVD, you should rent it and see for yourself. If you don't find something to laugh at in every episode, you don't have much of a sense of humor and I bid you good day. I said GOOD DAY, sir!
Rating:
Summary: A real sleeper
Review: I don't remember how I discovered NewsRadio. Most people I've known have never even heard of it. But anyone I treat to a few episodes from my tape collection loves it. Well cast (Katherine excepted -- sorry to all the Katherine fans, I just never liked her character), brilliantly written, this is the only show I know which can have me laughing so hard I can't breathe just thinking about an episode I haven't seen in months ("Super Karate Monkey Death Car"). Stephen Root is fabulous as crazy billionaire station owner Jimmy James. Maura Tierney is absolutely adorable as Lisa. Phil Hartman is perfect as the self-centered on-air talent whose ego knows no bounds. Add Matthew, the complete idiot, Beth, the useless secretary and Joe, the station electrician who makes his own duct tape and you have one lovable group of misfits for whom Dave Foley plays the perfect den mother. I don't know what it is about this show, but you really grow to love it and its characters in a way you just don't see in very many shows. Like others who've posted here, I've been waited anxiously for this to come to DVD and I dearly hope they do a good job with it, despite the bargain price.
Rating:
Summary: News Radio
Review: I love this show! It is the funniest sit com I have ever seen. Every character is so unique and funny, its hard to pick a favorite. I have missed watching it for so long I can't wait until its released.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best most underrated shows
Review: FIRST OF ALL -- WHAT'S TAKING SO DAMNED LONG ON THIS???? The original release was announced for early 2004, now it seems to be all but forgotten. Sadly, we must wait a little longer for this brilliant show to be released. Like Sportsnight, Newsradio gave us behind the scenes looks at the lives and antics of a broadcast station. This one was radio. And like Sportsnight, the show was smart, funny, well crafted TV. Unlike many shows, NR focused on characters and situations to get it's comedy. Most shows fail today because they only give us situation comedy and don't give us characters we can be invested in. NR had richly textured characters who were always true, and the humor grew out of these characters just being themselves. And the cast was brilliantly talented. Everyone knows how great Hartman was, but the real jewel here was discovering Stephen Root, who is a comic genius. Though I dislike Andy Dick, his character here served him well, and made him brilliant. this show was an ensemble, and like Sportnight,Wings (lets hope this one makes its way to DVD soon too) or Friends, it works becuase of the teamwork on and off camera. Here's hoping the whole series comes out on DVD. This is one to treasure.
Rating:
Summary: An Update on the DVD release Part 2
Review: First 20 commentaries so far, out of 28 episodes in the first two seasons. WOW. Talk about extras. Who knows, maybe there'll be a commentary for all the episodes. As for when the DVD will be released, you can expect the DVD's about 4 months from the completion of the master copies. So the earliest I'd say for when the DVD's will be released is in October. Hopefully they'll be released earlier.
Rating:
Summary: An Update on the DVD release Part 1
Review: According to something posted to the newsgroup [Excerpted from the latest NewsRadio Newsletter message.] I know you're all wanting an update on the forthcoming NewsRadio DVD release, and while I don't have a release date for you, I can tell you that 20 episode commentaries for the set have been completed with a mix and match of participants, including Paul Simms, Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Maura Tierney, Andy Dick, Vicki Lewis, Joe Rogan, Khandi Alexander, Josh Lieb, Brad Issacs, Joe Furey, Lew Morton, Brian Kelley, Julie Bean, Kent Zbornak, Tom Cherones, Brad Grey, and yes, former NBC President Warren Littlefield. Kent Zbornak, one of NewsRadio's producers, had the job of coordinating it all, and the show's erstwhile script supervisor, Robert Spina, sat in on the sessions and took photos Paul Simms has promised some additional musings on the recording of the commenataries, but right now he'll say, "In short? It was incredibly fun." An anonymous member of the NewsRadio team adds, "It was a reunion and a revisiting in the purest sense. The commentary was funny and twisted, just like the show itself." The NewsRadio Newsletter"
Rating:
Summary: Still waiting...
Review: When is this show finally going to hit stores, I've been waiting anxiously for months now. Stop the madness, let us have it!
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