NewsRadio

"NewsRadio" (1995-1999) is a comedy starring Dave Foley, Maura Tierney and Phil Hartman. The show revolves around a group of co-workers at a news radio station.

Approval Rate: 73%

73%Approval ratio

Reviews 48

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  • by

    twansalem

    Thu Apr 10 2008

    NewsRadio was pretty good. There were a few episodes that weren't that great, but up until Phil Hartman died, it was a pretty solid show.

  • by

    kaitplummer

    Tue Jan 08 2008

    the best sitcom on television to date.

  • by

    kissofangel2

    Sat Jan 27 2007

    It was alright.

  • by

    virilevagabond

    Sat Dec 09 2006

    I'll start by saying that I really miss smart comedies like "NewsRadio", which was easily one of my personal favorite shows of the 90's. The writing was intelligent and superb (remember the "pop up" episode), the actors were well cast, and the pace was witty and quick but not frantic. When the show started, Phil Hartman (Bill) was clearly the known star, and to a lesser degree Dave Foley (Dave); however, neither really seemed to demand the lion's share of screen time (to their credit), and the series benefited immensely. In addition, Maura Tierney (Lisa) and Khandi Alexander (Catherine) were both strong, though the latter was underutilized in favor of too much Andy Dick (Matthew) and Vicki Lewis (Beth). However, Stephen Root's portrayal of station owner Jimmy James is what put the series over the top and was probably my personal favorite. Nevertheless, constant timeslot changes and the death of Hartman killed the magic. Jon Lovitz (who replaced Hartman) was horrid in my opinion, and I ... Read more

  • by

    jessicalvsdavi_d

    Wed Nov 15 2006

    I totally agree that NewsRadio was woefully underrated and unappreciated. Phil Hartman was amazing. I still miss him. Dave Foley made the show. He's hilarious. His dry wit cracks me up. The ultimate straight man. I loved all the characters. I only wish Kandi Alexander (Catherine) was given more to do. This was one of the most consistently well written and hilarious shows I've ever seen.

  • by

    lgarr33b

    Fri Feb 10 2006

    The most underrated, well-written and classically performed sitcom of all time. The writing was excellent ~ similar in style to "smart comedies" such as "Frasier" and early seasons of "Cheers." Seriously...if you haven't given the show a fair shake, go pick up the DVDs of seasons 1 & 2; season 3 will be released 2/28.

  • by

    starcassi

    Sat Oct 15 2005

    Maura Tierney is the BEST!!! She made the show!!! One of my favorite shows I have ever watched!!!

  • by

    poon25d2

    Sat Jul 16 2005

    most underrated show of all time

  • by

    kevlo2

    Tue Jan 04 2005

    got to love Phil Hartman and Richard Root

  • by

    kristenx81

    Fri Aug 13 2004

    NewsRadio is one of my most favorite sitcoms. It is fun to watch and has a great ensemble cast. I heard that Ray Romano was supposed to be a cast member on this show, but was fired. I'm glad he was replaced. He is one of the most overrated and untalented stars out there. It's a shame that viewers ignore such a funny and intelligent sitcom like NewsRadio and instead watch asinine crap like Everybody Loves Raymond.

  • by

    larryhubbard43

    Sun Jul 25 2004

    NewsRadio masterfully develops the most absurd characters to create a wonderfully weird sitcom (mostly due to the uniquely disfunctional relationship between Andy Dick and Phil Hartman's characters).

  • by

    kolby1973

    Sun Nov 30 2003

    Good grief, who could possibly stand to watch Andy Dick for more than 5 minutes? He is so awful, and NOT funny at all. And as for Phil whatever his name is, don't even get me started, because I would like to show some respect for the dead. But I will say, OVERRATED !

  • by

    stanuzbeck

    Wed Sep 10 2003

    Dave Foley and Phil Hartman were two tremendously talented comedic actors, and Maura Tierney is massively hot as well as funny, but I became sick of Andy Dick about fifteen seconds into seeing him for the first time. Andy Dick is terrible in absolutely everything I've seen him in, which is a lot unfortunately. If Andy Dick were standing in front of me I'd probably smack him open-handed several times before kneeing him in the crotch and pushing him down some stairs. He ruined that show by his very aura.

  • by

    alty6905

    Sun Aug 17 2003

    One of the most underrated shows of all time. Great characters and unusual plots. It was a shame Phil Hartman had to die.

  • by

    kahfess

    Fri Jul 11 2003

    This was actually a pretty funny show. I enjoyed watching it on occasion.

  • by

    redoedo

    Sat Jul 05 2003

    Pretty funny show. It just wasn't the same without Phil Hartman, though.

  • by

    andrewscott

    Thu Jun 26 2003

    Great cast, and top-notch writing. Deserved to become more of a classic. Show didn't feel the same after Phil Hartman was tragically killed, though.

  • by

    sportzfreak70

    Tue Jun 17 2003

    As many people have established, this is THE most under-rated sitcom ever, and one that lost all its steam with Phil Hartman's death and constant changes in time slots. Each cast member played a role that fit perfectly with his or her regular personality. Not only that, but each character acted as one piece that came together to create the puzzle of comedic genius that is NewsRadio. If this show didn't have such a great formula then NBC would not have tried to recreate the idea in the form of Good Morning Miami. Simply put, that show is a NewsRadio rip-off that emphasizes romance instead of comedy. The network executives should write letters of apology to the cast and crew of NewsRadio for never giving the show the respect it deserves!!!

  • by

    resisobilus

    Sat May 24 2003

    & a half. Consistently funny. Only flaw was adding Jon Lovitz, it ended soon after, coincidence?

  • by

    sniperx1759

    Sun Apr 06 2003

    I only saw a couple of shows but it didn't do it for me. :(

  • by

    piper_norman

    Sun Mar 23 2003

    Newsradio was a good show

  • by

    volunteer

    Mon Mar 17 2003

    I never watched this program

  • by

    icehouseman

    Sat Mar 08 2003

    When Phil Hartman was on this show, it was great. It was IMO the Cheers of the 90's. It had a great cast, great writing and was always entertaining. However, when Phil died, this show died with him. John Lovitz, while usually good, couldn't get this show going again. It was great while it lasted.

  • by

    chunkylover53

    Sun Feb 09 2003

    Along with Wings, I think that NewsRadio is one of the most unappreciated shows of the 1990's. Both shows had talented casts, memorable characters, interesting plots, and intelligent writing and jokes. It's a shame that great sitcoms like these are ignored. I can't wait until both shows are on DVD. NBC can keep their precious Friends and Will & Grace: I'll take NewsRadio and Wings. UPDATE: I've found that several of my earlier comments were marked "Not Helpful" as many as eight times, probably from the same person(s) who apparently didn't agree with something I said. All that is doing is making me laugh. Going through all my comments and marking them as unhelpful will NOT do anything to change my opinion. My advice to this individual is to GROW UP AND GET A LIFE!!!

  • by

    sami555

    Sat Feb 08 2003

    i couldn't complete one episode ! its really shocking that any body even watched the show .. rather than choosing it to be # 3 !! i guess people have a veeeeeery different sense of humor !!

  • by

    jason1972

    Thu Jan 30 2003

    The show died with Phil Hartman, tragically, which was a shame. Andy Dick and Dave Foley didn't quite have the presence and persona that Phil had.

  • by

    jordana_bratt

    Wed Jan 01 2003

    I've seen this sitcom (the complete sitcom!) 3 times, and i keep seeing it :)

  • by

    crowbar

    Mon Dec 09 2002

    The most underrated citcom ever made. I am proud that it made top 5 on this list, as it should have. The setting was pretty much like any 90's citcom (a typical work scene), but the writing and the actors were phenomenal.

  • by

    tvadam

    Tue Nov 12 2002

    NewsRadio was simply the best sitcom of the 90's. It was the only show that really made me laugh. With the great cast, I can't pick a favorite character, because they are all favorites.

  • by

    hoovertbeanhea_d

    Mon Nov 04 2002

    Come on now, everyone knows that on this list of 90's shows that Newsradio was the best out of them all. Seinfeld was ok, but next to Newsradio, it sucked.

  • by

    lukskywlkr

    Fri Nov 01 2002

    This show had some very funny moments at times, but so many of the characters are annoying. I wouldn't want to watch them on a week in, week out basis.

  • by

    newsradio_fan

    Wed Oct 09 2002

    NewsRadio is the best TV show ever!!! The characters were great. The writing was hysterical. The acting (with the exception of that talentless freak, Andy Dick) was top-notch. I can watch the reruns over and over again and still laugh out loud every time. NewsRadio forever!!!

  • by

    sarahbear

    Fri Sep 13 2002

    Great show, until Phil Hartman was killed.

  • by

    sal301b3

    Fri Jul 19 2002

    A very funny sitcom! The characters are great, the writing is great and the show is(was) great! This is one of the few shows that I can still watch in syndication over and over again and still enjoy it, the other two being Seinfeld and The Simpsons up 'til season 10 (even that season is "iffy"). A very underrated sitcom that is worth checking out!

  • by

    joseph_s

    Mon Feb 25 2002

    NewsRadio was such a delightful sitcom. The timing, writing, jokes, everything was perfect. Yet, NBC chose to treat this fine show like garbage while heavily promoting trash like Friends and Suddenly Susan. I just don't undertand what goes on in the brains of network executives. Thank God for cable!

  • by

    sjones93

    Wed Nov 28 2001

    Very under-rated sitcom.

  • by

    andrew_gilmore

    Tue Oct 02 2001

    A friend of mine on the internet told me NewsRadio is his favorite show, and so when I was at my grandmom's house once (she has cable and I don't..) and saw it was on, I thought I'd watch it. I've seen about 4 or 5 episodes now, and it's a pretty funny show. Some people LOVE it, but for some reason, the show just doesn't click with me. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I had been watching the Simpsons and South Park for a good two years before finally getting the chance to see NewsRadio, and so, with the Simpsons' multi-leveled, at times surreal, humor and South Park's cynical characters, outrageously crude but hilariously funny dialogue and surreal plots already well chiseled into my comedic pallet, NewsRadio must have struck me as mild, since my expectations were probably too high and it suffered by comparison. But at any rate, I do think it's pretty funny, but for my personal tastes, it just seemed to be missing the satiric bite of the Simpsons or South Park.

  • by

    yorkgirl

    Wed Sep 19 2001

    NewsRadio was definitely under-rated! I have to admit, when i first heard of the show, the title didn't really grab me. But as soon as I heard Dave Foley starred in it, I knew it had to be good. And then I was delighted to find Phil Hartman, Andy Dick, Vicky Lewis.....wow! This show is very funny! The premise may seem boring, but hey, don't judge a book by its cover! It's cancelled now but you can still catch it on A&E!

  • by

    cagirl

    Sun Sep 09 2001

    NewsRadio was a good show, but I wouldn't put it in the same category as Taxi, Cheers, and Wings. There were times when the writing and humor fell flat and the last season was pretty horrible. I'll give it 5 stars anyway because it was still a pretty under-rated show, but I think it's more of a 4 and 1/2 star show.

  • by

    snoopy

    Fri Jun 29 2001

    Awesome show! Great writing, great acting, great plots, this show had it all. It wasn't the same after Phil Hartman's tragic death.

  • by

    olsaintnic

    Tue Jun 26 2001

    good writers...I really miss that phil hartman.

  • by

    kristofer_2

    Sat May 05 2001

    newsradio is one of my favorite television shows, and definetly one of the best.the true mark of a funny show is when you can watch the same episode over and over and continue to laugh. this, along with M*A*S*H, cheer, and the simpsons fall into this category. while after phil hartman's death the quality did drop off, it is still a great show.

  • by

    bsbgirl

    Wed May 02 2001

    NewsRadio is one of the best sitcoms of the 1990's. The cast was great and had excellent chemistry. The writing was superb. It was what a sitcom should be: funny and unpredictable. I give it 5 stars.

  • by

    callmetootie

    Fri Apr 13 2001

    Newsradio is a pretry bad show that aired on NBC for a while back in the mid-90's. It starred Phil Hartman and Dave Foley as two men working as newscasters at a radio station. It's certainly no WKRP In Cincinnati, and no Mary Tyler Moore Show. If anyone remembers the show Goodnight, Beantown you might like this, and you may not want to remember it either.

  • by

    jeff_albright

    Tue Mar 27 2001

    Stupid? News Radio? I think it takes a very smart show to present such a bumbling group of idiots so brilliantly. It was one of the best shows on TV, but frequently schedule chages, bad time slots and finally, the terrible loss of Phil Hartman sealed it's fate.

  • by

    reigna

    Tue Jan 23 2001

    Newsradio is a great show. At times it borderlines on stupid, but to tell you the truth.. if I found a job with that kind of atmosphere, I'd take it in a heartbeat. ;)

  • by

    jcooperbourne

    Tue Dec 05 2000

    hardly call this show a classic.

  • by

    jeffrey715

    Tue Nov 21 2000

    Newsradio is sort of funny and sort of not. My sister is in love with Dave Foley! I would sort of recamend this show, but try to stay away from it.