Barnes & Noble

Launched in March 1995 as a spring replacement, this quirky comedy set in a New York radio station immediately captured viewers' hearts and was added to that year's fall schedule. This box set collects the seven episodes of that truncated first season and the 21 that followed in the '95-'96 broadcast year. In the pilot episode, Wisconsin journalist Dave Nelson (Dave Foley) is named news director at New York's WNYX. Working in Manhattan poses challenges to this midwesterner, who strains to maintain some semblance of order in an office packed with odd characters, not the least of whom is his boss, Jimmy James (Stephen Root). Also to be dealt with are self-important anchorman Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman), irrepressible secretary Beth (Vicki Lewis), reporter Matthew Brock (Andy Dick), and electrician Joe Garelli (Joe Rogan). And then there's writer Lisa Miller (Maura Tierney), with whom Dave secretly begins a romantic relationship. Smartly written by a host of top-notch talent and snappily directed by such sitcom legends as James Burrows (Cheers) and Tom Cherones (Seinfeld), NewsRadio breathed new life into an old formula thanks to its superb comedic ensemble. Foley, a former member of the comedy troupe Kids in the Hall, anchors the show with his grounded, commonsense characterization, while Hartman provokes laughter just about every time he's on screen. The first two seasons feature a host of terrific guest stars, including John Ritter, Bebe Neuwirth, and Saturday Night Live alumni Dennis Miller, Janeane Garofalo, and Chris Kattan. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The only thing harder to predict than tomorrow's news is what the folks at WNYX, an all-news radio outlet in New York City, might do next on the popular situation comedy NewsRadio. NewsRadio focuses on news director Dave Nelson (Dave Foley), a recent arrival in New York from the Midwest who's not always certain how to deal with the whims of station owner Jimmy James (Stephen Root). Dave also has to juggle a not-so-professional relationship with staff writer Lisa Miller (Maura Tierney), massage the egos of on-air anchors Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman) and Catherine Duke (Khandi Alexander), and keep the many other eccentrics on the staff happy. NewsRadio debuted on NBC on March 21, 1995, and ran for five seasons. Khandi Alexander left the cast seven episodes into the show's fourth season; her character Catherine quit WNYX to take a job in England, while Alexander stayed busy in both television and movies. In the final season, Jon Lovitz joined the cast as news reader Max Lewis, a character added to the show after the tragic death of Phil Hartman, who was shot by his wife while the series was on hiatus. The final new episode aired on May 4, 1999. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 043396016309
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Pan & Scan
• Language: English
• Time: 10:59:00
• Sales Rank: 14,783

This set contains DVDs which may be available separately:

• NewsRadio: Pilot
• NewsRadio: Inappropriate
• NewsRadio: Smoking
• NewsRadio: The Crisis
• NewsRadio: Big Day
• NewsRadio: Luncheon at the Waldorf
• NewsRadio: Sweeps Week
• NewsRadio: No, This is Not Based Entirely on Julie's Life
• NewsRadio: Goofy Ball
• NewsRadio: Rat Funeral
• NewsRadio: The Breakup
• NewsRadio: The Shrink
• NewsRadio: Friends
• NewsRadio: Bill's Autobiography
• NewsRadio: Negotiation
• NewsRadio: The Cane
• NewsRadio: Xmas Story
• NewsRadio: Station Sale
• NewsRadio: Bitch Session
• NewsRadio: In Through the Out Door
• NewsRadio: The Song Remains the Same
• NewsRadio: Zoso
• NewsRadio: Houses of the Holy
• NewsRadio: Physical Graffiti
• NewsRadio: Led Zeppelin
• NewsRadio: Presence
• NewsRadio: Coda
• NewsRadio: Led Zeppelin II

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