After an extended delay, NewsRadio is finally available on DVD, in a three-disc set covering the show’s first and second seasons. It was originally scheduled to be released sometime last year, but rumor is that the show’s creator, Paul Simms, found out about the pending bare-bones DVD release, and had it delayed so that he could add some extras. As a result, we now have creator and cast commentaries on 20 of the 29 episodes, as well as some other minor documentaries and blooper reels.
A quick primer on NewsRadio: When it originally aired on NBC, the show seemed to continually shift timeslots, which may have accounted for its poor ratings. Nevertheless, it was usually renewed, until the season following Phil Hartman’s death, when the show was finally cancelled for good. However, it was always a critical success, if not a commercial one.
It is difficult to pin down why NewsRadio is so brilliant. Part of it could be due to the ensemble cast, who are all very entertaining and (yes, I’ll say it) quirky. Dave Foley (from The Kids in the Hall) plays it somewhat straight, but with some subdued comic touches here and there. I am particularly fond of Maura Tierney, who I think is a brilliant comedic actress, especially when she is playing anger. And of course, Phil Hartman was stellar.
But besides the cast, I think the real genius of the show is that even though it is a fairly straightforward sitcom, the writers are very aware of that fact, and play with some of the typical conventions. For example, the will-they-or-won’t-they tension between Dave and Lisa, the two main characters, is set up in the first episode. On a typical sitcom, this would be stretched out over several seasons, until finally they consummate the relationship, whereupon the humor plummets and people stop watching the show. But on NewsRadio, instead of letting the tension build, the characters end up sleeping together in the second episode, setting up a completely different dynamic for the series. Or consider the “what if?” episodes, such as “What if NewsRadio was set in space?” Again, the writers are aware of this typical sitcom gimmick, so they basically make fun of the concept, where everything is called a “space chair” or a “space filing cabinet” or a “space heater”…you get the idea. Even better is the later episode, “What if WNYX, instead of being a radio station, was actually a luxury liner called the Titanic?” Again, the set doesn’t change at all, but now Matthew sits outside of the office window watching for icebergs, the building eventually floods…okay, maybe you need to see it to understand. Just trust me on this one: If you buy the NewsRadio DVD set and watch it, you will thank me later.
You have heard me talk about Samurai Jack before. This week, Season Two is available on DVD. Read what I wrote before about Season One, then go out and buy this DVD for more of the same groundbreaking animation and storytelling.
