Newsradio and the Comedic Art

I really liked Newsradio. The show got low ratings and no respect (one Emmy nomination), so I'm happy someone is trying to rehabilitate it. This site is completely over the top, but it really is worth reading through it.

Fair warning: the hyperbole is beyond category:

• "The greatest ensemble cast in history..."
• "Many would consider Alec Guinness’ acting to be subtle, but his acting tried to communicate experiences (about who the character was and what he was about). [Dave] Foley’s acting subtly communicates desires (what his character feels and wishes; his reactions and aversions) and is the much greater cinematic experience for it."
• "Maura Tierney, who plays Lisa Miller, is an actress in the Greta Garbo class."
• "Moreover, with her expressive power over relationships, Tierney functions in a similar capacity to John Wayne in Hatari!, Donovan’s Reef and Rio Bravo — as the central facilitator of a great ensemble cast."
• "Combine [Tierney's physical comedy] with impeccable timing, superb reaction skills, and a natural instinct for comedy, and you have everything the great Carole Lombard had and more."
• They compare Hartman to Belushi, which for me is like comparing Sinatra to Howling Wolf, but ok.
• Stephen Root [Jimmy James] is "a latter day Edward Arnold." If you don't know who Edward Arnold was, I pity you.

And this obsessive-compulsive gem: "We should spend a moment discussing NewsRadio’s comic efficiency. There is one breathtaking sequence in "Who’s the Boss (Part 1)" [4-12] where eight gags roll into each other in rapid succession. Joe is on strike but his inability to fix things is driving him crazy. The sequence starts with Beth fixing the coffee machine while Joe sits nearby reading a magazine and saying "hot" or "cold." Dave, a coffee addict, looks over proceedings impatiently, empty mug in hand. These form gags one and two. Gag one ends with Beth blowing up part of the coffee machine. Dave is distraught — "My God, woman! What have you done?" Gag two segues into gag three: Bill steps out of the News Director’s office and calls over Matthew who has bought eleven cups of coffee from downstairs; "I believe you take yours black," Bill tells Dave. Gag three involves Bill being such a good boss that he is ahead of the game. Gag four involves Dave grabbing six cups of coffee for himself and rushing off. This then segues into gag five with Bill trying to send the incompetent Matthew on another simple chore. Gag six is Bill efficiently organizing Lisa, Beth, and Dave in order to report a bomb scare. Gag seven is Bill walking back to the office, but stopping to provide a speedy but highly professional statement of management’s position to the striking Joe. Gag eight is Bill fixing the coffee machine by cutting a wire and explaining, "The ground wire from the timer was shorting out the heating element." These eight gags take barely more than two minutes of screen time. This is faster than even the greatest Thirties screwball comedies were able to achieve."

The DVD is here.