News Radio : Your Favorite Episode(s)?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
taking a cue from pscate's Law & Order thread I wanted to talk about News Radio since I've spent the past two weeks watching all of my taped episodes again





Three of my favorite episodes are:



1. Macho Business Donkey Wrestler

2. Jimmy's Balloon Trip

3. News Radio In Space

4. The Cane

5. The Rat Traps



Running Gags

When you watch a show like News Radio in a concentrated viewing like I did you start to see the fantastic way that the show's writers managed to work in little running gags throughout the run of the show.



For instance:



1. Matthew's "Hamburgler" nemesis. Whenever the show represented a burglar it was always a guy in a striped suit, a black cape and mask and a black porkpie hat. Basically Hamburgler from McDonald's. In the episode when Katherine leaves Matthew's version of events had this character breaking coffee pots like cymbals. In a later episode when Dave is obsessed with the installation of a security door he shows the staff some illustrated boards on which this character is seen again.



2. "Gaziza". In the episode where Bill McNeil is doing advertisements for a malt liquor supplier Katherine is offended by the "hood talk" that Bill is using and teaches him a more "up-to-date" street lingo that she totally makes up. One of the words is "Gaziza" which Bill understands to be a sort of "street 'aloha' ". Then, in a later episode, the one where the station is in the future in space, Bill and Katherine pass each other in the hallway and they both amiably say "Gaziza" to each other. Neat little touch.



3. The picture of Dave's mom. A great running joke.



4. Joe's electrical skills, Matthew's cats, Dave's oddly Vaudevillian collection of show skills, Lisa's RainMan-like math skills and Beth's sweet, sweet ass. Whoops, sorry, mind wandering.



5. Bill McNeil. The show's anchor in so many ways. That's five miles of typing right there.



6. Jimmy James' ever-evolving character. He started out kind of cagey and tough but ended up being the lovable old Billionaire that was always out to meet the ladies.....and feed his dogs. Check out how many times he talks about feeding his dogs throughout the show's run.





anyway, I'll leave some room for some other people to post stuff if so they desire....I've got a group hug to attend to....
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    don't you wish you could edit titles?







    i loved that show, it was terrible when Bill was killed. show went downhill fast after that. i still catch the reruns whenever possible.



    although i must say one of my favorite episodes was when Bill found out rap had words. his treble knob was turned all the way down.
  • Reply 2 of 30
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    "Hey who's the Boss?" - Spaz
  • Reply 3 of 30
    drewpropsdrewprops Posts: 2,321member
    Aw MAN!

    Could one of the mods puh-leeeeze add an 's' to make this thread's title say NEWS RADIO ??



    What a maroon I am.
  • Reply 4 of 30
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Awe don't worry. The real fans know what you meant.





    Phil Heartman was the only celebrity death I think I ever cared about. That guy was a huge loss.
  • Reply 5 of 30
    argentoargento Posts: 483member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Scott

    Awe don't worry. The real fans know what you meant.





    Phil Heartman was the only celebrity death I think I ever cared about. That guy was a huge loss.




    I agree
  • Reply 6 of 30
    One word: kom-pew-tors



    Hmmm... maybe that's three words.
  • Reply 7 of 30
    more running gags......



    every-time joe garelli's last name is spoke someone will say, "your name is garelli?"



    in an homage to willy wonka, at one time or another every character has spoke the line "good day sir........I SAID GOOD DAY!!"



    matthews cat's names are chew chew bonewagon, and tj mcwhiskas, he would mention their names on air and say "what up guys?"



    oh one more thing....

    dave always had a powerbook.



    my favorite episode

    "towers"

    where jimmy intends to build two giant buildings in the shape of a j. and matthew turns 30 and becomes a punk.



    also the episode entitled macho business donkey wrestler is actually entitled, ahem....super karate monkey death car.
  • Reply 8 of 30
    the episode guide at this site has been recently (last year) updated. it's always been good but many trivial notes have been added.
  • Reply 9 of 30
    "Big Day", the episode with the Shaft. First time I watched that episode, I hurt myself laughing.
  • Reply 10 of 30
    you know if NBC would have just put the show on thursday nights, it'd probably still be on, or nearing it's end.

    i agree phil hartman's death was tragic, not only to this show but the simpsons ("hi, i'm troy mcclure") and he was one of the greatest SNL members. but as to the show declining after he died, i disagree, it was different, but still good. i would have liked to see it re-evolve with jon lovitz.
  • Reply 11 of 30
    ringoringo Posts: 329member
    Greatest single moment:



    At the very end of the episode where Jon Lovitz's character (whatever his name is) is standing on the ledge outside Dave's office, a pair of scissors is thrown out of the window. Dave yells down to Matthew to catch them, and he does... between his palms like a knife in an action movie.



    I think the funniest thing about it is the way the crowd that had gathered around him just breaks out in applause. Brilliant!
  • Reply 12 of 30
    i love that show--me and my roomie used to watch it everyday when it was on A&E. is it still on anywhere??
  • Reply 13 of 30
    drewpropsdrewprops Posts: 2,321member
    "OW, that hurt!"

    The Great Ventriloquidini.......

    The Great Throwdini VS. Throwgalli

    The fan-dancing math whiz.

    And Matthew won on a pity vote.





    Oh, another SUPER favorite is when Jimmy uses one of Joe's gizmos to stay in the office while he's away on vacation. Beth (the one with the amazing ass) is SO upset when she loses Mr. James. But he's only been out to see a movie. This is also the one with the Suggestion Box (ding! ding! ding! ding!)....."Me Try Be Hard Workerman But Refrigamator Messy, So, So Messy".





    "Measure Twice, Cut Once"

    (one of Mr. James' secrets of management)



    Ahhhhhh, Good Times.
  • Reply 14 of 30
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Good Times indeed.





    Ah man this thread just makes me miss him more. Why can Adam Sandler die and Phil Heartman live? There's no justice in this world.
  • Reply 15 of 30
    drewpropsdrewprops Posts: 2,321member
    "I read your book you magnificent bastard!"



    "B-Bill? Uhh, heh, I uh I took your cane..." <grin>
  • Reply 16 of 30
    Quote:

    Originally posted by drewprops

    "I read your book you magnificent bastard!"



    "B-Bill? Uhh, heh, I uh I took your cane..." <grin>




    oh yeah i forgot the homage to patton... you magnificent bastard! i think all the male cast members said it at one time or another.



    another thing when jimmy's book comes out one of the audience members is "hedgehog" ron jeremy of pornstar fame.



    beth's line..."internet? internot!"

    also when ever she used the word "lover"



    another good episode....chock full o' notes.

    and the james caan episode.



    dave had all those mysterious talents, accapella, knife throwing, tap dancing, was there anything else?
  • Reply 17 of 30
    drewpropsdrewprops Posts: 2,321member
    Well, besides being the Amazing Ventriloquidini, Dave may (or may not) have been a teenage thespian starring in a high school production of Grease.

    "And I 'm not just saying that because I'm afraid you'll put a shiv in my back."



    Matthew's mock job interview by Joe and Beth:

    "Do you own your own space suit?" (".......no-I-do-not")

    "Can you you type in space?" (".......Yyyyes.")



    Bill and Matthew being the only survivors of the WYNX/Titanic episode, paddling away into the moonlight...the shot dissolves and Matthew is a giant order of french fries and Bill is a giant hotdog...just like the two guys in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.



    Matthew's pornstar mustache.
  • Reply 18 of 30
    bill and matthew were the only survivors in the star wars show too......



    matthew to mr james........"are you dooby keebler?"
  • Reply 19 of 30
    drewpropsdrewprops Posts: 2,321member
    How about Bill doing his Mark Russell routine on the piano (in the men's room) and getting midway through a verse and stopping and turning to Dave and saying "That's really all I have right now...", that was great.



    At the end of that episode Matthew pops out from underneath a desk and hops up on the desk and falls off backwards WHILE grabbing a cup of coffee and flinging it backwards to hit the staffing analyst right in the chest with the contents of the cup. I've seen that a dozen times and still can't tell if it was rehearsed or if it was ad-libbed by Andy Dick. Her reaction is really funny. AND I'd put her on the top of my "hot girls of News Radio" list. She's SO hot, but I just won't tune in to see her on The Gilmore Girls.



    Hey, the men's room episode where Beth is allowed to join the club? Classic.
  • Reply 20 of 30
    drewpropsdrewprops Posts: 2,321member
    Our Administrator Jonathan ROCKS, I'm now a Magnificent Bastard.



    Mmmmmmmm, meanwhile, I'm having a yummy vending machine sandwich and wondering where the writers of News Radio went. Going to ask somebody right now....
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