NewsRadio

1995 - 1999

Follows the day-to-day hijinks of the quirky staff of a news radio station and the eccentric millionaire station owner.

Stars: Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Maura Tierney, Andy Dick, Vicki Lewis, Joe Rogan, Phil Hartman, Khandi Alexander
Created by: Paul Simms
Tags: workplace

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Episode Tropes

Season 1

Giving Things Up Competition: Episode 3, "Smoking" (1995). Dave announces that they now work in a non-smoking building, and Bill is struggling to kick the habit, so Dave agrees to quit coffee if Bill will quit smoking.
Boudoir Photo Shoot: Episode 3, "No, This Is Not Based Entirely on Julie's Life" (1995). Beth takes naked pictures of herself to send her long-distance boyfriend, but she's not sure if she wants to send them.

Season 2

Who Brings a Dog to a Leg Funeral?: Episode 3, "Rat Funeral" (1995). The gang befriends a rat living in the office, which they call Mike, but Mike get caught in one of the rat traps Dave just had the super put out, so they hold a funeral for Mike. Then they find another rat in a trap that looks exactly like Mike, so they hold another funeral.
Accidental Eavesdropping: Episode 12, "Bitch Session" (1996). While Dave's crawling under his desk to adjust a faulty phone jack, the staff holds a bitch session about him in his office, thinking he's at the dentist, and Dave hears ever word.
Come Home, Pumpkin: Episode 12, "Bitch Session" (1996). Dave accidentally overhears his staff talking trash about him and feels hurt, so he calls his mom to talk, and she says, "Come home, Pumpkin."
The Old Snakes in Can Gag: Episode 14, "The Song Remains the Same" (1996). Mr. James starts playing April Fools jokes two months early, and Matthew decides to get in on the action with an old snakes in a can gag, which he only manages to spring on himself.
Poker Night: Episode 19, "Presence" (1996). Mr. James is playing high stakes poker game with a bunch of other eccentric millionaires, and he's not doing very well. He loses the coffee maker and Bill to another station, so the gang tries to help him win them back.
On Fire: Episode 21, "Led Zeppelin II" (1996). Dave gets a call that the building is on fire and everyone has to stay in office until the fire is out, but as usual, Bill tries to lead an uprising and gathers a group to escape the building. Meanwhile, Dave and Lisa decide to have sex in Dave's office before the fire consumes them.

Season 3

Happy Death Day: Episode 5, "Halloween" (1996). A psychic auditioning for Mr. James's Halloween party predicts that Bill is going to die on March 3, 2032 at 4:20pm, and he starts acting morose because he's "terminal." He becomes so insufferable that the psychic tells him he's actually going die in 2232.
Awkward Awards: Episode 6, "Awards Show" (1996). The gang is shocked when WNYX sweeps the American Broadcasters Society Awards (ABSAs), but they can't all enjoy their success because Dave is bitter about something a rival executive said in an interview, Matthew is preoccupied with imaginary aunts, and Joe is too busy trying to scare off any man who gets within a few feet of his date, Catherine.
Method Actor: Episode 8, "Movie Star" (1996). James Kahn shadows Bill for a day to prepare for a movie role as a radio broadcaster, but he gets distracted by Matthew and decides to study him instead.
Playing the Market: Episode 9, "Stocks" (1996). Beth inherits some money from her aunt and wants to invest it in the stock market, so she asks Mr. James for advice. Unfortunately, the stocks he helps her pick are losers, but she still makes a profit by selling the bad tips to Bill.
Man-child Metamorphosis: Episode 13, "Led Zeppelin Boxed Set" (1997). When Matthew gets fed up with Bill bullying him, he takes a swing at Bill and feels so empowered by it that he starts acting like a perverted asshole. It's not until Bill "accidentally" hits him back that Matthew returns to normal.
Botched Suggestion Box: Episode 14, "Complaint Box" (1997). To comply with the employee conduct guidelines, Dave asks Joe to set up a complaint box for the office, and no one takes it seriously. They all put in fake complaints, including, "You got chocolate in my peanut butter" and "You got peanut butter in my chocolate."
See You in Court: Episode 15, "Rose Bowl" (1997). Mr. James buys some fake movie memorabilia from a kid on the street, and when he realizes it, he takes the kid to court. It looks like he's losing he uses a secret word Joe told him that automatically wins any court case.
Performance Evaluations: Episode 15, "Rose Bowl" (1997). Inspired by an article Lisa read in Forbes, Dave has the staff evaluate each other, and as usual, they all goof off and end up hating each other.
Mini Me: Episode 16, "Kids" (1997). Mr. James has been volunteering for a children's charity because he has the hots for their teacher, so he invites some of the kids to visit the station, and each member of the staff finds a kid who has a lot in common with them, e.g. Bill's kid calls Matthew "stupid," and Matthew's kid falls down a lot.
Waldorf Hysteria: Episode 20, "Our Fiftieth Episode" (1997). Bill loses his shit at a meter attendant who gave him a parking ticket, gets arrested, and after a psych evaluation, he ends up getting committed.
And Baby Makes Two: Episode 21, "Sleeping" (1997). Lisa realizes she hasn't accomplished all of her life goals, so she tells Dave she wants to have a baby with him, but to Dave's surprise, she doesn't want to get married and is determined to raise her child by herself.
Big Mouth: Episode 23, "Mistake" (1997). Dave interviewed for a magazine article and accidentally says insulting things about everyone on the staff, pissing all of them off.

Season 4

Jumper: Episode 1, "Jumper" (1997). A man climbs out on a ledge outside Dave's office and tells him he's going to jump. Bill seizes the opportunity to make himself look like a hero by talking the man down live on air.
Lie Detector: Episode 4, "Super Karate Monkey Death Car" (1997). The efficiency expert Mr. James hired gives everyone in the office a lie detector test and discovers some surprising things about Lisa.
Secret Criminal Past: Episode 4, "Super Karate Monkey Death Car" (1997). When the gang finds out that Mr. James's efficiency expert is giving everyone in the office a lie detector test, they meet to discuss potential dirty secrets that might come out, and Lisa reveals her surprisingly long list of crimes, all of which she committed because she was worried about her school grades.
Two Sides of the Story: Episode 7, "Catherine Moves On" (1997). Catherine announces she's leaving WNYX, and the rest of the staff are so preoccupied that none of them knows why, so Mr. James interviews everyone to try to figure it out, and they each tell a completely different version of the story.
Hey, Kids, Let's Put on a Show!: Episode 8, "Stupid Holiday Charity Talent Show" (1997). Mr. James promises the staff that he'll re-hire Matthew if they win a talent show, so they all enter, but the only one with any talent is Dave, who was formally a knife-throwing expert called "Throwgali," but when he runs into his old rival, "Throwdini," he chokes.
What a Dummy: Episode 8, "Stupid Holiday Charity Talent Show" (1997). When everyone else fails at the talent show, Matthew takes out his ventriloquist dummy and takes the stage, but it turns out he sucks too, but he tells the audience his sad story about being fired, and he's so sad and pathetic that he wins the same way he wins everything, "on a pity vote."
Because He's My Butler: Episode 9, "The Secret of Management" (1998). Bill hires a butler named Cadbury to wait on him at the office, which annoys the rest of the staff.
And Baby Makes Two: Episode 10, "Look Who's Talking" (1998). Bill announces to everyone that he's adopting a baby because he's not getting any younger and has been unable to find a woman who would have one with him.
Adopt-me-not: Episode 10, "Look Who's Talking" (1998). Bill decides to adopt a baby, and he expects to get one right away, but the agency tells him he might have to wait years.
Bachelor Auction: Episode 10, "Look Who's Talking" (1998). Mr. James is taking part in a bachelor auction, and he asks Beth to bid on him so he sells for a respectable amount. He rents a duchesshood and has Joe coach Beth on how to sound rich, but before Mr. James goes up on the block, Beth runs off with a limo driver, so Joe has to awkwardly bid on him instead.
On Strike: Episodes 12-13, "Who's the Boss" (1998). Joe's union goes on strike, and as he's the only member who works for WNYX, he forms a one-man picket line.
Security Arms: Episode 14, "Security Door" (1998). Dave installs a new security door, and the staff refuses to use it correctly, causing Dave to lose his mind trying to enforce the new security measures.
Commercial Star: Episode 14, "Security Door" (1998). Bill is asked to appear in a commercial for jeans, and he asks Lisa to be his agent so they don't convince him to do anything that makes him look foolish, but Lisa gets fed up with him and quits. Later, Bill calls Lisa for help, and she shows up to the set to find him painted blue and dressed as a genie.
Big Brothers Big Sisters: Episode 15, "Big Brother" (1998). Matthew tells the gang that he has signed up for the Big Brothers program, and everyone assumes that he means he's a volunteer big brother, but it turns out that Matthew was matched with "big brother" by mistake, and neither brother noticed.
Eulogize This: Episode 18, "Copy Machine" (1998). A WNYX employee named Ted killed himself by getting his tie caught in the copy machine, and through a series of whacky circumstances, Dave ends up having to give Ted's eulogy. Unfortunately, he never knew Ted, and neither did anyone else at the office. When Dave shows up at Ted's funeral, he's shocked to learn that Ted was a devoted member of the KKK, and he has to give the eulogy in front of a bunch of Klan members in full Klan attire.

Character Tropes

Mild Mannered Man-child: Matthew Brock - Played by Andy Dick.
The Office Weird Guy: Matthew Brock - Played by Andy Dick.
The Office Weird Guy: Brent - Played by French Stewart in season 3, episode 23, "Mistake" (1997).