How Long to Watch “NewsRadio”?

A sharp cast buoyed this underrated comedy about the staff at an all-news radio station in New York City. A midseason offering, it was moved 11 times during its four-year run, which sometimes made it difficult for viewers to find the show, and is likely why it always seemed to be on the brink of cancellation. In May 1998, actor Phil Hartman was murdered, and was replaced in the cast by Jon Lovitz, another alum of 'Saturday Night Live.', 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.