On March 21, 1995, a quirky workplace comedy debuted on NBC that fans still talk about today. NewsRadio starred Phil Hartman and a talented ensemble cast. Hartman had wrapped up an eight-year stint on Saturday Night Live shortly before the comedy debuted, making him the most well-known cast member at the time the series debuted.
Most of the rest of the cast was relatively unknown at the time, but that is definitely not the case now. Sadly, tragedy struck after the fourth season, when Hartman was killed. The show never recovered.
NewsRadio starred Hartman, but at its core was an ensemble show. Perhaps the most well-known cast member after Hartman was Dave Foley, who had starred on the Canadian series The Kids in the Hall.
The cast also included Joe Rogan, Andy Dick, and Maura Tierney. None of the three was nearly as established in entertainment as they are now. Others on the show included Stephen Root, Khandi Alexander, and Vicki Lewis. In addition, Jon Lovitz joined the show toward the end of its run.
In the pilot of NewsRadio, viewers meet Dave, a guy from the Midwest who is starting a new job as a news director at New York City radio station WNYX. He quickly discovers that the radio station staff is a handful and he's got his work cut out for him.
NewsRadio never became a massive ratings hit. It tended to have steady ratings in the early seasons, regularly landing in the Top 30 or so. The show's fans may have been relatively small in volume, but they were big in their love for the series.
However, everything changed in May 1998. As People details, Hartman was murdered in his sleep. His wife, Brynn Hartman, shot him. Later that night, she also shot and killed herself.
The couple had been married for 10 years and had two children. At the time of their deaths, the couple's daughter, Birgen, was 6. Their son, Sean, was 9.
Earlier that evening, the couple had argued. She had struggled with drug and alcohol addiction nearly a decade prior to that night, and had recently started drinking again. An autopsy determined that she had cocaine, alcohol, and antidepressants in her system at the time of the shootings.
NewsRadio returned after Hartman's death, but his absence changed everything. His death happened after Season 4 had wrapped, and the network did bring the series back for a fifth and final season.
The show addressed Hartman's death by having his character, Bill McNeal, die off-screen of a heart attack. That particular episode, titled "Bill Moves On," was raw and heartbreaking for viewers and cast members alike.
Lovitz joined NewsRadio in the second episode of that final season, but he couldn't fill the void that Hartman's loss created.
Since the end of its five-season run, NewsRadio has gone on to air on a number of networks in syndication. Fans still marvel at how great the acting and writing was on the show, while simultaneously grieving what could have been had Hartman not been killed.
In a Reddit thread started for the premiere's 30th anniversary, fans shared their love for the program.
One Reddit user wrote, "Fantastic show. Dave Foley was the brains of the show, and Phil Hartman was the heart. Unfortunately, you can't live without either of those vital organs."
Another Redditor added, "Criminally underrated show. All the characters were great."
Someone else raved that NewsRadio was "The perfect workplace sitcom. Absolutely stacked ensemble cast. Stellar writing. Excellent chemistry between the cast members."
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available 24 hours a day through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Hotline at 1-800-662-4357.
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