Last Thoughts on News Radio

So Michelle and I have been watching Season 5 of News Radio this past week or so, and I've reached several conclusions (spoilers below, but I figure a TV show that ended almost 10 years ago is beyond the statute of limitations at this point).

1) The lose of Phil Hartman hangs over the final season like a tangible thing. Honestly, every time Jon Lovitz opened his mouth, I found myself thinking, "Phil Hartman would've delivered that so much better." The first few episodes of the season were noticeably awkward because they were heavy on the Lovitz character, but as the season progressed they pulled it away from him and focused on other characters. The show benefited from this. After all, Phil Hartman's character may have been funny as hell, but he wasn't the main focus on the show. Regardless, his absence really affected the tone of the show and sort of killed the joy in it from the very beginning.

2) This season seems really heavy on Andy Dick's Matthew instead. And while Matthew is fine as the weird character, he really can't sustain an entire episode very easily. Honestly, the main character of the show seemed to me to be Dave. He was certainly the character you were usually meant to identify with. The fourth season did the whole long storyarch on Matthew (the whole firing and rehiring thing), but the focus always seemed to be less about poor Matthew and more about how Dave was doing his best to get Matthew back at the station. The shift in focus hurt several episodes.

3) The writing, while still strong, just...wasn't as good as previous seasons. Dialogue wasn't as snappy or smart, plots weren't as interesting, and characterization didn't jive with previous seasons as well. New characters, such as Lovitz's Max Lewis or Patric Warburton's Johnny Johnson, weren't very developed. And familiar characters didn't behave in ways that made sense. Lisa deciding to marry Johnny was mere plot contrivance, not something the character would have probably done.

4) The season--and series--didn't end convincingly or satisfyingly. Everyone but Dave decides to head off to New Hampshire? Well, everyone but Dave and Matthew...it was a funny throw-away joke, since Matthew was the only character Dave really wanted leaving, but to end the series that way? No satisfaction in that sort of sadism at all.

Anyway, there were some fun moments. The exchanges between Jimmy and Johnny were great; the storyline about Jimmy allegedly being D.B. Cooper (the infamous plane hijacker who jumped from a plane with $200,000 and was never seen again) but ultimately proving that it was Adam West? Stroke of brilliance. The elements were still there, but everything seemed just the slightest bit off. As a completest, I was glad to add it to my collection, but when I reach for a season of News Radio to watch at random, it won't be this one.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Hem, "It's Not California"