Hulu has finally posted one of the two greatest "NewsRadio" episodes of all time, in which Jimmy James gives a dramatic reading of his newly-translated memoir. (The other all-timer would be "Arcade," IMO.) So if you need help getting through hump day, there's always this.Hat-tip to Linda Holmes for this one.
I find it interesting that hulu won't post the pilot episode and goes straight to episode two, season one.
ReplyDeleteKatherine was played by Roc's Ella Joyce. The Garelli fix-it guy was played by a 50-something HITG! that I don't remember.
But most importantly, Dave Foley's lips kept moving as he mouthed OTHER people's lines in the scenes. It's as if they flew him in directly from Toronto when The Kids in the Hall wrapped up taping and he was running through it for the first time.
I want the pilot!
virtstli!
--bad dad
Best. B-plot. Ever.
ReplyDeleteThe [strike]lie detector[/strike] polygraph storyline is also fantastic; pretty much everything involving Lisa, Dave, and Andrea was gold in that episode.
The Cane is probably my favorite early ep; that cold open is absolutely brilliant.
(Not sure why Blogger won't recognize <strike> tags, but there you go.)
"Arcade" is one of my favorite episodes of any series ever. Before the DVD's I had practically worn out my VHS copy. Bill's "transformation" from the lack of sandwich preservatives is classic.
ReplyDeleteHump day? Isn't it already Thursday?
ReplyDeleteProbably. I lose all sense of date and time after a while, thanks to DVR, and I think Linda mentioned hump day in her piece (which may have been published yesterday), and I was in a hurry to get the links up so I could get back to the 70 other blog entries I need to write today, and...
ReplyDelete...so, to answer your question, D'oh!
Jimmy has fancy plans...and pants to match.
ReplyDeleteAwesome.
I have to give the edge to "Arcade," simply because I love ALL the plots, and there are a half-dozen jokes built around lesser-known pop-cultural references such as "Flowers for Algernon." Also, the cameos by the original Stargate Defender programmer and Leelee Sobieski take it to a unique level of weirdness.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this has the funniest SCENE of any NR ep, and watching it again, I can still feel its skills, donkey donkey, donkey donkey donkey.
I still don't understand what happened to the Season 3 Halloween episode where Dave Foley dresses up as a woman and Lisa gets pissed because it's her dress and he looks better in it.
ReplyDeleteAnd my absolute favorite scene is in episode 1, season 2 where Lisa spends the entire episode trying to find out what turns Dave on. As it turns out, what really turns him on is Lisa getting mad at him.
God, I hadn't watched NewsRadio in ages, but I forgot how good it was (and as I recall, it was pretty consistently good--save for the last season--even rarer). My favorite little moment was Lauren Graham's gleeful "Arson!" Why on earth did it take her so long to get a good role, and why isn't she a big star now?
ReplyDeleteI have all the DVDs and have seen every episode many many times. But I'm pleased to see more of them are still being added to Hulu.
ReplyDeleteAny Newsradio fans who missed the AV Club / TV Club reviews of season 1 & 2 posted over the summer should check them out.
I'd probably vote for Arcade as my favorite episode if I had to pick just one but its a very tough call. I generally prefer episodes that featured Bill more but the B story about the sandwiches was gold. And the Stargate Defender story was just sooo Dave Nelson, and the SAT thing was sooo Lisa Miller, that was the perfect plot for those two. I think the show was often funniest when referencing the characters odd backstories in some way, much like HIMYM's jokes about Robin's Canadian upbringing, and Arcade is packed full of those jokes.
My friend Phil points out that one of the people in the audience for Jimmy's reading is none other than Ron Jeremy. Bizarre.
ReplyDeleteYeah, thats the Hedgehog in the audience. If you enjoy that little hidden gem and want further proof that the brilliant people who made Newsradio were first class perverts, then check out the 13:10mark of Beep Beep and watch Matthew closely.
ReplyDeleteOr don't. Seriously, don't. Honestly, you don't want to. Sure its hilarious, but you'll probably wish you hadn't seen it. Its amazing what makes it past the censors sometimes.
Jimmy has fear? A thousand times, no!
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten this was part of the Andrea Planbee arc, which definitely puts it below "Arcade" for me (I think I'm the only person on the internets who can't stand Lauren Graham).
@ the first Anonymous - I am going to have to watch the pilot again to catch Dave mouthing the words; that's hilarious! Foley is apparently dyslexic and so he learned to memorize his lines after hearing them once - guess he did the same with the whole script. Later in the series he often wrote jokes for the other characters, too. Forget Lauren Graham, why is Foley not a huge star?
Also in this episode: Brian Posehn and whatshisname from F&G.
ReplyDeleteseason 3 might just be the greatest season of any live action sitcom ever. (is that an exaggeration? i'm not so sure!)
ReplyDeleteseason 4 went a little too far into the surrealism. (i loved it of course, but i could see it but its like they were intentionally going for the weirdest possible thing)
Season 3 by contrast was this balance between the writers' wanting to be a more mainstream hit (like the first 2 seasons) and wanting to also indulge in their weird and surreal impulses.
also my favorite episode ever has to be Complaint Box. I try be good hard worker man but refrigerator so so messy.
Love, love, love. "Arcade" is my favorite ever. But I agree that "Monkey Death Car" is one of the very best.
ReplyDeleteThe actual Jimmy James storyline didn't do anything for me, nor did Matthew pretending to be a waiter. But everything else is pure gold. I can't get enough of the Lisa Miller as overachiever (see my love of "Arcade"): "gold stars are for babies" and her litany of SAT-related crimes. And her lie detector scene with Lauren Graham is one of my favorite NewsRadio scenes ever. And the opening with Bill doing his Matthew and the Dave lie detector scene are both wonderful.
I can't tell you how much I love NewsRadio. I watch a lot of tv, and I'm hard-pressed to think of a sitcom that makes me me feel happier. Shows like Arrested Development, 30 Rock, The Office, Sports Night, and Scrubs I can't get enough of, but in an intellectual way. NewsRadio can actually make me joyful. Sounds stupid, but it's true.
just watched this. thank you so much for the recommendation. I laughed and laughed.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason the line "and pants to match" just kills me.
Hulu -- the world's most effective productivity killer.
My favourite ep will always be "Jumper" (the fourth season premiere) not a single line of dialogue was wasted in that ep!
ReplyDeleteSecond fave would be a few weeks later when Bill has that piano in the office and punches out that guy at the end!
To the dude who wants the pilot - get the DVD - even the commentaries are top notch (you learn a lot of weird stuff!)