Anna Daniels
NewsRadio was one of the most acclaimed sitcoms of the ’90s, but all its good critical notice came in spite of — or, depending on one’s perspective, because of — battles with the network.
Creator Phil Simms fought with NBC over everything from scheduling to plotlines. By his telling, NBC wanted more established stars. Though Dave Foley, Andy Dick, and Joe Rogan were all known names in comedy, they were not stars on par with, say, Brooke Shields.
Almost certain his show was getting canceled, Simms gave a profanity laced interview to Rolling Stone. He admonished NBC for not giving his show a slot in Thursday night’s Must See TV lineup, and lambasted executives by name. After this, the show was briefly canceled before being brought back, which led to everyone awkwardly walking what they said back and playing nice.
Phil Hartman’s murder before season five changed the dynamic of the show. Hartman was something of a big brother to the cast, and addressing his death resulted in an uncomfortable tonal shift. Jon Lovitz never quite clicked as his replacement either, making Hartman’ absence all the more noticeable.
All of this was on top of Preston Beckman, NBC’s head of scheduling, despising the show. During its run, it changed time slots 11 times. Between Hartman’s death, the unstable time slot, and a network that never quite bought in, the show was canceled after its fifth season.
Written by: Looper
