It seems to me that it is often times the case that some of the best TV shows are not always the most popular. As much as I wish this weren’t the case, the majority of television viewers would much rather watch the same old shows than do a little work and expose themselves to something smart and original. I always felt that NewsRadio was one of those series. The idea of Dave Foley moving on from The Kids in the Hall to lead his own sitcom was enticing to me from the start. I was even more pleased when I…first saw the show, and discovered that it was actually more of an ensemble cast, with Foley being just one of the cogs in the machine, with the brilliant Phil Hartman and the surprise genius of Stephen Root as station owner Jimmy James showing up as well. That is not to even to mention spastic Andy Dick and the others. Surely a show this smart and funny will succeed, right?

Well, never underestimate the ignorance of the general viewing public. The show had decent ratings, and it lasted for five seasons, but it was nowhere near the groundbreaking success I just knew it would be. After the fourth season, Phil Hartman died, and the show was not the same anymore. Jon Lovitz was brought in to bring a spark to the cast, but it was clear that their hearts were just not in it anymore.

I finally felt validated in my love of this series when, in a surprise move, A&E picked up the show for syndication. If anybody could put the stamp of quality on a sitcom, it is A&E. Now, a whole new audience can discover the brilliance of this show, with the first two seasons available together on one DVD set.

Audio

This release presents a decent audio track for home viewers. The dialog is clean and clear, and the sound effects are easy to hear. The audio is a bit compressed, but it is consistent with the quality of most television sitcoms on DVD. I was also glad to hear that the audience reaction is not too loud in the mix, because it is such an annoying point of contention on so many releases.

Video

Sadly, the video quality on this set is really quite poor. Flat color, excessive grain, jagged edges… they’re all here is painfully wretched detail. Actually, I really don’t even remember the show looking this bad during the original broadcast. I am very, very disappointed that this transfer is so bad. If you plan on watching this show on anything larger than a 17” monitor, you will be sorely disappointed.

Special Features

First and foremost, there are truly entertaining commentaries by various members of the cast and crew on a whopping twenty episodes in this set! On most television series sets, you’re lucky to get two or three commentaries of marginal quality. Twenty great commentaries is a real treat. Also included here is the standard filmographies, a brief featurette from the first season of the show and a season two gag reel.

Conclusion

This release is really a tale of good and evil. The show and the extras… gooooood. The video quality… baaaaaad. If you are a fan of this show, you will probably be able to overlook the picture quality. However, it is still a shame that this has to be an area of concern at all. Hopefully, this will not even be an issue when seasons three and following are released.

Special Features List

• Season Two Gag Reel
• Commentaries on 20 Episodes from the Cast and Creators
• Featurette
• Filmographies
• Web Links