Afternoon Baseball

[Lisa bursts into Dave's office] Lisa: Dave, have you ever taken nude photos of yourself? [Long pause] Dave: [into speakerphone] Mom, I'm gonna have to call you back. ~"Newsradio"

From one of my favorite shows, "Newsradio," which just came out on DVD at the end of last month. 29 episodes over the first 2 seasons, and I've almost finished it. Plus, there's 20 commentaries, with every cast member (save the late Phil Hartman) getting a go-around with the producers/writers, and best of all: No annoying menu music. Some people may like the same 30-second clip playing over and over and over again. Not I.
Looking at the cast now, it seems like pure brilliance: Maura Tierney of "E.R." opposite the hilarious and understated Dave Foley, with Phil Hartman of SNL merely one of a large cast as a bonus. Khandi Alexander, now on one of those C.S.I. shows, was on the first three seasons or so, and Joe Rogan from "Fear Factor," the weird but funny Andy Dick and Stephen "Office Space" Root filling out the cast.
But actually, the show was a huge gamble, and that's partly why it had 10 or 11 time slots. Tierney, as she says in one of her commentaries, was fired from a never-aired pilot and therefore was available. Rogan was the replacement for the second episode, and he replaced the guy who replaced Ray Romano, who was fired during the pilot. Foley was probably more known in Canada than here, Hartman was never the breakout star of SNL and Andy Dick, well, he's just a freak. It says a lot for the cohesion and comedic talent of the cast that they meshed as well as they did -- and still largely seem to miss the show.