Brian Damage
07-01-2012, 08:46 PM
The role: Electrician character (later renamed Joe Garelli)
Who got it: Joe Rogan
In 1994, Ray Romano auditioned for the part of the radio station’s electrician and got it. Romano began rehearsing with the cast, but the producers decided to go a different route with the character and fired him on the second day of rehearsals. They felt Romano’s slow-paced delivery didn't fit within the rapid-fire style of the show. Romano went on to create and star in one of the biggest sitcoms in history, a long-running hit series whose high ratings easily eclipsed the always-struggling NewsRadio's. Romano was replaced by actor Greg Lee for the pilot and Joe Rogan took the role from then on. Rogan’s comedic style was best-suited for the series and he brought the right dynamic to NewsRadio, becoming an integral part of the cast.
If Ray Romano had held onto his part on NewsRadio, he would have been under contract with NBC for several years, keeping him from creating and starring in the much more commercially successful Everybody Loves Raymond, the show that made him a household name. At the time, being fired from NewsRadio probably seemed like a missed opportunity for him, but I'm sure he's thankful about how things worked out now. By the time Romano would have left NewsRadio in 1999, he most likely wouldn’t have been able to get a lead sitcom role, with Hollywood producers thinking of him as only a supporting actor. Just look at Rogan’s career immediately after NewsRadio. Fear Factor was his first gig after the show and it’s likely Romano would have been only able to get work as a reality show host or a supporting actor, not a lead/showrunner position.
There are many good and bad things for comedy that could have resulted if Romano stayed in the cast. While Romano's presence would have altered the perfect balance of the NewsRadio ensemble and could have weakened the show, the absence of Everybody Loves Raymond from CBS could have prevented the crop of generic family sitcoms that followed in its wake. Raymond was a huge hit — CBS's flagship comedy at the time — and the network used it to anchor a Monday night block of otherwise-awful comedy that still exists today.
CBS used Everybody Loves Raymond as a springboard to launch shows like The King of Queens, Yes, Dear, Still Standing, and yes, even Two and a Half Men, which replaced Raymond as the network's (and television’s) highest-rated comedy. In turn, Men was the springboard for The Big Bang Theory, which was used as a lead-in for $#*! My Dad Says. Everybody Loves Raymond set off a chain reaction inside the sitcom world which even impacted shows on ABC. According to Jim and George Lopez were attempts by that network to find their own Raymond which may not have existed were it not for the huge success of Romano's show. In an era where sitcoms are moving towards being more subtle, highbrow, and doing away with laughtracks, Everybody Loves Raymond is the show that inspired the only holdouts: the current CBS crop of shows that feel like they belong on the air in the '80s or '90s.
But what could be considered the worst thing Everybody Loves Raymond left us with is Kevin James's movie career. Romano gave his stand-up buddy James a big break when he cast him in a recurring role on Raymond. James had never had a professional acting job before this. James’s appearances on Romano’s show made CBS confident enough in his abilities to cast him as the lead in The King of Queens, which led to him popping up in Will Smith's Hitch, which resulted in Kevin James starring in undemanding tripe like Paul Blart and The Dilemma. Although Romano wasn't right for NewsRadio, maybe the producers would have bitten the bullet and kept him in the cast if they knew then it could have prevented Two and a Half Men, According to Jim, and Paul Blart from succeeding/existing.
On the other hand, choosing Rogan over Romano helped lift Rogan's fame, which hasn't been bad for comedy, failed reboot of The Man Show aside. Perhaps Joe Rogan's most significant contribution to comedy and those who love it is his public takedown of Carlos Mencia in 2007, which was a major contribution to the Mencia backlash that has kept him off our TV screens for almost three years now. Fingers crossed it continues. Even still, Rogan can't claim all the credit for Mencia's career slump, and the continuance of the CBS sitcom has definitely been a greater hindrance to the comedy industry than Mencia ever was.
http://splitsider.com/2011/02/the-lost-roles-of-newsradio/
http://splitsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/rayromano.jpghttp://www.newsradioart.com/Images/IntroJoe/IntroJoe_01.jpg
Who got it: Joe Rogan
In 1994, Ray Romano auditioned for the part of the radio station’s electrician and got it. Romano began rehearsing with the cast, but the producers decided to go a different route with the character and fired him on the second day of rehearsals. They felt Romano’s slow-paced delivery didn't fit within the rapid-fire style of the show. Romano went on to create and star in one of the biggest sitcoms in history, a long-running hit series whose high ratings easily eclipsed the always-struggling NewsRadio's. Romano was replaced by actor Greg Lee for the pilot and Joe Rogan took the role from then on. Rogan’s comedic style was best-suited for the series and he brought the right dynamic to NewsRadio, becoming an integral part of the cast.
If Ray Romano had held onto his part on NewsRadio, he would have been under contract with NBC for several years, keeping him from creating and starring in the much more commercially successful Everybody Loves Raymond, the show that made him a household name. At the time, being fired from NewsRadio probably seemed like a missed opportunity for him, but I'm sure he's thankful about how things worked out now. By the time Romano would have left NewsRadio in 1999, he most likely wouldn’t have been able to get a lead sitcom role, with Hollywood producers thinking of him as only a supporting actor. Just look at Rogan’s career immediately after NewsRadio. Fear Factor was his first gig after the show and it’s likely Romano would have been only able to get work as a reality show host or a supporting actor, not a lead/showrunner position.
There are many good and bad things for comedy that could have resulted if Romano stayed in the cast. While Romano's presence would have altered the perfect balance of the NewsRadio ensemble and could have weakened the show, the absence of Everybody Loves Raymond from CBS could have prevented the crop of generic family sitcoms that followed in its wake. Raymond was a huge hit — CBS's flagship comedy at the time — and the network used it to anchor a Monday night block of otherwise-awful comedy that still exists today.
CBS used Everybody Loves Raymond as a springboard to launch shows like The King of Queens, Yes, Dear, Still Standing, and yes, even Two and a Half Men, which replaced Raymond as the network's (and television’s) highest-rated comedy. In turn, Men was the springboard for The Big Bang Theory, which was used as a lead-in for $#*! My Dad Says. Everybody Loves Raymond set off a chain reaction inside the sitcom world which even impacted shows on ABC. According to Jim and George Lopez were attempts by that network to find their own Raymond which may not have existed were it not for the huge success of Romano's show. In an era where sitcoms are moving towards being more subtle, highbrow, and doing away with laughtracks, Everybody Loves Raymond is the show that inspired the only holdouts: the current CBS crop of shows that feel like they belong on the air in the '80s or '90s.
But what could be considered the worst thing Everybody Loves Raymond left us with is Kevin James's movie career. Romano gave his stand-up buddy James a big break when he cast him in a recurring role on Raymond. James had never had a professional acting job before this. James’s appearances on Romano’s show made CBS confident enough in his abilities to cast him as the lead in The King of Queens, which led to him popping up in Will Smith's Hitch, which resulted in Kevin James starring in undemanding tripe like Paul Blart and The Dilemma. Although Romano wasn't right for NewsRadio, maybe the producers would have bitten the bullet and kept him in the cast if they knew then it could have prevented Two and a Half Men, According to Jim, and Paul Blart from succeeding/existing.
On the other hand, choosing Rogan over Romano helped lift Rogan's fame, which hasn't been bad for comedy, failed reboot of The Man Show aside. Perhaps Joe Rogan's most significant contribution to comedy and those who love it is his public takedown of Carlos Mencia in 2007, which was a major contribution to the Mencia backlash that has kept him off our TV screens for almost three years now. Fingers crossed it continues. Even still, Rogan can't claim all the credit for Mencia's career slump, and the continuance of the CBS sitcom has definitely been a greater hindrance to the comedy industry than Mencia ever was.
http://splitsider.com/2011/02/the-lost-roles-of-newsradio/
http://splitsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/rayromano.jpghttp://www.newsradioart.com/Images/IntroJoe/IntroJoe_01.jpg