Is it Andy Dick and all of his drug related antics or the tragic murder of Phil Hartman in between seasons four and five?

The first one falls into the category of people not wanting to watch a show with such an a-hole in it. People have come to hate Andy Dick and certainly don’t want to watch a show in which he’s one of the main actors.

The second casts a shadow over the whole series for its sadness. Phil played one of the funniest characters in the show and his sudden death was a lot to deal with. Many fans don’t care too much for Jon Lovitz as Max Louis in the final season of the show but *someone* had to take on the task of replacing the pompous but loveable anchor. So the people behind the show felt it should be a friend (both of Phil’s and of the show’s as Lovitz had made two guest appearances prior to his joining the show).

To be honest, and I know I’m the one posing the question but I think it’s a combination of the both. Even though I personally love Andy Dick on NewsRadio (and even some of his non-NewsRadio work), I can understand why people hate him. Though it really annoys me how mean-spirited people are towards him, when he’s an addict who needs help above anything else. And the joke about him living up to his last name is really played out. Yet there’s always *somebody* ready to make that joke. As for Phil Hartman, it seems like the main thing people know about this show is that he died during its run. Instead of being remembered as an hilarious show with a great ensemble cast that was moved around a lot on the NBC schedule, thus causing it to have low ratings, it seems to be remembered as the show Phil Hartman was on when he was a victim in the murder-suicide.

Of course, I just introduced this show to a twenty-five year old girl who wasn’t familiar with any of the actors except for Dave Foley (which she only knew from Hot in Cleveland and she’s really gotten into the show. Of course I then had to break the sad news to her of Phil Hartman’s death but as far as the show itself is concerned, she really likes it.

I just now noticed I made a very similar thread on this topic a couple years ago. That shows how much it bugs me this show isn't more popular today, lol.

I agree with you that both situations are factors in why Newsradio doesn't fare well in terms of rerun value. Personally I find Andy Dick's work on this show very funny but I do have a hard time keeping that separate from all the controversy in his private life. And even though I'm a fan of Jon Lovitz (I love The Critic) he was put in a very difficult position replacing Phil Hartman who in many ways was the hub of Newsradio. The humor on this show was very much based on the relationships between the characters so replacing a character in mid series was going to be difficult for any actor.

I don't blame Andy Dick for people not watching the show, although I DO blame Andy Dick for Phil Hartman's ultimate demise.

I don't blame Andy Dick for people not watching the show, although I DO blame Andy Dick for Phil Hartman's ultimate demise.

I don't entirely understand how exactly it's Andy Dick's fault that Phil Hartman was murdered and not Phil's wife? Yes, I am aware of the altercation between Andy and Jon Lovitz, where Jon said something along the lines of "I wouldn't have been there (Newsradio) had you not given Brynn coke!" In effect, Jon suggested that Brynn Hartman was clean and sober and fell off the wagon once she hooked up w/ Andy Dick.

How come Brynn Hartman wasn't ultimately responsible for her actions? Brynn was already a very volatile (and perhaps jealous of Phil's success) person (Phil struck me as a laid back guy who didn't enjoy being confrontational, and just hoped that things "worked themselves out") long before that.

I don't know why this isn't a Lifetime movie instead of Full House and Saved by the Bell. This show had true drama behind the scenes. Much more than those shows.

I don't entirely understand how exactly it's Andy Dick's fault that Phil Hartman was murdered and not Phil's wife? Yes, I am aware of the altercation between Andy and Jon Lovitz, where Jon said something along the lines of "I wouldn't have been there (Newsradio) had you not given Brynn coke!" In effect, Jon suggested that Brynn Hartman was clean and sober and fell off the wagon once she hooked up w/ Andy Dick.

How come Brynn Hartman wasn't ultimately responsible for her actions? Brynn was already a very volatile (and perhaps jealous of Phil's success) person (Phil struck me as a laid back guy who didn't enjoy being confrontational, and just hoped that things "worked themselves out") long before that.

I agree with you. Brynn wanted drugs. She got them from Andy but if she didn't, she'd have gotten them from someone else. She is to bear the responsibility for what happened.

If Brynn was indeed sober and Andy offered her drugs, he can be likened to the "devil" putting temptation in front of her, and she succumbed to that temptation. Yes, she could have been strong and resisted and she didn't, of course she's responsible for what she did, not Andy. Anybody could have been that "devil" but not "anybody" was, Andy was. If the story is true.

I never thought that either Andy Dick or Phil Hartman's death was responsible for the show not being in syndication much these days. The show was never hugely popular...I always thought it was just too clever for most people.

The show was never hugely popular...I always thought it was just too clever for most people.

I like that answer, lol.

I guess I always hoped it would be popular in reruns and be considered a '90s classic sitcom. Looks like it will always be just a cult hit.

Well NBC never treated the show with respect. I always thought Newsradio and 3rd Rock from the Sun were NBC's best sitcoms of the 90's and should have had a permanent place on NBC's must see Thursday lineup between Friends and Seinfeld. As for why the show doesn't do well in reruns, it's hard to say. A lot of sitcoms that were bigger hits than Newsradio have failed in syndication. Phil Hartman's death has to hurt it. The same thing has hurt 8 Simple Rules and Chico and the Man in syndication. As for Andy Dick, I don't like him. But he is good on Newsradio. If people stopped watching shows because they disliked an actor in Hollywood, nobody would be watching much of anything.

Well NBC never treated the show with respect. I always thought Newsradio and 3rd Rock from the Sun were NBC's best sitcoms of the 90's and should have had a permanent place on NBC's must see Thursday lineup between Friends and Seinfeld. As for why the show doesn't do well in reruns, it's hard to say. A lot of sitcoms that were bigger hits than Newsradio have failed in syndication. Phil Hartman's death has to hurt it. The same thing has hurt 8 Simple Rules and Chico and the Man in syndication. As for Andy Dick, I don't like him. But he is good on Newsradio. If people stopped watching shows because they disliked an actor in Hollywood, nobody would be watching much of anything.

Even w/o the stigma of Phil Hartman's untimely death, I've heard the argument that NewsRadio was simply too intelligent of a sitcom (because the jokes were fast-paced and what not) to really work for mass consumption. It's probably the same reasons why later NBC shows (albeit single-camera) like 30 Rock or Community don't seem to last too long or do too well in syndicated reruns.

NewsRadio I think, was always going to be destined to be more of a "cult show". It's just that Phil Hartman's death for better or worse, made more people morbidly aware of it (it's basically the "My Sister Sam effect").

I agree with you. Brynn wanted drugs. She got them from Andy but if she didn't, she'd have gotten them from someone else. She is to bear the responsibility for what happened.

She was an ADDICT. She wasn't in her right mind. Andy was an enabler.

The same thing has hurt 8 Simple Rules and Chico and the Man in syndication. As for Andy Dick, I don't like him. But he is good on Newsradio. If people stopped watching shows because they disliked an actor in Hollywood, nobody would be watching much of anything.

I love both 8 Simple Rules… and Chico and the Man yet I get what you’re saying. I feel they either should have cancelled Rules when Ritter died or kept it on for a few more seasons, giving the show a chance to have its own identity outside of being the John Ritter show that’s forced to go on without him. As for Chico, it’s a shock to me that that show even came back for a fourth season. I’m a very loyal guy and I watched and even liked the fourth season but even I can see that it shouldn’t have happened. The show was the chemistry between Jack Albertson and rising star Freddie Prinze. To merely replace Prinze with a twelve-year-old boy and continue just seemed ridiculous. It’s like you can’t talk about either show without talking about the death of John Ritter and Freddie Prinze. Those shows identities are that those actors died during their respective show. And that’s unfortunate. Because they’re both great shows. I think Suddenly Susan could also be added to that list, losing David Strickland late in the third (of four) seasons. That show seemed popular in its original run but it’s almost completely forgotten today.

As for what you said about Andy Dick, I only mention that as a reason because I know a couple people who have admitted to not watching NewsRadio *because* Andy Dick is in it. So I can only assume there are more people like that.

She was an ADDICT. She wasn't in her right mind. Andy was an enabler.

Despite the horrible thing she did, I have no hatred in my heart for Brynn. In fact, I can feel sympathy for her. She was obviously a very troubled person and didn’t receive the help she needed. As a result, she murdered her husband and then committed suicide and is thought of by the public as a monster. It seems like whenever I read something about the Hartmans, there are always comments by people who wish she hadn’t killed herself so *they* could kill her and so much hatred directed towards her.

But, I still give the blame to her. Andy Dick was no angel, and he certainly did a bad thing but I was just saying if it wasn’t him, it would have been someone else. Because as an addict, she wouldn’t have just stopped there with him refusing to give her any drugs. If she didn’t kill herself, she would have been arrested for murder… not Andy Dick. Although I heard of a case recently where someone died while on drugs and the person who provided the drugs has been arrested. So I'm not saying you’re wrong in thinking the way you do. It’s just a difference of opinion on this matter.

Despite the horrible thing she did, I have no hatred in my heart for Brynn. In fact, I can feel sympathy for her. She was obviously a very troubled person and didn’t receive the help she needed. As a result, she murdered her husband and then committed suicide and is thought of by the public as a monster. It seems like whenever I read something about the Hartmans, there are always comments by people who wish she hadn’t killed herself so *they* could kill her and so much hatred directed towards her.

But, I still give the blame to her. Andy Dick was no angel, and he certainly did a bad thing but I was just saying if it wasn’t him, it would have been someone else. Because as an addict, she wouldn’t have just stopped there with him refusing to give her any drugs. If she didn’t kill herself, she would have been arrested for murder… not Andy Dick. Although I heard of a case recently where someone died while on drugs and the person who provided the drugs has been arrested. So I'm not saying you’re wrong in thinking the way you do. It’s just a difference of opinion on this matter.

As I said before, not only did Brynn have issues with addiction but had a violent streak and bouts of jealousy. Cassandra Peterson AKA Elvira Mistress of the Dark said Brynn put wrench in her friendship with Phil with her jealously.

She really wanted a career in show business, Phil tried to make that happen. Have you ever notice during the opening on SNL, Phil is with a blond woman with dangling earrings? That was Brynn, who kept turning her head to get her face in the shot. The director didn't want that so that was left in the opening.

After Phil's second wife, Lisa whom he still remained friends with, heard about the birth of his first child with Brynn, she sent them a gift, to which Brynn then called her and left the nastiest message. Lisa later called Phil and said do you know who your married too? Phil's responded by saying Brynn gets like that from time to time, including her physically assaulting Phil. His habit was to just walk away and tune her out, which would enrage her even more.

Right, I read the book, and that was in there.

She sounded like the wrong wife for him.

Is it Andy Dick and all of his drug related antics or the tragic murder of Phil Hartman in between seasons four and five?


What a creepy question.

I love both 8 Simple Rules… and Chico and the Man yet I get what you’re saying. I feel they either should have cancelled Rules when Ritter died or kept it on for a few more seasons, giving the show a chance to have its own identity outside of being the John Ritter show that’s forced to go on without him. As for Chico, it’s a shock to me that that show even came back for a fourth season. I’m a very loyal guy and I watched and even liked the fourth season but even I can see that it shouldn’t have happened. The show was the chemistry between Jack Albertson and rising star Freddie Prinze. To merely replace Prinze with a twelve-year-old boy and continue just seemed ridiculous. It’s like you can’t talk about either show without talking about the death of John Ritter and Freddie Prinze. Those shows identities are that those actors died during their respective show. And that’s unfortunate. Because they’re both great shows. I think Suddenly Susan could also be added to that list, losing David Strickland late in the third (of four) seasons. That show seemed popular in its original run but it’s almost completely forgotten today.

As for what you said about Andy Dick, I only mention that as a reason because I know a couple people who have admitted to not watching NewsRadio *because* Andy Dick is in it. So I can only assume there are more people like that.

Suddenly Susan (https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1528160/10-popular-90s-sitcoms-we-can-all-agree-were-actually-kinda-bad?page=9) in hindsight (http://popcrush.com/13-one-time-popular-sitcoms-you-totally-forgot-existed/), may have really been a "timeslot" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suddenly_Susan#Ratings_history) hit (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2016/09/forgotten-sitcoms.html?showComment=1472741451958#c6450028480855506148). During its first year on NBC (http://previously.tv/television/ranking-the-forgotten-shows-of-nbcs-must-see-thursday-night-lineup/), it aired in-between (http://previously.tv/television/an-oral-history-of-late-90s-nbc-time-slot-hits/) Seinfeld and ER.

The reason why Newsradio is a hard to find sitcom in syndication is because of the death of Phil Hartman and I think when Phil died local TV stations removed Newsradio reruns but soon after Newsradio was cancelled reruns of Newsradio returned to syndication and also started to air on A&E during the afternoon hours but ever since TV Land quit airing Newsradio you have never seen Newsradio reruns shown in syndication or on TV anymore which is a shame because Newsradio was a cool sitcom and fun to watch and the only place you can find Newsradio is on DVD and Newsradio should be shown on TV again to honor Phil Hartman's memory
Bestie