Would NewsRadio still be a hit if Phil Hartman survived and not gotten cancelled?

[Hawkee]

To me I think Newsradio should've continued even though Phil Hartman was gone and replaced with Jon Lovitz and NBC should've never cancelled it in the first place. And why I think NBC really canceled Newsradio was not because of Jon Lovitz but I think NBC was focused on other sitcoms such as Seinfeld Frasier and Friends and poor promotion of the final season of Newsradio. When it came to sitcoms in the 90's NBC was sitcom king but for Newsradio I think it should've survived a couple more seasons even though Phil Hartman was no longer in the cast but if Peacock were to make a Newsradio reboot it would be a smart hit if it were to happen

[Alan Brady's Hair]

I think the ratings were falling while Hartman was still there. The people who made the show seemed pretty stubborn about not taking network suggestions, so they probably didn't get much benefit of the doubt when it came to a cancellation decision.

[Hawkee]

In my eyes I think Newsradio could've survived longer even if Phil Hartman was no longer living and Jon Lovitz would've been more happier in the role of Max Lewis. Because like Cheers did when Nicholas Colosanto tragically passed away Newsradio could've easily had a nice farewell tribute to Phil Hartman with the Newsradio cast sharing their best memories of Phil and show clips of Bill McNeal doing funny bloopers. But I think Newsradio was one sitcom that was the victim of NBC by canceling it after replacing Phil Hartman with Jon Lovitz because like Cheers when the character Coach died Cheers was able to survive without Coach and NBC should've let Newsradio continue even with Jon Lovitz. But if Phil Hartman would've survived Newsradio would've become a even bigger hit and still would be a success in the 90's sitcoms and I think that's why Newsradio reruns are shown on few TV networks and are scarce to find except on streaming channels such as Chicken Soup For The Soul Network

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

I think the ratings were falling while Hartman was still there. The people who made the show seemed pretty stubborn about not taking network suggestions, so they probably didn't get much benefit of the doubt when it came to a cancellation decision.

If Wikipedia is accurate, then NewsRadio never finished the season higher than #39 (the first two seasons). It sunk to #92 in Season 3 yet, miraculously survived for a fourth year. Season 4, which was Phil Hartman's last, placed marginally better, at #62. In fairness, NBC didn't do the show any favors by constantly changing its time slot.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Hawkee

In my eyes I think Newsradio could've survived longer even if Phil Hartman was no longer living and Jon Lovitz would've been more happier in the role of Max Lewis. Because like Cheers did when Nicholas Colosanto tragically passed away Newsradio could've easily had a nice farewell tribute to Phil Hartman with the Newsradio cast sharing their best memories of Phil and show clips of Bill McNeal doing funny bloopers. But I think Newsradio was one sitcom that was the victim of NBC by canceling it after replacing Phil Hartman with Jon Lovitz because like Cheers when the character Coach died Cheers was able to survive without Coach and NBC should've let Newsradio continue even with Jon Lovitz. But if Phil Hartman would've survived Newsradio would've become a even bigger hit and still would be a success in the 90's sitcoms and I think that's why Newsradio reruns are shown on few TV networks and are scarce to find except on streaming channels such as Chicken Soup For The Soul Network

I don't know if you can easily compare Nicholas Colosanto's death with Phil Hartman's because Phil was horrifically murdered right out of the blue. As tragic as Nicholas Colosanto's own untimely death, Phil Hartman's own death was just a bigger shell shock. Jon Lovitz from what I gathered, didn't even want to do NewsRadio but he felt that he owed it to Phil (Lovitz said to have always been resentful to Andy Dick for his allegedly indirect role in Phil's murder) since he was his friend and they had worked together on SNL.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

I don't know if you can easily compare Nicholas Colosanto's death with Phil Hartman's because Phil was horrifically murdered right out of the blue. As tragic as Nicholas Colosanto's own untimely death, Phil Hartman's own death was just a bigger shell shock. Jon Lovitz from what I gathered, didn't even want to do NewsRadio but he felt that he owed it to Phil (Lovitz said to have always been resentful to Andy Dick for his allegedly indirect role in Phil's murder) since he was his friend and they had worked together on SNL.

Also, has others have argued, Phil Hartman on NewsRadio was really the show's center of gravity.

[quincywagstaff]

The thread title is misleading. Newsradio was never a hit, not even close. With or without Hartman, it would never be renewed for a sixth season. The only reason the show was renewed for season 5 was that the company which produced the show agreed to a demand by NBC to share any profits in syndication with NBC.

[Hawkee]

Why I think Newsradio was so hurt by Phil Hartman's tragic death was because NBC knew that if anything happened to Phil Hartman the show would go belly up but I think to save the show from cancellation they decided to put Jon Lovitz as the character Max Lewis as a funner replacement for Phil Hartman. But for comparison when John Ritter died during ABC's Eight Simple Rules they cancelled the show before Tony Danza was gonna replace John Ritter. And if Phil Hartman would've lived Newsradio would've gotten monster ratings. But I basically think NBC had plans to cancel Newsradio before Phil Hartman passed away because of poor ratings and they were focusing on sitcoms like Mad About You Friends Frasier and Seinfeld rather than Newsradio