Despite the proliferation of NewsRadio quotes on the Internet, the comedic art of the show was primarily a visual one. That is, one has to see the show (and not just hear about it) to even begin to understand the incisive efficiency of what was being perpetrated. NewsRadio was already unlike any other television show in that its comedy relied more on the gag than the one-liner. It was even more unusual in that the gags were primarily visual.

One of countless memorable examples was the gag in "No, This is Not Based Entirely on Julie’s Life" [2-1] where Joe sets traps to find out who has been stealing his prized gelato. Lisa and Beth are having a conversation in the break room. When they go to get something out of the freezer a beeping sound starts. They casually break their conversation, turn around with their hands in the air and nonchalant looks on their faces until Joe sticks his head in to check out the culprits and close the freezer door. Similarly, the Basic Instinct gag from "Rose Bowl" [3-15] needed few words. They were also never afraid to use purely visual gags. For example, in "The Secret of Management" [4-9], Mr. James brings Lisa to his place to teach her the Secret of Management. On the street Lisa heads for the stretch limousine, expecting this to be Mr. James’ transportation. Mr. James instead steers her towards a World War II motorcycle with sidecar. Furthermore, he gives the keys to Lisa and gets in the sidecar. The whole scene transpires without a word.

We should spend a moment discussing NewsRadio’s comic efficiency. There is one breathtaking sequence in "Who’s the Boss (Part 1)" [4-12] where eight gags roll into each other in rapid succession. Joe is on strike but his inability to fix things is driving him crazy. The sequence starts with Beth fixing the coffee machine while Joe sits nearby reading a magazine and saying "hot" or "cold." Dave, a coffee addict, looks over proceedings impatiently, empty mug in hand. These form gags one and two. Gag one ends with Beth blowing up part of the coffee machine. Dave is distraught — "My God, woman! What have you done?" Gag two segues into gag three: Bill steps out of the News Director’s office and calls over Matthew who has bought eleven cups of coffee from downstairs; "I believe you take yours black," Bill tells Dave. Gag three involves Bill being such a good boss that he is ahead of the game. Gag four involves Dave grabbing six cups of coffee for himself and rushing off. This then segues into gag five with Bill trying to send the incompetent Matthew on another simple chore. Gag six is Bill efficiently organizing Lisa, Beth, and Dave in order to report a bomb scare. Gag seven is Bill walking back to the office, but stopping to provide a speedy but highly professional statement of management’s position to the striking Joe. Gag eight is Bill fixing the coffee machine by cutting a wire and explaining, "The ground wire from the timer was shorting out the heating element." These eight gags take barely more than two minutes of screen time. This is faster than even the greatest Thirties screwball comedies were able to achieve.

In addition, many gags were multiplied across the relationships of all the characters of the ensemble cast, achieving an elegant complexity that I have not seen since Chaplin’s best films. I will illustrate this point with a gag from one of my favorite episodes, "Stocks" [3-9]. In this episode, Lisa’s office chair starts squeaking, but Joe says he cannot fix it. When Lisa asks what she should do, Joe answers that she should ask Dave for a new chair, hinting at her receiving special treatment by saying "Well, you know when you need something, you just have to go in there and ask your Sugar Daddy." Catherine chimes in with "Lisa, I need a new stapler, so if you get a chance while you’re in there with Dave shaking your stuff for a new chair, could you ask him for...." Lisa’s response to all this is the eminently quotable line, "Where did everybody get the idea that I’m some sort of office supply whore?" Bill then throws more wood on the fire by adding that he needs some more thumbtacks but Dave doesn’t seem to respond to his backrubs. Lisa asserts that she tries very hard to maintain a professional relationship with Dave in the office, allowing Bill to further the innuendo in his incomparable fashion with "That’s the best way. Don’t get emotionally involved. Just lie back, close your eyes…."

The gag gathers momentum later in the episode when Dave, segueing from one gag to the next, notices Lisa’s squeaking chair, but Lisa refuses to let him buy her a new one. She swivels side to side on the chair to show Dave that the squeaking does not bother her. Two seconds into this, Catherine walks by briefly in the background and sardonically comments, "That’s right. Shake it, honey." An exasperated reaction shot from Lisa heightens the comedy. This sequence is shot in mid-shot without any change in camera position, maintaining the visual integrity of the gag.

The third variation of the gag comes when Matthew, again segueing from one gag to the next, notices the squeaking chair and tells Lisa that Dave would buy a new chair if she just gave him one of her "sex looks." He demonstrates the "sex look" to an incredulous Lisa. Lisa leaves with Matthew still with the comical "sex look" on his face, but Mr. James and Beth walk into the frame and provide the reaction shot.

The fourth variation occurs when Dave and Matthew hear a banging sound outside of Dave’s office. When they go to investigate they find Lisa trying to fix the chair by hitting it with a stapler. Dave insists on buying her a new chair and notes that the stapler is "on its last legs as well." Catherine walks in on the scene and tells Lisa, "Stuff or no stuff, you are good." Lisa gives another exasperated reaction shot.

The final variation of the gag occurs when Dave, after Lisa continues to refuse to accept what may be perceived as special treatment, decides to put the chair "out of its misery" with a katana (a prop from one of the other two plot lines of this episode). Before he can destroy the chair, he inadvertently cuts up other pieces of furniture with the very sharp katana and even causes the office lights to black out. In the pitch black darkness, Lisa exclaims in a nervous tone, "Dave, I need a new chair." The other characters provide the audible equivalents of reaction shots.

Joe: [Making fun of the situation with whooping] "The lights go down and the love talk starts."

Catherine: "I wish I had a sweet papa like that."

Dave: "Listen everyone, there is absolutely no favoritism at play here, all right?"

Lisa: "Dave, shut up."

Dave: "I am on your side."

Lisa: "I know. I just don’t think that the best time to bring it up is when you’re waving a huge sword around in a darkened room."

Catherine: "Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm."

What this gag demonstrates is the perfect marriage of visual and verbal comedy that typifies NewsRadio: fast-paced, brilliantly constructed with the variations and imaginative surprises that mark the very best of gags, visually economical, efficient, and elegant, with smooth transitions from one gag to the next.

(Continued)