Better Ensemble Cast: NewsRadio or Arrested Development
 

Two of the best comedies ever and both had near perfect casting (we'll forget both the Martin Short and Dennis Miller appearances). But which cast had the best chemistry together?

D

AD gets my vote.

Twikoff and the Gang has my vote...... Best Damn Show Period.....

I'm a fan of Newsradio, but I don't think the cast is as PERFECT as AD. Although, it could be interesting if more shows were in the running...Friends, Seinfeld anyone?

MATT

AD is a great show, but Newsradio is my favorite of all time, so I gotta go with that. The chemistry between Dave Foley and Phil Hartman was just incredible (Foley and Maura Tierney was great as well).

I'm shocked by the results so far. I love AD, but there just isn't any comparison here. Newsradio perfectly utilized the likes of Andy Dick, Phil Hartman, and Dave Foley. It introduced most of us to Stephen Root and Maura Tierney.

I think that cements Newsradio's victory here is the knowledge that they actually had Ray Romano cast for the show but had the confidence to get rid of him because he just wasn't right for the project. They grabbed a little known guy by the name of Joe Rogan to replace him, and he fit perfectly.

I will say this: if people are using the introduction of the Max character to vote against Newsradio, I can see their point. Max was such a different character that the dynamic of the show changed. The writers really didn't get the new dynamic down until near the end of season 5. I can't use that against the show, though -- it's clear that losing Phil was not something anybody was prepared for.

Honestly, comedies are so much about perfect casting that I think we could add a ton of shows here. Would Scrubs work without its great casting? I know My Name is Earl wouldn't work with Trace Adkins in the lead. Look at The Office (both versions).

C'mon, with a username like Jimmy James, was there ever any doubt who you would vote for? ;)

Was Trace Adkins up for the lead in MNIE or something?

Yeah, that's my understanding -- he was up for Earl.

NewsRadio had the "Fear Factor" guy.

Advantage: Arrested Development.


But damn, it's close. Very cruel question, Derrich.

I am not a fan of Rogan at all, but I could suffer him in Newsradio, since it was such a fantastic show. It also made great use of recurring guest star Lauren Graham as the "best friend" of Lisa, even though Lisa hated her. Great couple of episodes.

I'm torn. I love Newsradio, but there are so many more people in the AD cast that it ultimately wins out.

I mean it doesn't matter WHICH pairing is on screen in Arrested Development, there is just chemistry EVERYWHERE - much tougher to pull off.

Of course, I'm typing this while S3 of Newsradio plays in the background. :lol:

Well AD hasn't had to sink to getting News Radio cast members to boost it's ratings!



I give the nod to AD, but this was a tough question.

The winner is the one without the guy who hosts Fear Factor. Come on!

Arrested Development gets my vote but News Radio did kick ass.

I submit this works precisely the opposite way. If you put Rogan on any other show (as he has shown with The Man Show and Fear Factor), look at the results. They turned him into gold with perfect casting.

Well, in that case you leave me no recourse except to call my surprise witness:



The defense rests. ;)

I can see this is going to end up being who had the worst guest stars.

Arrested Development

Exhibit A: Martin Short
Exhibit B: Martin Mull

I don't think you can bring in Lovitz in a discussion like this. AD never had to deal with the loss of a talent like Hartman, and it isn't like the creative talent responsible for the series did anything to make that happen or encourage that loss.

But Lovitz was terrible casting. The show would have been better off not replacing Hartman at all.

People are bagging on "The Bullet" and Gene Parmesean? Heathens...

AD all the way, since there are a few NR cast members I don't really like (Khandi Alexander, Joe Rogan.)

There is no way they could have gotten by with not replacing Phil. That gives them 0 on air talent at a radio station. It would be like them killing of the Michael Bluth character and putting nobody in charge of the Bluth corporation.

Sports Night -ptth-

As much as I adore Maura Tierney (even more than Portia de Rossi), I gotta go with AD. The cast seems to work together much better than NR did. In fact, most of the NR scenes had the same characters paired up not unlike 'Seinfeld' or 'Friends', whereas AD allows larger and more varied groups to play off each other.

Most people seemed to hate the Andrea "Plan Bee" episodes, but I always put them forth as some of the best episodes of any TV series ever. So many great things happened during her time there. Super Karate Monkey Death Car is my favorite episode of all time, plus the one where Bill became the political singer, plus the Katherine Moves On episode (time for wild adventures on the big muddy!) showed how amazing that show was.

Yet, I also love Arrested Development. I really don't think I can decide. I might give the edge to NewsRadio, because it capitalized on everyone's comedic talents, whether it be Andy Dick's over the topness or Dave Foley's straight man with a diabolical tint, everything seemed to work.

However, Arrested Development's characters seem to work better as real people. Yes, they are over the top and crazy, but they're also believable.

In the end, it might come down to something simple... NewsRadio came first. I loved it first and it always treated me well, thus earning the edge.

Newsradio over AD.. I've seen AD a bunch of times, but I must have watched every episode of Newsradio atleast twice; their chemistry together was perfect. Everytime I even think about that suggestion box episode, I crack up. ;)

p.s.: I have a feeling AD will do a lot better than NR in this poll since NR went off the air so long ago and they hardly play any reruns anymore. AD is still fresh in our minds.