Customer Reviews

Newsradio: The Complete Series (Slim Packaging)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I loved newsradio and was over joyed to see a complete set was being produced. Now however, I wish I had collected newsradio season by season as I did with M*A*S*H and other great shows. The all in one package basically took all the disks from the five season packages and put them in a stack, one on top of the other, without so much as a piece of film between them. I was forced to acquire a CD book to hold the disc to make them easier to access and prevent scratching. I would suggest you be prepared to do like wise.
There is also no guide book only an episode list on the box. Even for someone like myself who knows all of episodes by heart this is a problem. I know the episodes as the Lisa-Dave brake up episode, or the bill shocks himself episode not "Led Zeppelin II". Someone who has only seen each episode a few times will probable be completely lost.
Do yourself a favor, buy each seasons individually. The price is about the same (if you don't buy the fifth season and who needs it. I mean we all know the show was not the same after Phil Hartman died.) and you will get better cases, better guides and great show. Who could ask for more.

This is a review of the packaging, not the series. The entertainment industry weenies continue to see how little value they can give you for the highest possible price. Unfortunately, packaging is the one (the others are double sided disks that get scratched no matter how carful you are and compressing the show, to squeeze more on each disk, reducing the quality). This time they hit a new... all time low! When you open the box you will find a paper thin plastic "space filler" shrink wrapped (so thin, the wrap bends it all out of shape) with a piece of cardboard on a spindle. Pry the cardboard up and you will find all 12 disks stacked on top of each other. That's it. I really can't explain how cheap this was done. I've thrown away packing materials that were far superior. I'm sure they would respond that " they want to keep the price down so we can afford to buy it". Since I can buy a thin jewel case retail for about 10 cents, we are talking pennies at the manufacturing level...not wholesale - that cost could realistic be 1 cent. I'd pay 12 cents more to protect my $47 investment.

Bottom line, good series, but if you buy this be prepared to provide your own cases to protect the dvds.

I am a big fan of the show. I was pleased to get the boxed set. I was however disappponted to see how poorly packaged it was.
Unlike most boxed sets, with each disc packaged separately
, the set comes in a stacked container..definitely not the best for
repeated handling. Cost cutting at its best.

I read how bad the packaging was on this product, and though it is not the usual packing and is not what I will use permanently, I don't use the other permanently either. The packing does its job until I can get it into something better. The show itself is hilarious. The only problem I see is that the picture itself is grainy. I am not sure if this is due to compression or if it was the quality of the original.

None the less, I enjoy watching the shows.

Watching these DVDs, I remember why I love this show so much: it's funny, and it's dense. Most sitcoms have an A story and a B story. NewsRadio has half the alphabet in each episode, there's always tons of different stuff going on, unlike in many other shows where the stories are drawn out, sometimes to good effect but usually not so much.

Also, all the characters have all kinds of weird running gag quirks, such as Dave's babyface and matching stature, Lisa's math capabilities and growing up without watching TV, Matthew's insane admiration of Bill and so on.

Yes, the packaging is fairly cheap but it gets the job done.

One thing: I'm not completely sure, but it looks like these might be syndication shows, clocking in at 21:50 per episode in the fourth season. In the 4th season episode where Bill interviews Jon Lovitz hanging from the side of the building I remember Joe falling/jumping out of the window (to Dave's dismay) to join them, but this didn't happen. However, this might have happened in a different episode although I can't remember another one with people hanging from the side of the building.

I can't complain enough about this ridiculous packaging. All 12 discs are stacked on top of one another on a flimsy plastic spindle. The box itself is very thin cardboard as well. I guess you get what you pay for.

I purchased this box set ignoring the warnings of how these discs were being shipped, ie. stacked on top of each other with no protection between to prevent scratches and nicks? I thought for sure that had to be a mistake... but it was true! All 12 of these discs came just that way... but to my surprise and delight, not one episode was pixilated or stuck or frozen during play! Not one! They all played just fine and I was laughing so hard. I'd forgotten just how incredibly funny this series was, despite the foolishness of Andy Dick. Phil Hartman, Dave Foley and Stephen Root were priceless. Vicky Lewis and Joe Rogan were allowed to grow into their parts and amply filled the absence of Hartman following his untimely death. And they were of course joined in that effort by Saturday Night alumnis, Jon Lovitz. This show was a truly irreverant piece of work... a true gem! - and to protect them I replaced their packaging with a couple of 6-disc cases... which I also recommend to protect this series!

This show was under the radar in terms of everything, in my opinion. When you talk about Newsradio, people remember it, but they don't remember watching it. The series was cancelled after Phil Hartman died and Jon Lovitz stepped in.

The series was great and had it's moments, but this DVD package is utterly horrible. This is a review of the DVD, not just the show, which is why I had to give it such a low rating. This is a product review and the packaging for this product stinks.

The dvd case is the type of plastic the halloween masks are made out of and the dvd are piled ontop of one another like a blank DVD case pack. Prone to easy scratches and difficult to get to the certain disc you want. Why the hell they couldn't put together a normal DVD package is beyond me.

The show was good, but this DVD package is more ghetto than the streets.

Be warned.

I purchased the boxed set about a week ago. Thirty dollars for all five seasons is a great deal. Personally I have collected the individual seasons as well, but I lost two disks from the fifth season and one from the first. Instead of buying both seasons again, I figured I would buy the boxed set, and I couldn't have asked for a better deal. Sure the packaging is sub-par, but if you are really set on having an individual container for each disk, then you should purchase each season separately. It's just as easy to buy a CD case to prevent scratching and easy viewing.

The other reviews are right... TERRIBLE PACKAGING! The DVDs are just stacked on top of each other on a spindle. No paper separators, nothing to keep the discs from scratching, and you have to pull out all the DVDs above the one you want to get to. Pathetic. But, a brilliantly done show.