Shark Bytes

This is a prime example of the phrase "leave well enough alone" considering this revival jumped from the first episode in 1991

A first in live radio: WKRP broadcast a chess match! Definately a far cry from flying (or non-flying) turkeys. Les Nessman did the play-by-play and another staffer did color. I think she co-hosted the morning show. She had a British accent and she was wearing a suit and a tie (and I think it was one of those "elastic band" ties because when she adjusted it, the tie just stretched).

No Dr. Johnny Fever. Enough said!

Sorry, an original cannot be duplicated. I agree with the contributor who said that by 1991 AM radio had changed. Keeping Les Nessman was a good move (AM radio stations seem to keep their reactionary commentators) but this show also featured Tawny Kitaen. 'Nuff said there. Also, bringing back Venus as an BET exec was good but a little unreal.

How could they even think of reviving this show without the four best characters (Johnny, Venus, Bailey, and Andy)? That's the TV equivalent of Pete Best hiring three session musicians and touring as The Beatles, although I do have to admit that the last episode (the sitcom-within-a-sitcom) *was* pretty hysterical.

Jumped the shark at about episode three (okay, episode two). It wasn't the new cast (who were soon replaced by an even newer one). It was the new writers. The cast was talented enough, maybe even potentially hilarious...but you couldn't expect them to generate many laughs with the substandard scripts they seemed to get. I'd still like to see a third attempt, this time with proper scripting. Ah, well...re-runs of the classic original program live on. (These, mind you, are often somewhat edited to make room for today's more commercial-filled timeslots.)

In response to the person who posted that they made a continuity error when Herb was seen taking a drink when it had been established on the old series that he was an alcoholic - it was no error. Herb realized he was on the "New" WKRP and he relapsed. That would cause anybody to resume drinking. This show suffers from "AfterMASH" syndrome...take the three weakest characters and let them continue on. But even so, "AfterMASH" at least put the characters in a new setting. For the "New" WKRP, they just dusted off the old sets and carried on like it was business as usual. Kind of like hearing one of your favorite old bands is playing a club near you, going to see them and finding out that there's only one or two of the original members...and not the key ones, either.

The show did manage to produce one of the funniest scenes in tv though. Herb used a real credit card to break into Les' "office". That was funny enough, but when he actually opened the door, an alarm went off.

The New WKRP was a bomb from day one. The biggest mistake IMO was that they didn't (or wouldn't) persuade Gary Sandy to reprise his role as Andy Travis. Straight man Andy was the linchpin of the original show. The one sane guy surrounded by various loonies. The updated WKRP was poorly cast with only occasional guest appearances by original cast members Howard Hesseman, Tim Reid, and Loni Anderson. Most of these guest appearances were disappointments as another poster has mentioned. Original cast members Gordon Jump, Frank Bonner, and Richard Sanders tried their best but were unable to overcome their mediocre material.

Since WKRP's concept didn't lend itself to a one-shot reunion movie, creating this series was the only option, no matter how doomed and misguided. The first season was a downright embarrassment, so by the time they started fixing things in the second it was too late. Getting rid of that insipid morning crew was a no-brainer while the addition of French Stewart's Razor D gave the show its sole unique and worthwhile creation. His defense of Ice-T's "Cop Killer" on free speech grounds harked back to an original WKRP episode about religious-based censorship and provided the new show with its only good episode. Guest spots by Johnny Fever were almost as good but the return of Venus Flytrap disappointed and Jennifer's visit was yet another Burt Reynolds-related disaster. The finale, where "reality" gets turned into a sitcom was done earlier on the Andy Griffith Show and later copied on Married With Children and, most famously, Seinfeld. Only the most ardent WKRP completist needs to watch this travesty.

Never jumped, because I don't think anyone expected this show to be as good as the orginal. How could it be? On it's own terms, though, it was pretty good. It was only logical that Herb, Les and the big guy were the only ones still around. Carlson's mother owned the station. And who else would hire such incompetents? They all knew they would be safe working there. Although frankly, I always thought that when Phil Hartman died, Les would have been a perfect replacement for Bill. After all, he WAS a newsman. Imagine Dave having to contend with Les' hog fram reports! Especially in the big city! It would have been a great fish out of water premise. Anyway, the plots of the new WKRP were at least creative. The show still entertained. The big flaw was that, outside of the three original members, the rest of the cast just didn't jell together. You never got the impression that everyone really dug each other, albeit begrudgingly, the way you did with the original cast of characters. Although I did think Gary Saunders replacement-can never remember that actors name-did convey the same sort of low key hipness and warmth as the station manager. The creators realized that, as in the original, there had to have been a voice of reason in the group. Les, Herb and the big guy were like friends to us, and it was nice to see them again on a regular basis. I always wondered, though, did the creators ask all of the originals to return, and only three accepted? (although I know others made guest appearances). As to those who said that none of the major networks would have touched this-given the fact that the original was bounced around with no rhyme or reason when in primetime, isn't it just as well that the New WKRP ended up in syndication? If CBS had had the brains to put the original WKRP behind MASH and kept it there, the show could have easily run another two years. But don't let me get started on that one.

This hideous attempt at a reunion was so sad. The political correctness made me want to cry. Didn't they see that the "old" show was the politically correct one cause it took all the stereotypes of the time and twisted them right back in our faces. Jennifer=dumb blonde=not. Bailey=womans lib=really innocent and naive. Venus=the "token" black=savvy stock trader and and no ones fool. Same bug hit Captain Kangaroo.

A nice try, but the revived series was just a pale imitation of the original. One episode, when Venus Flytrap stopped by the station to visit, came close to capturing zany spirit of the original series. But otherwise, even occasional appearances by Howard Hesseman and Loni Anderson couldn't raise this out of the doldrums.

As reunion shows go, I didn't think the new WKRP was too bad. I especially like the beginning of the very first show when Mr. Carlson is apparently talking to the camera about the latest goings on at the station and they pull back and reveal that he's being arrested. There was, however, one episode where they slipped up. I don't remember the plot of the episode, but I remember one scene where Herb Tarlek is seen having a drink. They had already established in the original series that he was an alcoholic, and that everyone else at the station knew it, including Les and Mr. Carlson.

Without much of the original cast, writers or Hugh Wilson, this retread was doomed from the start. I once spoke to Gordon Jump about the "New" series and he agreed it was a major disappointment.The only high point, for me, was the final episode, in which the WKRP staff went to Hollywood to see the taping of a sitcom based on WKRP! This show-within-a-show was cast with alternate versions of the "real" WKRP cast; for instance, MASH's William Christopher was "Les", THREE'S COMPANY Richard Kline was "Herb", etc...The best touch was that French Stewart, in heavy make-up, was to play the "Johhny Fever" role -- this was apparently a commentary on the fact that Stewart had already played "Razor D" in the show, an obviious and unsuccessful attempt to recreate the Fever character for a new audience. The final episode ended on a nice note, with Howard Hesseman, as the real Johnny Fever, walking off into the foggy night.