Ep 9. Stocks

The third season of NewsRadio was filled with hilarious episodes featuring the wacky staff of WNYX, a New York radio station. In episode nine, titled "Stocks," the employees of the station find themselves investing in the stock market.

The episode begins with Dave Nelson (played by Dave Foley), the station's news director, giving a speech about the importance of businesses and the stock market. Inspired by his words, the rest of the staff decides to invest their money in stocks. Beth (Vicki Lewis) invests her savings in a company that makes wallets; Joe (Joe Rogan) decides to put his money into a tech start-up that promises to change the world; Matthew (Andy Dick) buys shares in a funeral home, thinking it's a surefire investment.

All seems to be going well until Lisa (Maura Tierney), the station's savvy financial expert, tells them that their stocks are plummeting. Suddenly, everyone starts freaking out, with Beth in tears over the fate of her wallet company, while Joe is convinced he's lost everything. Matthew, on the other hand, is thrilled that his funeral home stock has gone up, not realizing how morbid that sounds to everyone else.

Things only get more chaotic when Dave announces that the station's owner, Jimmy James (Stephen Root), will be calling in with his own investment advice. But when Jimmy finally speaks, it turns out he's been passed out drunk in his office, oblivious to the stock market frenzy.

The rest of the episode sees the WNYX employees scrambling to save their investments, even going so far as to hold a fundraiser for Beth's wallet company. But as they soon discover, the stock market is a fickle and unpredictable beast. In the end, they all learn a valuable lesson about the fleeting nature of wealth.

"Stocks" is a classic episode of NewsRadio, showcasing the sharp wit and absurd humor that made the show so beloved during its run in the late '90s. The cast is firing on all cylinders, with each character given plenty of hilarious moments to shine. From Beth's emotional breakdowns to Matthew's clueless optimism, there's never a dull moment.

It's also a surprisingly relatable episode, touching on the anxieties and uncertainties that come with investing in something as unpredictable as the stock market. Even if you've never bought a share of stock in your life, you can't help but empathize with the WNYX staff as they watch their investments go up in smoke.

Overall, "Stocks" is a must-watch episode of NewsRadio, highlighting everything that made the show so memorable. With its clever writing, pitch-perfect performances, and incisive humor, it's an episode that will leave you laughing long after the credits roll.