WKRP in Cincinnati

1978
WKRP in Cincinnati

Seasons & Episodes

  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

EP1 An Explosive Affair (Part 1) Oct 07, 1981

After the station receives a bomb threat, Andy sends Johnny and Venus to broadcast from the transmitter tower while the station is being searched.

EP2 An Explosive Affair (Part 2) Oct 14, 1981

Andy is unable to warn Johnny and Venus when he realizes that the bomb is at the transmitter.

EP3 The Union Oct 21, 1981

The staff of WKRP considers joining a union. Mr. Carlson is furious and rushes to his mother for advice, while Andy tries to appear neutral in this labor-management conflict.

EP4 Rumors Oct 28, 1981

While his apartment is being fumigated, Johnny accepts Bailey's offer to stay at her place, causing everyone at the station to think that the two are sleeping together. Johnny's also afraid that he's in danger of losing his time slot to Rex, the afternoon DJ, and when Bailey tries to cheer him up, he mistakes her friendliness for a come-on.

EP5 Straight from the Heart Nov 04, 1981

Herb tells everyone that he's going on vacation, but Les and Jennifer discover that he's actually checked into the hospital for heart tests.

EP6 Who's on First? Nov 11, 1981

With Herb in the hospital, Mr. Carlson pretends he is Herb and is impersonated by Les for an advertising client.

EP7 Three Days of the Condo Nov 18, 1981

When Johnny receives $24,000 in a legal settlement, Venus convinces him to use the money to invest in a condominium at Gone With the Wind Estates.

EP8 Jennifer and the Will Dec 02, 1981

Colonel Buchanan, Jennifer's elderly gentleman friend, dies suddenly. As executrix of his will, Jennifer must deal with the press and with the Colonel's money-grubbing, rumor mongering relatives.

EP9 The Consultant Dec 30, 1981

Mama Carlson hires a professional radio consultant to evaluate WKRP. The man she's hired, Norris Breeze, is an old friend of Andy's who also runs a radio programming service. Andy soon realizes that Breeze intends to give the station a bad report unless it subscribes to the service.

EP10 Love, Exciting and New Jan 06, 1982

Andy starts taking Mama Carlson out after hours in the hopes of getting her to pay for a new transmitter for the station. But he begins to suspect that she might have more-than-businesslike expectations of him.

EP11 You Can't Go Out of Town Again Jan 13, 1982

Mr. Carlson goes with Carmen to a college reunion where he learns the disillusioning truth about how he and Carmen first met; Bailey is frustrated in her attempts to get a computer for billing; Venus can't get a moment alone in the booth with his latest date.

EP12 Pills Jan 20, 1982

Herb sells ad spots to a seller of ""diet pills""; after it turns out that the pills are a legalized way of selling speed to teenagers, it also turns out that the station can't legally get out of running the ads.

EP13 Changes Jan 27, 1982

When Venus learns that he's going to be interviewed by a militant black magazine, he adopts a new wardrobe and manner in order to seem more in touch with black culture. Meanwhile, Jennifer offers to change Herb's image, starting with picking out new, tasteful clothes for him.

EP14 Jennifer and Johnny's Charity Feb 03, 1982

When a fire destroys the kitchen at the Vine Street Mission, Johnny recruits Jennifer to help raise the $40,000 dollars to rebuild it. Jennifer throws a party for her rich friends and asks them to contribute, and everything is going fine until the contributors meet the people involved.

EP15 I'll Take Romance Feb 17, 1982

Herb fixes Les up with a date through his latest client, the I'll Take Romance Dating Service. Les hits it off with his date immediately, not knowing that the dating service is a front for prostitution.

EP16 Circumstantial Evidence Feb 24, 1982

Venus's latest date gives him an expensive diamond earring as a gift and then runs out on him; it turns out that she's a thief who has used the stolen earring to frame Venus as her accomplice.

EP17 Fire Mar 17, 1982

Herb and Jennifer are trapped in an elevator when a fire breaks out in the Flimm Building.

EP18 Dear Liar Mar 24, 1982

When Bailey writes a news story on the Northside Children's Clinic, Les steals it and reads it on the air. This turns out to be a blow to the station's integrity in more ways than one when Bailey admits that she fictionalized part of the story.

EP19 The Creation of Venus Mar 31, 1982

When Venus lets it slip that he was a schoolteacher before he came to WKRP, Andy has to tell Mama Carlson the truth about how he hired Gordon Sims as a DJ and how they came up with the persona of Venus Flytrap.

EP20 The Impossible Dream Apr 07, 1982

On his birthday, Les announces that he's going to New York to pursue his dream of becoming a world-famous broadcast journalist by auditioning for The CBS Evening News.

EP21 To Err is Human Apr 14, 1982

After Herb screws up an important advertising account, Mr. Carlson finally intends to fire him, but Jennifer takes pity on Herb and tries to help him keep his job.

EP22 Up and Down the Dial Apr 21, 1982

Just as WKRP hits #6 in the ratings, Mama Carlson announces that she plans to switch the format of the station to 24 hours a day of news.
8| 0h30m| TV-PG| en| More Info
Released: 18 September 1978 Ended
Producted By: MTM Enterprises
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

When a Cincinnati radio station switches from sedate music to top-40 rock 'n' roll, its staff of oddball characters is forced to switch gears quickly. New programming director Andy Travis brings in a new DJ named Venus Flytrap to work with the station's burned-out veteran, Dr. Johnny Fever. Neurotic newsman Les Nessman, eager beaver Bailey Quarters, sleazy salesman Herb Tarlek, blonde bombshell Jennifer Marlowe, who serves as the station's ultra-capable receptionist, and station manager Arthur Carlson, whose domineering mother owns WKRP, round out the eccentric bunch.

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Reviews

SnoopyStyle Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) runs the failing radio station owned by his feared overbearing mother. He hires young program director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) who promptly changes the format to Rock. This fun wacky group includes DJs Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid), clueless newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), sleazy ads salesman Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), shy Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers), and hot blonde Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) receptionist.They are a great group of lovable characters. That's the charm of this show. They had some of the funniest bits in TV history. Who else could come up with flying turkeys? The only disappointment is that it only lasted 4 seasons. It's a great part of my TV childhood.
sarahtobin This is the best TV show ever aired. The episodes are all so classic and memorable. The characters are perfect. They all seem to compliment each other. Herb, Les, Johnny, Bailey, Jennifer, Mr.Carlson, Andy, Venus. Whenever I watch them it feels like I am with family. I love this show. If you haven't seen it yet, go out and get it. It is great for the family. Here is a list of some of the best episodes. Pilot 1, Pilot 2, Turkey's Away, Fish Story, Preacher, Fire, Daydreams, Dr. Fever and Mr. Tide (1 and 2), Tornado, An Explosive Affair (1 and 2), A Simple Little Wedding, Baseball, Frog Story, And so many, many more... OVERALL RATING:11/10
grendelkhan WKRP was a brilliant show that attempted to carry on the early legacy of MASH; that is, to skillfully combine hilarious comedy with poignant drama. For the most part, it succeeded. Episodes shifted from pure comedy, like the Thanksgiving episode, to mostly drama, like "Who is Gordon Simms?" Other episodes combined both for excellent television.The premise of the show is built around a small, barely surviving radio station, "run" by Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson. Beautiful receptionist Jennifer Marlowe keeps the salesmen at bay, though none moreso than the station's own sales manager, the sartorially challenged Herb Tarlek. Newsman Les Nessman (5 time winner of the Buckeye Newshawk Award) brings the days events to listeners, in often bizarre and porcine heavy doses. Shy Bailey Quarters writes copy and assists where needed. Then there is burnt out DJ, Johnny Caravella, formerly known as Johnny Duke, Johnny Sunshine, Johnny Cool, Johnny Midnight, etc.. John found himself in this broken down station after uttering a forbidden word on the air on an LA station. Into this mess comes new Program Director Andy Travis, with definite ideas about how to fix things; change the format to rock 'n' roll. Accompanying Andy is Venus Flytrap, a cool new DJ who speaks of the stars to his children. With this new mix, chaos ensues, as the station slowly climbs out of the basement of radio.The cast are all brilliant and the mature scripts give everyone a focus over time. Gary Sandy and Howard Hessmen carry much of the show, with Gordon Jump, spinning in and out of things, brilliantly portraying the befuddled but caring Big Guy. Lonnie Anderson gets to deliver wisecracks and sage advice, but she also gets a few episodes to round out her character. Richard Sanders is unequaled as Les, the newsman who never seems to know what is going on, but that there is a Communist conspiracy at the heart of it. Frank Bonner carries of the ugly suits and slimy personality of Herb, but manages to humanize him and make you generally like him. Tim Reid gets to be both a wise voice and a participant in the madness. Reid had built a name in the stand-up circuit and proved equally brilliant here. Partner Tom Driessen gets to put in an appearance in the final season. Jan Smithers portrays Bailey as brilliant and beautiful, but painfully shy. Bailey slowly comes out of her shell as the series progresses. Bailey gets her moments, but is the more neglected member of the cast. Finally, Carol Bruce is wonderful as "Mama" Carlson, the Machiavellian owner of the station and the Big Guy's mother. Bruce is given a few tender moments to soften the hard edge, but she is a treasure as the terror of the station. The addition of Ian Wolfe as her butler, Hirsch, was a stroke of genius in the later days.WKRP is filled with laughs, but is tempered with a humanity and real issues, including: censorship, race, parenting, love, health scares, troubled marriages, alcoholism, abuse, honoring veterans, and many more. The show rarely struck a false note with these complex issues, allowing comedy and drama to arise naturally. They rarely presented easy solutions and strove to maintain a balance with controversial topics.WKRP is much missed and is a poster child for the problems of video releases. It is one of the most sought after shows, but one that is too expensive to release with the original music intact. The music was so integral to the show's plots and dialogue that substitution doesn't really work. The lone season 1 release is hollow, with edits made to cover the greatest omissions and comedy beats affected by music changes. Fans didn't support the release, so it is unlikely that further releases will launch. It's a shame, as this series really stands above its contemporaries.
peejhunt I wouldn't say that it was a religious experience, but it was a series that planted the seeds of my future. Today, I work in Radio, in part because I wanted to be Dr. Johnny Fever. I loved the way the characters worked together and played off of each other. It was a rare series.Even today, I would like to program a station like Andy Travis, do mornings like Fever, write like Bailey, and sell like... OK, I still don't want to be like Herb. Shows like WKRP and News Radio have one thing in common, They were both written by people who know what real radio is like. I think its that touch of reality that made WKRP so memorable to me.