Tear Jerker / NewsRadio

• "Bill Moves On." For the cast as well as the audience. To expand on: they had to keep re-shooting scenes because the cast members kept breaking down in tears they were so distraught at Phil Hartman's death.
  • Even in the final cut, it's quite apparent the actors are only just holding themselves together. Notably, Dave Foley struggled to finish reading Bill's in-character note to the cast, his voice breaking as he did so.
  • The way the episode ends is an odd example of a Tear Jerker being Played for Laughs. The characters gather around Bill's desk to eulogize him one last time and then disperse... before secretly coming back one by one to pilfer his office supplies. This culminates in Jimmy James coming in with a crew of movers to take Bill's desk. One of the movers points out the desk is not particularly nice and asking if he wouldn't prefer a newer one, an offer Jimmy quickly declines, saying this is the desk he wants. As the movers carry the desk out (with Jimmy sitting on top of it), all that is left is Bill's empty chair in the darkened news room, which the camera focuses on for a few silent seconds before fading to black.
• Though nowhere near as powerful as "Bill Moves On", the final episode has its share of tears shed. Jimmy James sells off the station and offers to relocate the staff to a new job. They all accept... except Dave, whose loyalty to the station causes him to stay behind and Matthew, who couldn't bear to see Dave left on his own.