Original title
Not Necessarily the News
Released
8/8/1983
Origin country
US
Genre
Comedy, News
Production companies
HBO, Moffitt-Lee Productions, Not the Network Company, Inc
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
8
Number of episodes
100
Not Necessarily the News is a satirical sketch comedy series that first aired on HBO in September 1982 as a comedy special, and then ran as a series from 1983 to 1990. It featured sketches, parody news items, commercial parodies, and humorous bits made from overdubbing or editing actual news footage. It was based on the British series, Not the Nine O'Clock News. Not Necessarily the News was also the birthplace of Rich Hall's sniglets.
The Newsroom is shut down and our newscasters must go elsewhere. However they do not do well and they become homeless. They are saved by a friendly man named Chester, who brings them into his home.
Living in the house of Chester, our team discovers he is an infamous murdere and call the police, but discover that they themselves are being arrested for being accomplices. They get a lawyer, and after 3 mistrials, they are set free, but are still homeless, and unemployed.
Are team, desperate for money, start a chalk selling buisness, after it fails, they try several other things before getting hired at a new station, WBBCC
The newsroom is visited by a Ronald Regan impersonater, he begins to wreak havoc and begin turning the staff against each other. They proceed to throw the Regan out, but they discover this fake Regan is the real thing.
Annabelle has a new love intrest, a quirky fellow named Theo. Meanwhile, A mystery guest has been called to the show, who is he? what will he do? The answer is: Its the Regan impersonator, and he has come to wreak havoc and break up Theo and Annabelle.
Rich and Michael go on a road trip to mexico where Rich is kidnapped and traded for beer. Meanwhile the crew is visited by a gay man. Also, Annabelle divises a plot to humiliate the Regan because of the loss of her boyfriend, Theo.
Staurt gets a new car, and so does Rich. They decide to have a deathrace. After Stuart wins, Rich gets depressed and checks himself into mental institution, leaving Stuart to get him out.
In this uncut original episode that HBO refused to air becuase of male nudity and slams at the U.N. {The ONLY time HBO has ever pulled an episode} Rich picks up up a hooker that turns out to be his long lost daughter
In this newly edited version, the comments {or slurs} against the United Nations and the male nudity scene are cut out. HBO also wanted the scene where a woman is penetrated by a mans fingers {i could be more specific, but this is a G-Rated site} edited down so you see only a bit of nudity.
Audrie gets two love intrests, Rob and Bob, who turn out to be brothers. Meanwhile, Rich has a try at boxing, and of course, fails miserably.
After Rich's father dies, he makes an ass of himself at the funeral. Eating candles and making love to a dog.
The Stuido is visted by an Arnold Swartzenger type character. Audire and Annabelle both fall in love with him, so does Rich, who questions his sexuality.
Rich joins a group club. Little does he know this club is the dreaded Klu Kulx Klan. Meanwhile Micheal tries to call a bet made by Stuart that he can make love to 3 women at once.
Rich gets plastic surgeary, but his doctors fear he has gotten cancer from the plastic. Meanwhile, Stuart and Melanie have a flashback of there mystery past.
In this Goof episode. A murderer terrorizes the studio and our newscasters must find the killer.
A band is hired to ""put some life"" into the studio. There music {heavy metal devil style} drives our team mad and there manager gets the hots for Audrie.
Rich gets a shotgun and acciedently shoots himself in the foot. With himself handicaped, he gets a telescope and sees a murder from his window. Ala ""Rear Widnow"".
A british filmaker comes to the studio and begins to seduce the female staff members. Rich swears to teach the British man a lesson.
Stuart and Michael buy a hooker together but fight over who gets who first. Meanwhile, Rich courts a young woman who is revealed to be the sister of Annabelle.
Micheal and Annabelle begin having a steady relationship, little does Micheal know, that Annabelle and Stuart are having a wild affair in this unuasally poined episode.
Rich is kicked in the groin and must spend 3 weeks in a hospital ward.
Rich is fired from the studio but regains his contract when he seduces the new female head of the studio.
A series of clips titled ""The Best of Not the News""
When the Regan fake dies, Annabelle goes to florida to visit her sister and Audire lives in her place, she has big parties and one of her guests turns out to be the son of the Regan.
Rich runs the New York marathon and wins. But is stripped of the title becuase of false rumors about steriod addiction. He must find out who framed him.
A foreign man gets a job in the studio, and as usual, he seduces the female members of the staff.
Rich goes on a hunt for the world's largest breasts. Searching London, Paris, and Los Angeles. Our newscasters follow him and chase the story.
Rich continues his search for the world largest breasts. Taking him to Hong Kong and Brazil. He finds that his co-star, Annabelle, is the winner of the contest.
While in Autrailia, Annabelle and Michael suffer romantic obsession and jealousy before Rich comes and ruins everything by gettting tangled up with the mob.
3 short stories 1} ""The Quickining"" It is shown to us what would happen if everything in life were sped up 90% 2} ""Robotican"" Rich gets a robotic arm and it begins to take controll of his life 3} ""Leprechan"" The Studio is visited by 3 Leprechans
Stuart's brother comes to the studio and falls in love with Annablle.
Our studio gets a very very speical visit from the pope himself.
Stuart and Rich institute an infamous studio fight club.
An hour long speical celerating the best moments of the show.
The entire staff is ordered to undergo a sexaholics class.
After Micheal leaves the studio, the team gets a new member, Melanie, a young colledge student.
Annabelle and Melanie fight over a man who, little known to them is an axe murderer.
A comedian comes to the stuido,and, once agian, seduces the female members of the staff.
Rich produces his own ""Girls gone wild"" movie. Traveling to greece to find out who's the wildest.
Rich's video takes him the the pacific northwest.
Rich goes on a quest to see if he can have sex with 100 women in 1 day.
In this phyco rift, Melanie holes up in an old hotel and is stalked by a mysteroius stranger.
In ""A Night of Elm Street"" spoof, our newscaster are haunted by a Freddy type madman.
Stuart writes a script but has a hard time getting it published.
The staff attends a film festival.
Audrie goes missing on christmas eve.
Rich's uncle dies and he drags all his co-workers to the funeral.
Shake off those winter doldrums with "the fastest and sometimes funniest half-hours on television.
When the crew visits Capitol Hill, Frosty Kimelman decides her name has been holding her back, so she goes through a succession of name changes. Also, Pat Robertson, Dr. Robert Schuller, Rev. Jerry Falwell, and Father Guido Sarducci square off; Jesse Helms discusses a crackdown on pornography; Nancy Reagan talks about stepdaughter Maureen; plus Ronald Reagan stands by for an interview with Bob Charles.
Sketches include: Surprise!, Murch's Fried Pieces, This Date in Comedy, Football Wrap-Up, Arm and Hammer Baking Soda & morning Sniglets.
The crew visits the red carpet to report on the 97th Annual Golden Calf Awards. Also, Dolly Parton and Madonna are interviewed, Helen St. Thomas visits Frankenstein's monster and The Wolf Man at a retirement home, Don King presents new sniglets, and former child star Jay North goes on a rampage.
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