# WKRP in Cincinnati (1978)

> A Cincinnati radio station's eccentric staff scrambles to adapt when it flips to top-40 rock.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/913

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 90
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Hugh Wilson
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Gary Sandy, Howard Hesseman, Tim Reid, Loni Anderson, Frank Bonner, Gordon Jump, Richard Sanders, Jan Smithers
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077097/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, witty, irreverent, warm, nostalgic

## What critics say

Viewers regard WKRP in Cincinnati as a warm, funny workplace sitcom with a memorable ensemble, though its seasons were uneven and its later years weaker than its early run.

## Synopsis

WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982) is a American workplace sitcom created by Hugh Wilson for CBS. Set in a fictional Cincinnati radio station in the late 1970s, the series follows programming director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) as he tries to steer a sedate easy-listening outlet into the top-40 rock format. The engine of the show is the clash between the station's aging, eccentric staff and that sudden change: burned-out veteran DJ Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman), newly hired DJ Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid), neurotic newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), sleazy salesman Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), and station manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump), whose domineering mother owns the station. Each episode is a self-contained sitcom built around a station problem, a promotion gone sideways, or a staff quarrel, with the ensemble's chemistry carrying the comedy. The series runs for four seasons and ninety episodes, its tone warm, breezy and gently absurd, with an affectionate view of the people who make radio work. Fans of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Newsradio and The Office will find a similar blend of ensemble eccentricity and workplace warmth.

## Shows like WKRP in Cincinnati

- [Alice (1976)](https://ember.film/tv/464)
- [The Bob Newhart Show (1972)](https://ember.film/tv/1866)
- [The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)](https://ember.film/tv/2816)
- [Schooled (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/70046)
- [NewsRadio (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/3775)
- [Sports Night (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/1894)
- [Less than Perfect (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/97)
- [The Steve Harvey Show (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/3904)
- [One Day at a Time (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/2078)
- [Taxi (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/2133)

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