On the Air (TV series)

On the Air
GenreSitcom
Surreal humour
Absurdism
Created by
Starring
Theme music composerAngelo Badalamenti
ComposerAngelo Badalamenti
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7 (4 unaired in US)
Production
Executive producers
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companyLynch/Frost Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJune 20 (1992-06-20) 
July 4, 1992 (1992-07-04)

On the Air is an American television sitcom created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It was broadcast from June 20 to July 4, 1992 on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The series follows the staff of a fictional 1950s television network, Zoblotnick Broadcasting Company (ZBC), as they produce a live variety show called The Lester Guy Show, often with disastrous results. On the Air was produced by Lynch/Frost Productions and followed Lynch and Frost's previous series, Twin Peaks. A total of seven episodes were produced; only three were aired on ABC, though the full run were broadcast in the United Kingdom and other European countries.

The series stars Ian Buchanan, Marla Rubinoff, Nancye Ferguson, Miguel Ferrer, Gary Grossman, Mel Johnson Jr., Marvin Kaplan, David L. Lander, Kim McGuire and Tracey Walter. David Lynch directed the pilot, while the remaining episodes were directed by others, including Lesli Linka Glatter and Jonathan Sanger, who had both previously directed episodes of Twin Peaks.

Discussing the show, Lynch said that "absurdity is what I like most in life, and there's humor in struggling in ignorance. If you saw a man repeatedly running into a wall until he was a bloody pulp, after a while it would make you laugh because it becomes absurd. But I don't just find humor in unhappiness – I find it extremely heroic the way people forge on despite the despair they often feel."