The Character Died with Him: Phil Hartman/Bill McNeal. As coincidence would have it, Hartman's final episode concluded with everyone but Dave surviving the Titanic episode. In the tribute episode to Hartman, however, it's stated that Bill merely died of a heart attack. While a great gesture by the cast and crew, the somber tone of Bill's death didn't ring true for a show as ironic and cynical as this one; particularly since most the mourners would have (in-universe, at least) been jubilant over Bill's demise.
It's highly debatable of course, but this could be considered a fitting reaction if the Hidden Depths displayed in "Bitch Session" are taken into account: The entire staff mocks Dave behind his back and turn on him completely when they find out he was spying on them. But when Jimmy tells the staff he'll make it right by firing Dave, they all abandon their grievances and stand up for him. Joe explains that in-fighting doesn't mean anything by comparing it to something insanely violent his brother did to him, saying, "It doesn't mean he didn't love me." When being called out for showing compassion and sincerity, Bill himself says, "Those dimensions are there, they're just unexplored."
The Danza: Dave Foley/Nelson & Joe Rogan/Garelli. Phil Hartman's character was named Bill purely to avert this trope.
Also notable is the episode "Chock", in which David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, and Brian Posehn show up playing characters named David, Bob, and Brian, respectively.
Network head Warren Littlefield actually admits this was a mistake on a DVD commentary.
Shrug of God: The writers admit that even they aren't sure how Bill's last name is supposed to be spelled (McNeal vs McNeil). Reportedly, both versions found their way into scripts depending on who wrote that particular episode.
Writer Revolt: NewsRadio was the king of this trope. The writers intensely disliked the story directives NBC would impose on them and would protest by subverting those demands in some way. For instance, they were told to add a Will They or Won't They? plot to the show. The answer was "yes", in episode two. Later they were told to do a funeral story as part of a cross-series promotional gimmick. They created an episode about the death of a rat.
