Russell Johnson (Channel -12 News)

*This article is about the fictionalized version of Russell Johnson appearing in Channel -12 News. For other uses of this name, see Russell Johnson (disambiguation).*

## Russell Johnson

### Portrayed by

Russell Johnson

**Russell Johnson** is a former news anchor, podcaster and one of the cast/crew of the news show *Channel -12 News*. He is the fictionalized version of Russell Johnson, who portrays him.

## Character Background

Like all cast members of *Channel -12 News*, it is unknown how Russell managed to land a position at the show. However, it is known that some time before the show's premiere, he attempted to kill Oliver Beckwith in order to take the role of anchor. After being seemingly successful, he was able to anchor the first episode of season 1, before Oliver's return in episode 2 where they fought to the death for the role, with Oliver coming out on top. Despite taking a bullet to the neck at point-blank range, Russell survived and continued to work on the show as normal, taking a role as video switcher. In addition to working on the show, Russell also hosts a podcast on the side, called *The Russell Johnson Experience*. Here, he interviews guests and discusses humorous topics. The podcast has a very casual tone, with Russell often derailing conversations and shilling sponsored products.

## Personality

As a member of *Channel -12 News*, Russell is shown to be somewhat of a slacker. In the "Meet the Crew" segment, he tells the camera that he is an extremely hard worker, but B-roll footage shows him asleep on the job, revealing his true lazy nature. This can also be seen in his podcast where he ignores his guests and simply speaks whatever is on his mind, being obviously unprepared for the show. When Russell does care about a project, he often takes it too far. Many of these situations involve harming others, suggesting Russell may have something of a sadistic nature. For example, when the crew decides to sabotage the other news show, while the other members pull harmless pranks such as disconnecting the studio wi-fi, Russell rigs Thomas Kucher's microphone to detonate a nuclear bomb, destroying the entire studio and surrounding area.

## Quotes

> "*Good morning Abbey Park, welcome to Channel -12 News. I'm your host, Russell Johnson, filling in for Oliver today. He sadly could not make it. I killed him.*" ― Russell opens the first season's first episode, revealing he killed Oliver Beckwith.
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> "*Ha! You wish! I've had my taste of stardom, and I'm not going back. You'll never be the anchor!*" ― Russell accepts Oliver's challenge to duel for the anchor role.
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> "*You ask too many questions!*" ― Russell silences Callum Armstrong after he questions why they are about to explore an abandoned school.
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> "*Hi, my name is Russell, and I'm a really hard-working individual if I do say so myself. I always get my work done on time, I'm always the most helpful in the group, and honestly all-in-all I just love working. It's my favourite.*" ― Russell introduces himself to the audience.
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> "*Have you seen that clip of the kid falling down the stairwell? Jailen pull that up!*" ― Russell derails his podcast by bringing up an off-topic video.
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> "*I ratio'd you! Ha ha ha ha!*" ― Russell reveals he has ratio'd Linus Ma.
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> "*Sorry I'm late!*" ― Russell runs toward the group, about to slash Linus with a battle axe.
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## Trivia

* Russell is the only character to have anchored a full episode of the show under special circumstances rather than being a full-time anchor.