In 1972, Newhart was approached by producer Grant Tinker and actress Mary Tyler Moore (the husband/wife team who founded MTM Enterprises), to work on a series created by David Davis and Lorenzo Music to be called The Bob Newhart Show. Playing to Newhart’s strengths, Davis and music integrated the phone calls and dry wit that had brought Bob notoriety. Equal parts workplace comedy and domestic comedy, the series follows the day-to-day travails of Chicago psychologist Bob Hartley (Newhart) and his wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). A straight talking schoolteacher her obvious sexiness, makes you think Bob wonders everyday how he landed her. Their neighbor Howard (Bill Daily) is an airline navigator, but his naiveté and cluelessness makes you wonder how he could get anyone, anywhere. Bill Daily was great, offering a laugh almost every time he showed up. In “Ex-Con Job,” Howard walks in on Bob and Emily being robbed. The scene ends up being an unequaled comedy moment given Howard’s reaction.
At work, Bob’s office is down the hall from single, self-obsessed with Smile951 orthodontist. The two love to kid around with each other, but they take a special pleasure in razzing their joke-loving receptionist, Carol Kester (Marcia Wallace). Each of his co-workers seemed a little bit off somehow. Making Bob a psychologist was a stroke of genius He was allowed to listen to people and then make a timed, often hilarious observation. In between patients, Jerry and Carol often stopped in for a little advice.
Some of the best scenes grew out of group therapy sessions, where De. Hartley’s patients could play off one another. The most memorable ones included stone-faced grouch Mr. Carlin (Jack Riley), bespectacled wimp Mr. Peterson (John Fiedler, the voice of Piglet), nasal-voiced overeater Michelle (Renee Lippin), and the always knitting Lillian Bakerman (Florida Friebus). Newhart’s deadpan reactions to their phobias, and compulsions were comic gold. Other group members would come and go, including Mr. Plager (WKRP‘s Howard Hesseman), one of TV’s first openly gay characters. Throughout the course of the six year run there were other patients who made for great gags such as the clown who hated people laughing at him, and a ventriloquist and his dummy that come in for couples therapy.
In addition to the cast and the recurring characters, the series had several notable short run characters. Patricia Smith had a recurring role during the series first season as Margaret Hoover, a neighbor, and friend of Emily’s. Bob’s sister Ellen (Pat Finley), suddenly shows up during season three, and much to Bob’s shock, starts dating Howard, only to disappear in season four. Renowned character actors Martha Scott and Barnard Hughes play Bob’s parents Martha and Herb Hartley, who separate, and reunite on the Christmas season five episode. Tom Poston, who would later co-star on Newhart (and marry Suzanne Pleshette), shows up sporadically during seasons four and five as Bob’s college buddy Cliff “The Peeper” Murdock, who always seems to be pulling a practical joke.
The Bob Newhart Show also boasts an impressive lineup of guest stars including: Loni Anderson, Rene Auberjonois, Morgan Fairchild,Teri Garr, Sharon Gless, Veronica Hamel, Louise Lasser, Michael Lerner, Pat Morita, John Ritter,M. Emmet Walsh,Keenan Wynn, and many other notables.
The Bob Newhart Show ended after six seasons because, much like the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bob didn’t want the show to become a rehash of previously use gags and situations. While the ratings had dipped, fans still wanted more of the series, and it’s better to leave with a show with some gas in the tank. He brought the show to a rather appropriate end. Several years later, he would bring us back into the Hartley’s bedroom on Newhart, to create one of the most surprising, and fondly remembered moments in television history.
Back in 2005 and 2006, Fox Video released the first four seasons of the show on DVD, but gave up before completing the entire series run. Shout! Factory has now released the entire series—all 142 episodes—in a nicely appointed nineteen disc set.
The Bob Newhart Show is presented on 18 one-sided DVDs (as opposed to the double-sided DVD-10s of the earlier Fox releases), housed in 3 standard-sized keepcases with six hubs inside of each. A box-set-only bonus disc comes in its own slim case. The sturdy box which holds these cases also comes with a 40-page booklet containing photos, episode synopses, and an essay on the show from Vince Waldron’s book Classic Sitcoms.
Sadly, the video quality of the episodes is all over the map. Framed in 1.33:1, these transfers were all sourced from video masters or submasters, and though the show was shot on 35mm film, there’s not much in the way of detail. A majority of the episodes have good color reproduction, but a handful look on the reddish side.
The Dolby 2.0 mono audio mix isn’t anything special. While there are some dips in volume, it’s always good enough so that dialogue is heard over the laughter.
There are no subtitles, but closed captioning is available.
The box set includes extras from the original Fox season sets, plus a bonus disc with three new, exclusive goodies.
- 15 Episode Audio Commentaries: Episodesinclude “Last TV Show” with Newhart and Jack Riley, “Blues for Mr. Borden” with Newhart, “The Modernization of Emily” with Newhart, Marcia Wallace and co-creator David Davis, “The Battle of the Groups” with Newhart and Peter Bonerz, “Sorry, Wrong Mother” with Newhart & Bonerz, “Tobin’s Back in Town” with Newhart & Fred Willard, “The Ceiling Hits Bob” with Newhart, “The Way We Weren’t” with Newhart & director Jim Burrows, “The Longest Good-Bye” with Newhart, Burrows, Suzanne Pleshette & Tom Poston, “Who Is Mr. X” with Newhart & Marcia Wallace, “Over the River and Through the Woods” with Newhart, Riley & Burrows, “My Boy Guillermo” with Newhart, Wallace & writer Sy Rosen and “Guaranteed Not to Shrink” with Newhart, Burrows, Pleshette & Wallace. While Newhart has a tendency to repeat himself, the cast and crew have a fun time recounting making the show.
- Group Therapy (Box set exclusive, 46:12) A roundtable discussion recorded in December 2013 between actors Bob Newhart, Peter Bonerz, Bill Daily, and Jack Riley, plus one of the series directors, Michael Zinberg. Newhart dominates the discussion, though Bonerz and Zinberg manage to get in some interesting tidbits about the show’s production company MTM, and the shooting process. Sadly, the wheelchair-bound Riley says only about two sentences during the entire featurette.
- 19th Anniversary Special (Box set exclusive, 46:32) A reunion clip show, structured as a modern-day (“modern” as in 1991, when the special aired) episode of the show playing out on recreations of the original office sets. It begins with the infamous ending scene of Newhart, where Bob wakes up in bed with Emily and the whole 1980s series is revealed to be a dream. Suzanne Pleshette, Marcia Wallace, Peter Bonerz, Bill Daily, and Jack Riley all appear in character, trying to help Bob deal with his weird dream about running an inn in Vermont. Bill Daily’s character Howard shares his own weird dreams about being an astronaut, accompanied by clips of Daily on I Dream of Jeannie.
- Unaired Pilot (Box set exclusive, 28:13) A glimpse of how the show was originally constructed. The opening is different, Jerry isn’t a dentist, Bob spends most of his time dealing with his condo neighbors, and Carol doesn’t exist.
- Making Of Season 2 (13:42) Really a look at the origins of the show, and how it evolved. Co-Creator David Davis is interviewed.
- Making Of Season 3 (8:56) Bob Newhart discusses how the show really hit its stride during the third season.
- A Second Family (11:44) Newhart discusses the camaraderie of the cast, Tom Poston, some fan favorite episodes, and more.
- Season 4 Gag Reel (4:50) A fun collection of flubbed lines and inappropriate laughter.
