Newhart (1982-1990)

Are there any Newhart fans in these forums? I am only familiar with the 80s sitcom, and haven't had a chance to watch any of Bob Newhart's other TV productions.

Until very recently, I had never even seen an episode of this sitcom - that changed when I saw that the series was available on Prime Video and decided to give it a shot, figuring at most I would watch the first season and nothing more.

But I've really enjoyed the series so far, and I am already more than halfway into the 3rd season. Despite not having watched it before, I always get a huge sense of nostalgia just from knowing something is from an earlier decade - and this sitcom is very much a product of the 80s and reflects its changing sensibilities.

If I have enough time, I hope to make it all the way through the series until the last episode (don't worry, I've already read spoilers) and hope I continue to enjoy it as much as I have so far.

Oh yes, I'm pretty sure I've watched every episode of both The Bob Newhart Show ('72-'78), and then Newhart ('82-'90).

Of the two series I fairly preferred the '72-'78 show where Bob played the psychiatrist. I think Newhart shined a little more in that series. My favorite character besides Bob was the secretary, Carol (Marcia Wallace). I never warmed up to the dentist, Jerry (Peter Bonerz). Their next door neighbor, the pilot Howard (Bill Daily) eventually got too over the top. I loved Susan Pleshette as Bob's wife, ever since she was in Hitchcock's The Birds (1963).

The second series was very good, although it seemed to have a few more weak shows than did the prior series. I'd been a fan of Tom Poston's ever since he was such a riot on the old Steve Allen show. I liked Larry and his brothers Darryl. And yes, the final episode was a masterstroke.

When I finish watching this one, I may still be inclined to give The Bob Newhart Show a try.

I'm watching this now on Amazon. I'm on Season 7. I'm a fan of Bob Newhart, so I've also seen "The Bob Newhart" show, where he plays a psychologist, and I strongly prefer that earlier show to this one, but I enjoy both. Also, for those that don't know, the series finale of "Newhart" has one of the most famous final episodes in TV history, and it is also quite a creative and innovative way to end the show. I haven't seen it yet, but, like many, I know how it ends.

Comparing the two shows, "The Bob Newhart Show" is, I think, a little more grounded. Some of the stories, especially in the later seasons, of "Newhart", where he owns an inn, are a little zany and kind of out there, where they took the concept a little too far. Also, in "Newhart", Bob plays a little more of an ornery, kind of angry character at times, who has quite a short temper, while Bob is nicer and more relatable. Although I like the woman who plays his wife in "Newhart", I prefer Suzanne Pleschette in "The Bob Newhart Show", and I think overall, the earlier show has better casting, stories and writing. I also quickly grew tired of Larry, Darryl and Darryl introducing themselves every time they appear, because they are often talking to characters they already know. I've never seen anyone do that, and I don't understand why the decision to do that was made. Both shows are enjoyable and worth watching if you are a fan of Bob Newhart. "Newhart" also has one of the better musical theme songs playing before the title credits that I've heard. For those that are watching this on Amazon, there are quite a few episodes that are missing, including, I think, the final episode of the show. I'm not quite sure why, but suspect it may be due to licensing constraints. Another interesting aspect to "Newhart" is that the first couple seasons are very different in tone to the majority of the run of the show. This is because Bob Newhart made very significant changes to the cast which were made because he felt the show was not working as well as it could in the earlier easons. Also, somewhat surprisingly, although both roles seem highly tailored to his brand of comedy, Bob Newhart was not a creator or writer of either show, and is merely credited as an actor. This is quite different than some other shows, like "Seinfeld", where the main star, who is a comedian, is also a creator or co-creator of the entire show. Would love to hear others thoughts on both the Newhart shows.

I'm almost finished with Season 3, I like the new cast they had starting with this season much better than the cast of seasons 1-2.

Yup, Season Three is when "Newhart" really hit their stride.

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The guy who was always lying was... a bit annoying. He would have been fine as a guest for a couple of shows, but his act wore out after two seasons as a regular. Maybe it was for the best he was written out.

Yes, Bob Newhart decided that there wasn't enough comedic potential with Kurt, the guy who was a pathological liar. I think the show really grew into what it would later become in Season 3, when Stephanie really became a larger focus of the show, but that's kind of one of the problems that I have with this show compared to "The Bob Newhart Show". The star and best character of that show is Bob Newhart, while the breakout star of "Newhart" is the woman who played Stephanie, Julia Duffy. She impacts the tone of the show more than Bob does.

I love that they got José Ferrer to play Stephanie's dad

I loved his first sitcom where he played Dr. Robert Hartley, but, for some reason, could never get into this show.

Watched both in their entirety and preferred the original. Newhart was them trying to recapture what made the first one so successful. And succeeding for the most part since it was Bob Newhart everyone loved. But as passable as the second one was it couldn't hold a candle to the original. That Newhart ending was inspired though. One of the better closing moments in sitcom history.

I like both. I think both are good, but I strongly prefer the first show, and I understand why some who liked it didn't like "Newhart". "The Bob Newhart" Show had a more compelling storyline. Running the inn, being a TV host of a show few people watch, being a writer of how-to books, it's just not as compelling of a story to build a show around in "Newhart", and the Newhart character, Dick Loudon, is sillier and angrier. For "The Bob Newhart" show, I can't really see anyone else playing psychologist Robert Hartley, but I think others could have played Dick Loudon. I think the earlier show was a better fit for his style than the later one was. While both are recognizably Bob Newhart, it's a different kind of humor.

I just finished the series! The last few moments is classic of television history and I thought it was creative and it would have been wonderfully surprising, if I didn't already know about that scene, but I didn't really like the last episode. It kind of reinforced what I didn't like about this series. It became increasingly over the top and absurdist in its humor and overly quirky to the point of not being very believable. The last two seasons in particular were very much in this vein and it lost some of the appeal from earlier seasons for me. Since I'm not that familiar with this era of TV history, I'm wondering, for those that are, why did the show grow to become this way? Was the show trying to follow a trend of this kind that was common in this era? Were there other shows that exhibited these characteristics that they were trying to align themselves with to increase viewership? Were the tastes of viewers more in this direction at that time than they were when the original show, "The Bob Newhart Show", was made?

I finished Season 3, really enjoying it so far

Really wish I had finished the whole series before he died.