THE PLOT THUS FAR
Dr. Hartley will see you now…and you will see Dr. Hartley in The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Series.
This sitcom classic stars the incomparable Bob Newhart as Dr. Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist who finds himself surrounded by some unusual and neurotic characters on the job, as well as at home! Hartley faces an uphill battle to not lose patience with his patients, but with the support of his quick-witted wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette), you can count on him to conduct a healthy session of laugh therapy in all 142 episodes of The Bob Newhart Show. An outstanding supporting cast is on call to back up Newhart and Pleshette, including Bill Daily (I Dream of Jeannie), Peter Bonerz (Man on the Moon), Jack Riley (Rugrats, Spaceballs), and Marcia Wallace (The Simpsons).
Originally airing on CBS from 1972 to 1978, The Bob Newhart Show is often cited among the best-loved situation comedies in history, with TV Guide and Time naming it one of the greatest television shows of all time. Get ready to lie back on the couch and laugh with Bob: you’d be crazy not to.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Bob Newhart Show” is 142 episodes of genius spread across six years. What could’ve been another sitcom in an age of overlong sitcoms, we got something different. An educated working man trying to find a way to study relationships in the men he knew against what he had at home. There were laughs, but there was also plenty of time spent to look at what makes neurosis funny. Suzanne Pleshette is the unsung hero of this show, but sadly she isn’t in a position to regale us with stories of her time. So many people have left us from this show, so it’s time to kick back and enjoy their legacy.
There’s something to Newhart’s comedy that I think a ton of people miss. Playing it quiet gives us a chance to enjoy what we see here. A ton of friends working together and examining what makes people click in the Me Generation. If anything, the series revisit made me appreciate Peter Bonerz character. Watching as his dentist kept screwing around, while he tried to define his sexual liberation in an era with everyone was sticking it everywhere. Now, if we could just get “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”…I’d be set.
The DVD comes with new Bob Newhart interviews, an unaired version of the original pilot, the 19th Anniversary special that aired around the time that Newhart ended and a ton of commentaries. Plus, you get a gag reel and a booklet. The A/V Quality is on par with the limited FOX DVD release. However, the audio mix sounds a lot stronger. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!