Newhart TV Show
hey don't make them like they used to. This is one of TV's great comedies, anchored by Bob Newhart, and supported by an excellent cast that changed through the seasons. Season one has almost no Julia Duffy character - the ditzy, pampered maid - no Peter Scolari (the irritating yuppy) in love, and minimal Larry, Darryl and Darryl, the Marx brother like stooges who later become a major fixture on the show.
Still Tom Poston, the handyman, Kirk, the narcissistic cafe owner, and the wonderfully inept local Vermont Townsmen do a great job, and they just get better as the show develops. Truly intelligent family fare.
I really miss this one considering the current wasteland of staged "reality" shows, nasty and violent cop dramas, and smutty dysfunctional family comedies. You can sign me up for this one, and I can't wait for the other seasons.
Long before today's stand-up comics started to get their own series, Bob Newhart made the move from being a stand-up comic to the main character of his own situation comedy. His success as a stand-up comedian had led to his hosting a variety show in 1961, but hosting a show is not the same as acting and this show from the 1970s led the way to so many comedians making the move. As with all his series, the success of "The Bob Newhart Show" comes from the ensemble and the writing.
The first season (1972-1973) is a bit uneven at the start, but the creators and writers tweaked it a bit to get the right feel and by the end of the first season the show had really hit its stride. The difference between the pilot episode and shows like "The Man with the Golden Wrist", "Not with my Sister you don't", and "Bum Voyage" is tremendous. So if you think the show isn't as good as you remembered it when you are watching the shows from the first third of the season, don't worry too much, because it keeps getting better, and the last third of the season is very funny.
There are no extras in this DVD set. There are 24 episodes on 3 DVDs each of which has 4 episodes per side. There are no actor profiles, features, interviews, or anything like that. The sound is mono, and they probably could have done a better job of cleaning up the video. However, despite these issues this is definitely a funny show and for those who like comedy with more thought and less slapstick, this is for you. I can only give this DVD set 3 stars because of the issues I mentioned with the DVD set, and because the show itself gets better in subsequent seasons.
Product Details :
- Actors: Steven Kampmann, Rebecca York, Cliff Bemis, Todd Susman, Linda Carlson
- Directors: Jim Buck, John Tracy (II), Ellen Falcon, Peter Scolari, Lee Shallat Chemel
- Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC
- Language: English (Mono)
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