The Bob Newhart Show: Some of My Best Friends Are...

The Bob Newhart Show: Some of My Best Friends Are...
CBS
October 9, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is more messagey than BNS usually gets, but I think it's handled well, including that Bob tries to be tolerant but isn't 100% comfortable about Mr. Plager being gay.  I also like that the main group needs "new blood" with Mr. Gianelli gone so long, and that we've already met Mr. Plager, including in a different group (the one with Mr. Herd).  My guess is that this episode was somewhat ground-breaking, and watching it four decades later, I'm reminded how far we've come.  (Now maybe one person would quit the group, not all four.)  Yes, it's not as big a step as Jodie being a regular character on Soap the following year, but it is a step.  And obviously it didn't kill Hesseman's career.

This is Peter Bonerz's 100th program, since he did that That Girl episode and hasn't missed any of BNS.

The Bob Newhart Show: The Heavyweights

The Bob Newhart Show: The Heavyweights
CBS
October 11, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
C

This is the weakest BNS episode so far, which means it's not terrible, just disappointing.  Patchett and Tarses wrote the script, which has Bob overeating because of his overweight therapy group, which includes Dr. Tupperman and a slimmed down Michelle.  On Emily's suggestion, Bob invites Carol to talk to the group, since she's lost over 100 pounds since high school.  One of the group members asks her out and she's pressured into going.  He turns out to be a real creep, and the situation is very different than when Carol willingly went on one date with Mr. Carlin.  The only thing I like in this episode is Howard's confusion over how to put down tile.

Marcia Lewis, who previously was Dorothy, here plays Louise Gross.  (I'm not sure if that's meant to be a pun.)  This is the first of two BNS episodes that Bob Claver directed.

The Bob Newhart Show: Death of a Fruitman

The Bob Newhart Show: Death of a Fruitman
CBS
September 27, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
A-

Patchett & Tarses wrote this hilarious episode about the off-screen death of Mr. Gianelli and its effects on the group and Bob.  It's great to see Mrs. Bakerman by the way, although as always Mr. Carlin can steal a scene just with a disdainful look.  Bonerz does a fine job of directing, including not just the comedic timing but the relatively serious scene where he and Newhart talk about death.  Season Four is on a streak, although I doubt they can maintain it.  And, yes, as with M*A*S*H, this is the 75th episode and aired in '75.

The Bob Newhart Show: We Love You...Good-Bye

The Bob Newhart Show: We Love You...Good-Bye
CBS
November 30, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Charlotte Brown story, Emily attends and then starts hosting Bob's consciousness raising group for women.  The show and Bob are both still grappling with feminism, with mixed success.  Note that Bob was 35 when he got married (and Emily recently said she was almost 30 then), but that doesn't match up to his age on other episodes.  And Jerry claims to be six very important years younger than Bob, I'm guessing 1931 and 1937, ish, for their birth years.

Joan Tompkins, who previously was Bob's Aunt May, as well as Carol's mother on the Brady Bunch pilot, here plays Mrs. Cowens.  This has the last appearance of Rhoda Gemignani as Joan Rossi.  Bonerz directed again.

The Bob Newhart Show: Brutally Yours, Bob Hartley

The Bob Newhart Show: Brutally Yours, Bob Hartley
CBS
November 2, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the only BNS script John Rappaport wrote, although he'd do ten for M*A*S*H.  As always in the sitcom plot of characters being brutally honest, things go awry.  What's a nice twist here is that Elliot and Michelle have a ball being mean, and shippers note that they do this on a date, where he thinks she's in love with him.  (We don't see the date but we hear about it during and after.)  And Jerry and Carol have an upcoming date at the very end of the episode.  One half of the couple that Bob alienates is Lawrence Pressman in his first of two appearances as Emily's coworker Ed Hoffman.  Also, this is the second BNS episode to reference the Redford version of The Great Gatsby.

The Bob Newhart Show: Sorry, Wrong Mother

The Bob Newhart Show: Sorry, Wrong Mother
CBS
October 12, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Charlotte Brown wrote this story about Howie (Moosie Drier) and Ellen meeting and not hitting it off.  While the many-sided argument at the end feels a bit contrived, there are some moments of realism throughout.  And there are also moments of absurdity, whether it's Bob use of a puppet in therapy, Jerry's purchase of an abstract clock, or the whole ice cream parlor scene with John Ritter as Dave.  More so than on his M*A*S*H appearance the previous season, Ritter is beginning to show star quality.  (He by then had a recurring role on The Waltons, as a reverend, but lead roles were still awhile off.)

The Bob Newhart Show: The Battle of the Groups

The Bob Newhart Show: The Battle of the Groups
CBS
September 21, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Patchett & Tarses story has its moments (yes, some of them include Jack Riley streaking), but it doesn't work as well as it could.  On the one hand, the idea of Bob's two therapy groups going on a marathon weekend in the woods, with Emily tagging along, has potential, but unfortunately there are two many performers, and some of them are either not fleshed out or they're clearly substitutes for other characters or performers.  Meanwhile, Ellen apartment-sits for Bob and Emily, and Bob is clearly worried that Howard will spend the weekend there, too.  (He does, but only because Ellen gets the flu.)

Group #1 is comprised of Mr. Carlin, Mr. Gianelli (played by Daniel J. Travanti this once), Mrs. Havlicek (Lenore Woodward, doing her best Florida Friebus impression, knitting and all), Michelle, and Mr. Peterson, while Group #2 is Carlin again, Mr. Herd (Oliver Clark), Craig Plager (Hesseman), Shirley Ullman (Millie Slavin), and Mr. Vickers (Lucian Scott).

The Bob Newhart Show: A Love Story

The Bob Newhart Show: A Love Story
CBS
February 9, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Martin Cohan wrote and Peter Bonerz directed this episode that introduces Bob's 32-year-old sister Ellen (33-year-old Pat Finley).  Howard falls in love with her at first sight, and she gradually starts to return his feelings.  Unfortunately, she's getting married in a few days.  The timeline doesn't quite work, but that's all right.  It's still a wonderful episode, with how all the characters, including Bob's mother (Martha Scott, with her character now sharing the same first name), play off each other.  I of course especially loved Bob telling Emily she's sunk to a new low, trying to matchmake an engaged person.  I almost went with an A-, but I do have a few qualms about how quickly Howard and Ellen get involved, especially under the circumstances.

This is the 200th CBS programmed I've reviewed.  I don't think they'll ever catch up to ABC, but with this show and M*A*S*H hanging on for a few more years, the Eye Network will come close.

The Bob Newhart Show: My Wife Belongs to Daddy

The Bob Newhart Show: My Wife Belongs to Daddy
CBS
December 8, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Emily's parents Junior (John Randolph) and Aggie (Ann Rutherford) Harrison visit from Seattle.  Jerry Mayer's script is funny and human, from the reactions to Bob's robe to his rivalry with his father-in-law.

Dick Wilson plays Milt.  Byron Morrow did a couple That Girl episodes and is Devereaux here.

The Bob Newhart Show: Mutiny on the Hartley

The Bob Newhart Show: Mutiny on the Hartley
CBS
November 10, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

This story by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses has Bob raising his rates for the first time ever.  There's a bit of back story, with Mr. Carlin as Bob's first patient (before he could afford a couch) and Michelle walking into his office in her high school graduation gown (at the time of the Bay of Pigs, so 1961, making her 30 now).  The funniest parts are the characteristic reactions to the price increase by the group members, and the reactions to the products of Mrs. Bakerman's late husband's taxidermy.

Henry Corden, who'd recently been Mr. Haskell on The Brady Bunch, plays Mr. Nenn, the plumber.

The Bob Newhart Show: Last TV Show

The Bob Newhart Show: Last TV Show
CBS
September 15, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

This season-opener written by Charlotte Brown has an ironic name, although it in fact refers to what will presumably be the last TV appearance of Bob's group.  (Bob on the other hand would make other regrettable appearances on various shows.)  The unwieldiness of Bob's first-season groups is gone, with no more one-shots and extras.  Now this group has a core of five who play off each other very well.  (Bob would, however, have two overlapping main groups, which would lead to hilarity when they all went on a mountain retreat with the Hartleys.)  I'd go with a B+ on the episode, but unfortunately the situation means that for one segment Bob is doing most of the talking, as stage fright is not exactly the best way to showcase cast chemistry.  This is, by the way, one of the episodes where Emily shows what a wonderfully supportive wife she is, not only pushing Bob out the door in a suit he's not sure he should be wearing but also enthusiastically lying to him at his request.

The Bob Newhart Show: Who's Been Sleeping on My Couch?

The Bob Newhart Show: Who's Been Sleeping on My Couch?
CBS
March 10, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B+

This Jerry Mayer episode is very funny and it's also a big one for Jerry (Robinson)/Carol shippers, although arguably their relationship is left hazy.  (At least with Howard, Carol flew off with him.)  The stuff with Jerry moving in with Bob and Carol, temporarily they hope, is also good, as is the way that Jerry and Howard play off each other when the latter drops by.  And there's a bisexual joke, when Carol tells Jerry that she does in fact know what it's like to be left for a 22-year-old guy.  Note that Michelle mentions her body issues, which came up on the previous episode, and we find out she has a sister.  Herbie Faye, who was on That Girl a couple times, has a nice little cameo as the night watchman Mr. Atlee.

The first season of BNS averages to a high B-.  The characters will continue to develop, which will make the show even funnier and smarter, but it's a fine start.  There are some extraneous characters, like Margaret, who are dropped, but this series doesn't have nearly the problem with that which M*A*S*H does, which I'll talk about in its season-closer.

The Bob Newhart Show: Bum Voyage

The Bob Newhart Show: Bum Voyage
CBS
March 3, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Bob's group continues to solidify, with Mrs. Bakerman, Mr. Carlin, Mr. Gianelli, Mr. Peterson, and Michelle (yes, she's referred to by her first name rather than her last, unlike the others) all in one episode and interacting with each other.  Unfortunately, the writing (by Austin and Irma Kalish) for them and the main five is not quite at the level it could be.  And it seems a bit odd to have Bob and Emily going away for a two-month long trip in the penultimate episode of the season.  Maybe they didn't have the budget to show them in Europe (or Mexico awhile back), but it's off balance to have so much energy put into them leaving, with none of the trip or even its return.

This time Archie Hahn plays the German-accented Steward.

The Bob Newhart Show: The Crash of 29 Years Old

The Bob Newhart Show: The Crash of 29 Years Old
CBS
January 13, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

Charlotte Brown's second BNS script is almost as sharp and funny as her first, in part because she knows how to write for Carol, who's having doubts about her career now that she's 29.  Also, as you can see from the tags, the nucleus of Bob's group is starting to form, with the better, more interesting members recurring and starting to play off each other, as when Mr. Gianelli laughs at Mr. Carlin and Michelle.  And there are some funny lines about "lunch with Emily" inspiring people to quit their jobs.  Oh, and I like the way the "male secretary" aspect is handled.

Jill Jaress makes her first of three appearances as Howard's stewardess girlfriend Mary Ellen.

The Bob Newhart Show: His Busiest Season

The Bob Newhart Show: His Busiest Season
CBS
December 23, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
C+


This episode never quite gets going but it's not bad.  The "his" in the title is presumably Santa rather than Bob, although that does look like an overpopulated group session.  (Couldn't they have at least found cushions or folding chairs for the people sitting on the floor?)  Probably the first sitcom examination of seasonal depression, but not exactly a cure for it.  And we never find out what Bob and Emily got each other.

King Moody was the Fireman earlier and is Ken Willett here.  Harvey J. Goldenberg, who plays the very Woody-Allen-like Barry Gorman, would be on M*A*S*H twice.  Twenty-six-year-old Renee Lippin debuts as Michelle Nardo.