The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete First Season Reviews

• The Bob Newhart Show--the cure for what ails you.

  
  By A300S630HNRN1F on 2005-03-06
  I don't remember a television show that was as funny as The Bob Newhart Show. The staid, professional Dr. Hartley and his wife are surrounded by a parade of the wackiest neighbors, colleagues and friends that one could imagine. Even Dr. Hartley's "group" is an hysterical array of people who somehow make even those in for psychological help seem funny without making fun of their individual problems. This show is classic Newhart. It is not slapstick or in-your-face humor nor is it anything like the comedy seen on television today. Bob Newhart is subtle and timed with absolute precision. Bob's facial expression (or should I say lack of one) tells us that something funny is about to happen. You won't go wrong getting The Bob Newhart Show if you love wonderful, colorful characters, first-rate writing and everyday situations which are full of humor and wit.
  
  

• Feel Good Comedy!

  
  By ARTJT8SZV2CQJ on 2005-02-26
  The Bob Newhart show is a classic comedy, backed by an excellent supporting cast and wonderful writing. This show is as clever as any top notch comedy today. After looking at a list of all the episodes in season one, many of them are some of the funniest i remember during the entire run of the show. I'm so glad this show is finally being released. Other great news to share. Mary Tyler Moore Season Two will FINALLY be released this summer! Hallelujah!!
  
  

• The Start of Something Special

  
  By AWLFVCT9128JV on 2006-05-14
  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.
  
  
  

• Fox just refuses to give good shows any respect

  
  By A326R2P2MC732S on 2005-04-30
  Fox continues to disrespect great shows such as "The Bob Newhart Show". They will treat "King of the Hill" or "The Simpsons" akin to "Gone with the Wind"...but a real quality show such as this is given shabby treatment.
  
  The packaging is poor (two slimline cases, with double sided DVD's????), the extras are non-existent (none, nada, nyet!), and the transfers are equal to VHS quality, full of grain and poor focus.
  
  But, of course, this show will probably only see one release, so those who appreciate quality entertainment are stuck with what they give us.
  
  I can only hope future releases of this show (and MTM) will be treated with greater respect....but I'm not holding my breath.
  
  

• NEW APPRECIATION FOR NEWHART

  
  By A2JP0URFHXP6DO on 2005-04-11
  The CBS lineup of the mid 1970's was a true juggernaut with "All in the Family", "Mary Tyler Moore Show", "The Carol Burnett Show" and the most underrated and probably least appreciated, "The Bob Newhart Show". Now I was still a bit young at the time but through seeing repeats for years I've gained a great appreciation for this show. So cleverly written, so undeniably witty that it took, I think, a bit more maturity on my part to fully "get it". You start with a great cast. Toss out Newhart who was always great, and move to the co-stars. Suzanne Pleshette as bob's wife Emily, a school teacher, Bill Daily as Next door neighbor and Airlines Pilot, Howard, Peter Bonerz as Dr. Jerry Robinson who shared receptionist Carol played by Marcia Wallace. And then there was Bob's various patients, most notably John Fielder as "Mr. Peterson" and Jack Riley as "Mr. Carlin".
  
  Bob's casual nature in dealing with his nutty patients week after week has always been the highlight for me. I've always loved shows where you kind of have one normal character surrounded by a cast of looneys and no show ever did it better than this one. Surprisingly, this show was NEVER a top 10 show. Incredible really considering it's strong lead-ins with MTM and "All in the Family".
  
  This set obviously collects the entire first season, all 24 episodes and, If I may say, at one heck of a bargain compared to many other TV shows on DVD. A few of my favorite episodes from season one are:
  
  "His Busiest Season" It's Christmas and Bob's patients are feeling even more down in the dumps than usual so Bob decides to invite them over for Christmas.
  
  "I owe it all to you, But not that much" Jerry, whose problems with women were a recurring theme, decides to see Bob as a patient to talk about it but soon it threatens their friendship.
  
  "Don't go to Bed Mad" Bob and Emily get into a huge argument when Bob wants to watch Monday Night Football.
  
  This show had the kind of witty writing that you just don't see much in sitcoms these days. A true gem from the 1970's
  
  
• More than just a drinking game
  By A1A535W556ROBQ on 2005-09-07
  It's been great fun seeing Bob again on DVD. The show took most of the first season to find its footing before becoming a mainstay on television. Bob's dry humor contrasted sharply to his zany supporting cast. In these episodes, Bob shuffled through many "patients" before settling on a steady group that would predominate in later seasons, with Carlin emerging as the most memorable. These episodes also show the domestic side of Bob with some funny but also very true-to-life situations between he and Emily. Their argument over Monday Night Football being the most memorable. Suzanne Pleshette really found her voice in Emily, holding her own against Bob.
  
  
• Great show at an unbeatable price
  By A349SDBAUDKWMS on 2005-04-18
  I've always liked the Bob Newhart Show, and thought it was a shame that it's been hard to catch in reruns for the past 20 years or so. TV Land seemed to be playing Musical Bobs by repeatedly putting it on the schedule for a few weeks -- always in the early morning hours -- only to quickly yank it off the air again. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Still, I was surprised to find how many times I laughed out loud while watching the episodes in this first season. And this wasn't even Bob's best season! The show was still finding its footing at this point, but it's still hilarious.
  
  The show itself is definitely worthy of five stars, but since there doesn't seem to have been any restoration work done (the video and audio quality is mediocre at best), the rating is brought down to four stars (I would make it 4 1/2 if that were an option). However, the fact that very little money was spent putting these episodes on DVD is what enables us to buy the entire first season for such a terrific price. Compare the price of this set to the first season set of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. That one came out a few years ago, beautifully restored and chockful of extras, but with an MSRP of fifty bucks! No wonder they didn't sell all that many (though I was one of the few who happily purchased the set, being a longtime devotee of the show). Additional seasons were promised, but guess what? So few sets were sold that they cancelled any further releases of MTM. If keeping the Bob Newhart Show down to the bare bones enables them to release all of the seasons at a terrific price, it's okay with me.
  
  The Bottom Line: An hilarious show, uncut for the first time since it went into syndicated reruns, for a fantastic price. Highly recommended.
  
  
• "Hi Bob" ... "Hi Emily" ... Hi Fox Video -- And Thanks, Fox, For This Nice 1st-Season "Bob Newhart" DVD Batch!
  By A1FDW1SPYKB354 on 2005-11-07
  I hadn't seen any episodes of "The Bob Newhart Show" in a number of years prior to purchasing this very nice set of DVDs that has been marketed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
  
  I had almost forgotten how good this sitcom was (and still is). It's been fun being able to see these episodes again, and in uncut form, on DVD. Bob Newhart's dry humor and deadpan style create many jocular moments during this 24-episode rookie season of Bob's self-titled CBS television series (which aired during the 1972-1973 TV season). And those one-man telephone conversations that Bob is known for are always good for some chuckles too. There are usually at least two or three of those in each episode.
  
  "The Bob Newhart Show" began its 6-year, 142-episode-long network-television lifespan on Saturday evening, September 16, 1972, when the first episode ("Fly The Unfriendly Skies") aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System. When looking back on the impeccable Saturday-night television line-up that CBS possessed in the early 1970s, my mouth pops open with amazement at how good that roster of shows was. As an example, Saturday nights on CBS during the 1973-1974 TV campaign (which was the second season of Newhart's series) featured the following impressive parade of programs:
  
  8:00 PM -- "All In The Family"
  8:30 PM -- "M*A*S*H"
  9:00 PM -- "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
  9:30 PM -- "The Bob Newhart Show"
  10:00 PM -- "The Carol Burnett Show"
  
  No wonder Saturdays were big for CBS during that era. What a fabulous line-up indeed. Prior to confirming the above CBS prime-time program schedule, I had thought that the long-running "M*A*S*H" had always been part of the Saturday-night schedule. But, in fact, it was only during that one season (1973-1974) that the show appeared on Saturdays. For the remainder of its prime-time run, "M*A*S*H" aired on either Sundays, Tuesdays, or Fridays.
  
  During Bob Newhart's very first season ('72-'73), the CBS Saturday lineup featured three-fifths of the same programming as the '73-'74 season, with the differences in the schedule being "Bridget Loves Bernie" (at 8:30 PM) and "Mission: Impossible" in the 10:00 time slot.
  
  There's nothing overly fancy about this 3-Disc Bob Newhart DVD boxed set from 20th Century Fox, but it certainly gets the job done very nicely anyway (in a low-key, no-frills manner).
  
  These early-'70s episodes look just fine through my orbs. I have no complaints about these DVD transfers at all. This TV show was photographed on film and in color; and the colors look pretty good and natural on the DVDs. Perhaps each show isn't absolutely blemish-free, but still very nice overall.
  
  Even if these DVD prints were glazed over with a coating of sand and shrouded in fog, I'd probably still enjoy watching them, because of the singular on-screen presence of one Suzanne Pleshette. Suzanne, who was age 35 and 36 when these episodes first aired in '72 and '73 (and she's looking mahhhh-velous!), has that certain 'something' that I've always enjoyed watching. I love her in everything she's done -- from her excellent dramatic roles in the 1960s TV series "The Fugitive", to her first-rate portrayal of an ill-fated schoolteacher in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" in 1963, to her part as the smart, funny, and always-feisty "Emily Hartley" on "The Bob Newhart Show".
  
  I should also mention Suzanne's appearance opposite Michael Rennie's "Harry Lime" in an episode of the TV series "The Third Man". That episode in question, called "Listen For The Sound Of A Witch", was filmed in 1959. A darn good ep. too, featuring a stunning 22-year-old brunette actress named "Suzanne".
  
  Suzanne Trivia ..... Did you know that Suzanne Pleshette very nearly became "Catwoman" in the "Batman" TV series of the 1960s? (I'd have loved her in that show, I'm sure....and in that "Cat" outfit, too.) ~wink~
  
  This Bob Newhart DVD collection comes packed in a fairly-rugged cardboard box, which comfortably holds two slim-style plastic cases. The trim disc-holding cases that were included with the DVD set that I received from Amazon are black in color (there's no need for the clear, transparent ones here, since there's no text or artwork on the reverse side of the removable paper inserts that wrap around the cases). The first two double-sided discs fit inside the first case, while Disc 3 goes solo into the other one. A brief episode description for each of the shows, plus original CBS air dates, can be found on the back side of each of the two plastic cases.
  
  There are no DVD bonus items included here, unless you want to count a foreign-language soundtrack and subtitling as "bonus" material. This set does indeed have a non-English audio option -- there's a Spanish Dolby Digital track available for each episode (of the 2-channel Mono variety; I enjoy hearing the voice of the very beautiful Suzanne Pleshette being dubbed in Spanish), in addition to the very adequate English DD 2.0 Mono audio. Both English and Spanish subtitles can be toggled on and off as well. Video, as you would expect, comes in the native Full-Frame TV ratio of 1.33:1.
  
  The non-animated DVD Menus employed for this first-season Bob Newhart set are simplistic and will quickly get you to where you want to be. The episodes are divided up into several individual chapters (9 chapter breaks per show, with a "Scene Selection" Menu option available for all episodes), with a chapter stop inserted immediately after the opening titles, which is always a good idea in my opinion.
  
  Fox's "The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Second Season" 3-Disc DVD collection is pretty much identical in layout and style to this first-season product, and is also energetically recommended by this reviewer. Any Bob Newhart buff will want to collect all seasons of "Dr. Hartley's" series.
  
  Plus, these seasonal boxed sets of "The Bob Newhart Show" look right at home on the ever-growing "TV-on-DVD" shelf, especially when nestled right up against all of the excellent full-season DVD collections of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". Those two first-class sitcoms, which both fall under the "MTM Enterprises" umbrella, are required viewing for any self-respecting devotee of top-notch 1970s-era television programming.
  
  
• Frazier, Seinfeld and Raymond couldn't have made it w/o Bob!
  By A14N403M16NA2S on 2005-04-12
  At the time The Bob Newhart Show was around, All in the Family was considered the pinnacle of sitcoms. Thank god we have matured beyond that, and the template for shows is Bob Newhart, not Norman Lear.
  
  
  
• Excellent Show and Smart Packaging
  By A1VA0LVU4LX33B on 2005-04-13
  It's about time that the original Bob Newhart Show arrives on DVD. Bob Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette brighten up the television screen with this classic series. I can only hope all the seasons of this excellent series are produced on DVD.
  
  What I like especially about this release is it's affordability. No-nonsense packaging enhanced me to puchase it. Continue producing series similar like the the first and they will be a hit.
  
  Fox made a mistake producing the Mary Tyler Show Season One with its elaborate packaging, and expensive price. I've been waiting for season two, three and the rest. C'mon, Fox, get it out!!!!!
  
  I can only hope that the original Bob Newhart Show, Mary Tyler Show & Rhoda Series will be made available to the fans of classic television of the 1970's at an affordable price.
  
  Make it and we will buy!!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Funny, Intelligent and simply entertaining
  By A1XPX1Y21XJI7E on 2005-06-28
  I have been a fan of the Bob Newhart show since first I saw it on "TV Land", I know it was on in the 70's but I was kind of young, and do not remember it from its primetime run. I guess this basically means, you didn't have to be a fan of it when it was in primetime to enjoy it. I like the packaging of the DVD, its pretty simple with nice graphics. The menus are rather plain, but that just makes it easier to jump right to the shows, instead of wating for some super fancy 3d menus to load. The colors of the video are not very vibrant, but this is of course due to the direct tranfer from the original to DVD. Obviously there was no enhacements done. The sound is original too, just mono. The no-frills presentation of the DVD is just fine, because the quality of the show is awesome.
  Its one of the funniest TV shows that I have ever seen. It ranks up there with the Honeymooners, Seinfeld, and the odd couple. The writing is brilliant, the acting is superb (except for a couple of guest stars). I definately reccomend this DVD set, even if you aren't into old TV.
  
  
• Try one of the other seasons first
  By A30BSWPRAHP0HB on 2007-10-18
  If you're a fan of the old Bob Newhart sitcom, as I am, these DVDs are a lot of fun. That said, I would recommend purchasing one of the other seasons rather than this one.
  
  The show takes a while to find its feet, and Bob's character starts out a bit nastier than the friendly man most of us remember. In the episode "The Man With the Golden Wrist" he humiliates Emily, who has just given him an expensive present, by pointing out how little money she makes; in another, later episode, he flat-out tells her that he wants her to turn down a full-time job so she can have dinner on the table when he comes home.
  
  There are also a few notes that come out odd when you're familiar with the series as a whole - Carol dates both Howard and Jerry, for example, and the pilot episode features Bob and Emily desperate to have a baby, a shock when you're used to seeing them happily child-free. There are also a lot of peripheral characters that never made it, for good reason - a patient who is a bad Woody Allen rip-off, Love Boat doctor Bernie Koppel as Bob's obnoxious doctor colleague, a couple of stock sitcom neighbors.
  
  If you've seen all the other episodes and want a complete set, then this season is worth ordering - there's plenty of enjoyment to be found amid the problems. But if you watch this one first, you could be disappointed.
  
  
• FINALLY!
  By A3VKZ8GUU3RNA5 on 2005-03-18
  I have been waiting SO long for Bob Newhart to come out on DVD. Thank you, to whoever made this happen! This is a fabulous product, and I recommend it to everyone!
  
  
• Correction to Jeff Shannon (Amazon) review... more
  By A3KF68T7LXL7V8 on 2005-06-16
  "Bill Daily (late of Bewitched)"
  
  Bill was on "I Dream of Genie", NOT Bewitched...
  
  I haven't seen this DVD set, but this series is AWESOME!
  The episode where the guys are all at Bob's watching
  sports and drinking, and they order Chinese food still
  cracks me up when I think of it.
  
  
• Classic 70s sitcom with great ensemble cast
  By A2Q13PHEXGR48Q on 2005-07-01
  The Bob Newhart Show was one of the great 70s sitcom and it has finally been released on DVD. The show followed Dr. Robert Hartley, a pyschologist living in Chicago with his wife and substitute schoolteacher, Emily. We meet Bob's nosy yet lovable neighbor Howard Borden, his best friend Jerry Robinson, an orthadontist who works on the same floor, and Bob's lovesick receptionist, Carol Kester. Included with the main cast are recurring guest stars like Jack Riley as Mr. Carlin and John Fielder as Mr. Peterson, two of Bob's most hilarious patients. This ensemble cast provided plenty of hilarious moments, including the "Hi, Bob," drinking game, and it is great to see this show finally on DVD. This sitcom provided Bob Newhart the perfect opportunity for his dry, sarcastic humor. As well, almost every show from the first season features one of his famous telephone acts. For a can't miss 70s sitcom, check out the Bob Newhart show.
  
  Bob Newhart is hilarious throughout as Dr. Robert Hartley, a pyschologist living in Chicago with his wife Emily, played by Suzanne Pleshette. Together, Newhart and Pleshette make a funny and still believable married couple. Bill Daily as neighbor Howard Borden, Peter Bonerz as orthadontist/best friend Jerry Robinson, and Marcia Wallace as receptionist Carol Kester make up the supporting cast and provide some of the show's most hilarious moments. The First Season DVD features all 24 episodes in full frame on three discs. They look cleaned up from some of the ones shown on TV. There are no extras included on the DVD, but hopefully on future releases bloopers/gag reel or interviews with the cast are included. For now, we'll just have to enjoy the classic first season of The Bob Newhart Show. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Hi Bob! You're now on DVD.
  By AQ01Q3070LT29 on 2005-11-23
  If it wasn't for staying at my grandmother's house and for her falling asleep, I would have never known the Bob Newhart Show (1972-78). I was young and I had never seen a rail train like that one in a city before. I lived in a small town. Anyway, I like the theme music which is called "Home To Emily".
  This tv series was intriguing. It showed what I thought at the time was how married people are and how they lived. This was a tv comedy series with a good middle-age cast and "Bob" and "Emily" never had children of their own. The writing was superb and intellectual. You won't hear ghetto insults and curse words here.
  The formula for this tv series worked and unfortunatly today they just do not make tv comedy with middle-age people anymore and that is a real shame. It is truly the middle-age and seniors that enjoy watching prime-time television, which is why TV LAND network is such a hit.
  If I may say so, I always thought the "Mary Tyler Moore" show was a good companion tv show with the "Bob Newhart Show" (and "Rhoda" too). Together they made a great tv line-up on CBS.
  Bob Newhart played "Dr. Robert Hartley", a psychologist who is married to a well-educated proper woman, "Emily" (Suzanne Pleshette). Bob has a new lobby secretary, "Carol" (Marcia Wallace) whom at first seems to be a bubble-head, but really becomes an efficent secretary that Bob can not do without. Carol is also the secretary for the orthodontist, "Jerry" (Peter Bonerz).
  Poor Bob. You never know what Bob has to deal with every morning at work. It's either the elevator or he has to deal with a fill-in secretary while Carol is away. In any case, Bob certainly needs his morning coffee.
  By the way, Bob has a neighbor (Bill Daily) that looks like the neighbor on "I Dream of Jeannie".
  The rarly-seen pilot episode (the test episode for networks for possible tv series) is really neat-o to see. The living room is slightly different. The bedroom decor is different. The new neighbor is different. William Redfield played a neighbor, "Arthur Hoover", in the test pilot episode. Patricia Smith played his wife, "Margaret Hoover" and continued the role to 1973. William Redfield only made one more appearance, as a different character in the Fourth Season, Episode 18.
  In the first season, you might recognize the faces of: M. Emmet Walsh, Helen Page Camp, Ron Masak, Jack Riley, Louise Lasser, Elaine Giftos, Bernie Kopell, Archie Kahn, Marilyn Child, Pat Morita, James Hong, King Moody, Florida Friebus, Renee Lippin, Chuck McCann, Joyce Van Patten, Allen Garfield, Noam Pitlik, Penny Marshall, Larry Gelman, Peter Brown, Martha Scott, Penny Fuller, Dick Schaal, James B. Sikking, Jack Bernardi, Eugene Troobnick, Ric Carott, John Fiedler, Moosie Drier, Janice Carroll, Alice Borden, Michael Lerner, Emmaline Henry (I Dream Of Jeannie tv series), Heather Menzies, Mel Stewart, Jenna McMahon, Dick Clair, Edward Winter, Alma Beltran, Vern E. Rowe and Pat McCormick.
  All 24 episodes of the first season are here, but don't forget to turn over each disc for more episodes.
  The "Bob Newhart Show" lasted for 7 seasons.
  The bedroom set kept changing during the first season and the apartment door and apartment numbers would change.
  Where on earth did the set designer get those horrible paintings from, "Night Gallery"?
  
  During Bob Newhart's second hit tv series, "Newhart", their was a "surprise" scene in the last episode of "Newhart" that aired, May 21, 1990.
  The entire cast was reunited for "The Bob Newhart Show--19th Anniversary Special", broadcast November 23, 1991.
  
  The cast also reunited for an episode in another Bob Newhart tv series, "George & Leo" that aired, November 3, 1997.
  
  CBS at 75, November 2003. Bob Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette did a bedroom skit in their original characters of "The Bob Newhart Show".
  
  The cast reunited and was honored on stage at the 3rd TV LAND AWARDS, broadcast March 16, 2005.
  
  Suzanne Pleshette died January 19, 2008 from lung cancer & respiratory failure. She would have received her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in just 12 days, on January 31, her 71 birthday.
  
  
• And it did not even skip once
  By A20ZUNN7AOG5MQ on 2006-04-02
  The crown jewel of the Mary Tyler Moore productions. There was poor Bob in his super wide ties and butt enhancing double vented sport coats that no one I knew could afford when the show debuted. Yep, Bob was funny, bumbling, and quite a bit selfish, but, better than that, the show was infested with hysterical characters. And, how could Carol dress like that if she had even one mirror in her apartment? No bad words or disgusting situations that are the apparent staples of modern programming. This is a good thing. And, the double sided DVDs did not even skip once, although I would still recommend handling them as if they were rare coins. If you like these DVDs, you will also enjoy the CD "The Bob Newhart Anthology."
  
  
• C'mon into my office...
  By A3Q4XAQXKKV6V on 2005-04-18
  Having my 3 star review booed out of town, and now having actually watched the entire first two discs, I can safely say this was not only a good series but a soon to be great series and worthy of a small rewrite. It took a handful of episodes for the characters to endear themsleves to me, meaning the whole cast but now... I'm addicted. Although, you've got to admit a few of gags are standard 70's cornball stuff (many by the neighbor, "Margret"), but above all else is great writing and timing. Some true standout episodes that won me over totally and prompted a slight change of heart were: Anything Happen While I Was Gone?, His Busiest Season, and Let's Get Away From It Almost.
  
  You know a show is good when the star can entertain you merely by talking on a phone (probably) to no one at all. Bob's facial expressions, timing, and body language speak volumes.
  
  The transfer is pretty nice, the sound is passable. The packaging seems a bit "cut rate" but is servicable I suppose, I've definately seen worse. I still say there is much work that could be done with the updating of sound and picture but I suppose I'd rather have this than nothing.
  
  Bring on Season 2! And you and I both know the problem with this: We will burn through Season One in a week and a half and then have to wait six months for Season Two.
  
  PS, why does the Amazon description say Bill Daily was in Bewitched? Talk about not knowing your classic television 101's.
  
  
  
  
  
• I've been waiting YEARS for this!
  By A2H1FLW1CRVH6R on 2005-04-24
  I watched The Bob Newhart Show when it first aired, I watched it when it was in reruns after the 10:00 news, I paid a higher cable bill to get TVLand so I could watch it there, and I bought a set of 6 videos (12 episodes) so I could have a chuckle whenever I needed it. But it wasn't enough! And it won't be enough till I have every season they did. This is a good start though. I don't care if it's cheaper packaging and a lower price, or better packaging and some extras for a higher price. I just want to be able to enjoy my favorite TV show anytime. Its' about time! And you can put me down for one set of EVERY season as soon as they come out!!!
  
  
• Bob In Top Form
  By A1VKBH6MFJGKKA on 2005-05-06
  I'm so glad Fox came out with this set. The Bob Newhart Show is funny, sophisticated, clever, and a great example of top-notch sitcom writing. Bob Newhart, as usual, underplays his role perfectly, and is supported by a full cast of ace standup and screen comedians that have become sitcom legends.
  
  Many of the best episodes are here in the first season. Also significant is that the film transfer looks substantially better than what has been on TV for years, and the episodes are full-length instead of truncated synidicated cuts. My only complaint is that the menus are a little hokey.
  
  But overall, a great set for a very small price. If you enjoy shows like TAXI, Barney Miller, The Odd Couple, or Cheers, you will really enjoy this set. And if you're already a Bob Newhart Show fan, this is a no-brainer purchase. Buy it.
  
  
• A one of a kind show.
  By A3UT41TWD7N0D5 on 2005-06-03
  I can honestly say that I have never seen another show or sitcom quite like this one. Bob Newhart has that soft spoken and subtle humor, similar to other great comedians like Jack Benny. He doesn't need to use slap stick to get you laughing. Whoever had the idea of centering the show around a mild mannered psychologist, his patients, his friends and his family was a genius! The ensemble cast was just great. After a few shows you really begin to like Jerry the Dentist, Carol the Secretary, Howard the Neighbor, and of course Emily the Wife. The chemistry between Emily (Suzanne Pleshette) and Bob (Bob Newhart) was so good it almost seemed as though they were married for real. They argued, bickered and had misunderstandings just like normal couples do. Still the affection and love they had for eachother always came through. I have to admit that as a kid I used to think that if plain old Bob could end up with an attractive and nice lady like Emily than there was hope for me.
  
  I should also mention how fun Bob's patients were. I'm sure most psychologists don't have such loveable patients. I'm sure most psychologists don't have their patients over to their home for Christmas either. Still these were some of the nice things about the show. Bob was just a nice guy. If I ever need therapy I hope to get a shrink like Bob. Bob always seems to be on the job. He's usually tyring to sort out the emotional troubles of friends, family, co-workers and patients in each show.
  
  There are no DVD extras but that's not a surprise considering how the first season release of THE MARY TYLER MOORE show turned out. They pulled all the stops out for that release, interviews and commentaries. The initial release price was over $40 and I guess not as many people purchased it as the studio thought would. The elevated price turned off prospective purchasers. So now, as with THE BOB NEWHART SHOW, the sudios release the DVD's with no extras but the price is under $30. I hope that strategy does the trick because I can't wait for the remaining three seasons to be released.
  
  
  
  
• Great
  By A1VTOFY4N47RGF on 2005-08-29
  The only reason this gets 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the teeny tiny writing on the discs. It's hard to see what's on each side. But the shows are beyond compare! All the characters are wonderful, with their quirky personalities, and no one has a face like Bob Newhart for evoking laughter, just by his reactions. I was surprised how many of the lines came back to me after all these years.
  
  
• A nice start for a classic sitcom
  By A1FV5LUUWMMAN5 on 2007-01-11
  I was very happy when I saw that one of my all-time favorite sitcoms, "The Bob Newhart Show", was finally being released on DVD. The first season of the show, like most first seasons of shows, spends a lot of time showing the quirks and mannerisms of the main characters on the show. This is most prevalent in the first few episodes. One drawback of the season was that out of nowhere the pilot was thrown in as the ninth episode. Suddenly, Suzanne Pleshette has a different hairstyle, the Hartleys have a different nosy neighbor, the wallpaper in their apartment is different, Emily's friend Margaret is pregnant, and the Hartleys are obsessed with having a baby. After this episode, everything goes back to the way it was with the same cast and no mention of the Hartleys trying to become parents. Toward the end of the season, the show had found its groove and it would really hit its stride in the second season. Overall, this DVD set is worth your time and money. It's not the best season of the show, but it will definitely keep you entertained.
  
  
• At Last!
  By A197RPUJBRJS89 on 2005-04-25
  The Bob Newhart Show has been my most eagerly anticipated release since Charmed. I won't comment on the packaging or two-sided disks since others have and I (mostly) agree with them. My 5 stars are for the show--not the packaging.
  
  The Bob Newhart Show has been a favorite of mine since it originally aired. This show is as funny today as it was then. I watched all 3 disks this weekend and, once more, laughed out loud. I rarely do that with today's television shows.
  
  My favorite episode of all time of any show is Howard holding up the wall--no thanks to Bob and Emily! Puleeeeze, puleeeze release the remaining seasons.
  
  
• Bob's Been Calling You
  By AL5OEDM8TPTKV on 2005-04-26
  The Bob Newhart Show is a piece of the wonderful puzzle of early 70's sitcoms that made the time a wonderfully laughing matter. From Mary Richard's time spent at WGM, to Felix and Oscar's stint as roommates, the Bob Newhart Show fit in like a kid glove. We spent many a 1/2 hour watching Bob walk home from the office to his beloved Emily (according to Newhart, the craziest walk home ever, based on Chicago geography).
  
  Bob Newhart brings his unique stlye of comedy to television in this show. Bob plays a psychologist with a crazy set of co-workers, and an equally crazy set of neighbors at home. Bob is the brilliant center of the show, intelligent, but not afraid to be the end of jokes that work well in the show. His wife Emily is a schoolteacher, however, through the season she appears to change jobs from substitute to school board worker. Often, whatever her job is depends on the needs of her in that episode's plot. Wacky neighbor Howard Borden is set up early on as being somewhat not there. In the office, Bob's best friend is Jerry, a definitely 70's singles man who is a brillliant counterpart to the office secretary, Carol.
  
  This collection is sadly without any extras. Since all of the actors who starred in the show are still alive, it's amazing to me there isn't any bonus features. It almost seems as if this collection was rushed to the stores to sell, as the quality isn't as high as other DVD TV show collections (I Love Lucy setting a very high standard).
  
  Still, the negatives don't detract from the wonderful enjoyment of this show. The laughs are hearty. Watching this, I'm drawn back to my childhood, and the nights I spent watching Bob and Emily puzzle out their life problems, and the problems of their friends, in Chicago. And the result is an enjoyable ride indeed.
  
  
• Great show and great value for money
  By A3NM1MT3Q2FHXV on 2005-05-20
  Most T.V. viewers already know the Bob Newhart show from the number of times it's been syndicated. If you haven't seen it recently, now is the time to give it another look and see comedy which was driven by good writing rather than by overused and/or hackneyed sitcom plots. It's also a pleasure to see humor which isn't nasty or negative. The Bob Newhart show is downright "fresh" when viewed alongside current comedy fare.
  
  As for the complaints about the packaging and lack of extras, one has to consider the *extremely* low price for the season and the experience Fox had with the Mary Tyler Moore show (another classic of the same era). Fox gave the first season of the Mary Tyler Moore show the star treatment and a higher price to cover the cost and it sold poorly. This made them reluctant to even release other classic comedies and the Bob Newhart show may never have seen a DVD release.
  
  While I would have liked to have seen an interview with Bob offering some memories of his experience with the show (or introductions), I think this type of comedy doesn't benefit much from commentary since the humor is in the pacing and the dialog. Talking over the show would seem rather disruptive and pointless. Also, I'm not sure how much anyone could remember from a show that aired so long ago.
  
  As for the packaging, I like the slim cases and wish all DVDs were released in them. The thicker cases just take up more space on your shelves. Besides, it's what is on the discs that really matters and this show's humor has aged very gracefully. It's a delight to watch again.
  
  
• Color not so great, but otherwise GREAT!
  By A2Y7GDEK1N5Q88 on 2005-06-20
  This set is the best birthday gift I've gotten in years. Just posted a review for "Taxi" season two and both of these shows are so funny that it makes me wonder why shows currently in prime time can't be as good. Okay, so "Friends" and "Raymond" were great, but I can't think of any others that live up to the quality of this stuff.
  
  And if it weren't for Nick@Nite (happy 20th anniversary!) I probably never would've seen "The Bob Newhart Show" at all. Doesn't ANY station or network anywhere still replay these?? Well, their loss if not. But thank goodness Fox is smart enough to unlock the old vaults and let the public re-experience this stuff. Witty stuff and so worth the low-low-LOW price! Less than half of what my roommate paid for that "Mary Tyler Moore Show" set (Sorry Dale!).
  ;-P
  
  The only thing not so good about this first season collection is the color is kind of weak. Thought it was my TV settings but checked it out and nope... it's the discs. After reading that a few others here noticed the same problem I don't feel so bad. But come, Fox! I know you're making a bundle on these discs so you gotta work on that for seasons two to six.
  
  Last night a bunch of us popped in a disc and played the HI BOB! drinking game. Got smashed before flipping it over to play side two. YOU GOTTA TRY IT!
  
  Addicted to classic TV...
  -J.
  
  
• Great Show (but no extras)
  By A31Y9DLKVASJQY on 2006-04-07
  This is one of my all-time favorite comedies, so I was happy to see that it was finally available on dvd. The first two seasons were as good as I remembered, and the only disappointment was that there was no bonus material at all.
  
  Bob plays a psychologist from Chicago and he's got some pretty funny patients. Any show with Mr. Carlin or Bob's group sessions is worth watching. The rest of the cast is his wife, their neighbor, an orthodontist who works in Bob's building and the secretary they share with a few other doctors. All of them are good, but it's Bob and his patients who really make the show.
  
  It's also fun to laugh at the ridiculous clothes they wore 30 years ago.
  
  If you enjoyed the show, go ahead and buy the discs, but don't expect to see any extras on these discs.
  
  
• Bob Newhart - First Season
  By AHZOD2ZYXHGKO on 2006-06-25
  I highly recommened these DVD's! How exciting and refreshing it is to pop in a DVD and go back in time to the 1970's again! Its wonderful to rewatch such a a classic piece of tv! Truly worth adding to your collection!
  
  
• This program is addictive
  By A20EEWWSFMZ1PN on 2005-06-13
  Whether this is your first time or you are purchasing old times, this series is a lot of fun to watch and afterwards speculate on what the outcome would be. Many short programs have created a situation and solve it all in the span of the episode. Where as the Bob Newhart show many times steps right into the middle and does not necessarily wrap up all the loose end.
  
  I am not convinced that the episodes are in the correct order. It seems strange that Fly the unfriendly skies would be the first episode as it does not really introduce the characters or give much of a background. I also notice that Suzanne Pleshette's hair style keeps changing back and forth.
  
  Something strange that I have not been able to figure out is why every time Bob comes home and Margaret Hoover (Patricia Smith) is just leaving he just says "Hello Margaret" in a deadpan voice without looking at her.
  
  One of the main things that add to the viewing comedy is the nuances and glances each character gives each other.
  
  
  

• The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Second Season
• The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Third Season
• The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Fourth Season
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete First Season
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete Second Season (1971)