The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Fourth Season Reviews

• One of the best

  
  By A2APIUMCS1ZCN9 on 2006-07-14
  Season 4 contains 24 classic episodes that never fail to deliver. From classicsitcoms.com, here are the episode summaries:
  
  1. The Longest Good-Bye - Emily is less than impressed by Bob's legendary college chum, the Peeper--an inveterate jokester who arrives to spend a day and then stays a week.
  
  2. Here's Looking at You, Kid - Howard looks to Bob for moral support when he proposes to Ellen at a crowded restaurant.
  
  3. Death of a Fruitman - The group is angry at Mr. Gianelli for missing their fourth anniversary party.
  
  4. Change Is Gonna Do Me Good - In an effort to shake Bob out of his domestic rut, Emily suggests that they exchange household duties.
  
  5. The Heavyweights - Carol gets roped into a date with an obnoxious tubbo from Bob's overweight workshop.
  
  6. Carol's Wedding - Bob is skeptical when Carol announces that she's getting married to Larry Bondurant, a travel agent she met less than twelve hours earlier.
  
  7. Shrinks Across the Sea - Bob and Emily host a visiting French psychologist, who arrives in the company of another man's wife.
  
  8. What's It All About, Albert? - Convinced that his psychological counseling has done none of his patients a bit of good, Bob seeks inspiration from his old college professor.
  
  9. Who Is Mr. X? - A seemingly innocuous talk-show host uses Bob as bait when she decides to do a hatchet job on the entire field of psychology.
  
  10. Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time - Bob forms an unlikely alliance when he goes into partnership with a well-heeled playboy psychologist.
  
  11. Over the River and Through the Woods - When Emily flies home for Thanksgiving, Bob joins Jerry, Howard, and Mr. Carlin for a bachelor's feast of Chinese food and beer.
  
  12. Fathers and Sons and Mothers - Bob's mother drops by for an extended visit and begins to drive her son crazy within moments of her arrival.
  
  13. The Article - Bob and Jerry have second thoughts after they agree to let Ellen do a newspaper feature on the drama of life in a big-city medical building.
  
  14. A Matter of Vice-Principal - Emily suddenly finds herself embroiled in grammar school politics when she gets promoted to vice-principal ahead of a teacher with greater seniority.
  
  15. Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital - Bob faces another depressing holiday when he's forced to undergo an emergency tonsillectomy on Christmas Eve.
  
  16. No Sale - Bob and Jerry are investment partners in one of Carlin's shady real-estate deals. This one hinges on evicting an old man from a slum tenement.
  
  17. Carol at 6:01 - Carol turns to Bob for help when she begins to feel smothered by her new husband's overly lavish attentions.
  
  18. Warden Gordon Borden - Howard is upset by the arrival of his sibling rival, Gordon--his brother has always taken things from him, and now he's got his eye on Ellen.
  
  19. My Boy Guillermo - Jerry's globe-hopping girlfriend returns to tempt him out of his rut with an offer of marriage and an instant family.
  
  20. Duke of Dunk - Bob counsels an egocentric basketball superstar in the fine art of team playing.
  
  21. Guaranteed Not to Shrink - Carol becomes an overnight psychoanalyst when she enrolls in a night school psychology course.
  
  22. Birth of a Salesman - After Bob counsels Mr. Herd to be more assertive, the milquetoast takes the advice to heart and slaps the therapist with a lawsuit.
  
  23. The Boy Next Door - Howard's ex-wife grants him custody of their son, but Bob and Emily end up spending more time with Howie than his dad does.
  
  24. Peeper - Two - When the Peeper returns in sullen spirits after his wife leaves him, Jerry decides to reacquaint Bob's old chum with the swinging singles' scene.
  
  

• Perhaps The Best

  
  By AWLFVCT9128JV on 2006-10-12
  The fourth season (1975-1976) of "The Bob Newhart Show" is right up there with the second season, and perhaps even a bit better. Some of the funniest episodes from the fan polls are from this season, and while there are perhaps a few fewer recognizable faces as guest stars, you will still see a few. The writers and cast by this point have both hit their stride, and the chemistry is phenomenal.
  
  The Season is book-ended by appearances by Tom Poston as The Peeper, Bob's college buddy whom Emily can't stand. Of course, Tom would go on to be a regular in Bob's next sitcom "Newhart", and then there is the irony that Tom and Suzanne Pleshette would eventually get married. In-between, there are many events, including the death of Mr. Gianelli ("Death of a Fruitman"), Carol gets married ("Carol's Wedding"), Bob hosts an arrogant French psychologist ("Shrinks Across The Sea"), Bob forms a short-lived partnership with another psychiatrist ("Seemed Like a Good Idea At the Time") and many more.
  
  Two of the funniest episodes ever are in this season with "Who Is Mr. X?", where Bob is ambushed by a morning talk-show host and is so flustered he reveals that one of his patients is a public servant. The other classic is "Over the River and Through the Woods", in which Bob gets out of a trip to Seattle over Thanksgiving by claiming that his patients need him. He ends up hosting a party with Jerry, Howard, and Mr. Carlin in which they all drink too much watching William and Mary's worst college football defeat, and make the funniest call for Chinese food ever recorded. I also very much like "Bob Has To Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve In The Hospital", and the title explains the plot to that one.
  
  All in all, there are 24 episodes on three 2-sided DVDs, just the same as the first three seasons. Also like seasons 2 and 3, there are five episodes with commentary, but I have to say that the commentary has improved this season; perhaps because they have more people participating in them. I would still not call them great commentaries, but they are significantly better than the prior seasons. There is a short season 4 feature, and there is also a gag reel. In all, this is probably the best set of features they have included, but more importantly this is the season with the funniest episodes.
  
  
  

• ALERT No plans for Season 5 and 6!!!!!!!

  
  By A29WT1M127Z4HF on 2007-05-06
  The Bob Newhart Show is so far better than any of the nearly worthless shows on TV currently. To make it even worse Fox has NO PLANS for releasing season 5 and 6. They say it is due to low sales. If you have any comments please call or write:
  
  New and Upcoming Release Information
  
  For more information on new and upcoming DVD or VHS releases, please email foxdrop@4icc.com or call 1-888-223-2FOX.
  
  
  

• An underrated classic

  
  By A2F3M93RRLFQNJ on 2007-03-09
  It's hard to not lump the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Bob Newhart Show together. For years, they ran together in prime time, they both ended while still good (and before the ratings really dropped) and even in syndication (like when I was first exposed to these shows), they tended to run one right after the other. The Mary Tyler Moore Show won all the awards and has always been regarded as one of the best TV comedies ever. As much as I enjoy it, however, I have always enjoyed the Bob Newhart Show even more.
  
  The centerpiece of the show is, of course, Bob Newhart, playing psychologist Bob Hartley. Newhart is a gifted comedian and is a master of timing and delivery. Even though he is often the straight man compared to others, he still gets in his share of jokes. Suzanne Pleshette plays his wife Emily, a school teacher who is just as smart as Bob; in fact, in an earlier season, he had to deal with her higher IQ. Bill Daily is the daffy neighbor Howard Borden (he's probably perpetually dazed from jet lag from his job as a navigator). Finally, there are Bob's workplace friends: the dentist Jerry Robinson (Peter Bonerz) and receptionist Carol Kester (Marcia Wallace, probably better known nowadays as the voice of Mrs. Krabappel in the Simpsons).
  
  The strength of the show is that it is so character-driven. No one fits completely into a stereotypical mold. Jerry's façade as a free-wheeling bachelor actually conceals a rather lonely life. Howard, for all his oddness, still is concerned about his son who he rarely sees. In the fourth season, however, it is Carol who undergoes the most change, as she tries to pursue other career options and becomes married after a whirlwind romance.
  
  The 24 episodes of this season are bookended by appearances by Bob's old college buddy, the Peeper (Tom Poston). In the show, Emily is not fond of the Peeper's prankish humor, but in real life, Pleshette and Poston would eventually marry (as discussed in the commentary for the first episode). In between are a number of other great episodes, probably highlighted by Over the River and Through the Woods, where Bob gets really drunk when left alone for Thanksgiving. In Who is Mr. X?, Bob winds up being ambushed during a TV interview; according to the commentary, this episode wound up being shown at various businesses as a cautionary tale.
  
  These episodes ran in the 1975-6 season. It is interesting to see how programming worked thirty years ago. New episodes ran every week from September through February with only a single break for Christmas. It's quite a contrast to the current strategy of stretching a season over eight months and rarely showing more than four new episodes in a row. Of course, even better is owning the whole season on DVD; you don't even have to wait a week between shows. While the fashions may be a bit out-of-date, the show itself isn't and it remains better than most sitcoms are nowadays. If you have never seen the Bob Newhart Show, you are in for a treat.
  
  
  

• A Message to FOX about Seasons 5 & 6... where are they?

  
  By A26DJU0UGI6B8Q on 2007-12-27
  THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL HAS BEEN SENT TO FOX (foxdrop@4icc.com):
  
  A question which more and more fans are asking...
  
  Why isn't FOX releasing Seasons 5 & 6 on DVD of the classic sitcom "The Bob Newhart Show?"
  
  We purchased the first four seasons, as collectors, and had no indication that the series would not be released on DVD in its entirety.
  
  As just one example of the opinions on this matter, FOX may be well advised to check some of the comments of consumers on the Amazon.com website.
  
  --R. Howe (aka Toby Martin II) / Erskine, MN
  
  
  
  
• Worth it - if only for one episode (!)
  By A2X2EMB1PLDD9B on 2006-08-13
  I grew up watching this wonderful series as a youngster, which only got better with each season. I see where the 'Complete Fourth Season' offers the classic "Who's Mister X?," where an unsuspecting Bob is 'ambushed' by a go-for-the-throat female television talk show host. This exchange alone is worth the money for this set.
  
  This was such a great series! I remember watching 'All In The Family,''The Mary Tyler Moore Show,''The Bob Newhart Show' and 'The Carol Burnett Show' - all in a row on CBS. You just didn't do anything else on a Saturday evening 30+ years ago! Truly classic television comedy - I'm so glad these wonderful shows are all being released on DVD.
  
  
• Please Release the Rest of Bob!
  By A12S38AVBTZ8HI on 2007-11-10
  Simply the funniest series ever on television. I can't understand why Fox won't release the remaining two seasons. Seasons 3 and 4 are the funniest of the first four, but if memory serves, the last two seasons were even funnier! Please release the final two seasons of this great show!
  
  
• Hi Bob! IV - Where is season five?!
  By A322JP0BITPDZY on 2007-03-24
  Ok, I'm starting to get concerned. Where is season five?
  
  I cannot believe that the manufacturer is not making money on these sets. I hope that seasons five and six do not go the way of Barney Miller, post season one! BM was another funny show that didn't get support on DVD. At least that is the rumor on the net.
  
  Bob's other funny show was "Newhart", which I cannot understand why it has not been released on DVD.
  
  The whole cast just clicks. I wish shows like this were still on television.
  
  If you enjoy a good laugh then buy this and the other sets!
  
  The Bob Newhart show was one of the best comedies ever on television and deserves to have seasons five and six released.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Where's the rest of "The Bob Newhart Show"?
  By A2UXQKFOJPT5ZL on 2007-11-30
  Why isn't the rest of this wonderful show being released on DVD? I see the show "Newhart" is now coming out on DVD. Fans of Bob's first show are being robbed.
  
  
• Let's all put our feet up and listen to the Conalrad alert
  By A20EEWWSFMZ1PN on 2006-09-26
  The show centers on Bob Newhart's character as psychiatrist Dr. Robert Hartley. We follow his marriage to Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). Together with their friends and coworkers we can see our selves in many of the situations. This is a comedy with depth of emotion and a few surprises.
  
  Bob Newhart just keeps getting better. This season contains some of my favorites, including "Over the River and Through the Woods"; everyone gets drunk you have to choose which is more funny "more goo" or "Hi Emily, what's happing?" or "what ever you do, don't look in the dishwasher!"
  
  Then there is the Christmas program when bob has his tonsils out and deals with Mrs. Henderson.
  
  The fun just keeps going on and on.
  
  
  
• One of the Best Written Comedies Ever
  By A29LQY1K6LB4DK on 2006-08-20
  The Bob Newhart Show is one of the funniest and best written comedies ever produced. The characters are flawed, likable, and easy to relate to. The comedy is never crude, mean spirited or predictable-unlike many of the comedies shown on TV today. The Bob Newhart Show is number one on my list of the "big four classic comedies" (the others are: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Barney Miller, and The Carol Burnett Show.)
  
  
• Best Episode Ever!
  By A1TE54DMH7GOOM on 2006-09-07
  This is the season I've been waiting for - where the BN show really hit its stride, but especially because it contains the best episode ever: "Carol at 6:01", where Carol's husband Larry is so needy that it drives Carol nuts. Although the highlight of the episode is just prior to an act break where Bob, Jerry, et al. plan their revenge on Howard, who has been winning at "Chinese poker." A must-see.
  
  
• New Wallpaper!
  By A2ZKNGL20FBK2I on 2006-10-09
  In Season 4, things really go 70s. The Hartleys have new wallpaper, and the reception area gets painted bright orange. I always watched this growing up, and am so happy to see them on DVD, some with commentary. I love the opening this season, Bob getting passed an empty coffee cup. The look when Carol gives him an empty cup, well, no one does a "What the H is going on" look better than Bob Newhart. You'll hurt with laughter at the Guys, left alone at Bob's for Thanksgiving, try to cook a turkey then give up and order Chinese, all while drunk. "Don't look in the dishwasher..."
  Is it me or is Howard getting even dumber this year?
  I can't wait for season 5.
  Oh, one of the shows has an opening that might be from a later series, as I didn't recognize Suzanne with longish hair.
  
  
• Damn!!
  By A2NVGFTJ3BUHMV on 2007-12-01
  I wish Fox would release the rest of the season I believe there is 2 more to
  go
  
  
• More Goo To GO!!!!
  By A1WT197926UIA6 on 2006-11-11
  While I love ALL the episodes from the Bob Newhart show, my favorite is "Over The River and Through The Woods", better know as the Moo Goo Gai Pan episode. It lays me out everytime I watch it! "More Goo To GO"!!!!! :) Why do I bring up this episode? Because it's included in this box set: Season 4!!!! A must see!
  
  
• Bob Newhart, one of the best comedians ever
  By A3LJ91CKRNRQB2 on 2007-03-08
  I have both the first and fourth seasons, and they are both good. I think the series improved with time, I thought the episodes in the fourth season were even better than the first. The shows are always morally clean, which is vital to me. I watched this series when I was a kid, and it was one of my favorite shows, and still is. If you have ever seen As Time Goes By, the humor is very similar. Very few shows have this kind of humor, where the timing and pausing are as important as what is said. A bonus is seeing a few actors whose careers continued after this show was over. Very funny show, I am waiting for his later show, Newhart, to finally be released on dvd.
  
  
• Poor quality DVD
  By AZH1ZQ7CHYA7Y on 2006-12-12
  I own seasons 1,2 and 4 the content is A++ the quality of the DVD's are F--. Just about every episode of all three seasons pause for a few moments then jump ahead to where it should be. This typically happens once during an episode. Most irritating. Since there are no other providers of this show which I have seen I put up with it.
  
  
• Good Clean Comedy
  By A2F0DZUG9CSWWZ on 2007-01-10
  Bob Newhart is probabily the best sit-com ever produced. I have all 4 seasons already released. I find them very relaxing; and I watch all 96 episodes (24 per season) over and over. When will they come out with the fifth and sixth ones? It's hard to be patient!
  
  
• Bob Newhart Fourth Season
  By A2UTZ7HH4UKDZW on 2007-03-18
  This series actually got progressively better since the first season, and the humor and situations are timelessly funny. Bob's deadpan humor may not be for everybody, but it suits me very well. Although I was only a kid when this show was on network TV, I'm kicking myself for not appreciating how attractive Suzanne Pleshette was at the time.
  
  
• Commentary on "The Peeper" episode
  By A23LLYZ4WCHLTB on 2007-07-05
  The fourth season included the first appearance of Tom Poston as the Peeper. In the episode Emily is not enthusiastic about the character played by Tom Poston. The commentary was made after Tom Poston and Suzanne Pleshette were married in 2000. The commenrtary reveals Bob, Suzanne, and Tom commenting on the episode aired 25-30 years previously.
  
  
• There is only one Bob Newhart
  By A23X6IOWOGV336 on 2007-10-09
  I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw that the first season of The Bob Newhart Show was on DVD. I wasnt born yet,not until 76, but everyday in the summer I would ride my bike home from swimteam practice and watch The Bob Newhart show. Back then I suppose it wasnt that old of a rerun. The Fourth Season just keeps the flow of the show moving forward, with fresh ideas by great writers. Great acting by the cast, and great sets by those working behind the scenes. These shows are great and a special non scratchable DVD should be made just for Bob Newhart releases. These shows have a classic feel, but they don't feel dated one bit. There is a reason they made a statue of Bob Newhart in Chicago.
  Now if season 5 could just find its way to DVD. Somebody get Carol to make a note of that.
  
  
• Classic & Classy Newhart
  By A16Y9C66ICNMAI on 2007-12-29
  Once upon a time, there was an entertainment genre known as TV Sitcoms.....where one could laugh and enjoy humor and situations without crass, sophomoric, and crude sex and bathroom humor. The Bob Newhart show is a fine example of this genre. This show is funny without being offensive....it is clever at times...downright silly at other times...and while there is levity about Bob's patients problems, it is not a cruel and abusive humor...it is good hearted humor that Bob's patients (if they were real people) would probably appreciate. The show is about people, and how interesting & funny they can be, both in an ordinary way and in novel ways. Compare this to the insipid potty jokes and grade school playground sex humor of most shows at present...the Bob Newhart show is a refreshing and entertaining show that is a joy to watch, and can be watched with children present. No need to cringe, just laugh!
  
  
• Hi Bob!
  By ABX7SEE84DMLU on 2006-12-31
  This season, the show really hit its stride, and the writing and acting take more risks.
  
  The reward is yours.
  
  Maybe it's just me, but there are some bits in this season which I could not stop laughing at. The way the cast interacts also shows that they've completely adapted to Newhart's style of humor, and that they really, really like working together.
  
  Pure pleasure!
  
  
• Review DVD 4th season Bob Newhart
  By A29BXYHLCFP5U4 on 2007-01-03
  I have all four seasons of the Bob Newhart show and have watched them over and over. They are all great fun to watch. However I do believe that the 4th season is the funniest yet. Bob Newhart never seems outdated. No one that likes laughter should miss the episodes "Over the River and Through the Woods" and "Who is Mr. X"
  
  
• Bob Newhart-The Complete Fourth Season
  By A1EYRPB335M5Z6 on 2007-01-03
  I loved this Bob Newhart comedy show when it originally came out and the reruns of the show. It's so nice to be able to have the shows on DVD to watch at any time and I look forward to the next "Season Five"! The price of the product was great and the shows are just the best!!!
  
  
• Best season yet
  By AI0F431XLY4UW on 2007-01-05
  The writers and actors were really hitting stride in the fourth season. Some of my all-time favorite episodes are in this set. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Still better than almost anything on TV today
  By A2IMQXYBWVB52N on 2007-01-10
  Since getting this, my wife and I have resisted the temptation to watch more than one episode a night and that's not an easy task. After 30 years, this show still shines. We knew we'd made a good choice after watching the very first episode. Even if you didn't care for "Bob" or "Emily" (which is highly unlikely), the supporting cast is so great that the show would still be worth watching. A talented cast plus great writers equals outstanding entertainment. A great companion on those nights when there's just no quality show on the regular TV.
  
  
• Newhart review
  By A1I8ZHIQS86GH2 on 2007-01-10
  It's Newhart and Susan with cast at it again - providing excellent entertainment full of laughs - all at their best. A real keeper.
  
  
• The best of TV comedies, funny and clean
  By A2QJ7JJFAELG6C on 2007-01-30
  We have collected seasons two, three and four and have ordered season one. I love this show. Bob is always funny without over the top hysterics, Suzanne Pleshette is perfect. All of the characters in this show make the show what is it, very refreshing, clean and funny. Bob's deadpan humor never ceases to make me laugh. Most of the TV comedies on TV today think humor is always sexual, or crude. I didn't buy this show for a long time because several comments from other reviewers about the quality. The quality is great. It is on double sided DVDS, but I have not found that to be a problem. So if you love comedies you can watch with your entire family, I would recommend Bob Newhart. It's very reasonably priced. I hope they put out seasons five and six soon. I would also like to see the Newhart show on DVD.
  
  
• Bob Newhart Fans Rejoice!
  By AVJGM44VTLTCI on 2007-02-12
  The Complete Fourth Season of the Bob Newhart Show is great fun! Any of you who watched the shows back in the 70's during their original airings will be transported back to a time when Bob Hartley and his goofy friends and patients made every Saturday a sure-fire laugh fest. This DVD set even includes the "Moo Goo Gai Pan" show that is an absolute classic. Don't miss out on this; it's sure to bring smiles and laughter.
  
  
  
  

• The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Third Season
• The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Second Season
• The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete First Season
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete Fourth Season
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete Third Season (1972)