Newhart is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, respectively, who own and operate the Stratford Inn in rural Vermont. The small town is home to many eccentric characters. TV Guide, TV Land, and A&E named the Newhart series finale as one of the most memorable in television history. The theme music for Newhart was composed by Henry Mancini.
Premise Bob Newhart plays Dick Loudon, an author of do-it-yourself and travel books. He and his wife Joanna move from New York City to a small town in rural Vermont to operate the 200-year-old Stratford Inn.
Dick and Joanna initially run the inn with the help of sweet-natured but simple handyman George Utley and Leslie Vanderkellen, a bright, cheerful Dartmouth College student and heiress who takes a job as a maid to find out what it is like to be "normal". Next door to the inn is the Minuteman Café, owned by Kirk Devane, a petty opportunist and compulsive liar. Leslie leaves before season two to continue her studies abroad, to be replaced by her cousin Stephanie, who, unlike Leslie, is vain, lazy, and spoiled. Awkward, uncultured backwoodsman brothers Larry, Darryl and Darryl are seen with increasing frequency as work-for-hire odd-job men in the first two seasons, and take over the Minuteman Cafe when Kirk leaves at the start of season 3.
Near the end of season two, Dick becomes the host of a local television show, Vermont Today, where he interviews an assortment of bizarre and colorful guests. His vapid, neurotic producer, Michael Harris, falls in love with Stephanie, their relationship providing a satire of 1980s excess.
The final episode of the series reveals that the entire series was a dream of Dr. Robert Hartley, Newhart's character in The Bob Newhart Show.
Cast
Main
Recurring
Reception
Newhart was a solid ratings winner, finishing its first six seasons in the Nielsen top 25. Despite not finishing in the top 30 for its last two seasons, Bob Newhart stated in an interview with the Archive of American Television that CBS was satisfied enough with the show's ratings to renew it for a ninth season in 1990. However, Newhart, who was anxious to move on to other projects, declined the offer, promising CBS that he would develop a new series for the network, which he was under contract to do. This resulted in the 1992 series Bob, which lasted two seasons.
+ Newhart season rankings in the U.S. television marketSeasonEpisodesOriginal air datesTV seasonNielsen ratings Season premiere Season finale Rank Rating Households / Viewers (in millions) 1 22 October 25, 1982 April 10, 1983 1982–1983 #12 20.0 16.66 2 22 October 17, 1983 April 16, 1984 1983–1984 #23 18.0 15.08 3 22 October 15, 1984 May 28, 1985 1984–1985 #16 18.4 4 24 September 30, 1985 May 12, 1986 1985–1986 19.6 16.84 5 24 September 29, 1986 April 13, 1987 1986–1987 #12 19.5 17.04 6 24 September 14, 1987 April 9, 1988 1987–1988 #25 16.5 rowspan="2" 7 22 October 24, 1988 May 22, 1989 1988–1989 #50 12.8 8 24 September 18, 1989 May 21, 1990 1989–1990 #48 13.1 19.34
Awards
Nominations Emmy Awards The show was nominated for 25 Emmy Awards but never won.
1983 Outstanding Comedy Series – Sheldon Bull, Producer; Barry Kemp, Executive Producer Outstanding Video Tape Editing For a Series – Andy Ackerman 1984 Outstanding Comedy Series – Sheldon Bull, Producer; Barry Kemp, Executive Producer Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Tom Poston Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Julia Duffy 1985 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Bob Newhart Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Julia Duffy 1986 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Bob Newhart Outstanding Sound Mixing For a Comedy or Drama – Andrew MacDonald, Sound Mixer; Bill Nicholson, Sound Mixer; Craig Porter, Sound Mixer; Richard Wachter, Sound Mixer Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Tom Poston Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Julia Duffy 1987 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Bob Newhart Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Tom Poston Peter Scolari Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Julia Duffy Outstanding Writing For a Comedy Series – David Mirkin ("Co-Hostess Twinkie") 1988 Outstanding Editing For a Series (Multi-Camera Production) – Michael Wilcox, Editor Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Peter Scolari Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Julia Duffy 1989 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Eileen Brennan Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Peter Scolari Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Julia Duffy 1990 Outstanding Editing For a Series (Multi-Camera Production) – Michael Wilcox, Editor Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Julia Duffy Outstanding Writing For a Comedy Series – Bob Bendetson, Mark Egan and Mark Solomon ("The Last Newhart")
Golden Globe Awards Newhart earned six nominations for Golden Globe Awards. Television Series – Musical or Comedy (1984) Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy: Bob Newhart (1983–1986) Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Julia Duffy (1988)
Other awards Newhart was nominated for one Casting Society of America award and four nominations for TV Land Awards. Newhart won a total of four Viewers for Quality Television Awards.
Home media 20th Century Fox released season one of Newhart on DVD in Region 1 on February 26, 2008.
In November 2013, Shout! Factory announced it had acquired the rights to the series. It has since released the remainder of the series in individual season sets.
DVD nameEp. No.Release date The Complete First Season22 February 26, 2008 The Complete Second Season22 February 11, 2014 The Complete Third Season22 April 22, 2014 The Complete Fourth Season24 August 19, 2014 The Complete Fifth Season24 May 10, 2016 The Complete Sixth Season24 September 13, 2016 The Complete Seventh Season22 December 13, 2016 The Complete Eighth Season24 March 14, 2017
References
External links