Bob

"Bob" was never given a real chance, no question on that. The re-tooling and rescheduling was an act of murder, not simply the idiotic game playing that TV executive like to indulge in. It's been so long since I've seen an episode and details are fuzzy, but, like Bob Newhart's previous shows, it was something I looked forward to watching every week. I liked it better than "George and Leo" and that wasn't a bad show.

Bob Newhart is a genius at every turn and this was a chance for him to play a slightly edgier roll. No, not everyone took a liking to it, but it was never really given a chance to mature and hit its stride. Most of the finest television has needed a year or two to really get going and every person who truly loves TV knows that.

I don't know what kind of resume is needed to be a TV executive, but I can only imagine what's on the resumes of some of the meatheads out there and it's safe to say that some are UNDERqualified to empty wastebaskets.

Bob McKay (Bob Newhart) is a long-suffering greetings card artist in Chicago. He complains about the health food from his wife (Carlene Watkins). His adult daughter Trisha (Cynthia Stevenson) is painfully single. When his old comic book character gets revived, he has a second chance to pursue his dream.

The show struggled to gain traction during its full run of the first season. Newhart is doing fine and Stevenson is great. Watkins is too young to be Trisha's mom. The two actresses are only ten years apart and it's noticeable. The office doesn't have the goods. Cygan is rather generic as the overbearing boss. Chad has a little fun with Trisha. The funniest moments come from a pre-Friends Lisa Kudrow. She and Albie are a good pairing. It's tough when a guest star with three episodes at the end of the season is the funniest aspect of a show. They needed Kudrow right from the start.

The first season went poorly. The second season got a complete retooling. Bob is a sitcom legend and I can see the network saying let's give him more help. The family stays the same. The home is changed. I think the cat is different. Bob goes back to the greetings card company after Mad-Dog gets shut down. He is given the job of the new president on the first episode. The new cast includes Jere Burns and Betty White. Eight episodes were made and only five were aired. While the change is not illogical story-wise, it basically dumps the first year and the main aspect of the show. I must think that the few fans left over from the first season would feel untethered by the show. They are adrift at sea when Mad-Dog is such a big part of the show. Bob could have drawn Mad-Dog from his home and keep a few characters from the first season. They could have done Caroline in the City with Chad and Albie. This retooling is too big and too abrupt.

Bob was the new vehicle for CBS during its 1992-1993 season. It was a critic's favorite, and it's 1st season alone landed Bob Newhart on the front cover of TV guide twice-a rare accomplishment! Often on many of the critics 10 best list for the 1992-1993 television season, `BOB' was an under appreciated, gem. Unfortunately, CBS decided to re-tool the show (changing it's format), dumping 90% of the cast, putting it back on Fridays (the show received a major ratings boost when it appeared on Monday's midway through it's first season) and adding Betty White for it's second season. But to no avail, the show was quickly cancelled.

In my opinion, its first season was one of the sharpest sitcom's I have ever seen: Quick, Odd, Quirky, Funny, and touching. I would have to disagree with the previous `critique' above/below, the chemistry on this show was great and the timing was wonderful. May this series finally get some credit? Way above it's time, and sharper and more sophisticated than Seinfeld was at the time.the best show on all four networks of the 1992-1993 season.

Bob Newhart's third sitcom was mostly a crashing non-success,which is a shame since,besides Mr.Newhart,the show had a very good ensemble cast that included veteran actors like Ruth Kobart and Carlene WAtkins mixed in with solid younger talent like Cynthia Stevenson,Andrew Bilgore and John Cygan. This was the first season. Then CBS decided to re-up this show(rather tenuously it appeared)for a second year,they blew-up that cast,inserted pros Betty White,Tom Poston and Jere Burns,that and a schedule move(from the no-man's land that was Friday nights to Monday nights)and hoped it would inflate the less-than-scintillating returns.It didn't,and the show was quietly pushed off the air after the half-way point of the 1993-94 season.

I personally felt like this show,while hardly up there with the first two Newhart entries,was still very watchable,quite funny and seemed to have plenty of potential to get better and/or get a better following. But who knows? Maybe audiences were expecting too much of either Dr.Bob HArtley or Dick Loudon. Or maybe the loyal t.v. audiences didn't like what they saw in grouchy cartoonist Bob McKay. Or maybe the audiences were not warming to Newhart's dry,button-down style of comedy. Whatever,I thought this show deserved a better treatment,given the pedigree of the eponymous star.

When Bob (the show) began, I already loved it just because 8t was about a comic book character. Since I too am an illustrator, and a fan.of comics, I was happy to see it. Unfortunately, CBS decided to rewrite the show and make it about greeting cards. Even Betty White couldn't save it because the writers sucked. This is one of those great shows that was never given a chance. A true shame... like The Tony Randall Show about a judge and his caustic secretary.