Newhart

As a Vermonter myself, I loved this series, but add to this the fact that the outdoor shots were filmed in Middlebury Vermont where I grew up and I love it even more. Middlebury is even now a town of only about 8,500 permanent residents, and we had our own TV show!

The cast was one of the best. Everyone from Bob Newhart and Mary Frann to the supporting cast of Poston, Duffy, Kampmann and Scolari where not only hilarious, but portrayed perfectly some of the types of people you WILL find in Vermont.

If you love good comedy, this is some of the best. Watch it and then plan a vacation in Middlebury. Who knows, you may not want to leave either.

"Newhart" was a wonderful TV series and I was a regular viewer when it first aired. It's also shown every night locally here and I still try to see it when I can...even if it does air at 1am!

For those unfamiliar to the show I have some important advice. First, the character Kirk was a regular during the first 44 episodes and he was simply terrible. I don't blame the actor...he was just doing his job. But the writing was terrible. Kirk was 100% disagreeable and that's a serious problem--as you have no idea why his neighbors have anything to do with him. He's one-dimensional and god-awful. Also, the final season was very, very spotty--with many episodes which demonstrated that the show had seen better days along with a few which were classics (such as the finale). So do NOT judge the show by the early and late episodes. Those in between are brilliant and fun.

New York couple Dick (Bob Newhart) and Joanna Loudon (Mary Frann) buys and operates an inn in Vermont. He's a writer of how-to books. George Utley (Tom Poston) is the handyman. Leslie Vanderkellen is the maid in the first season replaced by her flakier cousin Stephanie Vanderkellen (Julia Duffy). Kirk Devane owns the neighboring diner and lusts after both cousins. Michael Harris (Peter Scolari) produces Dick's TV show in later seasons and becomes Stephanie's romantic lead. Then there are the locals Larry (William Sanderson) and his brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl.

Bob Newhart is classic. His stuttering delivery gives him an unique voice. It's rare that a guy can head two long-running successful TV shows. The first season is a little rough so Bob retooled it for the second season. It is basically brighter and more fun. He replaced the ineffective Jennifer Holmes with the sillier Julia Duffy as the hot girl. Then he replaced the funny Steven Kampmann with Peter Scolari. It certainly worked out well since it lasted a full 8 season. Tom Poston is funny as handyman George Utley. There is nothing like Larry, his brother Darryl, and his other brother Darryl which steals the show every time. This was a safe lovely show. Bob wasn't in the business to break down any doors or push an agenda. He was simply in it to make jokes, and he was good at it. To lead 2 different long running shows based mainly on his name is something that only legends get to do.

I got to see this show in 1994 when Satellite TV arrived here in Pakistan and it was great. Simple clean humor and a cast that was all perfect I am surprised to learn that the show didn't get any awards just nominations ... it should have ... anyway a must see ...

That's how I describe "Newhart" in one word. I've always enjoyed Bob Newhart's dry humor and wit.

I liked almost all of the characters on the show. The only one I wished stayed for the entire run was Kirk Devane (Steven Kampmann). He was hilarious the way he lies and the one episode that sticks out with me was when he produced and stared in his own commercial with Dick's wife Joanna for his diner. He does the commercial like the old Ronco ads from the 70s ("How much would you pay for this hamburger? Well don't answer yet...."). Then he says Joanna paid this outrageous price and the look on her face was priceless.

The other episode that sticks out with me was when Dick goes to a Boston Celtics game and has courtside seats. He apparently gets kicked out of the seat I believe because it was someone else's seats and he had to stand outside in the aisle area. Then I believe it was Larry Bird goes hobbling out of the game to the Celtic's team clubhouse, which became the perfect set up for the parody of the "Mean" Joe Greene Coke commercial from 1980. That was a classic.

The final episode was the best and ultimate way to end the show. One of the biggest "curve balls" was thrown. This was one ending you could never see coming.

A bit of trivia: Larry and the 2 Darryls were originally planned by the writers to appear in about 2-4 episodes and were to be written off shortly thereafter. Since "Newhart" was taped in front of a studio audience, the audience would cheer, applaud and holler when the trio walked in the door, then the introduction would follow: "Hi, I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl". That would then follow with more cheers and applause or laughs. It was said, that the studio audience kept the trio from being written off the show.