During a recent browse through the DVDs at our local library, I happened upon the DVD for The Newhart Show. No, no – not The Bob Newhart Show from the 70s, the one set in Chicago. This was The Newhart Show set in small town Vermont, the one that ran from 1982 -1990.
Hmm, I thought, finally, Twenty-eight years later, I get to watch this show.
See, 1982 was the year our son was born, the year I was so tired I fell asleep halfway through any show we watched. We tuned in for some episodes in later years, and scant handful I watched from start to finish were enjoyable, though I couldn’t get used to perky Mary Frann as Newhart’s wife instead of stylish Suzanne Pleshette. Our viewership was spotty throughout the run of the series, and I was never as much a fan of The Newhart Show in quite the same way I’d been a Bob Newhart fan during high school and college.
To be honest, the first few episodes of the first season disappointed me. The show was videotaped, so it looked artificial and contrived. And I expected to see Julia Duffy and Peter Scolari in their roles as the quintessential shallow 80s yuppies. But they didn’t join the cast until the second and third seasons respectively, about the time I came out of my baby-induced stupor and could stay awake for an entire half hour show. So Jennifer Holmes as Leslie Vanderkellen, the responsible and intelligent maid, and Steven Kampmann as Kirk Devane, the chronic liar and owner of the scuzzy Minuteman Cafe, weren’t what I expected. The trio of Larry, Darryl and Darryl appear in only three episodes during the first season, and they are hilarious every time. No wonder they were written into the scripts more and more frequently over the years.
After a few episodes, I got used to everything. The writing improved steadily and so did the acting. As the series progressed and Tom Poston, who plays the George the handyman, and Bob Newhart as Dick Loudon, found their rhythm, I fell in love with the show. Both actors could do so much with an eyebrow lift, a blink, a smile, and a pause, they were a joy to watch. In fact, I think Tom Poston is one of the most underrated comic actors ever. Some notable stars – Ruth Gordon, Daniel J. Travanti and Jerry Van Dyke – made guest appearances, creating a time capsule of the early 80s.
I am now hooked on The Newhart Show, anxiously awaiting the release of seasons 2 – 6. I hope they’re here before we have grandchildren. Babies have a way of putting a crimp in my television watching plans!
