I thought this was a great show with much potential. It wasn't even given a chance. Though the character was less likable than the two previous BOB incarnations, he was still funny. It didn't hit the mark right off, but then again, NEWHART, another classic, didn't really hit its mark until the second or third season. Anyone know where any tapes of this lost gem are?????? I keep hoping they might release it, what with the recent release of many one season wonders like Lotsa Luck, Good Morning World, Gidget and others. I thought the show was good in that it had a more farcical flavor than The Bob Newhart Show. And WHAT A GREAT CAST. Ruth Kobart, John Cygan, Christine Dunsford, who was hilarious, Timothy Fall, Andrew Bilgore, Cynthia Stevenson, Lisa Kudrow, Tom Poston, Dorothy Lyman, Steve Lawrence, Dick Martin. I loved it when he played poker with his buddies. When they fired the entire cast and replaced them with Betty White and Jere Burns, it just lost all of its loopy charm.
Add a Review
-
gv416-120 March 2007
-
johnwaynepeel4 October 2019When 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.
-
droopyherby16 February 2012BOB was ahead of its time - certainly in its setting. A comic book company? Now a network would LOVE that - how hip, how edgy, comic books and graphic novels are everywhere!!! But in the early 90's comic books hadnt quite had their comeback yet. But that's what made the show unique. The very underrated Cynthia Stevenson was so good playing off of Bob and I loved his pet cat. The show should have been given a chance and NOT changed the setting. The second season they totally changed it so Bobw as working for a greeting card company and they crowbarred in Betty White and jere Burns but the show was already staggering at that point. Seems like too much interference and second guessing. They should have left it alone and let the audience find it instead of the other way around (which failed anyway).
-
catsoup1419 September 2003Bob 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. -
Televisionretroguy6729 August 2021As others have commented, "Bob" is a tale of two shows in one and neither getting a fair chance.
"Bob" - Take 1
In "Bob Pt 1, " Bob plays a cartoonist who created the short lived comic Mad Dog in the 50's or 60's, and for the past 20 years or so, has worked as a greeting card artist. Fast forward to 1992 and Mad Dog is resurrected by a comic publisher and Bob is now back to drawing the Mad Dog comic. Surrounded by unlikeable supporting characters in an office environment, Bob from the get go, seems perpetually annoyed to be around them. Especially his young overbearing boss, Harlan. The writers clearly sensed Harlan's hard edges were too much so mid-way through the series they softened him up (and then he has barely one scene per show thereafter.)
Others, including Chad and Alvey fair somewhat better as young Gen X-ers, complete with flannel shirts and cynical attitudes. They provided some comic relief and good generational exchanges with the older Bob, but the chemistry is just not quite there. Prior to Friends fame, Lisa Krudow shows up and dates Alvey and they were great together. Too bad they didn't keep her as a regular supporting player but maybe she knew when to get out.
And speaking of lacking chemistry, Bob, on a scale of one to ten, musters a three with his wife Kate and a four with his daughter Tricia. Bob, in previous sitcoms always had a strong independent wife who grounded him and had a career and life of her own. No such luck here. Kate apparently stays at home waiting for Bob to come home or pops in his office just to tell him she's going shopping for the afternoon. Insert groan here.
As for his daughter, Tricia has an ongoing problem of boyfriend troubles which, provides some comic relief but empathy as well. Cynthia Steveson as Tricia gives it her all in her portrayal despite the rather indifference of her parents. There may have been a good reason Bob never had children in his previous sitcoms.
But a few episodes showed true potential to bring these characters together in some entertaining way. For every show that showed promise, and some did, the next one eradicated that progress and we're back to grumpy Bob. At least the house cat, Otto provided continuous comic relief but then again, cats can't act. We were lucky Otto could react on cue.
The other problem with this show is the 90's sitcom tendencies. Characters diminish each other in insulting ways and the scenes abruptly end without context or just move on to the next scene.
"Bob" Take 2:
So, now here's the second version of "Bob" (with a new opening and extremely short theme song), that was changed mid-way through the first session. The family returns but the Mad Dog comic is discontinued and Bob is now in a completely new office environment and is now the president of the greeting card company. Betty White joins the cast as Bob's new boss and her son, Pete was supposed to get Bob's job. Pete tries to make the best of it (lots of whining yet very jealous of Bob), but can't. This character is worse then Harlan in the first version of "Bob."
Bob is less cranky here and there is more warmth between Bob and Kate (who still doesn't have much to do). Tricia still is having boyfriend problems and in one episode, Pete and Tricia go on a date much to Bob's chagrin (and ours with a preposterous dinner engagement which they all have together.)
But, the last two episodes we're actually very well written and quite funny, especially the episode with Dick Martin and Peter Bonerz (who reprised his role as Jerry Robinson, the dentist from the 70's Newhart show in a brief cameo.) For die hard Newhart fans, and I am one, this cameo is awesome and was hysterical.
So, here we have "Bob Pt. 2" appearing to find itself and maybe, just maybe, actually developing into a good show. But, like "Bob Pt. 1", the plug was pulled quickly on this version too.
The result: One show with two versions in the same year that quickly dies on the vine. There was a good show in each - somewhere. Newhart deserved better and so did his fans. -
I cannot call the series "Bob" one of the greatest ever, only because the fools at CBS didn't realize what a gem they had, changing almost everything after the first season, then cancelling it halfway through the second season.
For the first year, Bob was hilarious, with the same formula practiced on "The Bob Newhart Show" and on "Newhart", and, in my opinion, better success than on "Newhart." The actress (Cynthia Stephenson) who played his daughter added a delightful presence to the series. I'll never forget her line after her mother had committed a major blunder destroying a valuable item of Bob's. Speaking to the family cat, she lamented, "It's too bad that Mom can't live with us anymore." I consider "Newhart" to have been a fine show, and "Bob Newhart" one of the ten greatest comedies of all time. "Bob" had a first season that would have let it join those ranks, had it only lasted long enough. -
SnoopyStyle2 July 2021Bob 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. -
jimel9828 February 2008"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. -
KUAlum2614 November 2005Bob 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. -
wip3out9 January 2001"BOB" was Bob Newhart's return to television after 2 very successful sitcoms. Newhart stars as Bob McKay who is the creator of a '50s comic book superhero known as "Mad-Dog". But thanks to a senate sub-committee hearing on the moral goodness of comic books Mad-Dog is short lived.
Years later, Bob is a frustrated greeting card artist whose comic book creation gets a second life. Unfortunately the new owner of Mad-Dog Comics, American-Canadian Trans-Continental Communications Company, (AmCanTranConComCo), has different ideas about the comic than Bob.
Bob's boss Harlan Stone (played by John Cygan), wants to make Mad-Dog a vigilante while Bob argues that Mad-Dog is a superhero. This leads to problems in conceiving the first issue of the comic book. In fact, episodes of the show go by and the first issue isn't completed.
Kaye McKay (Carlene Watkins) and Trisha McKay (Cynthia Stevenson) are Bob's Wife and Daughter. Trisha's story lines deal with her being hopelessly single and Bob's wife really has nothing to do with the show accept to be hit on by Bob's friends and be there for Bob. Highlights include Appearances by Comic book legends Jim Lee and Jack Kirby and Trisha's roommate Kathy Fleisher (played by Lisa Kudrow). At the end of the first season the show was retooled and the comic book storyline is nixed and replaced with Bob returning to the world of greeting cards and becoming the president of Schmitt Greetings.
"Bob" didn't really catch on and only lasted a season and a half. Instead of the lovable Bob we all know and love, viewers found an irritable, scheming and more often than not, unlikable Bob. In more than one episode Bob is caught Plagiarizing. In another episode he takes credit for work that his daughter Trisha did. In just about every episode Bob faces conflict at work or with his daughter. What made "the Bob Newhart Show" and "Newhart" so great was that Bob's character was never truly mean-spirited. He was the straight man in a world of off-beat characters and situations. Bob's main purpose in both shows seemed be to make sense of the situations brought to him by wacky next door neighbors, patients and co-workers. In "Bob" he seems annoyed when presented with similar situations that might have been funnier had Newhart's character been more patient and forgiving.
Another problem was that the cast lacked the chemistry that made his past shows so memorable. Even the additions of Betty White and Tom Poston didn't really work. To make matters worse the show's time slot was Friday's at 9:30. The younger audience didn't relate to the characters or the comic book. The show also lacked ideas. In 3 of the 30 aired episodes Bob is having difficulty making a speech. Changing the main focus of the show to the Greeting card Company was too little too late and felt like a last ditch effort.
Bob is one of the most talented comedians of all time & is truly a class act. But not even Bob Newhart could overcome mediocre writing and mismatched cast members. While highly unlikely, I would love to see Bob Newhart star in a fifth Television series.
"Bob" ran on CBS for 30 episodes. 3 previously unaired episodes premiered on Viacom's TV LAND 5 years later. -
williamtxx7 August 2018I have been an of bob Newhart. loved bob Newhart show and Newhart show. this show must have been written by idiots. dialog between actors is mostly inane.actresses who played is wife and daughter were fine. the rest should be taken out to the back forty and shot. by far the worst tv show I have ever seen