Product Details

• Actors: Steven Kampmann, Rebecca York, Cliff Bemis, Todd Susman, Linda Carlson
• Directors: Jim Buck, John Tracy (II), Ellen Falcon, Peter Scolari, Lee Shallat Chemel
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Language: English (Mono)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: February 26, 2008
• Run Time: 546 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000YKYT1M
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,392 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Newhart - The Complete First Season" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Looking for the perfect getaway? Check in to Newhart, finally open for business on DVD. Let’s consult the travel guide: "Nestled in a grove of majestic maples just a stone’s throw from the ivy covered walls of Dartmouth University lies the authentic colonial comfort of the Stratford Inn. Your jolly and congenial hosts are well known author Dick Loudon and his wife, Joanna." It’s the ideal setup for the understated Newhart who is right at home in this quaint and bucolic setting. Between the guests and the colorful town characters, he has ample opportunities to do what he did so expertly on The Bob Newhart Show; deal with the crazies (as he so elegantly puts it in one of this set’s bonus featurettes). Newhart stars as Loudon, a successful New York writer of how-to books, who, with his more reluctant wife, Joanna (Mary Frann, who rises to the unenviable challenge of following Bob’s first TV wife, Suzanne Pleschette), uproots their lives to buy and run the venerable Stratford. The place comes with some colorful history (in the pilot, it is revealed that the inn once served as a house of ill repute, and in another episode, Bob learns that a woman hung as a witch is buried in the basement). It also comes with George Utley (Tom Poston), the handyman, who may have more than one screw loose. Newhart’s first season provided the series with a solid foundation. It just needed a little tinkering. Kirk (Second City veteran Steven Kampmann), owner of the neighboring café, is introduced as a habitual liar, a character trait that is thankfully phased out as the season unfolds (his character would exit the show after two seasons). Pam-pretty and sweet Leslie (Jennifer Holmes), the maid, an heiress who wants "to experience the real world," would be replaced in season two by Julia Duffy, who is introduced as her cousin in the episode, "What is This Thing Called Lust?" But the series’ most welcome additions are backwoodsmen Larry (William Sanderson) and his silent brothers Darryl (John Voldstad) and Darryl (Tony Papenfuss), who make their auspicious debut in the second episode. An instant hit, they were brought back for another before becoming regulars in season two. Newhart is four-star character-based comedy. There is nary a cheap or easy laugh in these episodes. Lines such as "There go the dregs of society," "I haven’t got $80," and "What would you say if you weren’t a college graduate," aren’t funny out of context, but spoken by these characters, they’re boffo. The DVD box lists four extras, but there are only three. The best is "Getting to the Heart of Newhart," in which cast members Newhart, Duffy, Sanderson, and Voldstad reflect on the series and pay moving tribute to the late Poston and Frann. Considering how much fun they all say it was to work on the show, a gag reel (including the classic blooper in which Newhart accidentally calls Frann’s character, "Emily") would have been a nice amenity. --Donald Liebenson

Product Description

Bob Newhart returns to the TV as Dick Loudon, as he and his wife Joanna decide to leave life in New York City and buy a little inn in Vermont. Dick is a how-to book writer, who eventually becomes a local TV celebrity as host of "Vermont Today."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

142 of 146 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars One of TV's great comedies November 19, 2007

By Mark E. Baxter VINE™ VOICE

Amazon Verified Purchase

They don't make them like they used to. This is one of TV's great comedies, anchored by Bob Newhart, and supported by an excellent cast that changed through the seasons. Season one has almost no Julia Duffy character - the ditzy, pampered maid - no Peter Scolari (the irritating yuppy) in love, and minimal Larry, Darryl and Darryl, the Marx brother like stooges who later become a major fixture on the show.

Still Tom Poston, the handyman, Kirk, the narcissistic cafe owner, and the wonderfully inept local Vermont Townsmen do a great job, and they just get better as the show develops. Truly intelligent family fare.

I really miss this one considering the current wasteland of staged "reality" shows, nasty and violent cop dramas, and smutty dysfunctional family comedies. You can sign me up for this one, and I can't wait for the other seasons.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Long overdue November 21, 2007

By R. Jamieson

Newhart was very likely the best situation comedy of the 80s and I sorely miss seeing Bob on TV. I'm one of those who has a fondness for the first couple of seasons, when the humour was at its most intelligent and subtle...not unlike Bob himself, come to think of it. This DVD release is highly anticipated though I share the pessimism of others that Fox will stick with the series. Inevitably, demand for series TV tends to drop off as additional years are released. Perhaps more distrubutors should take a cue from Time-Life, who released all seasons of Get Smart in a single package, before rolling out individual seasons. It allows true fans to collect the full set at a reasonable one-time price and more casual fans to collect only selected seasons. Much smarter marketing, in my view, than the painful sporadic (and indefinite) release of discs over a period of years.

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best November 14, 2007

By Autumn Christmas

Newhart is simply the best television show ever made. It's funny, relaxing, and something that the whole family can watch together. I will buy this dvd set on Feb 26th, and will be ready for season 2 by 9pm that night!