Parents' Guide to

Newhart

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Classic comedy's still funny, though it shows signs of age.

TV CBS Comedy 1982
Newhart Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • Newhart TV Show: Scene #1
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What's the Story?

Named for its popular star, actor-comedian Bob Newhart, NEWHART follows the misadventures of New York City author Dick Loudon (Newhart) and his wife, Joanna (Mary Frann), as they buy a charming historic inn in rural Vermont and attempt to run it as a businesses, helped and more often hindered by a cast of quirky locals. From backwoods brothers Larry (William Sanderson), Daryl (Tony Papenfuss), and Daryl (John Voldstad), to self-absorbed "yuppie" couple Michael (Peter Scolari) and Stephanie (Julia Duffy), this small New England town's got some huge personalities.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1):

While it might seem hokey by today's standards, this series is still fun and filled with memorable, kooky characters. The Bob Newhart Show, which aired on CBS from 1972 to 1978, broke new ground in television at the time with its focus on the field of psychology and its attempts to show the lighter side of mental health. It also paved the way for Newhart, which aired on the same network just a few years later and applied its titular lead's impeccable timing and deadpan delivery to an arguably more mundane topic -- rural life.

Watching it today feels less like you're watching television and more like you're watching a well-directed and well-timed stage play in which the jokes fall exactly as they should. And that's part of what makes Newhart a classic that continues to deliver decades later. Yes, it's dated (and the rooms go for $20 a night!), but it's still delightfully funny.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Newhart's premise and characters and how appealing they are to modern audiences. If a writer pitched the same show today, would it get picked up? And would the characters still look and act the same? How might you change the characters to make them more relatable?

  • How does Newhart compare to the most popular comedies on television today? What's changed in terms of how comedies are written, produced, and consumed? Which era of TV comedy do you prefer?

  • Newhart's series finale is considered one of the most talked about in television history -- right up there with M*A*S*H, Seinfeld, and The Sopranos. What made it so memorable for its time, and how would it play with audiences today?

TV Details

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