Eliana Willis

The finale has become so famous in part because it offered a rare moment of real surprise from a taped prime-time television sitcom.Open any search engine you like and type in these words: “best TV finales.” Scroll through the dozens — heck, hundreds — of articles written about which shows really “stuck the landing,” delivering the kind finish that fans still talk about.The “Newhart” finale should be on nearly all of those lists. For its last few minutes alone, “Newhart” deserves emeritus status on every roundup of best TV endings, best TV moments, funniest pranks, you name it. In perpetuity.What makes it an all-timer? One knockout of a punchline.For eight seasons — from 1982 to 1990 — Bob Newhart entertained millions on “Newhart,” playing Dick Loudon, a how-to book author and the co-owner of a quaint Vermont inn with his wife Joanna (Mary Frann). The success of “Newhart” was especially remarkable given that Newhart had already had a long run on TV in “The Bob Newhart Show,” which ran for six seasons, also on CBS, from 1972 to 1978.He had spent those six years playing Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychologist who coped with his kooky patients with the help of his loving wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). These two characters, Loudon and Hartley, both drew on Newhart’s stand-up comedy persona: the stammering, muttering everyman, delivering hilariously deadpan reactions to the madness of modern life.The “Newhart” finale bridged the gap between the two shows, with an ending that had Dick Loudon getting knocked out by a golf ball in Vermont and then waking up in a Chicago bedroom as Bob Hartley, with Emily by his side. The implication was that the entire run of “Newhart” had been Bob’s dream. On the night of the finale’s taping, the “Newhart” studio audience whooped in delight.Most of the series finale was a seemingly straightforward “Newhart” episode. With, foreground from left, Newhart, Mary Frann, Gedde Watanabe and Tom Poston.CBS, via Everett CollectionWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

Newhart, who died on Thursday, became a standup star in the early 1960s and later developed two hit sitcoms built around his nervous Everyman persona.The legend of Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at 94, holds that he was once just an ordinary Chicago accountant who honed a stand-up act in his spare time. Overnight, the story goes — almost accidentally — he became a Grammy-winning sensation with his debut album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” a collection of one-man sketches in which he play-acts one half of funny conversations.That story is exaggerated. Newhart worked in advertising for longer than he did in accounting; and his showbiz ambitions were never just an afterthought. It is true, though, that Newhart rocketed to the top because he innately understood a certain midcentury Middle American type: the meek and anxious Everyman, overwhelmed by a world that sometimes seems deeply weird.Newhart first made good use of that understanding onstage in comedy clubs, where he became a phenomenon in the early 1960s, setting him up for a thriving career in that decade as a variety show and talk show guest. He then played variations on his stand-up character in two hit sitcoms: “The Bob Newhart Show” through much of the ’70s and “Newhart,” which ran from 1982 to 1990.By the 21st century, he had settled into emeritus status, reviving his old routines in concerts while doing his beloved shtick in supporting roles in movies and on TV. Here are six of Newhart’s most memorable performances, all available to stream:‘Bob Newhart: Off the Record’ (1992)The best way to understand how a “button-down” office drone became a perennial presence on TV is to watch this comedy special, in which Newhart revisits some of his earliest stand-up routines. At the time, these bits were over 30 years old, but they still — even today — get laughs. “Off the Record” shows one of the best-ever comics doing his thing: delivering one side of ludicrous phone calls and chats while giving the audience just enough information to imagine what is happening on the other end. In doing his bits about ordinary schmoes in extraordinary situations — such as crossing paths with King Kong or consulting with Abe Lincoln — Newhart spoofs the language of American life.Rent or buy it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.‘The Bob Newhart Show’ (1972-78)After Newhart’s decade-plus of stand-up success and frequent TV guest gigs, the writer-producer team of David Davis and Lorenzo Music finally figured out how to harness his comic persona in a sitcom. In their “The Bob Newhart Show,” the comedian plays Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychologist managing the neuroses of his patients and the frustrations of his oft-neglected wife, Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). The show’s premise allows Newhart to make great use of his deadpan reactions, witty remarks and nervous stammer — all opposite a crack cast of funny character actors. But the real reason the series ran for so long is the star’s chemistry with Pleshette. Their easy banter and obvious affection make even a chilly Windy City feel inviting.Buy it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV or Vudu.‘Newhart’ (1982-90)A few years after ending one popular, long-running sitcom, Newhart moved on to another. In “Newhart,” he plays Dick Loudon, a successful how-to book author who buys a quaint Vermont inn to run with his wife, Joanna (Mary Frann). Though again surrounded by eccentrics, Newhart’s character — and his approach to comedy — is subtly different here than in “The Bob Newhart Show.” Over the course of the series, Dick essentially becomes another one of those small-town kooks, with his own stubborn tics and habits. The show is plenty charming, even as it relies more on wackiness than warmth.Stream it on Amazon Prime Video.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More