The Bob Newhart Show
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Quote: Skibbington von Skubber @ June 10, 2007, 7:58 PM

The Bob Newhart Show

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Blimey! I didn't think I would find anyone who would know who this guy was!!!

I have a CD containing some of his work and particularly love the sketch about tobacco!!!

His tv shows, the main two, The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978) and Newhart (1982-1990)were extremely well done sitcoms. I'm sure they are still being shown in the states.

I agree, his standup stuff was a hoot. Still holds up to this day.

Quote: hotzappa11 @ January 19, 2007, 11:02 AM

1. Scrubs - Probably my favourite sitcom ever, did go down in Season 5 and is yet to pick up in Season 6.

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Interesting you should say that. Scrubs became more of a soap. Having watched some of the show which we have not yet seen in this country, it does seem to have transformed somewhat.

If you watch the early ones on ABC or Paramount, you see a completely different show, with different values, different basic structure. I think the thing is that they have decided to make a thematic cross hybrid between soap and sitcom. It doesn't really work...

My three all time shows (plus one)

Larry Sanders
Curb
Seinfeld
Police Squad

Although American Dad, Simpsons, Futurama, King Of the Hill, Family Guy all figure heavily on my shelves.

I've just realised all but one of these shows has no studio audience.

Quote: Skibbington von Skubber @ June 11, 2007, 2:00 AM

His tv shows, the main two, The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978) and Newhart (1982-1990)were extremely well done sitcoms. I'm sure they are still being shown in the states.

I agree, his standup stuff was a hoot. Still holds up to this day.

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It interesting how some stuff holds up and others just fold. Look at some of the stuff we thought was great years ago. I watched STUFF the other day. It's a simple enough device which works every times. Mostly false premise misdirection comedy. Some good sketches. Quite Pythonesque in places.

I think it's a thing about generic themes which make things last. Bob Newhart was about conversations, about how people interact; that eternal. Doesn't matter what they were interacting about. You watch Seinfeld now, it's not half as funny as it was ten years ago, because so much has happened. It's of its' time, although having said that being half as funny is still hilarious. Larry Sanders to me was the pinnacle of good writing. Tightly plotted, creative and natural. Almost like Curb but scripted tightly.

If you look at things like Dads' Army, early Only Fools (up to Rodneys' wedding), Steptoe...they are about people, not issues as much. The issues are secondary to the people. The Office was about a man grasping at his last chance to be what he imagined he was in his head, something he could never be in real life. The stuff that last longest is about people, about how stupid/vain/mad/passive/paranoid/unfulfilled they are. I think.

I think I'll have another drink now.

1. Frasier
2. Frasier
3. Frasier

1. Frasier
2. Cheers
3. Taxi

I love the theme tune to Taxi, makes me feel all nostalgic like the Cheers theme. Even though Taxi is before my time.

I agree, I also went to the bar called Cheers in Boston. Nothing like the real bar. But it did sell rather nice food and decent beer. Ah the good old days its like listening to the relaxing theme tune all over.

I was just going to say jammy Liverpool

Twice!

Bilko
Frasier
Seinfeld

Loving Malcolm In The Middle and Scrubs too though. Top 5?

I'm not including animated titles in my selection. Sorry, but I don't count them as sitcoms.

Edit; Oh, and The Garry Shandling Show, and The Larry Sanders Show too. Damn! this is too hard. Top 7?

Why aren't animated sitcoms, sitcoms?

1) The Simpsons, still the best thing to come out of America imo.

2) The Golden Girls, the writing is just fantastic.

3) Laverne and Shirley, well I liked it lol.

Quote: Aaron @ August 13 2008, 8:39 PM BST

Why aren't animated sitcoms, sitcoms?

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I just don't think of them as sitcoms. I don't no why, it's only my opinion. Sorry. If I did my list would probably be;

South Park
The Simpsons
Futurama

Fairymuff.

Simpsons
Futurama
Scrubs

There may be more important Sitcoms that laid the ground work for the rest. But these are my favorites.