Does the twist ending of Newhart over shadow the rest of the series? In other words, was the series as a whole, as good as the ending? Or was the ending just too good for this particular show?

Oddly, it was only nominated for the best comedy Emmy in its first two seasons, which were the now-scorned Kirk seasons. Edit: the Emmys went to the first two years of Cheers.

I liked Newhart initially, but I gradually lost interest as it went on and I eventually stopped watching. I liked Kirk, I wish he could have remained at least in a recurring role. Larry, Darryl and Darryl were funny the first few times, but I grew tired of them appearing so frequently. And Michael and Stefanie were way too sappy and got annoying.

I remember really liking it!

The loonies that Dick and Joanna were surrounded by just kept getting crazier and crazier.

The ending overshadows the rest of the series. No one could top having Pleshette back for that tag scene.

Has to be one of the top, if not THE top, final episodes of all time. And you couldn't say that generally about the series.

Here's my thoughts on the matter.
The final episode was tops(but too weird), especially the twist at the very end.

But I like the show(from the beginning... it did get a little too weird at times after the first 4 or five seasons) too much to want to believe that all that stuff before was just part of a dream.
There are a couple reasons I believe this.

For one thing, Dick wasn't in every scene. Usually in dreams, the person having the dream in in them.

Another reason is this little trivia tidbit: Despite the dream revelation in the final episode, books by Dick Loudon and the characters of Larry, Darryl, and Darryl all appeared in various episodes of Coach (1989),
Why would books by Dick Loudon show up on Coach? Was that show also Bob Hartley's dream?

Here's what I think...
Some of the episodes might have been in Bob Hartley's dreams(like that ultra-surreal final episode), but ONLY in Bob Hartley's dreams. Dick Loudon was still an Inn-owning writer and local tv host living in Vermont. Bob may have even read some of his books or even seen a bit of his show(not as likely though since it was broadcast locally at a small station), and that melded its way into his dream.
He could even have looked like Dick Loudon. Don't they say we all have a double somewhere?!

So in my mind, Dick Loudon and Bob Hartley are (still) two people living different lives, despite their similarities.

I liked Kirk, I wish he could have remained at least in a recurring role. And Michael and Stefanie were way too sappy and got annoying..

IKR?! Can you imagine the interactions between Kirk and Michael? Especially after Michael became a whining little brat. I think the producers missed out on a lot of funny barbs that Kirk could have been throwing at Michael's behavior. Kirk could have eviscerated Michael with a word.

Early on, though still preppy-ish, Michael at least had a little bit of manliness to him, until he got more involved with Stephanie. Oh, he had glimmers of having a spine here and there, but it never lasted long.

And although Kirk did become a little more thoughtful to other people after he met and married Cindy, he never truly lost his sarcastic personality.

In addition to being an extremely nasty and sarcastic person, Kirk was also a world-class moocher. Kirk was even more of a schnorrer than Howard Borden, Bob Hartley’s seemingly ubiquitous and clinging neighbor on “The Bob Newhart Show.”

And, I was relieved and delighted when the insufferable Kirk finally left Stratford, Vermont with his new wife (who was actually very nice) for somewhere in Europe.

I always thought Newhart was better than the Bob Newhart show. I liked the characters better. The ending of Newhart is considered one of the best endings of any sitcom ever. It set the bar very high which is why endings like Seinfeld and others get flamed. It was brilliant so I am confused at people calling it weird or odd.
I always thought Chuck Cunningham should have shown up at Joanie's wedding and ask everyone where they have been. Its funny and brilliant to tie together all the different eras and things that changed without any explanation. Bob waking up in bed with his original wife in his original bedroom telling his wife of his dream is no doubt the greatest ending of any sitcom ever.

I loved Newhart. I thought all the quirky characters were hilarious. I was glad when Kirk left though. I actually enjoyed it more than The Bob Newhart Show.

Newhart is a fantastic show, one of the best ever made. And it is easily better than The Bob Newhart Show.

Newhart is a fantastic show, one of the best ever made. And it is easily better than The Bob Newhart Show.

I agree.

I've been watching episodes for the first time in many years and it's quite enjoyable. I'm trying to work out how they did this tv show like nothing else before or sense. Dick and Joanna are the only likable characters, everyone else is horrible. I can't figure out why Kirk didn't work but he just didn't, nothing whatsoever about him is watchable. Michael and Stephanie were just as dislikable but they were very fun, solo or as a pair.

The show is basically a live-action cartoon, no pretense at realism, just one wacky character after another. It is annoying to hear all the applause for Larry, his brother Darryl, and his other brother whose name escapes me at the moment, but it's also nice to see so many episodes without them, making it more of a special event when they walk in.

Another thing that strikes me is how many different sets did this show have. There's the Stratford, the dining room and Dick's office, Stephanie and George's bedrooms are shown multiple times, the Minuteman Café, the TV station with the Vermont Today set, Dick's office and the manager's office. Then there's other sets like the Beaver Lodge, City Hall, Stephanie's parents home, and these are just the ones coming to mind. I know there's places I'm forgetting that appeared multiple times and many episodes had scenes that took place somewhere we probably didn't ever see again.

I watched it when it was first on, but looking back on it, it wasnt a favorite show either. The Larry Darryl and Darryl thing was really lame and to me unfunny.

I remember once my mother finding "Newhart" in the TV Guide or something and turned it on to find out it wasn't The Bob Newhart Show like she thought and was disappointed. Why I still remember that, couldnt tell you.

So, back to the original post--was it a "good show?" Yes, it did what a sitcom should do--it gave us a half hours of laughs for nearly a decade. Who could ask for anything more?

I would have loved Kirk and Michael interacting!

No, the show was incredibly cheesy, like a bad 1980s version of Green Acres (which I love), with a twist of Prairie Home Companion-type humor. It was so bad IMO that before "hate watching" became a fad, I used to hate-watch Newhart just so I could see how much worse it could get.

The cheesiness of the show is why the finale was absolutely brilliant and completely redeemed the entire series. It was like the writers admitting how corny the series had become or maybe Bob Newhart showing how little he respected the material, but in his classic subtle deadpan way.