'Newhart' finale at 30

[TMC]

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...203407321.html

It was Christmastime in Los Angeles circa 1987, but Bob Newhart wasn’t experiencing a lot of good tidings and joy. For six seasons, the stand-up comic-turned-television star had been headlining the CBS sitcom, Newhart, as author and small-town Vermont inn owner, Dick Loudon. It was his second hit sitcom for the network following the beloved 1970s series, The Bob Newhart Show, which paired him with fellow TV legend, Suzanne Pleshette. Although Newhart was a hit with critics and viewers, the star felt that CBS wasn’t necessarily championing his new comedy the way that it should.

While at a Christmas party with his wife, Virginia, he confessed that he was seriously considering ending the show. “Ginny knew I was unhappy with CBS,” Newhart tells Yahoo Entertainment now. “She told me, ‘You know what the final show should be? You wake up in bed with Suzie and you describe this dream you had about owning an inn in Vermont.’ I said, ‘Honey, that’s a great idea!’ Suzanne was actually at the same party, and we told her about it when we saw her. She said, ‘I’ll be there in a New York minute.’”

Ultimately, Newhart made peace with CBS and Newhart continued on for two more seasons. But when the time came to write the actual series finale, he had the perfect ending ready to go. “I gave the idea to the writers, and they filled out the rest,” he says of the surprise “It was all a dream!” reveal on “The Last Newhart,” which premiered 30 years ago on May 21, 1990. What started as a casual Christmas conversation between husband and wife immediately entered TV history as one of the all-time great finales.



Even before the final shot, “The Last Newhart,” took some big creative risks. The episode begins with a Japanese businessman buying the Vermont town Dick and his wife, Joanna (Mary Frann), call home and tearing it down to build a golf course. While they refuse to sell their inn, the rest of the town’s eccentric citizens happily take the money and run. Five years later, though, their neighbors — everyone from handyman George Utley (Tom Poston) to the three brothers Larry, Darryl and Darryl (William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss and John Voldstad) all return professing guilt at having fled and plan to stay forever with Dick and Joanna. Unable to be heard above the cacophony, Dick leaves the room and is promptly hit in the head by a stray golf ball.

Cut to the bedroom from The Bob Newhart Show, where psychologist Bob Hartley wakes up next to his wife, Emily. “All right Bob, what is it?” Pleshette asks, as the studio audience cheers and claps in obvious surprise and delight. “I was an innkeeper in this crazy little town in Vermont,” Newhart says. “Nothing made sense in this place,” rattling off all the oddities that defined his dream life. “That settles it — no more Japanese food before you go to bed,” Pleshette replies. Newhart gets the last gag of the series: “Go to sleep, Emily. You know, you really should wear more sweaters.”

Newhart wasn’t the only 1980s series to reveal to viewers that what they had been watching was a dream; Newhart himself points to the popular dramas Dallas and St. Elsewhere as two obvious predecessors. But “The Last Newhart” has become the defining example of that particular plot twist, one that’s been referenced and parodied numerous times over the past three decades. “It always presents a problem for people when they're writing that final show,” Newhart says of the enduring legacy of Newhart’s surprise ending. “I remember on The Big Bang Theory, I talked to Chuck Lorre, and they weren't sure how to end the show. [Newhart had a recurring role as Professor Proton on that series.] I said, ‘Well, I've had a great deal of success waking up in bed with my wife!’”

[TMC]

Why is Newhart's finale so universally revered? Nobody ever complains about it negating the entire show by calling it a dream within another show. It's like the sitcom version of Dallas' dream season or the series finale of St. Elsewhere. Doesn't it really come across as them showing the finger to the cast and crew of the show?

[RetroGuy2000]

I think because it was a sitcom, people didn't take the ending so seriously, unlike St. Elsewhere.

[TMC]

This is a minor detail but still, if was all a dream, why did Bob Hartley dream that his old college roommate was the handy man of this inn that he owned in Vermont?

[TMC]

10 TV Episodes Where "It Was A Dream All Along"

Most shows try to avoid tropes as much as possible, but some shows lean in and even turn a trope like "it was just a dream" into something special.

[dee2364]

Originally Posted by TMC

Why is Newhart's finale so universally revered? Nobody ever complains about it negating the entire show by calling it a dream within another show. It's like the sitcom version of Dallas' dream season or the series finale of St. Elsewhere. Doesn't it really come across as them showing the finger to the cast and crew of the show?

It's revered:

1. Because the ending was a genuine twist that no one ever saw coming or had ever been done in the history of television.

2. No one has ever said this, but I think people loved the ending because it completely redeemed what had been a pretty corny, cheeseball show. This isn't a popular opinion but for me personally, Newhart was really cornball and was the opposite of what Bob Newhart was ever about. So, the ending was like seeing Newhart back to his old, witty, sophisticated self and the writers admitting that the entire series had been a bad joke.

[biffbronson]

I absolutely loved the ending, I thought it was one of the most brilliant moments in sitcom history. I couldn't care less about its "negating" the series -- comedy is comedy. I highly doubt anyone felt disrespected, no "finger."

[stevea]

Newhart's ending kind of redeemed the series, which by the end was getting sort of tiresome. You can only take these quirky people so far, all odd in their own ways, Dick and Joanna surrounded by loonies. An urbane version of Green Acres--Oliver surrounded by loonies there--two decades later.

The show had probably overstayed its welcome by a few seasons. What better way to end it than come up with what was most likely the best sitcom finale ever written?

It was all a dream. Bob Hartley's dream. Top that!

[king of comedy]

Originally Posted by TMC

10 TV Episodes Where "It Was A Dream All Along"

Most shows try to avoid tropes as much as possible, but some shows lean in and even turn a trope like "it was just a dream" into something special.

They forgot I Dream of Jeannie. It was the episode where Dr. Bellows finally sees Tony and Jeannie's secret. Tony was working late at home during a hurricane and Dr. Bellows had to stay at their house. Tony was on the phone and Jeannie decides to help by bringing the 2 travelers into the living room. Dr. Bellows sees this and wants the truth. Tony explains and tells Dr. Bellows that he and Jeannie will move far away to live their lives in peace. Dr. Bellows accepts this. Tony wakes up and realizes it was a dream. To be honest, I wished this wasn't a dream and a great way to end the series. By the way, this should have been the last episode.

[dee2364]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

I highly doubt anyone felt disrespected, no "finger."

IIRC Mary Fran was upset about the finale idea for this very reason. She felt that it negated the entire series. I can't find the quote but I remember Newhart talking about it.

[dee2364]

Originally Posted by stevea

Newhart's ending kind of redeemed the series, which by the end was getting sort of tiresome. You can only take these quirky people so far, all odd in their own ways, Dick and Joanna surrounded by loonies. An urbane version of Green Acres--Oliver surrounded by loonies there--two decades later.

Yep. To me, it was Green Acres 2.0, but with that corny Garrison Keillor/Reader's Digest humor that only became cornier as the show wore on. The finale redeemed it because it showed self awareness, like the writers knew how corny the show had gotten and were winking at the audience like, "Yeah, we know!"

[TMC]

Bob Newhart's iconic Newhart finale was the perfect example of his comic genius

The comedian and TV star — who died Thursday at age 94 — knew that his second series would always be compared to his first.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think because it was a sitcom, people didn't take the ending so seriously, unlike St. Elsewhere.

There was also the "Bobby Ewing in the shower" twist from Dallas, which like the ending of St. Elsewhere, played it completely straight unlike the ending of Newhart. I'm assuming that the Newhart ending also benefited from playing on nostalgia. What's worse is that unlike Newhart or even St. Elsewhere, Dallas actually continued for about five more years after its own "it was all just a dream" twist.

[BestTVever]

It was the best ending of a sitcom period. It had the best set up which had Bob sort of lead 2 completely different lives. But the ending was brilliant.

[Willbo]

Originally Posted by TMC

10 TV Episodes Where "It Was A Dream All Along"

Most shows try to avoid tropes as much as possible, but some shows lean in and even turn a trope like "it was just a dream" into something special.

There was an episode of "Green Acres" on the other night that was a dream. The episode was about one of the hens laying square eggs.