Late Bob Newhart Made History With His Sitcom Newhart’s Iconic Ending; Here’s How

As a lifestyle expert with a deep appreciation for the history of television and comedy, I cannot help but be in awe of Bob Newhart‘s groundbreaking work in the industry. His unique comedic style, characterized by his deadpan delivery and dry wit, captured the hearts of audiences for decades.


In the beginning of his comedic career, Bob Newhart was known as “the button-down comic” for his reserved, deadpan style. Over the years, he mastered this understated delivery without showing emotion. Surprisingly, despite his seemingly bland demeanor, Newhart had a soft spot for the absurd. This balance made his sitcom, which premiered in 1990 and ran for 34 years, a beloved and highly-ranked TV finale even to this day.

The remarkable ending of Newhart’s second CBS sitcom left viewers in awe and is still widely discussed. In the closing moments of the show, the comedian delivered an unexpected twist that has become legendary.

What happens at the ending of Newhart’s second sitcom?

In the last episode, there were only about three minutes left when Dick Loudon, the innkeeper from Vermont portrayed by Bob Newhart, began telling his wife Joanna, played by Mary Frann, about an unusually bizarre dream he had experienced. As Dick turned on the bedside lamp to share this tale, however, instead of seeing Joanna or Mary Frann’s face, Suzanne Pleshette appeared as Emily. It was Suzanne who portrayed Emily in Newhart’s earlier sitcom with CBS, “The Bob Newhart Show,” which aired from 1972 to 1978 and starred Newhart as Bob Hartley, a psychologist.

As a longtime fan of classic sitcoms, I have seen my fair share of predictable and cliche endings. But the finale of “Newhart,” with its mind-bending twist, left me utterly speechless and in awe. The sudden shift from Bob’s Vermont inn to Harley’s Chicago bedroom felt like a surreal jolt, making Dick an enigmatic figment in Bob’s dreamscape.

Bob Newhart’s work becomes a stepping stone in comedy

The sitcom paved the way for other comedians and directors working in the genre, inspiring them to adopt this unique method of ending with a fantasy twist. Shows like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and even NBC’s hospital drama St. Elseworth took cues from Newhart’s successful execution of this unconventional technique.

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2024-07-21 08:08