Newhart

The success of Newhart showed there was still a place for intelligent, eccentric comedy. In this series Newhart played Dick Loudon, a writer of how-to books who moved from New York to Vermont to realize his dream of running a country inn. His wife, again smart, funny, and sexy, was named Joanna and was played by Mary Frann. Again there were numerous quirky supporting characters. Tom Poston, who had frequently guested on the earlier show, portrayed the inn's unhandy handyman, George Utley. Julia Duffy played the hilariously vain and spoiled Stephanie Vanderkellen, an heiress working as a maid at the inn (Stephanie replaced her less interesting cousin, Leslie, after the first season). Stephanie's boyfriend, Michael Harris (Peter Scolari), was an insufferable 1980s yuppie and producer of a local TV show, Vermont Today, which Dick began hosting a few years into Newhart's run. Perhaps the most memorable, and certainly the most unusual, characters were three bizarre backwoodsmen, of whom only one ever spoke (until the final episode). "I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl," was their stock introduction. They could always be counted upon to enjoy any activity that would disgust most people. The show, like Newhart's earlier sitcom, weeded out weak characters and developed the strong ones as it went along.

Newhart closed its successful eight-year run with one of the best final episodes of any series. It involved everyone in town--except the Loudons--selling their property to a Japanese corporation, included a parody of Fiddler on the Roof, and ended with Newhart waking up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette and explaining that he'd had a very strange dream (a parodic reference to the famous 1986-87 season of Dallas.)

-Trudy Ring

CAST

Dick Loudon........................................... Bob Newhart

Joanna Loudon......................................... Mary Frann

Kirk Devane (1982-1984).................. Steven Kampmann

George Utley........................................... Tom Poston

Leslie Vanderkellen (1982-1983).......... Jennifer Holmes

Stephanie Vanderkellen (1983-1990)............ Julia Duffy

Larry............................................. William Sanderson

First Darryl......................................... Tony Papenfuss

Second Darryl....................................... John Voldstad

Jim Dixon ................................................Thomas Hill

Chester Wanamaker.......................... William Lanteau

Cindy Parker Devane (1984)................... Rebecca York

Michael Harris (1984-1990)....................... Peter Scolari

Harley Estin (1984-1988)......................... Jeff Doucette

Elliot Gabler (1984-1985)............................ Lee Wilkof

Bev Dutton (1984-1988).......................... Linda Carlson

Constable Shifflett (1985-1989)............... Todd Susman

J.J. (1985-1987).................................. Fred Applegate

Bud (1985-1990)..................................... Ralph Manza

Paul (1988-1990)........................................ Cliff Bemis

Prudence Goddard (1989-1990)............... Kathy Kinney

Art Rusnak (1989-1990)....................... David Pressman

PRODUCERS

Barry Kemp, Sheldon Bull

PROGRAMMING HISTORY

182 Episodes

CBS

October 1982-February 1983   Monday 9:30-10:00

March 1983-April 1983   Sunday 9:30-10:00

April 1983-May 1983   Sunday 8:30-9:00

June 1983-August 1983   Sunday 9:30-10:00

August 1983-September 1986   Monday 9:30-10:00

September 1986-August 1988   Monday 9:00-9:30

August 1988-March 1989   Monday 8:00-8:30

March 1989-August 1989   Monday 10:00-10:30

August 1989-October 1989   Monday 10:30-11:00

November 1989-April 1990   Monday 10:00-10:30

April 1990-May 1990   Monday 8:30-9:00

May 1990-July 1990   Monday 10:00-10:30

July 1990-August 1990   Friday 9:00-9:30

September 1990   Saturday 9:00-9:30