Finally open for business on DVD, Newhart is the perfect getaway. Let's consult the travel guide: “Nestled in a grove of majestic maples just a stone's throw from the ivy covered walls of Dartmouth University lies the authentic colonial comfort of the Stratford Inn. Your jolly and congenial hosts are well known author Dick Loudon and his wife, Joanna.” Bob Newhart stars as Loudon, a successful New York writer of how-to books, who—along with his reluctant wife Joanna (Mary Frann)—buys the venerable Stratford, a place that comes with some colorful history (in the pilot, it's revealed that the inn once served as a house of ill repute, while in another episode Bob learns that a woman hung as a witch is buried in the basement). The Stratford also comes with handyman George Utley (Tom Poston), who may have more than one screw loose. Newhart's first season provided the series with a solid foundation that just needed a little tinkering. Kirk (Steven Kampmann), owner of the neighboring café, is introduced as a habitual liar, a character trait that is thankfully phased out as the season unfolds (his character exits the show after two seasons). Pretty and sweet maid Leslie (Jennifer Holmes)—an heiress who wants “to experience the real world”—would be replaced in the second season by deft comedienne Julia Duffy, who is introduced as her cousin in the episode “What is This Thing Called Lust?” But the series' most welcome additions are backwoodsmen Larry (William Sanderson) and his silent brothers—both named Darryl (John Voldstad and Tony Papenfuss)—who make their auspicious debut in the second episode. An instant hit, the trio were brought back for another episode before becoming regulars in season two. Compiling all 22 episodes of the 1982-83 first season, DVD extras include a handful of featurettes—the best being “Getting to the Heart of Newhart,” in which cast members Newhart, Duffy, Sanderson, and Voldstad reflect on the series and pay moving tribute to the late Poston and Frann. A solid character-based comedy, this is recommended. (D. Liebenson)
Newhart: The Complete First Season
Fox, 3 discs, 546 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 Volume 23, Issue 3
Newhart: The Complete First Season
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