'Bob's Inn Trouble! Running a 200-year old inn is Bob's way of getting back to nature. But it's really nature's way of getting back at him.'
I've written before my issues with sleep, especially falling asleep. Through years of trial and error, what I find helps me the most is watching sit-coms. Sit-coms are great because you don't have to pay close attention, and if you pick the right sit-com, they can be comforting and safe to drift off to. After just re-watching Superstore last year, I was looking for another show to watch in the New Year.
I started watching Newhart in January, and am currently in the middle of season 3. I sort of remember the show airing when I was a kid, but was too young to watch it, and too young to stay up past 9pm on Monday nights, where it aired CBS for most of the 1980's. I was excited to start a series I'd never seen before, but wasn't sure I would like it. After a few clunky early episodes, I quickly began to really enjoy it.
Bob Newhart reminds me a bit of a male Bea Arthur with both his delivery and his ability to give a hilarious reaction shot. As the central character, Bob spends much of each episode, reacting to the craziness around him. I love Julia Duffy and Peter Scolari who joined the show in season 2, but I was a bit disappointed to see Jennifer Holmes, (Leslie) and especially Steven Kampmann, (Kirk) being replaced.
Kampmann's Kirk was a bit too much in season one, especially with the 'lying' schtick, which got old really quickly. In season two however, the show course corrected and minimized this gimmick, and really seemed to work hard on the friendship between Bob and Kirk. Kirk could have stayed even with Michael, (Scolari) joining the show. Kirk was involved in Bob's personal life, and Michael in his professional, but I guess the show wanted to keep the cast small.
Watching the series had me want to learn more about both of Newhart's supporting male characters, and the actors who portrayed them. I knew about about Scolari, and his time with Tom Hanks on Bosom Buddies, but new very little about Kampmann. A little researching had me remembering Scolari's surprising nude scene, and learning that Kampmann was behind the making of one of my favorite movies. Check out more on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
No comments:
Post a Comment