The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Second Season

If you're reading this, it's probably because you already love one of the top sitcoms of the 1970s, The Bob Newhart Show, so I won't wax poetic about the greatness of the program. Instead, I'll let you know that this was the 1973-1974 season, and it consists of the following episodes:

THE LAST TV SHOW Bob's group has a televised session. A classic!
MOTEL A pretty girl is after Bob.
BACKLASH Bob throws his back out just before a planned Mexican vacation.
SOMEBODY DOWN HERE LIKES ME A reverend takes Bob's advice...and it backfires.
EMILY IN FOR CAROL Emily fills in for Carol, and Bob's not happy about it.
HAVE YOU MET MISS DIETZ? Jerry and Howard both date the same woman.
OLD MAN RIVERS Carol dates her much older doctor.
MR. EMILY HARTLEY Bob feels inferior when he finds Emily's IQ is higher than his.
MUTINY ON THE HARTLEY Bob raises his rates, and his patients revolt.
I'M OK, YOU'RE OK, SO WHAT'S WRONG? Emily wants to see a marriage counselor.
FIT, FAT, AND 41 Bob goes on a diet.
BLUES FOR MR. BORDEN Howard is depressed by news of his son's new "uncle."
MY WIFE BELONGS TO DADDY Bob feels he can't measure up to Emily's dad.
T.S. ELLIOTT Mr. (Elliott) Carlin dates Carol.
I'M DREAMING OF A SLIGHT CHRISTMAS It's Christmas Eve, and Bob is trapped in his office when the power goes out.
OH, BROTHER Jerry's brother shows up and takes over Jerry's life.
THE MODERNIZATION OF EMILY Emily feels old and decides to update her image. Yes, this is the classic "T-shirt with iron-on decal of lips and a cigarette" episode; aka: Chicken on a Stick.
THE JOBLESS CORPS Howard becomes Bob's patient after he loses his job.
CLINK SHRINK Bob's new patient is a parolee.
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS Bob's new business manager has him living on a scanty allowance.
A LOVE STORY Howard falls for Bob's engaged sister.
BY THE WAY...YOU'RE FIRED Jerry decides to fire Carol.
CONFESSIONS OF AN ORTHODONTIST Jerry has a startling confession for Bob.
A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL Emily clashes with the school principal when she refuses to skip a student ahead two grades.

This was a great season for Bob. If you enjoy The Bob Newhart Show, buy this DVD set; you'll be glad you did.

As funny as the first season was, the second season (1973-1974) of "The Bob Newhart Show" is even more hilarious. This show thrived on a great ensemble cast and great writing, and after the first season all the minor hiccups had been worked out. It is difficult to believe that this show not only never won any Emmy Awards, but was never even nominated for any.

Bob's patients play a bigger role this season, and in no episode is that more apparent than the first show of the season called "Last TV Show", in which his group talks him into holding one of their sessions on Television. They are also very funny in "Mutiny on the Hartley" when they try to continue without Bob after he raises his rates. Bob's sister Ellen (Pat Finley) makes her first appearance near the end of the season in "A Love Story" where she is engaged to be married until Howard enters her life.

There are numerous great episodes this season beyond those I have already mentioned, such as "Mister Emily Hartley" where an IQ test shows that Emily's is significantly higher than Bob's, "T. S. Elliot" where Mr. Carlin takes Carol out on a Date (Shirley O'Hara's first appearance as Debbie occurs in this episode), and "By The Way...You're Fired" where Carol's new romance interferes with her job duties. As with the first season there are 24 episodes, but in this season they are smoother and more consistently funny.

There are many well known guest stars in this season. Teri Garr plays Miss Brennan, a receptionist. Mariette Hartley plays Marilyn Dietz who is fought over by Howard and Jerry after Emily sets them both up with her. Katherine Helmond plays Dr. Webster, a marriage counselor that Bob and Emily go to when their marriage seems to be stuck in a rut. Ron Glass has a minor role as an Elevator Repairman. Raul Julia plays Jerry's brother who starts stealing Jerry's patients after Jerry put him through dental school. Sharon Gless plays Rosalie Shaeffer, one of Howard's girlfriends. Howard Hesseman plays Craig Plager, one of Bob's patients. Henry Winkler plays Miles Lascoe, a man on parole for armed robbery who is one of Bob's patients.

Unlike the first season set, there are some extras included with this season. There are five audio commentaries. All of them include Bob Newhart, one by himself, one with Jack Riley who played Elliot Carlin, and the last three with Marcia Wallace who played Carol and David Davis who helped create the show. The commentaries are not the best, as there are many extended pauses and some of the stories they tell they repeat on other commentaries, however, I still enjoyed listening to them because there were some interesting stories and information about the show. There is also a short featurette on the show, with some interviews. Again I would not say it was the best I have seen, but it has its moments. Nobody should buy the set because of the extras, but they do add a little something to the total package.

As others have mentioned, the shows are great, even today.

However, the technical quality of these DVDs leaves a lot to be desired. The sound is poor - almost muddy - and is a very low volume. You really have to crank up your volume to hear the dialog. The video quality is about equal to that of a VHS tape on "EP" - not very good. The DVDs themselves have no labels on them - just plain silver disks with a tiny label on the innermost band of the disk. Disk three is actually a double sided disk - one side is episodes 17-20, the other side is episodes 21-24. Why couldn't they give you 4 disks instead of three. It just seems so cheap.

Hopefully the next season's release will be of a more professional caliber.

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