She was so nice to come home to. In many ways, Suzanne Pleshette’s wonderful (and twice Emmy-nominated) performance as Emily Hartley on CBS’s ’70s classic The Bob Newhart Show was an important evolution of the dream sitcom wife. With her husky voice and dark good looks, Pleshette embodied an elegant, sophisticated, sardonic yet warm soulmate for the endearingly mild-mannered Newhart. If Rob and Laura Petrie (Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore) were TV’s first convincingly sexy modern sitcom couple, despite adhering to ’60s TV conventions dictating they be shown sleeping in separate beds—as if!—Bob and Emily took it a step further. They actually went to bed together. (One terrific episode chronicled a sleepless night as they tried to live up to their policy of not going to bed mad.) This bed, not so coincidentally, took its place in TV history when it was recreated for the finale of Bob Newhart’s second hit sitcom, Newhart—where it was rev...
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Blue Collar comedian Bill Engvall will join the ranks of Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby and Ray Romano, each of whom has segued from the ranks of stand-up performer to sitcom star, with the debut of TBS' The Bill Engvall Show, which premieres tonight at 9:30 pm/ET. Paired with veteran sitcom writer/executive producer Mike Leeson (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, Rhoda), Engvall's goal is to return the family-friendly sitcom to the airwaves.
Indeed, this type of program has taken a hit in recent years with the loss of such shows as Everybody Loves Raymond and My Wife and Kids. As Engvall tells TVGuide.com, "After we shot the pilot, this 70-year-old
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TBS announced on Tuesday morning that in addition to renewing 10 Items or Less for a second season, it has the following series in development: Uncommon Sense, a domestic comedy penned by Larry Miller; Big Shot, a Jamie Foxx-produced series about a teenage NBA rookie; a Dave Caplan (Drew Carey Show)-penned laffer about a woman who finds humor in life despite adversity; and Bob Newhart: In Search of Comedy, a late-night comedy anthology.Over at A&E, Ice Cube has been tapped to produce Good in the Hood, a reality-series pilot in which a reformed gang member, drug dealer or thief helps similar folk turn their lives around.
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In 2004, TNT scored big ratings with an original production titled The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, which followed Flynn Carsen, a bookish adventurer (ER alum Noah Wyle) who tracks down lost relics. The network hopes to strike gold again with a sequel, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, premiering this Sunday at 8 pm/ET. Among the many riches inhabiting the film is a flesh-and-blood American treasure — comedian Bob Newhart. TVGuide.com recently spoke with the stammering septuagenarian about reprising his role as Judson, the mysterious library curator, and we also got his take on what it's like to look back over his most celebrated career.
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Question: Hey, Matt. I just wanted to get your opinion on the series finale of Alias. I have been a faithful fan from Season 1 and have written in to your column asking about Alias all the time. However, I felt the writers wrote a rather depressing ending. I mean, Renee, Nadia, Tom, Irina and Sloane all were killed, not to mention my favorite, Jack! I thought that Jack's death was totally unnecessary and mean-spirited toward the fans who have loved him from the first season on. And Irina, what's the deal? Why did they make her so evil? I mean, she saved the world at the end of Season 4 and then turned into her evil sister, Elena! It did not sync up and felt rather like a betrayal. Yes, I understand Rambaldi "changes you," but c'mon. I mean, I was happy with Sydney and Vaughn ending up together and Dixon as director, etc. But it was the finale. Make the fans happy all around; what can it hurt? I was waiting for Isabelle to run in and say, "Grandpa Jack!"
Answer: For my own analysis (one
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