Bob Newhart made an easy transition to television after a string of classic comedy recordings throughout the 80s had served to make him a household name. Slightly neurotic, with an intentional stutter, he was the perfect straight man. And what better way to utilize a straight man than to surround him with nuts. As Psychiatrist Bob Hartley, the low-key comedian had a steady stream of loonies to work his magic with on the long-running hit, The Bob Newhart Show.

Debuting in 1972, the show chronicled the life of Bob Hartley, a passive and quiet man who worked as a psychologist serving the troubled citizens of Chicago. His wife and confidante was the lovely schoolteacher Emily. Together they lived in a high-rise, where they were constantly pestered by their well-meaning but utterly inept neighbor, Howard Borden - an airline pilot who couldn’t seem to cure his bad habit of barging in on the couple unannounced.

Down at the office, Bob shared his space with Dr. Jerry Robinson, a womanizing orthandontist and his zany receptionist Carol who was a perpetual victim of bad blind dates, most of them courtesy of Bob’s wife. While Jerry and Carol each had their quirks, they were no match for Bob’s regular patients. There was the submissive husband, Mr. Peterson, the ever-shy Michelle Nardo, and evil fruit salesman, Mr. Gianelli – all of which paled in comparison to the notorious Elliot Carlin. Now here was a man with issues. Possessing a nasty, insinuating temperament, mixed with a rock bottom self esteem, Elliot was a walking textbook of just about every neurosis known to man.

Although faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges in both his professional and personal life, Bob Hartley took it all in stride and coped with each day’s challenges with an understated glance and a steady stream of witty responses. All thanks to Bob Newhart’s uncanny sense of comic timing that was perfectly paired with a hilarious supporting cast.

The Bob Newhart Show ran for six years on CBS and is fondly remembered as one of the true sitcom classics. And with each syndicated run, it endears new generations of fans to the gentle demeanor and comic genius of Bob Newhart. Years later, he would star in another very popular self-titled sitcom with an entirely different premise (and would shock old fans by reuniting with his wife from the original show on the final episode of the new series.) But for all of the charm of the later series, which certainly had its fair share of neurotic cohorts as well, the original Bob Newhart Show still serves as one of the best tailor-made vehicles ever conceived for a comedian since perhaps I Love Lucy. There is simply no other funnyman that could have portrayed the legendary psychiatrist with quite the same understated charm and inimitable wit.