''Bob'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

television series created by Bill Steinkellner, Cheri Steinkellner, and

Phoef Sutton Robert Christopher "Phoef" Sutton (born September 11, 1958) is an American writer and producer. His film credits include '' Mrs. Winterbourne'' and '' The Fan'', both released in 1996. Phoef — the first name that he uses both personally and prof ...

. It aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

from September 18, 1992, to December 27, 1993. The series was the third starring vehicle sitcom for

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...

, following his previous successful CBS sitcoms ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psy ...

'' and ''

Newhart ''Newhart'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, ...

''.

Synopsis

Newhart portrayed Bob McKay, the creator of the 1950s

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

"Mad-Dog". Mad-Dog was a casualty of the

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...

, a real-life self-regulation authority formed to assuage concerns over violence and gore in comics in the 1950s. In the wake of the CCA, Bob became a

greeting card A greeting card is a piece of card stock, usually with an illustration or photo, made of high quality paper featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthday ...

artist. In the pilot, Mad-Dog is revived when the American-Canadian Trans-Continental Communications Company buys the rights to the series. Complications ensued when Ace Comics head Harlan Stone (

John Cygan John Cygan (April 27, 1954 – May 13, 2017) was an American actor and comedian. Early life Cygan was born in New York City to a large family of thirteen children, six of them were half-siblings. His parents never married. He attended West Bab ...

) insisted Mad-Dog should be a bloodthirsty

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

rather than the hero Bob originally created. Bob initially turned down Harlan's offer to revive the series with the publisher, but after his wife, Kaye ( Carlene Watkins), reminded Bob that Mad-Dog would never give up dreams in the face of defeat, he decided to compromise with Harlan on creative direction, and go back to do the revival. In the final episode of the first season, AmCanTranConComCo was sold to a millionaire who hated comic books, and the entire Mad-Dog staff, including Bob, was fired. During the first season, Bob balances his work life with his personal life. Bob's wife Kaye is loyal and sensible, and a busy career woman herself. Their grown daughter, Trisha (

Cynthia Stevenson Cynthia Stevenson (born August 2, 1962) is an American actress. She first played a leading role in the syndicated parody comedy series ''My Talk Show'' (1990–91), before starring in a number of sitcoms, including ''Bob'' (CBS, 1992–93), ''H ...

), frequently bemoans her perpetually single state. At work, Bob has to deal with the more eccentric staff members: klutzy gofer Albie Lutz (Andrew Bilgore); spaced-out cartoon

inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. The penciller creates a drawing, the inker outlines, interprets, finalizes, retraces this drawing by using a pencil ...

Chad Pfefferle (Timothy Fall); and curmudgeonly artist Iris Frankel (

Ruth Kobart Ruth Kobart (April 24, 1924 – December 14, 2002) was an American performer, whose six-decade career encompassed opera, Broadway musical theatre, regional theatre, films, and television. Life and career Born as Ruth Maxine Kahn in Des Moines ...

). Eventually, Bob also hired Trisha onto the Mad-Dog staff, where Chad developed a crush on her; she also moved into an apartment with her best friend, Kathy (

Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004), which has since been named one of the greatest television cha ...

), where Albie also joined them temporarily.

Second season

When ''Bob'' returned in late October 1993, the show was changed completely. All of Bob's co-workers from the previous season disappeared and the show's premise had changed. Sylvia Schmitt (

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of Golden Age of Television, early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work i ...

), the wife of his former boss (who had run off with his dental hygienist), hired Bob as President of Schmitt Greetings. Her obnoxious son Pete (

Jere Burns Jere Eugene Burns II (; born October 15, 1954) is an American actor who has appeared in theatre productions and on television. He played the roles of ladies' man Kirk Morris on the television series '' Dear John'', DIA psychiatrist Anson Fullert ...

), the vice-president of Sales who had expected to take over the company and now had to work for Bob, was irate. Others working at the company were the sarcastic bookkeeper Chris Szelinski (

Megan Cavanagh Megan Cavanagh (born November 8, 1960) is an American actress, who is best known for portraying Marla Hooch in ''A League of Their Own'' and the voice of Judy Neutron in '' Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'' and ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Ge ...

) and dumb but lovable Whitey van der Bunt (

Eric Allan Kramer Eric Allan Kramer (born March 26, 1962) is an American actor and fight choreographer. Kramer has appeared in numerous feature films and television programs including ''True Romance'' and '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' and is also known for his ...

), a member of the production team who adored Bob. Trisha and Kathy remained friends and housemates on a quest for true love.

Cast

as Bob McKay, a greeting card artist who discovers a comic book he created is getting revived. * Carlene Watkins as Kaye McKay, Bob's loyal, sensible wife with a career of her own. *

as Trisha McKay, Bob and Kaye's daughter, who frequently bemoans her single status.

Season one main cast

as Iris Frankel, a curmudgeonly artist who worked with Bob in his early days. She still calls him "Bobby McKay". *Timothy Fall as Chad Pfefferle, a spaced-out cartoon

*Andrew Bilgore as Albie Lutz, a klutzy gofer with low self-esteem *

as Harlan Stone, the head of Ace Comics whom Bob frequently clashes with

Season two main cast

as Sylvia Schmitt, Bob's new boss *

as Pete Schmitt, Sylvia's son and the vice president of sales, who was expected to have Bob's job. *

as Whitey van der Bunt, a dim-witted member of the production team who is a fan of Bob's work. *

as Chris Szelinski, the sarcastic bookkeeper of the company

Recurring

as Kathy Fleisher, Trisha's best friend *

Tom Poston Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

as Kathy's father, a fellow comic book writer alumnus who created "The Silencer". He only appears in season one. *

Dorothy Lyman Dorothy Lyman is an American television actress, director and producer. She is most known for her work as Gwen Frame on '' Another World'' and on ''All My Children'' as Opal Sue Gardner, as Rebecca Whitmore on ''Generations'', and on the sitcom ...

as Patty Fleisher, Kathy's mother. She only appears in season one. * Dick Martin as Buzz Loudermilk, a friend of Bob's and the creator of "Katie Carter, Army Nurse". In addition to this recurring role, Martin also directed several episodes of the series. *

Christine Dunford Christine Dunford is an American actress from the Bronx, New York. Life and career Christine Dunford was born in the Bronx. She graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1979, the year that she played a featured role in the school's ...

as Shayla, Harlan's on-and-off girlfriend. She only appears in season one. One character was heard but not seen – Mr. Terhorst (voice of

Michael Cumpsty Michael Cumpsty (born 28 February 1960) is a British actor. He has been acting since childhood. He has worked extensively performing Shakespeare, as well as both musicals and dramas on Broadway. He also performs in films and on television. Lif ...

), the president of AmCanTranConComCo who communicated with all his employees anywhere that fiber-optics could be installed. Harlan even provided Bob will a cellular phone in which Mr. Terhorst would randomly tap into it and begin talking to Bob in his most private, intimate hours. Cryptic yet resourceful, Terhorst was a master mediator in all creative differences in the office, and was determined to make Mad-Dog a cultural phenomenon.

Notable guest stars

Carol Ann Susi Carol Ann Susi (February 2, 1952 – November 11, 2014) was an American actress whose career spanned 40 years. Her best known roles were probably her first and last; she debuted as the recurring character of semi-competent but likable intern Mo ...

as Debra ("P.C. or Not P.C."). Susi and Newhart would both go on to be recurring guest stars on ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

''. *

Bill Daily William Edward Daily (August 30, 1927 – September 4, 2018) was an American actor and comedian known for his sitcom work as Major Roger Healey on ''I Dream of Jeannie'', and Howard Borden on ''The Bob Newhart Show''. Early life and early ...

as Vic Victor, one of Bob's poker friends. Daily previously played Howard on ''

'', and said "Hi, Bob." whenever he showed up. ("A Streetcar Named Congress Douglas", "I'm Getting Remarried in the Morning") *

Steve Lawrence Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935) is an American singer, comedian and actor, best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as " Steve and Eydie", and for his performance as Maury Sline, the manager and fr ...

as Don Palmero, one of Bob's poker friends. ("A Streetcar Named Congress Douglas", "I'm Getting Remarried in the Morning") *

George Wendt George Robert Wendt Jr. (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom '' Cheers'' (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Em ...

and Bernadette Birkett as themselves ("Da Game") *

Mara Wilson Mara Elizabeth Wilson (born July 24, 1987) is an American actress and writer. She rose to prominence as a child for playing Natalie Hillard in the film ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993) and went on to play Susan Walker in ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (199 ...

as Amelia ("Have Yourself a Married Little Christmas") The season one episode "You Can't Win" played upon the series' comic book connection by guest starring comic book artists

Bob Kane Robert Kane (born Robert Kahn ; October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998) was an American comic book writer, animator and artist who co-created Batman (with Bill Finger) and most early related characters for DC comics. He was inducted into the comi ...

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

Mell Lazarus Melvin Lazarus (May 3, 1927 – May 24, 2016) was an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of two comic strips, ''Miss Peach'' (1957–2002) and ''Momma'' (1970–2016). Additionally, he wrote two novels. For his comic strip ''Pauline M ...

Jim Lee Jim Lee (Korean 이용철; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean American comic-book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. He is currently the Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work, Lee has received a Harvey ...

Marc Silvestri Marc Silvestri (born March 29, 1958) is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He serves as CEO of both Top Cow Productions and Image Comics. Early life Marc Silvestri was born on March 29, 1958 in Palm Beach, Florida.Rosenberg, ...

, Mel Keefer, Paul Power, Art Thibert and

Sergio Aragones Sergio may refer to: * Sergio (given name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * ''Sergio'' (album), a 1994 album by Sergio Blass * ''Sergio'' (2009 film), a documentary film * ''Se ...

(co-creator of Groo with "Bob" scripter Mark Evanier.)

Episodes

Season 1: 1992–93

Season 2: 1993

Production

In a rarity for TV sitcoms of the time, ''Bob'' was filmed, with a video assist for the directors and producers to monitor the show during filming. All the artwork in season one was done by

storyboard artist A storyboard artist (sometimes called a story artist or visualizer) creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions. Work A storyboard artist visualizes stories and sketches frames of the story. Quick pencil drawings and mark ...

Paul Power, who also appears as an

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

in most of the comics studio scenes. The series' theme music was originally a full orchestral piece featuring a heavy horns and woodwinds sound, an arrangement very much in style of the ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

'' and ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' movies. The opening sequence that accompanied it featured Bob McKay at his artist's desk drawing, inking, then coloring a Mad-Dog comic as the credits appeared. (In reality, inked comic art is not colored directly; the colors are added to the engraving plates before printing) The show's title appeared in a thin, 3-D rendition of Helvetica font in the pilot episode; after, it was redesigned to be a bolder capital font, but with the same yellow base and red shadowing color. The opening credits appeared in a bold comic-style font. In the second season, as part of the show's revamping, a short opening credits sequence, just featuring the title, was used. The theme music also changed to a soft classical tune, featuring a flute. In addition to the change in Bob's career setting in the second season, the set of Bob and Kaye's house significantly changed as well. There were no references in the scripts to suggest that the McKays had moved, however. Shortly after the cancellation of ''Bob'', Lisa Kudrow was cast in her iconic role of

Phoebe Buffay Phoebe Buffay is one of the six main characters from the American sitcom, '' Friends''. She is created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and portrayed by actress Lisa Kudrow. In the series' universe, Phoebe was born on February 16 and is the ...

on the sitcom ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

''. Cynthia Stevenson would later be cast by ''Bob'' producers Bob and Cheri Steinkellner as one of the leads for their sitcom ''

Hope & Gloria ''Hope & Gloria'' is an American sitcom television series created by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, that aired on NBC from March 9, 1995, through June 22, 1996. The show was canceled after 35 episodes. It starred Cynthia Stevenson as Hope, a high- ...

''.

Critical and viewer response

''Bob'' was one of four sitcoms CBS assembled on Friday nights in an effort to challenge the dominance of '' TGIF'', the family sitcom block that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, in fall 1992. Joining ''Bob'' as one of the two new efforts was ''

The Golden Palace ''The Golden Palace'' is an American sitcom television series produced as a sequel to ''The Golden Girls,'' a continuation without Bea Arthur (though she did guest star in a double episode) that originally aired on CBS from September 1992 to M ...

'', a continuation/spin-off of the NBC hit ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...

'' that CBS outbid NBC for the rights to air it. The lineup was supplemented by two of CBS’ top ten sitcom hits, the long running ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason M ...

'' and the moderate hit '' Major Dad''. Although ''Bob was'' heavily promoted by ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'', which featured it on the cover twice during its freshman season, the entire Friday night lineup underperformed as a whole; none of the sitcoms finished the season in the top 60 in the ratings. When the season ended, the other three Friday night sitcoms were cancelled and ''Bob'' underwent a retooling, saved from the axe by a relocation to Mondays and a subsequent ratings boost. However, the show was moved back to Fridays for the new season and again saw ratings trouble. The series was canceled after a one-off Monday broadcast on December 27. Three remaining episodes finally aired during

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...

reruns in the late 1990s. As part of the promotion of this series,

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

published a six-issue "Mad Dog" limited series. The title was presented "flip-book" style, with a Silver Age style story by

Ty Templeton Tyrone Templeton is a Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of mainstream titles, TV-associated titles, and his own series. Career Templeton first received attention for ''Stig's Inferno'' ( Vortex Comics), now a cult fav ...

on one side and a Modern Age style tale on the other side with work by

Evan Dorkin Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork''. His comics often poke fun at fandom, even while making it clear that Dorkin is a fan himsel ...

and

Gordon Purcell Gordon Purcell (born February 14, 1959) is an American comics artist, perhaps best known for his '' Star Trek'' work, in particular his realistic renditions of the actors who play that franchise’s characters, as well as those of similarly lice ...

. Dorkin has referred to the series as one of the worst things he's ever written, while Templeton holds his time on the series as one of his favorite professional experiences.

Home media

On April 3, 2012,

CBS DVD CBS Home Entertainment (formerly CBS Video Enterprises, Inc., MGM/CBS Home Video, CBS/Fox Video and CBS Video, currently branded as CBS DVD for DVD releases and CBS Blu-ray for Blu-ray releases) is a home entertainment company owned by Paramoun ...

(distributed by

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

) released ''Bob: The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0103372, title=Bob
Episode guide
1990s American sitcoms 1990s American workplace comedy television series 1992 American television series debuts 1993 American television series endings CBS original programming Television series by CBS Studios English-language television shows Television shows about comics Fictional cartoonists Television shows set in Chicago