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The Bob Newhart Show didn’t like to mess around with silliness. Pointedly, Newhart did not want Bob and Emily Hartley to have kids. The show, a smart mix of workplace comedy and marriage comedy, didn’t do treacle, and it didn’t really do gimmicks. As such, we were surprised, but not disappointed, to realize The Bob Newhart Show did a Christmas episode every season.
Yes, The Bob Newhart Show is known for having one of the most-famous Thanksgiving episodes, but the show took six shots at Christmas. This makes sense, when you think about it. Bob works as a psychologist-slash-therapist, and so in the first season the show made a point of noting that, in such a profession, the holiday season can be quite busy. Bob’s work lends itself to holiday humor, but he also has a home life. He has parents and in-laws. He has a neighbor, Howard, who is a divorced dad. His friend at work Jerry was an orphan. These things are conducive to Christmas stories.
Now, The Bob Newhart Show never got sappy with it. Also, one episode is literally titled “Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital.” Newhart and company stayed attuned to their sense of humor, even when bringing Christmas into the mix. After all, what would you expect from the show that did a Thanksgiving episode about four unhappy guys watching football, getting drunk, and ordering Chinese food?
By the way, Newhart only did two Christmas episodes, one in the first season and one in the third season. “No Room at the Inn” is actually one of the best episodes of the first season, by the way. Even though that show had a heightened sense of humor, there wasn’t as much room to tackle the holiday season, evidently.
