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The Best Episodes of The Bob Newhart Show

Every episode of The Bob Newhart Show ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Bob Newhart Show!

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The Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 original episodes on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychologist having

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Bob Newhart Show Season 4 Episode 11 - Over the River and Through the Woods
    8.8/10(270 votes)

    #1 - Over the River and Through the Woods

    S4:E11

    It's a stag Thanksgiving for Bob when Emily flies off to join a family reunion, leaving Bob to share the holiday with his male buddies.

    Director:James Burrows
    Writer:Bruce Kane

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  2. The Bob Newhart Show Season 6 Episode 22 - Happy Trails to You
    8.3/10(133 votes)

    #2 - Happy Trails to You

    S6:E22

    Bob gives up his psychological practice in Chicago to become a professor at a small college in Oregon.

    Directors:Michael Zinberg, Peter Bonerz
    Writers:Les Charles, Glen Charles, Lloyd Garver

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  3. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 8 - Mister Emily Hartley
    8.2/10(165 votes)

    #3 - Mister Emily Hartley

    S2:E8

    Bob suffers an inferiority attack when a test reveals that Emily's IQ is higher than his.

    Director:Jerry London
    Writer:Charlotte Brown

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  4. The Bob Newhart Show Season 5 Episode 19 - Death Be My Destiny
    8.2/10(131 votes)

    #4 - Death Be My Destiny

    S5:E19

    Bob strikes out against a friend's fear of falling, but succumbs to the same phobia himself when he is subjected to a harrowing elevator experience.

    Director:Michael Zinberg
    Writer:Sy Rosen

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  5. The Bob Newhart Show Season 6 Episode 12 - 'Twas the Pie Before Christmas
    8.2/10(112 votes)

    #5 - 'Twas the Pie Before Christmas

    S6:E12

    Bob finds himself with unhappy and hostile patients who refuse to attend his Christmas party when they are mistakenly informed of a rate increase at the height of the Yuletide season. One patient is moved to hire a pie-throwing service.

    Director:Dick Martin
    Writer:Phil Davis

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  6. The Bob Newhart Show Season 1 Episode 1 - Fly the Unfriendly Skies
    8.1/10(341 votes)

    #6 - Fly the Unfriendly Skies

    S1:E1

    Bob invites Emily to join his fear of flying group on a trip to New York City. Much to Bob's surprise he finds that Emily also has a fear of flying and refuses to go. After a conversation with Howard she decides to go only to back out after boarding the plane.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writers:Lorenzo Music, David Davis

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Bob Newhart Show

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  7. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 14 - T. S. Elliot
    8.1/10(137 votes)

    #7 - T. S. Elliot

    S2:E14

    Bob's patient Elliot Carlin parades all his phobias and insecurities as he prepares to ask Carol Kester for a date. He then finds it even harder to accept her answer—which is "yes."

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writers:Jeff Wilhelm, Gerry Renert

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  8. The Bob Newhart Show Season 3 Episode 11 - An American Family
    8.1/10(157 votes)

    #8 - An American Family

    S3:E11

    Emily's plans for a wonderful turkey dinner go downhill when Bob's mother and Emily's father begin insulting one another the night before Thanksgiving.

    Director:Peter Bonerz
    Writer:Charlotte Brown

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  9. The Bob Newhart Show Season 3 Episode 24 - The Ceiling Hits Bob
    8.1/10(131 votes)

    #9 - The Ceiling Hits Bob

    S3:E24

    Bob becomes the "oldest permanent psychologist in Chicago" when the ceiling in his office collapses and he has to set up shop wherever he can find the space.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writers:Jay Tarses, Tom Patchett

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  10. The Bob Newhart Show Season 6 Episode 6 - A Day in the Life
    8.1/10(114 votes)

    #10 - A Day in the Life

    S6:E6

    Bob's impulsive decision to leave town for a week is received with disastrous emotions by his patients, who seemingly can't make it without him.

    Director:Dick Martin
    Writers:Kathy Donnell, Madeline Di Maggio

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  11. The Bob Newhart Show Season 3 Episode 20 - My Business is Shrinking
    8.0/10(125 votes)

    #11 - My Business is Shrinking

    S3:E20

    With his confidence fading as fast as his list of patients, Bob decides to follow Emily's advice and see a psychiatrist about his problem.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writers:Arnie Kogen, Ray Jessel

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  12. The Bob Newhart Show Season 4 Episode 15 - Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital
    8.0/10(141 votes)

    #12 - Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital

    S4:E15

    Christmas Eve finds Bob in the hospital with tonsillitis and an impending operation. Meanwhile, his friends are all suffering from an attack of Christmas-itis.

    Director:James Burrows
    Writers:Jay Tarses, Tom Patchett

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  13. The Bob Newhart Show Season 1 Episode 12 - Bob and Emily and Howard and Carol and Jerry
    7.9/10(195 votes)

    #13 - Bob and Emily and Howard and Carol and Jerry

    S1:E12

    Howard "floats" into Bob's office on Cloud Nine after having a tooth pulled. He is so poetic that Carol tells Emily, "I want him." Emily agrees to help Carol get him, and the two have an up-and-down romance.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Charlotte Brown

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  14. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 3 - Backlash
    7.9/10(158 votes)

    #14 - Backlash

    S2:E3

    One of Bob's more masculine patients enthusiastically slaps him on the back—and, unfortunately for Bob, it throws his back out. Even more unfortunately, Bob and Emily were supposed to be going to Mexico for a vacation.

    Director:George Tyne
    Writer:Susan Silver

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  15. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 4 - Somebody Down Here Likes Me
    7.9/10(165 votes)

    #15 - Somebody Down Here Likes Me

    S2:E4

    Rev. Dan Bradford seeks professional advice from Bob then makes a startling announcement in his Sunday sermon.

    Director:Jerry London
    Writer:Peter Meyerson

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  16. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 9 - Mutiny on the Hartley
    7.9/10(141 votes)

    #16 - Mutiny on the Hartley

    S2:E9

    Bob decides to meet the rising cost of living by raising his rates. But the members of his therapy group revolt when he picks the most inappropriate moment to tell them.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writers:Jay Tarses, Tom Patchett

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  17. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 11 - Fit, Fat, and Forty-One
    7.9/10(143 votes)

    #17 - Fit, Fat, and Forty-One

    S2:E11

    Determined to lose eight pounds from around his middle, Bob goes on a strict diet. With Jerry's help, he joins a weight-reducing class that seems to be populated mostly by women.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writers:Bill Idelson, Harvey Miller

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  18. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 15 - I'm Dreaming of a Slight Christmas
    7.9/10(161 votes)

    #18 - I'm Dreaming of a Slight Christmas

    S2:E15

    Christmas Eve is almost spoiled when Bob is trapped in the office because of a power failure.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writers:Jay Tarses, Tom Patchett

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  19. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 17 - The Modernization of Emily
    7.9/10(150 votes)

    #19 - The Modernization of Emily

    S2:E17

    Emily decides to update her image with a kicky new wardrobe that she says is youthful and Bob says is childish.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Charlotte Brown

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  20. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 19 - Clink Shrink
    7.9/10(149 votes)

    #20 - Clink Shrink

    S2:E19

    Hoping to make a contribution to society, Bob offers his psychological counseling services free to a parolee out on an armed-robbery conviction. But Bob seems to be more influenced by his patient's manner than the patient is by Bob's therapy.

    Director:Peter Bonerz
    Writers:Howard Storm, Paul Lichtman

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  21. The Bob Newhart Show Season 3 Episode 7 - Dr. Ryan's Express
    7.9/10(134 votes)

    #21 - Dr. Ryan's Express

    S3:E7

    Bob's office routine becomes a wreck when Jerry hires a temporary receptionist. She's a very nice but very vague woman who can't even get Bob's name straight.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writers:Jay Tarses, Tom Patchett

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  22. The Bob Newhart Show Season 4 Episode 9 - Who is Mr. X?
    7.9/10(147 votes)

    #22 - Who is Mr. X?

    S4:E9

    Bob accepts a seemingly innocent invitation to appear as the guest on a TV discussion program. He winds up in the jaws of a dilemma when the show host turns out to have the disposition of a shark.

    Director:Peter Bonerz
    Writer:Bruce Kane

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  23. The Bob Newhart Show Season 5 Episode 2 - Caged Fury
    7.9/10(125 votes)

    #23 - Caged Fury

    S5:E2

    The Hartleys miss their friend's gala Fourth of July Bicentennial party celebration when they become trapped in a storage locker.

    Director:Michael Zinberg
    Writers:Gordon Farr, Lynne Farr

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  24. The Bob Newhart Show Season 5 Episode 21 - Desperate Sessions
    7.9/10(116 votes)

    #24 - Desperate Sessions

    S5:E21

    Bob is held hostage in his office by a friendly bank robber.

    Director:Dick Martin
    Writers:Michael Zinberg, Michael Davidson

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  25. The Bob Newhart Show Season 1 Episode 2 - Tracy Grammar School, I'll Lick You Yet
    7.8/10(257 votes)

    #25 - Tracy Grammar School, I'll Lick You Yet

    S1:E2

    It's Vocation Day in Emily's class, and Bob feels left out when he's not invited. At the last minute, he's asked to fill in, but Emily's worst fears are confirmed when Bob fails to excite the kids' interest.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Carl Gottlieb

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Best Episodes Summary

"Over the River and Through the Woods" is the best rated episode of "The Bob Newhart Show". It scored 8.8/10 based on 270 votes. Directed by James Burrows and written by Bruce Kane, it aired on 11/22/1975. This episode scored 0.5 points higher than the second highest rated, "Happy Trails to You".