The Bob Newhart Show backdrop
Comedy

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!

Binge this in 6h 0m•Peaking at 8.8/10

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

Airs on
CBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons6

All123456

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    The Bob Newhart Show Season 4 Episode 11 - Over the River and Through the Woods
    8.8/10(267 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. The Bob Newhart Show Season 5 Episode 19 - Death Be My Destiny
    8.4/10(136 votes)

    #2 - 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. The Bob Newhart Show Season 6 Episode 22 - Happy Trails to You
    8.3/10(135 votes)

    #3 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. The Bob Newhart Show Season 6 Episode 12 - 'Twas the Pie Before Christmas
    8.2/10(118 votes)

    #4 - '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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 8 - Mister Emily Hartley
    8.1/10(162 votes)

    #5 - 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 14 - T. S. Elliot
    8.1/10(138 votes)

    #6 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Bob Newhart Show

    READ
  7. The Bob Newhart Show Season 3 Episode 11 - An American Family
    8.1/10(160 votes)

    #7 - 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. The Bob Newhart Show Season 3 Episode 24 - The Ceiling Hits Bob
    8.1/10(134 votes)

    #8 - 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
    Writer:Jay Tarses

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. The Bob Newhart Show Season 6 Episode 6 - A Day in the Life
    8.1/10(118 votes)

    #9 - 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
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. The Bob Newhart Show Season 1 Episode 1 - Fly the Unfriendly Skies
    8.0/10(327 votes)

    #10 - 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
    Writer:Lorenzo Music

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. The Bob Newhart Show Season 3 Episode 20 - My Business is Shrinking
    8.0/10(129 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
    Writer:Arnie Kogen

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. The Bob Newhart Show Season 5 Episode 2 - Caged Fury
    8.0/10(127 votes)

    #12 - 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
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. The Bob Newhart Show Season 1 Episode 12 - Bob and Emily and Howard and Carol and Jerry
    7.9/10(190 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 4 - Somebody Down Here Likes Me
    7.9/10(162 votes)

    #14 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

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

    #15 - 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
    Writer:Jay Tarses

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 18 - The Jobless Corps
    7.9/10(138 votes)

    #16 - The Jobless Corps

    S2:E18

    Depressed after losing his job with the airline, Howard accepts Bob's offer to join his ""out of workshop,"" a special therapy group for the unemployed. (Bob extends the invitation at Emily's insistence when Howard's attempts to help her around the apartment begin driving her up the wall.)

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Jay Tarses

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. The Bob Newhart Show Season 4 Episode 9 - Who is Mr. X?
    7.9/10(148 votes)

    #17 - 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. The Bob Newhart Show Season 4 Episode 15 - Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital
    7.9/10(146 votes)

    #18 - 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
    Writer:Jay Tarses

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. The Bob Newhart Show Season 1 Episode 2 - Tracy Grammar School, I'll Lick You Yet
    7.8/10(251 votes)

    #19 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. The Bob Newhart Show Season 1 Episode 14 - His Busiest Season
    7.8/10(199 votes)

    #20 - His Busiest Season

    S1:E14

    Christmas becomes a sad memory for Bob's group therapy session, and it's evident that "'tis not the season"" for everyone to be jolly. Bob decides to invite the group over for Christmas Eve.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Lorenzo Music

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 1 - Last TV Show
    7.8/10(163 votes)

    #21 - Last TV Show

    S2:E1

    Bob's therapy group insists that he accept an invitation for the group to conduct one of its weekly sessions on television.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 3 - Backlash
    7.8/10(157 votes)

    #22 - 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 5 - Emily in for Carol
    7.8/10(157 votes)

    #23 - Emily in for Carol

    S2:E5

    With Carol on vacation, Emily is elected to fill in as the receptionist. Everyone loves the idea—except Bob.

    Director:Alan Rafkin
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 11 - Fit, Fat, and Forty-One
    7.8/10(145 votes)

    #24 - 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
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. The Bob Newhart Show Season 2 Episode 15 - I'm Dreaming of a Slight Christmas
    7.8/10(160 votes)

    #25 - 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
    Writer:Jay Tarses

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

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 267 votes. Directed by James Burrows and written by Unknown, it aired on 11/22/1975. This episode scored 0.4 points higher than the second highest rated, "Death Be My Destiny".