Stop Making Sense
I've started watching "The Bob Newhart Show" on DVD, and oddly enough it got me thinking about comics.
This 1972-78 sitcom starred Bob as Dr. Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist who lived in a high-rise condominium with his lovely wife Emily (played by Suzanne Pleshette). A few years later, Bob was back on TV playing Dick Loudin, the owner of a Vermont inn, on "Newhart" (1982-90). "Newhart" featured a broader style of comedy than its predecessor, and developed more cartoonish characters like the dim-bulb brothers Larry, Darryl, and Darryl.
Even though "Newhart's" finale is one of the most notorious surprise endings in TV history, SPOILERS FOLLOW.
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In the last episode of "Newhart," Dick ends up being hit in the head with a golf ball -- and wakes up in Bob Hartley's bed, next to Suzanne Pleshette. The "Bob Newhart Show" set had been faithfully recreated, and not even the studio audience suspected the ending. Basically, all of "Newhart" had been Bob Hartley's dream.
Naturally, watching the first few "Bob Newhart" shows, I was reminded of "Newhart's" ending. Instincts honed by decades of superhero comics fandom then kicked in, and it made me wonder -- what if Dr. Bob Hartley took a trip to Vermont? Would he find a Stratford Inn populated by appropriately wacky characters, as in his dream?
Immediately I realized two things -- virtually no one else thinks of such a "Bob Newhart Show"/"Newhart" crossover; and I probably only thought of it because I have been reading superhero comics for so long. Stupid comics! I grumbled.
Still, something about fantastic genres inspires us fans to harmonize their discrepancies. "Realism" entails a consistent set of rules, and since fantasy involves breaking the rules, we like to think that those rules are broken consistently. While continuity and consistency are important for us imagining these alternate realities, we get so used to rationalizing their impossible aspects that we explain away their charms.
Even though they're more grounded in reality, sitcoms get a pass when it comes to continuity. "M*A*S*H" lasted 9 years longer than the actual Korean War; Monica Geller could never afford such a spacious apartment; Darrin Stevens and Tony Nelson would have been eaten by demons; and those castaways probably would have long since killed Gilligan for screwing up one too many rescue plans. Of course, sitcoms are frivolous, and superheroes aren't. More to the point, sitcoms are designed to be ephemeral, and today's superhero comics are built to last.
There are others who can expand on this point more eloquently than I, and I don't want to weigh down my "Bob Newhart" DVDs with a lot of angst. For now I'll just leave you with the assurance that I've gotten over my need for a Newhart show crossover. Too bad that the Bob Newhart of 1972 now reminds me of Vladimir Putin....
This 1972-78 sitcom starred Bob as Dr. Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist who lived in a high-rise condominium with his lovely wife Emily (played by Suzanne Pleshette). A few years later, Bob was back on TV playing Dick Loudin, the owner of a Vermont inn, on "Newhart" (1982-90). "Newhart" featured a broader style of comedy than its predecessor, and developed more cartoonish characters like the dim-bulb brothers Larry, Darryl, and Darryl.
Even though "Newhart's" finale is one of the most notorious surprise endings in TV history, SPOILERS FOLLOW.
3
2
1
In the last episode of "Newhart," Dick ends up being hit in the head with a golf ball -- and wakes up in Bob Hartley's bed, next to Suzanne Pleshette. The "Bob Newhart Show" set had been faithfully recreated, and not even the studio audience suspected the ending. Basically, all of "Newhart" had been Bob Hartley's dream.
Naturally, watching the first few "Bob Newhart" shows, I was reminded of "Newhart's" ending. Instincts honed by decades of superhero comics fandom then kicked in, and it made me wonder -- what if Dr. Bob Hartley took a trip to Vermont? Would he find a Stratford Inn populated by appropriately wacky characters, as in his dream?
Immediately I realized two things -- virtually no one else thinks of such a "Bob Newhart Show"/"Newhart" crossover; and I probably only thought of it because I have been reading superhero comics for so long. Stupid comics! I grumbled.
Still, something about fantastic genres inspires us fans to harmonize their discrepancies. "Realism" entails a consistent set of rules, and since fantasy involves breaking the rules, we like to think that those rules are broken consistently. While continuity and consistency are important for us imagining these alternate realities, we get so used to rationalizing their impossible aspects that we explain away their charms.
Even though they're more grounded in reality, sitcoms get a pass when it comes to continuity. "M*A*S*H" lasted 9 years longer than the actual Korean War; Monica Geller could never afford such a spacious apartment; Darrin Stevens and Tony Nelson would have been eaten by demons; and those castaways probably would have long since killed Gilligan for screwing up one too many rescue plans. Of course, sitcoms are frivolous, and superheroes aren't. More to the point, sitcoms are designed to be ephemeral, and today's superhero comics are built to last.
There are others who can expand on this point more eloquently than I, and I don't want to weigh down my "Bob Newhart" DVDs with a lot of angst. For now I'll just leave you with the assurance that I've gotten over my need for a Newhart show crossover. Too bad that the Bob Newhart of 1972 now reminds me of Vladimir Putin....
posted by Tom Bondurant @ 1:43 PM
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