Editing The Bob Newhart Show (section)

==Premise==
[[File:Newhart show cast 1977.JPG|thumb|187px|left|Standing, from left: Howard Borden, Carol Kester, Jerry Robinson; seated: Bob and Emily Hartley]]

The show centers on Robert "Bob" Hartley (Newhart), a Chicago [[psychologist]], his work and home life, with his supportive, though occasionally sarcastic, wife Emily ([[Suzanne Pleshette]]), and their friendly but mildly pesky neighbor, airline navigator Howard Borden ([[Bill Daily]]). The medical building where Bob's practice is located also houses Jerry Robinson ([[Peter Bonerz]]), an [[orthodontist]] whose office is on the same floor, and their receptionist, Carol Kester ([[Marcia Wallace]]), as well as a number of other doctors who appear on the show occasionally.

Bob's three most frequently seen regular patients are cynical, mean-spirited and neurotic Elliot Carlin ([[Jack Riley (actor)|Jack Riley]]), milquetoast former US Marine cook Emil Peterson ([[John Fiedler]]), and quiet, reserved Lillian Bakerman ([[Florida Friebus]]), an older woman who spends most of her sessions knitting. Carlin was ranked 49th in ''TV Guide'''s List of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time, and Riley reprised the character in guest appearances on both ''[[St. Elsewhere]]'' and ''[[Newhart]]''.

Most of the situations involve Newhart's character playing [[Double act|straight man]] to his wife, colleagues, friends, and patients. A frequent running gag on the show is an extension of Newhart's [[stand-up comedy]] routines, where he played one side of a telephone conversation, the other side of which is not heard. In a nod to this,{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} for the first two seasons, the episodes opened with Bob answering the telephone by saying "Hello?"{{clear left}}