Editing Bob Newhart (section)

== Career ==
=== 1958–1971: Comedy albums and stardom ===
[[File:Carol Burnett Bob Newhart Caterina Valente Entertainers 1964.JPG|thumb|right|Newhart, [[Caterina Valente]], and [[Carol Burnett]] in 1964]]
After the war, Newhart worked for [[United States Gypsum]] as an accountant. He later said that his motto, "That's close enough," and his habit of adjusting [[petty cash]] imbalances with his own money showed that he lacked the temperament of an accountant.<ref name=autobio /> In 1958, Newhart became an advertising [[copywriter]] for Fred A. Niles, a major independent film and television producer in Chicago.<ref name="MargaretMick2011">{{cite book | author1=Margaret Hicks | author2=Mick Napier | title=Chicago Comedy: A Fairly Serious History | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8GB83XHjwh0C&pg=PA66 | access-date=November 24, 2012 | date=May 2, 2011 | publisher=The History Press | isbn=978-1-60949-211-3 | page=66}}</ref> There, he and a co-worker entertained each other with long telephone calls about absurd scenarios, which they later recorded and sent to radio stations as audition tapes. When the co-worker ended his participation by taking a job in New York, Newhart continued the recordings alone, developing routines.<ref name=Thorn />

Dan Sorkin, a radio station disc jockey, who later became the announcer-sidekick on Newhart's NBC series, introduced Newhart to the head of talent at [[Warner Bros. Records]]. Based solely on those recordings, the label signed him in 1959, only a year after it had come into existence. Newhart expanded his material into a stand-up routine that he began to perform at nightclubs.<ref name=autobio /> He became famous mostly on the strength of his audio releases, in which he played a solo "[[straight man]]". Newhart's routine was to portray one end of a conversation (usually a phone call), playing the comedic straight man while implying what the other person was saying. Newhart's 1960 comedy album ''[[The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart]]'' was the first comedy album to make number one on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' charts and peaked at number two in the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first = David
| last = Roberts
| year = 2006
| title = British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition = 19th
| publisher = Guinness World Records Limited
| location = London
| isbn = 1-904994-10-5
| page = 393}}</ref><ref name=parade>{{cite news | title = In Step With: Bob Newhart | work = Parade Magazine | date = July 17, 2005 | url = http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2005/edition_07-17-2005/in_step_with_0 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070315020844/http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2005/edition_07-17-2005/in_step_with_0 | archive-date = March 15, 2007 }}</ref> It won two [[Grammy Awards of 1961|Grammy Awards]], [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]], and [[Best New Artist]].<ref name="WaPo" />

Newhart told a 2005 interviewer for [[PBS]]'s ''[[American Masters]]'' that his favorite stand-up routine was "[[Abe Lincoln]] vs. [[Madison Avenue]]", which appears on this album. In the routine, a slick promoter has to deal with Lincoln's reluctance to agree to efforts to boost his image. Chicago TV director and future comedian [[Bill Daily]], who was Newhart's castmate on ''The Bob Newhart Show'', suggested the routine to him.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/archive/interview/bob-newhart-interview-1/|title= Bob Newhart Interview|publisher= PBS|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> A follow-up album, ''[[The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!]]'', was released six months later and won [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album|Best Comedy Performance – Spoken Word]] that year. His subsequent comedy albums include ''Behind the Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart'' (1961), ''The Button-Down Mind on TV'' (1962), ''Bob Newhart Faces Bob Newhart'' (1964), ''The Windmills Are Weakening'' (1965), ''This Is It'' (1967), ''Best of Bob Newhart'' (1971), and ''Very Funny Bob Newhart'' (1973). Years later, he released ''Bob Newhart Off the Record'' (1992), ''The Button-Down Concert'' (1997), and ''Something Like This'' (2001), an anthology of his 1960s Warner Bros. albums. On December 10, 2015, publicist and comedy album collector [[Jeff Abraham]] revealed that a "lost" Newhart track from 1965 about [[Paul Revere]] existed on a one-of-a-kind acetate, which he owns. The track made its world premiere on episode 163 of the ''Comedy on Vinyl'' podcast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theinterrobang.com/199318-2/ |title=Lost Bob Newhart Routine Airs Publicly for the First Time |date=December 10, 2015 |website=The Interrobang |access-date=December 10, 2015}}</ref>

Newhart's success in stand-up led to his own short-lived [[NBC]] variety show in 1961, ''[[The Bob Newhart Show (1961 TV series)|The Bob Newhart Show]]''. The show lasted only a single season, but it earned Newhart a [[Primetime Emmy Award]] nomination and a [[Peabody Award]]. The Peabody Board cited him as "a person whose gentle satire and wry and irreverent wit waft a breath of fresh and bracing air through the stale and stuffy electronic corridors. A merry marauder, who looks less like [[St. George]] than a choirboy, Newhart has wounded, if not slain, many of the dragons that stalk our society. In a troubled and apprehensive world, Newhart has proved once again that laughter is the best medicine." In the mid-1960s, Newhart was one of the initial three co-hosts of the variety show ''[[The Entertainers]]'' (1964), with [[Carol Burnett]] and [[Caterina Valente]],<ref>Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1988). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 – Present. Ballantine Books. p. 238. ISBN 0-345-35610-1</ref> appeared on ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]'' 24 times and on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' eight times.<ref name=autobio /> He appeared in a 1963 episode of ''[[List of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episodes|The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'', "How to Get Rid of Your Wife"; and on ''[[The Judy Garland Show]]''. He also appeared on series such as ''[[Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre]]'', ''[[Captain Nice]]'', and ''[[Insight (American TV series)|Insight]]''. Newhart guest-hosted ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' 87 times, and hosted ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' twice, in 1980 and 1995. In 1964, he appeared at the [[Royal Variety Performance]] in London, before [[Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Charity |first1=Royal Variety |title=Performances :: 1964, London Palladium {{!}} Royal Variety Charity |url=https://www.royalvarietycharity.org/royal-variety-performance/archive/detail/1964-london-palladium |website=royalvarietycharity.org |access-date=July 18, 2024}}</ref>

In 1962, Newhart filmed ''An Evening with Bob Newhart'', thought to be the first [[pay-per-view]] television special, for Canadian-based [[Telemeter (pay television)|Telemeter]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zinoman |first1=Jason |title=Bob Newhart Holds Up. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/18/arts/television/bob-newhart-standup-comedy.html |access-date=July 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=July 18, 2024}}</ref>

=== 1972–1978: ''The Bob Newhart Show'' ===
{{Main|The Bob Newhart Show}}
[[File:Newhart show cast 1977.JPG|thumb|left|The cast of ''The Bob Newhart Show''; standing (from left): Bill Daily, Marcia Wallace, Peter Bonerz; seated: Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette]]
Newhart starred in two long-running [[Sitcoms in the United States|sitcoms]]. In 1972, soon after he guest-starred on ''[[The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour]]'', he was approached by his agent and his managers, producer [[Grant Tinker]], and actress [[Mary Tyler Moore]] (the husband/wife team who founded [[MTM Enterprises]]), to work on a series called ''[[The Bob Newhart Show]]'', to be written by [[David Davis (TV producer)|David Davis]] and [[Lorenzo Music]]. He was very interested in the starring role of psychologist Bob Hartley, with [[Suzanne Pleshette]] playing his wry, loving wife, Emily, and [[Bill Daily]] as neighbor and friend Howard Borden.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.avclub.com/the-bob-newhart-show-has-aged-gracefully-1798180611|title= The Bob Newhart Show has aged gracefully|website= AV Club|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

''The Bob Newhart Show'' was a part of the CBS comedy lineup on Saturday Night consisting of ''[[All in the Family]]'', ''[[M*A*S*H]]'', ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', and ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2023/10/17/best-night-in-television-history-50-anniversary/71217714007/|title= 50 years later, a look back at the best primetime lineup in the history of television|website= [[USA Today]]|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> The series was an immediate hit. The show eventually referenced what made Newhart's name in the first place; apart from the first few episodes, it used an opening-credits sequence featuring Newhart answering a telephone in his office. According to co-star [[Marcia Wallace]], the entire cast got along well, and Newhart became close friends with both Wallace and co-star Suzanne Pleshette.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In addition to Wallace as Bob's wisecracking, man-chasing receptionist Carol Kester, the cast included [[Peter Bonerz]] as amiable orthodontist Jerry Robinson; [[Jack Riley (actor)|Jack Riley]] as Elliot Carlin, the most misanthropic of Hartley's patients; character actor and voice artist [[John Fiedler]] as milquetoast Emil Petersen; and [[Pat Finley]] as Bob's sister, Ellen Hartley, a love interest for Howard Borden. Future ''Newhart'' regular [[Tom Poston]] had a briefly recurring role as Cliff "Peeper" Murdock, veteran stage actor [[Barnard Hughes]] appeared as Bob's father for three episodes spread over two seasons, and [[Martha Scott]] appeared in several episodes as Bob's mother.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

By 1977, the show's ratings were declining and Newhart wanted to end it, but was under contract to do one more season. The show's writers tried to rework the sitcom by adding a pregnancy, but Newhart objected: "I told the creators I didn't want any children, because I didn't want it to be a show about 'How stupid Daddy is, but we love him so much, let's get him out of the trouble he's gotten himself into'." Nevertheless, the staff wrote an episode that they hoped would change Newhart's mind. Newhart read the script and he agreed it was very funny. He then asked, "Who are you going to get to play Bob?"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/newhart1.htm |title=The Bob Newhart Show &#124; A Television Heaven Review |publisher=Televisionheaven.co.uk |date=June 2008 |access-date=December 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105210744/http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/newhart1.htm |archive-date=January 5, 2012 }}</ref> Coincidentally, Newhart's wife gave birth to their daughter Jenny late in the year, which caused him to miss several episodes.

In the last episode of the fifth season, not only was Bob's wife, Emily, pregnant, but his receptionist, Carol, was, too.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} In the first show of the sixth season, Bob revealed his dream of the pregnancies and that neither Emily nor Carol was really pregnant. Marcia Wallace spoke of Newhart's amiable nature on set: "He's very low key, and he didn't want to cause trouble. I had a dog by the name of Maggie that I used to bring to the set. And whenever there was a line that Bob didn't like—he didn't want to complain too much—so, he'd go over, get down on his hands and knees, and repeat the line to the dog, which invariably yawned; and he'd say, "See, I told you it's not funny!". Wallace also commented on the show's lack of Emmy recognition: "People think we were nominated for many an Emmy, people presume we won Emmys, all of us, and certainly Bob, and certainly the show. Nope, never!" Newhart discontinued the series in 1978 after six seasons and 142 episodes. Wallace said of its ending, "It was much crying and sobbing. It was so sad. We really did get along. We really had great times together."<ref name=":0" />

Of Newhart's other long-running sitcom, ''[[Newhart]]'', Wallace said: "But some of the other great comedic talents who had a brilliant show, when they tried to do it twice, it didn't always work. And that's what... but like Bob, as far as I'm concerned, Bob is like the [[Fred Astaire]] of comics. He just makes it look so easy, and he's not as in-your-face as some might be. And so, you just kind of take it for granted, how extraordinarily funny and how he wears well." She was later reunited with Newhart twice, once in a reprise of her role as Carol on ''[[Murphy Brown]]'' in 1994, and on an episode of Newhart's short-lived sitcom, ''[[George & Leo]]'', in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/george_leo|title= George & Leo|website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

Although primarily a television star, Newhart appeared in a number of popular films, beginning with the 1959 war story ''[[Hell Is for Heroes (film)|Hell Is for Heroes]]'' (where he did his one-sided telephone act in a bunker).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hell_is_for_heroes|title= Hell is For Heroes|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> In 1968, Newhart played an annoying software specialist in the film ''[[Hot Millions]]''. His films include 1970's [[Alan Jay Lerner]] musical ''[[On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (film)|On a Clear Day You Can See Forever]]'', the 1971 [[Norman Lear]] comedy ''[[Cold Turkey (1971 film)|Cold Turkey]]'', [[Mike Nichols]]'s war satire ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'', the 1977 Disney animated feature ''[[The Rescuers]]'' and its 1990 sequel ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'' as the voice of Bernard, and he [[played the president of the United States]] in the comedy ''[[First Family (film)|First Family]]'' (1980).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bob_newhart|title= Bob Newhart|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

=== 1982–1990: ''Newhart'' ===
By 1982, Newhart was interested in a new sitcom. After he had discussions with [[Barry Kemp (TV producer)|Barry Kemp]] and [[CBS]], the show ''[[Newhart]]'' was created, in which Newhart played [[Vermont]] innkeeper and TV talk show host Dick Loudon. [[Mary Frann]] was cast as his wife, Joanna.<ref name=":0" /> [[Jennifer Holmes (actress)|Jennifer Holmes]] was originally cast as Leslie Vanderkellen, but left after former daytime soap star [[Julia Duffy]] joined the cast as Dick's inn maid and spoiled rich girl, Stephanie Vanderkellen. [[Peter Scolari]] (who had been a fan of Newhart's since he was 17) was also cast as Dick's manipulative TV producer, Michael Harris, in six of the eight seasons. [[Steven Kampmann]], who was a neighbor for a while, was cast as Kirk Devane for two years, at a cafe he owned. Character actor [[Tom Poston]] played the role of handyman George Utley, earning three Primetime Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1984, 1986, and 1987. Like ''The Bob Newhart Show'', ''Newhart'' was an immediate hit, and again, like the show before it, it was also nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards but failed to win any. During the time Newhart was working on the show, in 1985, his smoking habit finally caught up to him, and he was taken to the [[emergency room]] for secondary [[polycythemia]]. The doctors ordered him to stop smoking.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In 1987, ratings began to drop. ''Newhart'' ended in 1990 after eight seasons and 182 episodes. The last episode ended with a scene in which Newhart wakes up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette, who played Emily, his wife from ''The Bob Newhart Show''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/bob-newhart-appreciation-newhart-finale-1235063494/|title= Why the 'Newhart' Finale Is the Perfect Example of Bob Newhart's Comic Genius|magazine= Rolling Stone|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> He realizes (in a satire of a famous plot element in the television series ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' a few years earlier) that the entire eight-year ''Newhart'' series had been a single nightmare of Dr. Bob Hartley's, which Emily attributes to eating Japanese food before he went to bed. Recalling Mary Frann's buxom figure and proclivity for wearing sweaters, Bob closes the segment and the series by telling Emily, "You really should wear more sweaters" before the typical closing notes of the old ''Bob Newhart Show'' theme played over the fadeout. The twist ending was later chosen by ''[[TV Guide]]'' as the best finale in television history.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tvguide.com/galleries/best-tv-finales/3/|title= The Best TV Finales|website= TV Guide|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> With the exception of the series finale, Newhart simply said "meow" in the [[MTM Productions]] closing logo on all episodes. The finale's logo used a sound clip of the two brothers named Darryl shouting "QUIET!!!" in unison; prior to this, only their brother Larry ever spoke a word while they remained silent.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/12/01/the-kitten-that-roared/|title= THE KITTEN THAT ROARED|website= Chicago Tribune|date= December 1985|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/newhart-the-last-newhart|title= The Last Newhart|website= Television Academy|date= October 22, 2017|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

=== 1991–2012: Established career ===
[[File:Bob Newhart, 1991.jpg|thumb|upright|left|In [[Norfolk, Virginia]], {{Circa|1991}}]]
In addition to stand-up comedy, Newhart became a dedicated character actor in film and television. Newhart played a beleaguered school principal in ''[[In & Out (film)|In & Out]]'' (1997), acted in the [[Will Ferrell]] Christmas comedy film ''[[Elf (film)|Elf]]'' (2003), and made a cameo appearance as a sadistic but appreciative CEO at the end of the comedy ''[[Horrible Bosses]]'' (2011).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://abc7ny.com/post/comedian-bob-newhart-deadpan-master-sitcoms-telephone-monologues/15068866/|title= Comedian Bob Newhart, deadpan master of sitcoms and telephone monologues, dies at 94|website= ABC News|date= July 18, 2024|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> He appeared on ''[[It's Garry Shandling's Show]]'' and ''[[Committed (American TV series)|Committed]]'', reprised his role as Dr. Bob Hartley on ''[[Murphy Brown]]'', and appeared as himself on ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Newhart had a role on ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'' as [[Ducky Mallard|Ducky]]'s mentor and predecessor, a retired [[forensic pathologist]], who was discovered to have [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.looper.com/1280352/ncis-character-you-forgot-bob-newhart-played/|title= The NCIS Character You Likely Forgot Bob Newhart Played|website= Looper|date= May 14, 2023|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

In 1992, Newhart returned to television with a series about a [[cartoonist]] called ''[[Bob (TV series)|Bob]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/bob/1030260699/|title= Bob|website= TV Guide|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> The ensemble cast included [[Lisa Kudrow]], but the show did not develop a strong audience and was cancelled shortly after the start of its second season, despite good critical reviews. On ''The Tonight Show'' following the cancellation, Newhart joked he had now done shows called ''The Bob Newhart Show'', ''Newhart'', and ''Bob'' so that his next show was going to be called ''The''. In 1997, Newhart returned again with ''[[George & Leo]]'' on CBS with [[Judd Hirsch]] and [[Jason Bateman]] (Newhart's first name being George); the show was cancelled during its first season. In 1995, Newhart was approached by [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] to make the first comedy special of his 35-year career, ''Off the Record'', which consisted of him performing material from his first and second albums in front of an audience in [[Pasadena, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tvguide.com/movies/bob-newhart-off-the-record/2060138004/|title= Bob Newhart: Off the Record|website= TV Guide|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Comedian Bob Newhart.jpg|thumb|upright|Newhart in 2004]]
In 2003, Newhart guest-starred on three episodes of ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'' in a rare dramatic role that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, his first in nearly 20 years.<ref name="autobio" /> In 2005, he began a recurring role in ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'' as Morty, the on-again/off-again boyfriend of Sophie ([[Lesley Ann Warren]]), Susan Mayer's ([[Teri Hatcher]]) mother. In 2009, he received another Primetime Emmy nomination for reprising his role as Judson in ''[[The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-librarian-the-curse-of-the-judas-chalice|title= The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> On August 27, 2006, at the [[58th Primetime Emmy Awards]], hosted by [[Conan O'Brien]], Newhart was placed in a supposedly airtight glass prison that contained three hours of air. If the Emmys went over the time of three hours, he would die. This gag was an acknowledgment of the common frustration that award shows usually run on past their allotted time (usually three hours). Newhart "survived" his containment to help O'Brien present the award for Outstanding Comedy Series (which went to ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'').<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2022-07-06/bob-newhart-58th-emmy-awards|title= Bob Newhart Risks it All from Keeping the Emmys Running Long|website= Los Angeles Times|date= July 6, 2022|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> During an episode of ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]]'', Newhart made a comedic cameo with members of the [[ABC (television network)|ABC]] show ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'' lampooning an alternate ending to the series finale.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lost-alternate-endings-jimmy-kimmel-offers-funny-answers-that-sound-familiar/|title= "Lost" Alternate Endings: "Jimmy Kimmel" Offers Funny Answers That Sound Familiar|publisher= CBS News|date= May 24, 2010|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> In 2011, he appeared in a small but pivotal role as a doctor in [[Lifetime (tv network)|Lifetime]]'s anthology film on breast cancer, ''[[Five (2011 film)|Five]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877740/?ref_=tt_ch|title= Five (TV Movie 2011)|publisher= IMDb|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

=== 2013–2020: ''The Big Bang Theory'' and final roles ===
In 2013, Newhart appeared in an episode of the sixth season of ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' playing the aged Professor Proton (Arthur Jeffries), a former science TV show host turned children's party entertainer, for which he was awarded a [[Primetime Emmy Award]].<ref>[http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/bob-newhart Bob Newhart {{!}} Television Academy]. Emmys.com. Retrieved April 12, 2014.</ref> It was Newhart's first Emmy. At that year's Emmy ceremony, Newhart appeared as a presenter with ''The Big Bang Theory'' star [[Jim Parsons]] and received a standing ovation. He continued to play the character periodically through the show's [[The Big Bang Theory (season 12)|12th]] and final season and on its spinoff ''[[Young Sheldon]]''.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 21, 2013 |title='The Big Bang Theory' Season 6: Bob Newhart to Play Professor Proton |url=http://tvline.com/2013/03/21/the-big-bang-theory-season-6-cast-bob-newhart-professor-proton/ |access-date=March 21, 2013 |website=TVLine}}</ref> On December 19, 2014, the 85-year-old Newhart made a surprise appearance on the final episode of ''[[The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson]]'', where he was revealed to be the person inside Secretariat, Ferguson's on-set pantomime horse. The show then ended with a scene parodying the ''Newhart'' series finale, with Ferguson and [[Drew Carey]] reprising their roles from ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://tvline.com/news/craig-ferguson-late-late-show-finale-bob-newhart-drew-carey-574661/|title= Late Late Show: Craig Ferguson Says Goodbye With Incredible Twist Ending|website= TV Line|date= December 20, 2014|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> In June 2015, Newhart appeared on another series finale, that of ''[[Hot in Cleveland]]'', playing the father-in-law of Joy Scroggs ([[Jane Leeves]]). It marked a reunion with [[Betty White]], who was a cast member during the second season of ''[[Bob (TV series)|Bob]]'' 23 years earlier. The finale ends with their characters getting married.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/hot-cleveland-finale-betty-white-799316/|title= 'Hot in Cleveland' Creator Talks Going Out on Top and the Series Finale's Betty White Tribute|website= [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date= June 3, 2015|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>