The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Second Season [3 Discs] [DVD]

Chicago psychologist Bob Hartley (Bob Newhart) continues dividing his time between his practice and his home life with spouse Emily (Suzanne Pleshette) -- with some inevitable "spillover" both at the office and in the Hartley apartment -- as The Bob Newhart Show launches its second season. Also returning for another go-round are Bob and Emily's eccentric neighbor, airline pilot Howard Borden (Bill Daily); swinging-bachelor dentist Jerry Robinson (Peter Bonerz), whose office is next to Bob's; and Bob and Jerry's ditzy receptionist Carol Kester (Marcia Wallace). In addition, this season marks the first appearance of Emily's parents, worldly Junior Harrison (John Randolph) and his long-suffering wife Aggie (Ann Rutherford). Arguably the season's best-known episode is "Clink Shrink," in which Bob's patient, a paroled bank robber, is played by a pre-Happy Days Henry Winkler. Other classic episodes include "Motel," in which the very married Bob finds himself in the clutches of an amorous female; "Backlash," wherein Bob's macho patient (played by future Hill Street Blues regular Michael Conrad) unwittingly ruins the Hartleys' Mexican vacation; "Emily in for Carol," a trenchant illustration of the old adage "Never hire relatives -- especially your wife;" "I'm Okay, You're Okay, So What's Wrong," in which Bob proves to be a much better shrink than a patient when he and Emily visit a marriage counselor (Katherine Helmond of Who's the Boss? fame); "Oh, Brother," guest-starring Raul Julia as Jerry Robinson's highy competitive brother Greg; and "By the Way...You're Fired," in which Bob is forced to take drastic measures when Carol's roller-coaster love life begins to affect her job performance. Having ended its first season as America's 16th most popular series, The Bob Newhart Show did even better during season two winding up in 12th place.