New on DVD: Newhart

Season 1 of NEWHART came out on DVD yesterday, to the delight of Newhart fans everywhere.

Bob Newhart gave a very interesting interview to a Minnesota paper. Like the rest of us, he's wondering why the last two seasons of THE BOB NEWHART SHOW have yet to be released on DVD. He also said that the first season of that show was released without his knowledge, at which point he insisted on contributing commentaries and featurettes for Seasons 2, 3, and 4. He has not been contacted about doing any work on the last two seasons.

According to this review, extras include a featurette on the making of the show, with tributes to Mary Frann and Tom Poston. My copy arrived in the mail as I was writing this, and the box shows a total of four featurettes, which is welcome news. No commentaries, unfortunately. (And I really think they could have done a better job on the cover art!)

(Update: Although the box lists four featurette titles, there are only three to be found on the discs. I watched them all and enjoyed them very much, particularly the longest one on the cast.)

Apparently Amazon requests for NEWHART helped lead to the show being put on DVD -- so if you're wondering if it does any good to request DVDs at sites like Amazon or TCM, which pass the requests on to DVD producers, that gives an indication.

(Hat tip re interview: TV Shows on DVD.)

Previously: It's Official: Newhart Coming to DVD.