The Hollywood Reporter: The Big Bang Theory marks your first half-hour comedy appearance in some time. Why this show?
Bob Newhart: I've been approached for other projects -- some pilots -- and that's too much. Emotionally, I couldn't go through another pilot to series, it takes too much out of you and it's for the younger people today. When I look at a show, I look at it from a writing standpoint. I've said all along that I stumbled on the formula of an incredible cast and great writing, and then take all the credit myself -- it's worked in three different permutations. I know Chuck Lorre personally and am familiar with his work going back to Roseanne and Cybil. The Big Bang Theory is well written and it has an incredible cast. It's intelligent, which is a vanishing commodity. It's setup joke, setup joke, set up joke. When we were doing The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, we'd take a minute to set up a joke, but it paid off because the reaction was huge. But there seems to be a rhythm now in sitcoms -- setup joke, setup joke, setup joke. As a result, the audience doesn't know what the joke is but they know it's coming because that's where it always goes. There's an internal rhythm. That's one of the reasons I took The Big Bang Theory.
Read more at THR
Bob Newhart: I've been approached for other projects -- some pilots -- and that's too much. Emotionally, I couldn't go through another pilot to series, it takes too much out of you and it's for the younger people today. When I look at a show, I look at it from a writing standpoint. I've said all along that I stumbled on the formula of an incredible cast and great writing, and then take all the credit myself -- it's worked in three different permutations. I know Chuck Lorre personally and am familiar with his work going back to Roseanne and Cybil. The Big Bang Theory is well written and it has an incredible cast. It's intelligent, which is a vanishing commodity. It's setup joke, setup joke, set up joke. When we were doing The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, we'd take a minute to set up a joke, but it paid off because the reaction was huge. But there seems to be a rhythm now in sitcoms -- setup joke, setup joke, setup joke. As a result, the audience doesn't know what the joke is but they know it's coming because that's where it always goes. There's an internal rhythm. That's one of the reasons I took The Big Bang Theory.
Read more at THR
