George & Leo - Starring Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch

[00:00:00] Coming up on another exciting installment of That Was a Show,

[00:00:05] George and Leo was a show.

[00:00:08] Bob Newhart played George, which is his actual first name in real life, thus keeping up the

[00:00:15] tradition of naming every single show he did after himself.

[00:00:19] George is the owner of a charming little bookshop on the equally charming little island

[00:00:24] of Martha's Vineyard.

[00:00:26] His son Ted, played by Jason Bateman, is engaged to be married to Casey, played first

[00:00:32] by Bess Meyer and then later by Robin Lively.

[00:00:36] Casey's father Leo, played by Judd Hirsch, shows up unexpectedly after being estranged

[00:00:42] from her for several years.

[00:00:44] He ran away to work as a magician in Vegas but actually as a lackey for mobsters and

[00:00:50] General Nairduel.

[00:00:52] He ends up moving into the spare bedroom upstairs above the bookshop.

[00:00:56] The mild-mannered and uptight George butts heads with the smooth talking yet shifty Leo,

[00:01:03] turning them into the perfect odd couple for 1997.

[00:01:07] Brynn, Aaron and Barry try to figure out why this charming little show only lasted

[00:01:12] one season.

[00:01:14] We grew up during Peek's sitcom, Seinfeld, Friends, the Fresh Prince, but those shows

[00:01:20] were diamonds in the rough.

[00:01:22] This podcast is not about those diamonds.

[00:01:25] It's about the rough.

[00:01:27] Some sitcoms were briefly popular in their time, some were canceled almost immediately.

[00:01:32] You probably won't recognize most of these and you'll ask, that was a show?

[00:01:37] That was a show?

[00:01:46] The podcast about failed or forgotten sitcoms from the 80s and 90s starring

[00:01:51] Brynn Burney, Aaron Jaeger and Andrew Helmer as Barry.

[00:01:59] A radio gizmo production.

[00:02:09] Aaron, yes?

[00:02:10] You want to do me a huge favor?

[00:02:13] Would you like to grab me a banana that I can quickly scarf down?

[00:02:17] Yes.

[00:02:18] I thought this was a bit.

[00:02:20] This part is staying in.

[00:02:23] I will get you a banana.

[00:02:26] And while she eats that banana, Barry and I will get caught up.

[00:02:31] What's the show that we recently started watching that's really good?

[00:02:35] What was that called?

[00:02:37] This is great stuff.

[00:02:40] The baby reindeer because I watched all of that in one sitting.

[00:02:44] Oh, is that good?

[00:02:45] Oh man, it fucked me up.

[00:02:47] Okay, I gotta watch that.

[00:02:50] That you and I started watching, Aaron?

[00:02:53] Yeah, the one that's like set in like the Middle America, farm town thing.

[00:03:00] Oh, someone somewhere?

[00:03:03] Yeah.

[00:03:04] Is that what it's called?

[00:03:05] Yeah.

[00:03:06] Good.

[00:03:07] Yeah, it's well, it's been around for a while.

[00:03:10] Oh.

[00:03:11] But...

[00:03:12] It's not a great title.

[00:03:13] That's not a great title.

[00:03:14] It's not doing nothing for me.

[00:03:16] That's no, that was a show.

[00:03:18] It's starring Bridget Everett.

[00:03:20] She's like a comedian and she has this whole persona that's like,

[00:03:27] it's kind of like, oh goodness.

[00:03:30] Like she has like a big, Aaron, what's the word I'm looking for?

[00:03:35] Personality.

[00:03:36] Like she's a singer as well, but it's very campy.

[00:03:40] Oh, I know her.

[00:03:41] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:03:42] I googled her.

[00:03:43] Yeah, she's fun.

[00:03:45] But the show is like kind of like a dramedy about this like young woman who has to go back

[00:03:51] to her hometown and it's like, it's basically something I would have written when they beat

[00:03:57] me to it.

[00:03:59] Yeah, I feel like baby reindeer is the type of thing I wish that I had the guts to write.

[00:04:06] Interesting.

[00:04:07] We'll have to check it out.

[00:04:09] Yeah.

[00:04:10] I'm nearing the end of curbier enthusiasm.

[00:04:14] I'm a few episodes from the finish line.

[00:04:17] Do you know the ending?

[00:04:18] I don't.

[00:04:19] I don't.

[00:04:20] Oh, okay.

[00:04:21] I know the ending.

[00:04:22] Because that's all I care about.

[00:04:24] But I crossed a threshold in the season where I've started to be able to predict, I think,

[00:04:30] what everything's building to and suddenly there's an aspect of what was going on that

[00:04:36] dawned on me where I was like, oh, I see where he might be going with this.

[00:04:40] And yeah, so I'm excited for the ending but don't spoil anything.

[00:04:44] Not being a curb fan.

[00:04:46] I quite liked the ending from what I saw of it.

[00:04:51] Okay.

[00:04:52] Yeah.

[00:04:53] Coming at it from somebody who has no opinion whatsoever on it and yet somehow insisted

[00:04:58] on having one.

[00:05:00] Yeah.

[00:05:01] Good show there, Mr. David.

[00:05:05] All right.

[00:05:06] I guess we should actually segue into the show we're talking about today.

[00:05:13] Yeah.

[00:05:14] Yeah, so this is a brin pick and it's one that I wanted to cover way back when I first basically

[00:05:23] got acquainted with Bob Newhart when we did our Bob episode.

[00:05:28] So yeah, this week I decided that we would cover George and Leo.

[00:05:33] George and Leo, it turns out was a show.

[00:05:39] This CBS sitcom was created by Rob Long and Dan Staley.

[00:05:44] It starred TV legends Bob Newhart as George and Judd Hirsch as Leo, the ultimate odd couple.

[00:05:52] The other main cast members include Jason Bateman as George's son Ted, Robyn Lively

[00:05:58] as his fiance and Leo's daughter Casey, and Daryl Thiers as Ambrose, George's employee.

[00:06:05] So the series is set in the ideal community of Martha's Vineyard and begins on the eve of Ted

[00:06:11] and Casey's wedding.

[00:06:13] We watched the pilot in episode eight in preparation for this podcast.

[00:06:18] In the pilot, I'll give you guys a brief summary because it really does a great job

[00:06:24] of setting everything up and then we'll kind of go into our own discussion of it.

[00:06:29] But basically the two dads meet by chance in George's bookstore.

[00:06:34] The two have a contentious interaction and surprise, it's later revealed that their kids are about to marry each other.

[00:06:41] We also learned that Leo and Casey have been estranged for over a decade

[00:06:47] and that Ted in a misguided attempt to surprise her has invited Leo to the wedding.

[00:06:53] Another wild twist is that Leo is actually on the run from the mafia.

[00:06:59] He had just come from Vegas where he had been living and working as a bag man

[00:07:05] and essentially he ran off with $25,000 that he was supposed to deliver.

[00:07:11] A mob hitman shows up in Martha's Vineyard to take out Leo

[00:07:17] and George ultimately saves the day telling the hitman that the money is there

[00:07:21] and somehow he convinces him not to kill Leo.

[00:07:25] The mobster agrees as long as Leo stays out of Vegas.

[00:07:29] Then Leo basically invites himself to live in a room above George's bookstore

[00:07:34] setting up the odd couple dynamic and weird friendship that continues throughout the series.

[00:07:40] Okay.

[00:07:42] Good summary.

[00:07:45] Yeah, by the way it had one season so it was only one season, 22 episodes.

[00:07:52] It was like a little one season wonder.

[00:07:55] Spoiler alert, I enjoyed this show.

[00:07:58] Yeah, same.

[00:07:59] How are you doing?

[00:08:01] Spoiler alert, yeah, same.

[00:08:05] So this is only the, is this only the second New Heart show we've done?

[00:08:11] Yeah, it's only the second one which is wild.

[00:08:15] This is the most I've ever liked Bob New Heart.

[00:08:19] Yeah, well actually...

[00:08:21] They're really writing for his rhythms and also it feels like

[00:08:27] because it's a two-hander between him and Hirsch,

[00:08:31] it doesn't feel as like, it doesn't feel as beholden to Bob New Heart.

[00:08:37] Right?

[00:08:38] So he gets to be funny and do his thing but the scenes have to keep moving along.

[00:08:44] Yeah, but not carry everything like there's actual scenes with conflict.

[00:08:48] Well the two of them play off really well together

[00:08:50] and I actually of the two of them, I thought Judd Hirsch really like stood out more to me.

[00:08:56] I like chuckled a lot more at him than I did at Bob New Heart

[00:09:01] which is interesting because I like basically fell in love with Bob New Heart after we watched Bob.

[00:09:06] So yeah, it's very interesting.

[00:09:09] But that's what's interesting.

[00:09:10] It's a good dynamic.

[00:09:11] To if I may spontaneously merge both of your points there.

[00:09:15] Yeah.

[00:09:16] One of the reasons this works is that Bob New Heart's doing his shtick

[00:09:20] but although they are both funny, he is more the straight man out of the two of them.

[00:09:28] Yeah.

[00:09:29] And so his stammering reactions to things work really well in the context of someone else

[00:09:36] being the sillier character for him to react to.

[00:09:40] Yeah.

[00:09:41] And Judd Hirsch does that role really well.

[00:09:44] I mean Judd Hirsch is just one of those performers that is just always a delight, you know.

[00:09:51] No matter how much of him you get he's great.

[00:09:55] Yeah.

[00:09:56] You know?

[00:09:57] I mean as weird as it sounds and I'm probably not alone.

[00:10:00] Like one of Judd Hirsch's most memorable performances in fucking Independence Day of all things.

[00:10:07] You see this movie where he has no business being in it.

[00:10:10] Yeah.

[00:10:12] And you know it's obviously not a very, it's not a very good movie but like he,

[00:10:18] it's always one of the first things I think of when I think of Judd Hirsch.

[00:10:21] I think of how funny he is in this movie that he has no business being in.

[00:10:25] Or you think of like you know he got nominated for Fableman's.

[00:10:30] Yeah.

[00:10:31] Oh my God he was so good.

[00:10:32] And I remember people being up in arms over his small role getting a supporting nom.

[00:10:36] And I remember just being like yeah because it was one of the best performances of the year.

[00:10:40] Yeah.

[00:10:41] That's why I got it.

[00:10:43] Yeah.

[00:10:44] Like fuck off.

[00:10:45] Yeah.

[00:10:46] Maybe he only had a couple scenes but sorry it was great.

[00:10:48] It was so good and it was such a good, I don't know, it was so like kind of integral to the story and everything.

[00:10:55] Yeah.

[00:10:56] It's just, it's very, very memorable.

[00:10:58] Yeah.

[00:10:59] Like he is like a very singular performer.

[00:11:01] Like he has that vulnerability in that you know yeah he's just, he's so great.

[00:11:08] Cause you know what when he delivers some of these more over the top things that he does in this show.

[00:11:14] Yeah.

[00:11:15] It still feels authentic.

[00:11:17] It's almost like no matter what line they give him.

[00:11:20] Yeah.

[00:11:21] It feels like it's coming from a real place.

[00:11:23] And so when he has like, I laughed out loud many times.

[00:11:27] Yeah.

[00:11:28] But like there's bits like where he's talking about how he was you know kept getting lost in Vegas.

[00:11:34] Vegas is a very confusing town.

[00:11:36] The streets aren't laid out on a grid system and it's like it's a silly non sequitur.

[00:11:41] But when he's screaming it feels real still.

[00:11:44] Yeah.

[00:11:45] It was very entertaining.

[00:11:46] But yeah, I guess I'll just kind of explain to the listeners how they're sort of like this odd couple basically picture the most like if you're familiar with these actors.

[00:12:01] Picture the most like obvious character for each of them to play basically.

[00:12:06] I mean, Judd Hirsch I would say has more of a range of characters but this is definitely the type of character he would be more generally put in.

[00:12:15] But basically we've got Bob Newhart as George and George is very much the a straight laced mild mannered guy who's very kind of like friendly but not like outgoing or bombastic.

[00:12:29] Yes, he's definitely uptight.

[00:12:31] But he is like kind of lovable and quirky in his own way and he has his whole stammering his whole stammering shtick that he does and that he's known for.

[00:12:43] And essentially he is this you know, upper middle class retired finance guy who moves to Martha's Vineyard to open a bookstore and be closer to his son who is opening a restaurant on the island.

[00:13:00] So, you know, the thing that I really appreciated was that they made him like a very sweet and supportive dad.

[00:13:06] Like they made him like, you know, he was like very invested in his son and his soon to be daughter-in-law's life.

[00:13:14] Like he comes in like right away with like a stroller for them as a gift because she's pregnant at the start of the series.

[00:13:22] And yeah, I just thought it was a very kind of cute dynamic that he like lived there and kind of relocated so that he could be closer to his son and his son's like growing family.

[00:13:34] And you know, he seems to be well liked by people but maybe you know maybe there's like the standard, you know, a bit of eye rolling because he's kind of like unsure of himself at times.

[00:13:45] And you know, he runs this like little book store as a retirement sort of hobby and he takes it very seriously.

[00:13:56] He's very by the book.

[00:13:58] Yes, by the book.

[00:13:59] Like the whole exchange.

[00:14:01] Pun intended.

[00:14:02] More like a sell the book.

[00:14:04] Yeah.

[00:14:05] And then we have Leo who is kind of like, you know, a trope that was very common in the 90s.

[00:14:14] I don't know if I said at the top but this was a 97-98 season run and basically he's like a kind of a drifter kind of a con man.

[00:14:26] He's always got something, you know, he's always got an angle or a scheme and his personality is kind of Kramer-esque.

[00:14:34] Kind of Cosmo Kramer-esque but he's a little more crafty, you know, like he's always got a plan.

[00:14:40] He's always got an angle.

[00:14:42] But he's not like a full blown.

[00:14:44] Like there's the version of this character that's like a con man or grifter.

[00:14:49] He's not quite that he's more like, yeah, more like halfway between that and the Kramer who's always looking for the side hustle looking for the weird gig bouncing from job to job.

[00:15:02] Oh, did you mention that he's a magician?

[00:15:04] Oh, I did not.

[00:15:06] But apparently his like passion, his like calling is to be a magician.

[00:15:10] Officially he's a magician and Bob-

[00:15:12] But to make money, he does like the odd thing, like the odd shifty thing like as a bag man for the mafia.

[00:15:20] Making deliveries, making monetary deliveries for the mob.

[00:15:23] Basically, unfortunately, the relationship between his daughter, Casey and him is like fully estranged because at the start of the series, because he had left her and her mother like a decade earlier and to, you know, pursue all of his

[00:15:41] Vegas-y bullshit.

[00:15:42] Vegas bullshit as we'll say.

[00:15:44] And like, you know, hadn't been in contact with her.

[00:15:48] So he's like very opposed to George in the sense that he hasn't been there for his child and is trying to sort of like salvage the relationship at the start.

[00:15:59] And like how he's doing that is he shows up in Martha's Vineyard again at the misguided invite of Ted because Ted thinks, oh, I'm going to reunite them because Ted is naive, obviously.

[00:16:14] And always had a great relationship with his father and can't really understand these complicated family dynamics that Casey has.

[00:16:23] Ted does not get in enough trouble for this.

[00:16:25] No, he does not.

[00:16:26] He gets off pretty scot-free on this to be honest with you.

[00:16:31] And basically just springs this like deadbeat dad on his fiance.

[00:16:36] And she's like, what?

[00:16:38] Like how could you invite him?

[00:16:40] And then there's this whole conversation between the two of them, which was kind of like dark but funny where she's like revealing all these things.

[00:16:49] Like, well, why don't you invite my former lip professor that used to chase me around with his pants down and stuff like that.

[00:16:55] And I was like, my God.

[00:16:56] Yeah, and Jason Bateman is like, there's a lot we haven't talked about.

[00:16:59] Yeah.

[00:17:01] So maybe you should have talked to him about this stuff before getting married.

[00:17:06] Yeah.

[00:17:07] But yeah, so there's like a perfect contrast sort of setup.

[00:17:11] And when they first meet in the bookstore, it's because like Leo has just kind of come drifted into town to like go to this wedding and he comes into George's bookstore and they don't know who each other is.

[00:17:24] So they have this like interaction where he's trying to like find a book for Casey and, you know, like some sort of last minute wedding gift.

[00:17:34] It's before the reveal of the connection.

[00:17:36] But he doesn't say what the gift is for.

[00:17:38] But anyway, like we figure out later that it's like a last minute like gift.

[00:17:44] And he kind of haggles with George over the price of a like coffee table book and then proceeds to like write him a check for it.

[00:17:54] And there's a very funny back and forth where because, you know, like Leo says it's like a check from like one of the casinos.

[00:18:06] It's a bank at a casino.

[00:18:07] Yeah.

[00:18:09] So he immediately like gets on the phone to call and like verify the check, which I thought was funny on its own.

[00:18:16] But then he's like explains to him, you know, oh no, it was like a whole.

[00:18:20] It was I went to a whole seminar on this like they gave me a stamp and everything.

[00:18:25] Yeah, like this is how I have to verify the check.

[00:18:27] You see, I give them this number and they look it up and Leo plays this whole angle where he basically accuses George of being anti-Semitic.

[00:18:37] Because he's like, this is because I'm a Jew and you don't trust me in my check.

[00:18:41] Whatever you say.

[00:18:42] And Bob Newhart does a great way where he just keeps bouncing back to like the procedural thing of like, no, no, but you see, I just I tell them this number of the phone and like he just isn't is trying to just like dodge the whole thing.

[00:18:57] It was a very cute moment.

[00:19:00] And then ultimately the check is like he kind of like cancels the verification because he feels bad.

[00:19:06] And then of course it is a bad check because Leo is a deadbeat.

[00:19:10] Leo guilt him into not verifying the check.

[00:19:14] There's a line near the end of the episode where he says in passing about giving you a bad check and the guy's like, what did you say before the thing about my daughter was that other thing you said about the check?

[00:19:26] And he just like changes the subject and like.

[00:19:28] Well, my favorite bit is when in all of that he just goes, yeah.

[00:19:33] Why did you bother to?

[00:19:35] Why did you have with the book if you knew we're giving me a bad check for $1,000. What difference did it make? Yeah, it's a very funny payoff to that.

[00:19:44] It was very funny.

[00:19:46] And yeah, so basically, you know, when it's revealed, it's revealed like a couple scenes later where they show up at the restaurant where that Ted and Casey are about to open together.

[00:20:02] And, you know, like that's when they kind of reveal like, oh, your dad's here.

[00:20:07] And of course, Casey is quite upset.

[00:20:10] But then it's sort of that whole thing right resolves itself a little bit too easily in my opinion.

[00:20:16] Like she could have fought it harder.

[00:20:18] They should could have had the character fight it a little harder.

[00:20:22] But at one point as well, like I mentioned earlier, a mafia hitman shows up because because your sorry because Leo has run off with $25,000.

[00:20:36] And then he eventually reveals that he took the money to give to Casey and Ted basically to start their lives off.

[00:20:48] And then he was planning to just like skip town again so that at least she had something from him because she he felt like he had, you know, not been there for her enough in her childhood.

[00:20:59] But really is that a great thing to like leave your daughter because what if they tracked it down somehow and she's got this like dirty mob money.

[00:21:08] That's the common logic but very sitcom logic.

[00:21:11] The fact that the guy didn't like carry out the hit anyway.

[00:21:16] It's really funny because he I really enjoy the scene where so he confronts George.

[00:21:22] Yeah, this is the mafia assassin.

[00:21:24] Yeah, he confronts George and he's just like he demand he's like you're you know you're this Leo guy that owes me this much money and George is like I'm not I'm not Leo.

[00:21:35] You know, I keep telling you I'm not Leo.

[00:21:37] And the guy is like okay suppose you're not Leo and suppose I'm not a mafia assassin.

[00:21:43] And like says the words mafia assassin.

[00:21:47] Yeah, and I was just like that's so funny.

[00:21:49] But then like Bob Newhart just has like a good.

[00:21:53] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:21:55] Honestly, like there are jokes in this that are like Simpsons jokes done in live action.

[00:22:00] Yeah, yeah, that perfectly land.

[00:22:02] Yeah, like it's pretty funny.

[00:22:05] All of this is just an excuse to kind of let you know Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch just sort of do their thing.

[00:22:15] Yeah, bounce off each other.

[00:22:16] If anything like there's like too much going on like this this is the type of pilot that like it just reminds me of like Jerry and George sitting down and writing the you know their pilot on Seinfeld.

[00:22:30] Yeah, and like there's way too much plot that is essentially just going to be these two guys hanging around each other.

[00:22:37] Yeah, yeah, you just need an excuse to put them in a room and bounce off each other.

[00:22:42] But when it's this funny, it doesn't matter.

[00:22:45] Yeah, I did like the setup though.

[00:22:47] I liked how they made it so that Leo couldn't go back to Vegas and had to stick around.

[00:22:54] And like George just happens to have this extra room above his bookstore and kind of that's kind of like the tag of the episode.

[00:23:02] And they have like this beat where it's like, oh no, it's just like like George is like just like doing in his mumbly way just explaining.

[00:23:11] Oh yeah, there's just this room.

[00:23:13] There's a house and there's this bedroom up there.

[00:23:15] And then Leo's like immediately like like light bulb goes off.

[00:23:19] This is after Leo had said like, well, he can't go back home.

[00:23:22] He can't go back to Vegas, right?

[00:23:24] And so because the mob will kill him if he ever goes back there.

[00:23:28] So basically he's like, I guess I have nowhere to go and nothing to do.

[00:23:31] And then and then George makes reference to like get it bringing something down from upstairs and it's like this bedroom.

[00:23:38] And right after George admits that there's a spare bedroom up there, he's like, damn it.

[00:23:43] Because he knows that like as soon as he mentions that it exists, now he's screwed.

[00:23:48] Yeah, so we didn't watch the next episode, which is like I guess the wedding episode.

[00:23:53] And I read something somewhere where it said something about Casey like standing him up or something.

[00:24:01] So it could have been that in that next episode, maybe she's still so pissed about this whole thing that they don't go through the wedding right away.

[00:24:12] But she's in the rest of the series. So it does seem like they are still together.

[00:24:17] Yeah, they ultimately stay together and obviously like Leo obviously ends up living there in the mix and there's all of that.

[00:24:26] Yeah.

[00:24:27] Yeah, I don't know. I think it like it did work for me.

[00:24:30] And I guess we can go into talking about the other episode.

[00:24:33] But like overall, like my thoughts on this show are broader than any one plot.

[00:24:39] But let's talk about the other.

[00:24:41] Yeah, so I chose episode eight for a specific reason.

[00:24:45] And I already kind of explained it to Aaron, but Barry, I'm wondering if you kind of picked up on what was going on in that episode and the reason.

[00:24:54] Yeah, I picked up pretty quick.

[00:24:56] Yeah, like within a few scenes, I was like, I see what you're doing.

[00:25:01] And I did not.

[00:25:02] Brinn had to explain it to me.

[00:25:03] I had to explain it because of course, Barry, you'd be the more likely person to like figure it out because we're both such TV.

[00:25:11] Nerds.

[00:25:12] It's a great episode to talk about it, so I'm glad you did choose it.

[00:25:16] Yeah, yeah.

[00:25:17] So essentially it's just a normal episode within the series like nothing major happens, but it's basically rampact with guest stars of some of the more famous and successful previous shows that both Bob Newhart and

[00:25:38] Judd Hirsch were starring in.

[00:25:40] So it's like this all star cast of sitcom actors.

[00:25:46] And again, it's like, if you're a big fan of both of those people, you would probably have been like going crazy at the time.

[00:25:56] But yeah, so basically I'll kind of summarize them and I don't think this is a complete list of like everybody who is in it.

[00:26:04] But from what I could put together.

[00:26:08] So I'll quickly explain the plot to so there's this charity auction that happens and it's like to support.

[00:26:17] I can't remember even what the charity was.

[00:26:19] Doesn't matter.

[00:26:20] Anyway, there's a big auction that happens on both George and Leo win prizes.

[00:26:27] And George's prize is to go to a group therapy session, which is kind of funny.

[00:26:34] Like it's so random.

[00:26:37] And Leo's prize is a van and Leo is thrilled by this because basically he hatches this plan that he's going to be going to become what he calls a taxi with added value.

[00:26:51] So he's going to become one of these like local taxi drivers that not only get people around but gives them like a tour of Martha's Vineyard.

[00:27:00] And the joke is that he is still new to Martha's Vineyard and knows nothing about the island.

[00:27:05] Nothing.

[00:27:06] And you know, he's like, but they don't either.

[00:27:08] It's like good boy.

[00:27:10] So he's basically just going to be asked people are like on this tour and just like make shit up.

[00:27:17] And it's a very Kramer thing to do.

[00:27:20] So, okay.

[00:27:21] So basically in those two scenarios, we have like lots of room for extras and like different people that they're going to be interacting with and everyone that they're interacting with again are these like various guest stars.

[00:27:36] So for the taxi passengers, we have Jane Carr who co-starred with Judd Hirsch on Dear John.

[00:27:48] We also have Jeff Conway who famously was in was co-starred with him on taxi as well as Mary Lou Henner.

[00:27:55] And then we also have Harry Groener who was in Dear John.

[00:28:00] So like right away he's kind of reunited with some of his former co-stars.

[00:28:06] And then and then when it comes to George's like plot, he encounters various people both in the group therapy and just kind of like on his en route to do that.

[00:28:17] And some of these people include a like former co-star Peter Boners who plays Dr. Robbins in this show, but it was formerly Dr. Robinson and the Bob Newhart show.

[00:28:30] He encounters a man who thinks he's a pilot but isn't really a pilot and is trying to buy a book about becoming a pilot.

[00:28:40] So it's kind of like a dark joke.

[00:28:43] I have to just jump in and say that was before I forget.

[00:28:46] Yeah.

[00:28:47] At the start of the episode, like the episode opens with this guy.

[00:28:50] On a guy dressed like a pilot in the bookstore looking for a book on how to fly a plane.

[00:28:55] And Bob doesn't have a book like that.

[00:28:58] He's like well that's not going to work out well for flight number whatever.

[00:29:01] And so it's like a weird joke and at that time I was like this is a very odd like completely way too silly joke to open on that then pays off later when you find out that he's treating a patient who's not a pilot.

[00:29:15] Yeah.

[00:29:16] Yeah.

[00:29:17] So and then that this actor, Bill Daly was on the Bob Newhart show.

[00:29:23] So I don't know if that is also like there could have been like little shtick that they were all doing that was like related to these characters.

[00:29:31] Like it seems very layered but again if you're not a super fan of any of these shows you're not going to know.

[00:29:36] I did not recognize any of them.

[00:29:40] We also have Julia Duffy as this character who is basically breaking up with her.

[00:29:46] It's kind of a non sequitur as well.

[00:29:48] It's kind of weird but she seems like a more significant character but turns out she was just a one off for this episode.

[00:29:54] But she's basically breaking up with the therapist that is the leader of the group therapy and she was also in the show Newhart.

[00:30:04] Then we have a traffic cop who is played by Tom Poston from Newhart and then we have Jack which I couldn't figure out what character that was.

[00:30:15] He was probably another group therapy participant but he played Jack Riley on the Bob Newhart show or sorry he was played by Jack Riley who co-starred on the Bob Newhart show.

[00:30:27] So it's like packed with people. There's probably even more and probably a lot of the lines were meant to be like cute sort of like throwbacks to some of these shows.

[00:30:37] Because I did pick up on one joke like when he was when they showed Leo driving the taxi he was kind of getting lost and the Jeff Conway's character is like haven't you ever ridden a taxi before and then you know you're supposed to laugh.

[00:30:54] No it's even worse because they repeatedly don't say the word taxi. They keep saying cab.

[00:31:02] Haven't you ever driven a cab before and it's like oh he was a co-star in the show taxi.

[00:31:08] I thought here's my thing like this is eight episodes into the show and obviously they brought in all of they called it the cameo show.

[00:31:18] Yeah that's what the episode is called.

[00:31:20] I do kind of appreciate that they're at least breaking the fourth wall on that and not hiding the fact that there's all these cameos but like that gimmick which is obviously like to try to bring in ratings because that's the reason you do this.

[00:31:31] I feel like this show didn't need the gimmick it didn't it just.

[00:31:35] It's a good show they just needed time to build an audience.

[00:31:38] I just think it needed time and like also to me like those plots that were in that episode like Leo coming into possession of a vehicle and deciding to be a like taxi slash tour guide who doesn't actually know the island.

[00:31:53] Yeah.

[00:31:54] And George being like kind of circuitously forced into going into a group therapy thing which he actually probably does need but like then he ends up sort of giving therapy to the people there and it's like funny bits.

[00:32:08] Those are funny without the cameos like to me like I did not recognize any of these people.

[00:32:13] None of those references landed for me.

[00:32:15] I still found it worked fine like I didn't need the gimmick that's just that's my that's my view here.

[00:32:21] Here's why I think this is a very interesting episode talk.

[00:32:26] Brinn asked me if I understood what was going on.

[00:32:28] I absolutely do.

[00:32:29] You know I've seen Bob Newhart show I've seen Newhart I've seen Taxi that doesn't mean any of these work like the jokes you know the jokes are funny and all that but this I find very funny because none of these people and I'm sorry to our loyal listeners out there.

[00:32:47] None of these people are the TV royalty that this show thinks they exactly.

[00:32:55] None of them are household names.

[00:32:57] No none of them like the most recognizable person who shows up there's a good like you know Harry Grainer shows up he's yeah recognizable for things he did after this or William Sanderson who is a complete you know Hollywood like legend sure him.

[00:33:16] Yeah.

[00:33:17] But everybody else.

[00:33:18] None of these cameos are working.

[00:33:20] Yeah and CBS specifically had this show and it was actually doing OK in the ratings.

[00:33:28] It really was it wouldn't necessarily be an instant cancellation but supposedly CBS was like we're not sure if we want to cater to this crap which is funny because CBS would later just be like no no no where were the television network for old.

[00:33:48] But at the time they were like not sure.

[00:33:51] Yeah they weren't fully invested in it.

[00:33:55] Yeah like the thought that Aaron and I both have we were watching it together is that it just seems like this show was made too late like this show was made in the late 90s when this kind of thing I don't know it would just like the humor is great but like it wouldn't land with a younger audience at all it would only land with an older audience.

[00:34:18] And it's like maybe this older audience would be over all those old old shows by now because it's like some of these people that are popping in from taxi the taxi was on in the early 70s early 80s.

[00:34:31] Like that's a huge jump in time like that's a huge like it's not like it's like OK all the people from cheer is showing up on Frazier like that was more relevant like that was more of a like you know exciting thing for viewers.

[00:34:47] This was like a little more like oh wow.

[00:34:50] This show in theory strikes me as a show that would appeal to the people who watched Frazier.

[00:34:55] Yeah there's a thing where like the son like or the son and like Jason Bateman's character what's his name Ted Ted and like the son and the daughter Ted and Casey.

[00:35:09] Yeah they're they're like classic late 90s Gen X characters and those characters were the vanguard of the successful shows of 1997.

[00:35:21] But this show pays very little attention in time on them.

[00:35:25] This show is about George and Leo.

[00:35:27] It's right in the title and but I still think like this is eight episodes in.

[00:35:32] I think if they had just like committed to doing this show and just keep it going.

[00:35:37] No gimmicks.

[00:35:39] It had a perfectly reasonably successful like middle level audience.

[00:35:45] Yeah it did.

[00:35:47] There was no I don't know what like there's nothing I saw in either of these episodes that tells me this show should have been canceled.

[00:35:54] There's no reason why this show couldn't have kept going longer and it also felt like there was no reason for a Hail Mary gimmick episode.

[00:36:03] Yeah like I think you're I do think you're reading it wrong.

[00:36:07] I don't think this was a Hail Mary gimmick episode.

[00:36:10] I think this was an episode that they thought was funny.

[00:36:15] I think they thought the joke of them having came is from all their old show.

[00:36:20] I think there is no way the network wanted this.

[00:36:25] I mean this is not something the network thought would have maybe they thought it was funny but I guess that's my that would be my one thing I would say about this show is like I get that the types of characters that both of them are doing that Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch are doing are characters that are reminiscent of other characters they've done successfully in the past.

[00:36:46] I get that.

[00:36:48] But this show did not need to hang its hat on that this show could have existed as a completely fresh independent show aimed at people like this show could have appealed to people who never saw them in anything else before.

[00:37:04] Like if this was the first time that you ever saw Bob Newhart for sure.

[00:37:08] I mean we found it entertaining.

[00:37:11] It didn't need the nostalgia angle.

[00:37:14] It could have just been like here's a new show with two talented people in it.

[00:37:18] This nostalgia angle seems to follow Bob Newhart around.

[00:37:23] Yeah, there seems to be like the people who work with Bob Newhart seem or maybe this comes right from Bob Newhart.

[00:37:31] I can't.

[00:37:32] I don't know.

[00:37:34] Everything he's a part of seems to be about how great Bob Newhart used to be even though this show would be a great example of this is how good he still is.

[00:37:46] But everything you know like think about like you know the most famous thing Bob Newhart's ever been a part of is the like his lasting impression is the end of Newhart

[00:38:00] which is you know the famous series for now which pays homage to the Bob Newhart show like everything is all like about which one has the good ending is it Newhart or the Bob Newhart show.

[00:38:16] Newhart is the one that he wakes up and it's just a dream of Bob of the Bob Newhart show.

[00:38:22] Oh my God.

[00:38:24] Yeah, I get what you're saying.

[00:38:26] His whole career is always looking backwards.

[00:38:27] Yeah, so they're doing that and like when we watched Bob it was the same thing.

[00:38:32] Yeah.

[00:38:34] What I've seen of him on Big Bang Theory is constantly just being like this guy used to be great everybody and it just seems like all the writers who work with him just seem to want to be like we understand that you're great.

[00:38:53] And this episode doesn't need to exit.

[00:38:57] Yeah.

[00:38:59] It's cute but I was glad you chose this because I was like I enjoyed the pilot so much that I was like I didn't need this.

[00:39:06] Yeah, I kind of want to watch more of it to be honest.

[00:39:09] I was going to say the same thing.

[00:39:11] I want to watch all 22 episodes and frankly one of the reasons why is because I don't want this episode eight to be the last impression that I have.

[00:39:19] Because it does have some good stuff there and I was just while you guys were chatting I was quickly googling because my research was like a little lazy on this prep.

[00:39:30] And I didn't quite decipher like why the show was canceled.

[00:39:35] So I don't know.

[00:39:37] Yeah, I don't see a reason to cancel it.

[00:39:39] I feel like I want to like revisit this at some point because it was quite good.

[00:39:42] Yeah.

[00:39:44] Is it just that literally it was just something even though the ratings were decent it was just like not landing with the exact like the execs didn't get it.

[00:39:53] They didn't appreciate what was going on or what like just a thing where it's like at that time when there were fewer networks they were like we want a 15 and the ratings and we're getting a 14.5 so fuck off.

[00:40:05] Like is that why because this show in the era that we're in now where you don't need to be like the number one show like you just have to have an audience.

[00:40:17] This is a perfectly good show.

[00:40:19] Well, this is the first time we've reviewed a show in a while where I'm watching it and I'm like I would just watch more of this for enjoyment and I see no reason to cancel it.

[00:40:27] Yeah.

[00:40:28] The issue is and this is an age old issue is like some of the people that are running these studios and like these executives like they just don't have the same.

[00:40:38] They don't always have the same taste level and they don't have the appreciation for the like the nerdery of it all like they don't have the same TV history thing that they used to like I was actually listening to a different another podcast shout out to the glamorous trash.

[00:40:58] Podcast one of my recent favorites.

[00:41:01] And basically the host Chelsea Devantes was she was interviewing Delta Burke because Delta Burke has been one of her like you know childhood heroes and like she wrote a chapter about her in her recent memoir and like got this like you know great opportunity to interview her so they are having this great conversation

[00:41:25] and Delta Burke brought up the fact that it's just like every few years every 20 years like there's a complete turnaround of these executives and a lot of these these people running these studios they don't pay attention to who anyone is and they are not TV nerds they just care about the numbers right.

[00:41:45] They don't think about history like you know Delta so Delta Burke gave some sort of anecdote about how she was talking to Shelly Winters and the people that she was meeting with recently didn't know who she was.

[00:42:00] And she had to explain to them what her credits were and why she's important.

[00:42:06] And it's like you think if you work in television you're going to have that kind of like background or like appreciation and this is what gets lost right so maybe the people at CBS at the time where even though they were you know like they were they were kind of gun shy to sort of commit to that demographic of like we're going to be the baby boomer network.

[00:42:30] They were gun shy of doing that and obviously didn't like they weren't really on board with all the like and even though we were not completely on board with this episode just like the idea that they don't fully appreciate what they had when they had like a legendary cast and it's like well what can you if you're so worried about it not being fresh enough how do you make something like that fresh enough.

[00:42:53] You just keep good writers on staff but you know but also had Aaron sure he actually is the writer of that episode and he went on to work on the office and a lot of like shows that became insanely popular later on so.

[00:43:06] Yeah I think they just needed to have faith in it and see it through cuz like to me it's like like we were when we were.

[00:43:12] You know discussing the show Bob it was a show that felt like okay they're trying to like do something with Bob Newhart but it wasn't like fully thought through and it was very reliant on trying to pick up the audience of people who were just like nostalgic for liking Bob Newhart like it couldn't yeah it didn't feel like something that could necessarily stand on its own two legs.

[00:43:35] This show feels like it could show feels like if you're giving Bob Newhart in 1997 a new sitcom to star in this is the one he's perfectly suited for this and like the Judd Hirsch character.

[00:43:52] You know what was the show that we were analyzing pretty recently where there was a particular episode with that trope in it the like hustler like the con man.

[00:44:03] Well it was in the uncle Buck the uncle right adaptation cuz there's a lot of adaptation and right and there's that guy who's like the con artist stay yeah who comes to stay so.

[00:44:18] I was talking in that episode about how tired I was of that trope and like that's such a like weird nineties trope and so this is particular I love the line though in the pilot where Bob Newhart finds out that he's like this magician in Vegas and he's like I.

[00:44:34] Didn't know that that my son was getting involved with a what did you call that with with a carney folk.

[00:44:43] And carnival people carnival people but like I don't know so like the Judd Hirsch character on the surface is this sort of overdone cliche but my thing is if you're doing that character this is the way you do it.

[00:44:57] Yeah.

[00:44:58] Which is the way to do that character and make it great and like why I liked the show is that both of them seemed totally plausible as who they were playing yeah like both of them exactly we're just such like lived in characters.

[00:45:12] As this odd couple that they both seemed one hunt like you can imagine I put it this way you could imagine if neither of them had made it as actors in Hollywood and in sitcoms that Bob Newhart would be running a precious little New England bookstore and you can imagine.

[00:45:32] Judd Hirsch trying to make a go of it is like a shifty magician in Vegas like something about both of them where you're just like I believe this.

[00:45:40] Yeah.

[00:45:41] Understand the characters they're playing this works and they're just so like comfortable in the skin of these characters that.

[00:45:48] I'm happy to like you said like hang out with them bouncing off each other I don't care about the plot the plot secondary and.

[00:45:56] They just needed to have faith in the fact that they managed to get these people into it into a sitcom together.

[00:46:01] Yeah even more Jason Bateman.

[00:46:03] Jason Bateman at this juncture they barely know what they have they barely know what they have totally that's a perfect sign if they don't know what they have and like.

[00:46:12] Jason Bateman I actually bought as a plausible like son of Bob Newhart.

[00:46:16] Yeah the thing I appreciated most in episode eight was that there was actually a bit where.

[00:46:25] Wait no no no no no.

[00:46:27] Wait baby was barely in this episode eight because there was the whole thing with the charity silent auction thing and they had signed.

[00:46:37] George's name to some things that he didn't want a bid on like both his son and Leo put his name down for some things behind his back.

[00:46:47] And he like won the therapy thing because his son put his name down for it and and he's like how did you forge like you're so good at forging my signature.

[00:46:57] And he's like yeah I got really good at forging your signature and then he did you know when I was a kid like getting permission slips for school or whatever.

[00:47:03] And then he makes a comment where he's like I can also impersonate you on the phone and delivers a line where he's doing like a like a Bob Newhart impression.

[00:47:12] And it's pretty funny it's pretty cute like so I don't know I feel like give it given more time they could have even made those the kid characters.

[00:47:23] Yeah kind of bigger players as essentially younger versions of like a twist on their parents.

[00:47:32] Presumably they've maybe that was what we see in the back half the show.

[00:47:37] I mean yeah they've they replaced they replaced the daughter at this time with another actress.

[00:47:43] Right maybe they were thinking of going in that direction.

[00:47:49] I mean to play devil's advocate of like of a network executive.

[00:47:54] You know at this juncture this is a network show and if you're only appealing to an older crowd at this point again before CBS figured out a way to do this.

[00:48:06] Your advertisers are not interested right because you're not getting the demographics you want and in those days that's that's what was really making.

[00:48:15] Yeah yeah the demographics that the advertisers probably wanted would be the people who would be watching friends.

[00:48:23] Well 18 you know the 18 to 25 was it was a good one the 25 to 40 these are the demos you want.

[00:48:30] What ended up happening was you know at some point CBS kind of started courting different advertisers which is how they've sort of yeah managed to kind of stay afloat in this very interesting.

[00:48:44] They have been you know kind of at the top of the ratings game for a very long time now which is very funny because you know like I don't know like is NCIS still the top rated show.

[00:48:56] One of them.

[00:48:57] One of them.

[00:48:58] I think it is yeah yeah or if you think about how like you know they're they were the only network still doing three cameras sitcoms.

[00:49:06] Yeah.

[00:49:07] Because I mean they managed to sell.

[00:49:09] Yeah like two and a half men and.

[00:49:14] Big bang theory.

[00:49:15] Those are both.

[00:49:16] Everybody loves Raymond's like those were hugely popular shows like King of Queens.

[00:49:21] Yes.

[00:49:22] Yeah.

[00:49:23] Of real they they they they managed so basically like a few years after this you know a decade after that well not even because everybody loves Raymond would have been within a couple years of this right.

[00:49:35] Yeah.

[00:49:36] They kind of they embrace this old school we don't want to reinvent the wheel.

[00:49:41] Yeah.

[00:49:42] Right.

[00:49:43] Yeah.

[00:49:44] But maybe this show just came just slightly too early either too early or like Bryn said too late for like two were too late for the one audience strategy too early for the other one.

[00:49:53] Yeah.

[00:49:54] 1997 was just the wrong year for this show but.

[00:49:59] Do this in 2002 when CBS was sort of kind of looking into embracing that.

[00:50:04] Yeah.

[00:50:05] Then there you go right or do it in 1992 when this was the only thing being made and this show is from what I saw better than a lot of the shows that got five or more seasons.

[00:50:18] Yeah.

[00:50:19] So yeah.

[00:50:21] Yeah it's wild now it like has me thinking I'm like well what are these networks doing now.

[00:50:27] Like are there sitcoms currently playing like now it makes me want to do like a sidebar like episode or something.

[00:50:35] Sure there are.

[00:50:36] Sure.

[00:50:37] What's the NBC Thursday night now.

[00:50:39] Like is that still a thing.

[00:50:41] I'm going to check.

[00:50:42] I'm going to check.

[00:50:43] Yeah.

[00:50:44] Like this is kind of wild because I'm like OK.

[00:50:45] I mean who's doing Abbott right now is that ABC.

[00:50:48] Oh yeah what no I think it's NBC or is it ABC.

[00:50:53] I think it's ABC.

[00:50:54] Yeah.

[00:50:55] I mean that is like a legit like awesome show.

[00:50:59] You know what's funny if you Google NBC Thursday night lineup it auto fills to various years from the 90s.

[00:51:08] Like it just assumes that clearly you're looking in the past.

[00:51:12] Yeah yeah.

[00:51:13] Well I mean that's because it's also you know that that was their thing man like.

[00:51:17] Yeah.

[00:51:18] NBC's midseason 2024 lineup includes the return of the Chicago franchise which is Chicago Med Chicago Fire and Chicago PD and the trio of lawn order lawn order as view and lawn order organized crime.

[00:51:34] So it's all just procedurals.

[00:51:36] It's all it's all well they have they have they have that they have night court.

[00:51:42] Oh yeah night court then the reboot of night court.

[00:51:45] Probably have a fun time and actually sit down and watch.

[00:51:49] Yeah we should probably yeah.

[00:51:51] And yeah I don't know it's it's so interesting.

[00:51:54] Yeah ABC I guess ABC is the one doing the wall.

[00:51:58] I assume CBS still has I don't know something they got something sure Kevin James still has a show on.

[00:52:06] Yeah that always manages to have a gig.

[00:52:08] But ABC you know yeah they got your you got your Abbott ABC's got your no who the hell's who's doing who's the Connors that would probably be probably be NBC or probably be ABC as well right.

[00:52:23] Yeah let's see the show that show just hit 100 episodes.

[00:52:28] Wow.

[00:52:29] ABC ABC.

[00:52:31] Yep.

[00:52:32] Well they have the original show so.

[00:52:34] Yeah yes yeah that's my obvious thing.

[00:52:38] Yeah you know spoiler alert for the people out there like I don't even hate the Connors I don't mind it at all.

[00:52:46] Where else do you get to watch George John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf on a weekly basis.

[00:52:53] Yeah well as far as George and Leo goes.

[00:52:58] Yeah it's been a while since I think all three of us have watched the show and been like actually this is pretty good.

[00:53:04] It's an easy easy watch.

[00:53:06] Yeah yeah it's the kind of thing that like I'm sure I've said this before but sometimes you know sitcoms just need to be painless like sometimes I just need to sit down and you know and a perfectly fine sitcom will just flow fine and I'll get a couple of

[00:53:26] buckles and it's a fine way to pass the time.

[00:53:30] Yeah just a comfortable thing to have on and honestly like yeah and as compared to the show Bob that we reviewed where it felt like you know as much as I had a lot of fun with trying to do the imitation

[00:53:46] and all of that stuff that gag.

[00:53:48] Jeez somewhere you're still doing that.

[00:53:51] Yeah that build good episode.

[00:53:53] Yeah as much as you know that was kind of I won't do it.

[00:53:58] I won't do it I promise.

[00:53:59] I promised myself I wouldn't do it as much as that was fun like that show came across as like okay they're pushing this style a little too far it's not really like earning its purpose in this construct of this of that show like that show

[00:54:13] everything felt a little forced.

[00:54:15] This totally worked like it's yeah cuz that's 92 right something like that.

[00:54:20] Yeah but this even though this show was made later.

[00:54:23] Yeah Bob Newhart style feels fresher in this show.

[00:54:28] Yes it feels totally fresh and relevant because him reacting to Judd Hirsch's character you're like yeah I buy it.

[00:54:37] That's a good way to put it.

[00:54:39] He feel cuz I remember watching Bob and just being like this style of comedy doesn't work but here we are six years after that.

[00:54:48] Yeah and I'm like no it absolutely does.

[00:54:51] Totally works.

[00:54:52] If you know how to employ it or if you throw Judd Hirsch at it.

[00:54:55] Yeah when you take the Bob Newhart tool out of the toolbox you need to also be using it for the right purpose.

[00:55:04] So yeah good show.

[00:55:07] Yeah fun stuff.

[00:55:09] Yeah so I'm gonna go to the brim.

[00:55:11] How how might one connect this 1997 to 1998 prime time sitcom with the most I'm assuming successful prime time sitcom of that same season friends.

[00:55:26] Okay so actually this is funny because there were an overwhelming amount of connections to the point where I was like giving up like I was like I can't like there's it could be like a

[00:55:38] massive spider web of connections so I'll just like focus on a few because I just I was getting overwhelmed and like I could spend an entire day sifting through all of this and like connecting it.

[00:55:51] Like yeah with it and I'm talking like three degrees or less like multiple scenarios because of all the guest stars and because of everything like there's just so many connections but I'll just focus on some of the major ones so we have right off

[00:56:06] to that three one degree connections from people behind the scenes so we've got James Burroughs and Pamela Freiman directors extraordinaire and then we have Betsy Borns who is a writer on both series.

[00:56:20] So boom the three one degree connections.

[00:56:24] And then so through Bob Newhart.

[00:56:27] He was in the movie in and out with Tom Selick and Tom Selick had a recurring role in friends that's two degree connection.

[00:56:35] I'm sure I already called that out in the Bob episode.

[00:56:39] So he was also in the movie horrible bosses along with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman.

[00:56:45] And Jennifer Aniston was of course Rachel Green on Friends.

[00:56:49] Paul Wilson who played deputy Zajac on the series we didn't see him in these episodes I don't think but he's a recurring character.

[00:56:58] He was in the movie office space with Jennifer Aniston.

[00:57:01] He played the character Bob who gets into the accident and makes the jump to conclusions Matt so pretty iconic character.

[00:57:11] And of course Jennifer Aniston was Rachel Green on Friends.

[00:57:15] Again we have the Jason Bateman multiple connections to Jennifer Aniston because he was in like three different movies with her.

[00:57:23] So he was in as I mentioned horrible bosses with her as well as the movie office Christmas party and the movie The Switch.

[00:57:33] So he's just like co-starring with Jennifer Aniston left and right they must be really good friends at this point.

[00:57:41] Yeah and then so Jason Bateman also had another series that was a short lived series from like right before this 95 to 96 called Simon.

[00:57:52] His co-star was Andrea Bendovald I think that's how I pronounce it and she guest starred on Friends.

[00:57:59] So there's like tons of connections through him.

[00:58:03] Then we have Judd Hirsch so he guest starred on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip which starred Matthew Perry.

[00:58:11] Matthew Perry played Chandler Bing on Friends and as I said there's probably a lot more and if any of the listeners out there are hardcore TV fans are probably shouting other ones out at me because it was like a lot of different connections.

[00:58:27] And again if you look at Episode 8 like a lot of those people were in stuff with an actor from Friends or they were guest starred on Friends or there's two degree connections from them it's just crazy.

[00:58:46] So there's like a lot a lot of connections.

[00:58:50] Yeah so I won't maybe one day I'll take the time and do that and it can be a side episode where I literally just listen.

[00:58:57] I don't know if anyone would find that entertaining but it might be fun for me.

[00:59:02] You mentioned In-N-Out and this whole like that movie is like 97 or something like that.

[00:59:08] It's 2024 as we record this.

[00:59:11] My entire life I thought Matthew Perry was the lead in In-N-Out.

[00:59:16] No it's Kevin Klein.

[00:59:17] It's Kevin Klein.

[00:59:18] Yeah.

[00:59:19] And I looked at the poster and I was like that's clearly Matthew Perry.

[00:59:24] And then I'm like wait why does Matthew Perry or why does Kevin Klein look like Matthew Perry on this poster?

[00:59:30] Oh that's weird I should look at that poster.

[00:59:33] It's always maybe it came out around the same time as something else.

[00:59:37] Well he was in that movie Fools Rush In so maybe that's what you're getting mixed up.

[00:59:43] So yeah so Matthew Perry was in that movie Fools Rush In where he co-starred with Selma Hayek.

[00:59:48] Right and that's like 97.

[00:59:50] Yeah it's around the same time period so that might be.

[00:59:53] Maybe they have the same poster.

[00:59:55] Yeah I don't know but it has Ian in it so there you go.

[00:59:59] Yeah and then for the spin off I mean the thing of course is that Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch were already like legendary performers before this.

[01:00:11] So this wasn't going to hurt their careers by any stretch.

[01:00:15] Like they both have continued to work.

[01:00:17] We've already called out a lot of the things that they've been in including like so for Bob Newhart of course he had a you know he had a run on the Big Bang Theory and young Sheldon.

[01:00:29] He had recurring roles on very popular shows including Desperate Housewives, ER, The Librarians like in movies as well.

[01:00:39] Like popular movies including in and out, Legally Blonde 2, Elf, Horrible Bosses.

[01:00:45] The list goes on.

[01:00:47] And then Judd Hirsch of course you know he was in another short-lived sitcom which I'm intrigued by but it doesn't fall within our time period.

[01:00:58] It was like a 2003 sitcom called Regular Joe which co-starred Daniel Stern and John Francis Daly so I'm like curious about that.

[01:01:08] In 2003 I must be like a still baby John Francis Daly.

[01:01:13] Yeah he would have been really young it would have been right after Freaks and Geeks.

[01:01:17] Yeah and then he's like guest starred on endless shows basically.

[01:01:23] He co-starred like some of his more well known recent and semi recent roles include Alan Epps on Numbers.

[01:01:33] He did 114 episodes of that.

[01:01:35] He co-starred on damages so it's like it's so funny when you hear about these people I'm like oh what have they been up to?

[01:01:42] I haven't seen them in a long time.

[01:01:43] It's like no they were just in tons of stuff I've never seen because it's like procedurals or whatever.

[01:01:49] I can't believe Judd Hirsch did over 100 episodes of Numbers.

[01:01:53] Numbers yeah.

[01:01:54] What? That blows my mind.

[01:01:55] What's Numbers?

[01:01:57] It's a procedural with David Krumholtz that like it was something like where he was a mathematician who solved crimes.

[01:02:05] Oh okay.

[01:02:06] Something like that.

[01:02:07] Is that also what's his name Matthew Gray Gubbler or is that another procedural?

[01:02:12] No he's on Criminal Minds.

[01:02:15] No thank you.

[01:02:16] Yeah okay he also had recurring roles on Marin the Big Bang Theory as well where he played so it's funny.

[01:02:25] Oh right isn't he the dad on Marin?

[01:02:27] On Marin? I don't know who he is on Marin.

[01:02:30] I've never actually seen Marin surprisingly but he is a dad on Big Bang Theory.

[01:02:34] He plays like the Leonard character's dad or relative.

[01:02:37] He was also in Uncut Gems.

[01:02:41] He was also in The Fablemen's which we've already called out which is like his in my opinion best performance ever

[01:02:47] and he also like recently had a recurring role on the Goldbergs

[01:02:53] and he played like I think the grandfather on that.

[01:02:57] Okay and then we also have of course Jason Bateman like everyone knows what the hell he's been up to.

[01:03:02] So soon after this series like we already I already mentioned he was in Simon before

[01:03:08] and like obviously he had like many years in the 80s where he was like in TV shows

[01:03:13] and then there was kind of a lull but then he came back in a big way.

[01:03:16] Teen Wolf 2?

[01:03:17] Yeah so he was in...

[01:03:18] Mostly movies really.

[01:03:19] So following yeah following this, following George and Leo

[01:03:24] he was in the movie The Sweetest Thing which didn't really end up going anywhere

[01:03:29] but then he like started like he got in his most recent iconic role as Michael Bluth

[01:03:36] and that's kind of where I rediscovered him and I was like this guy is like the best you know

[01:03:42] and then after that he got so many movies.

[01:03:44] He's in everything you know he was in the breakup, Juno, The Switch,

[01:03:49] Horrible Bosses movies all of them, Game Night which I found very dark and funny.

[01:03:56] Yeah I wanted to give a special shout out to people out there to watch Game Night.

[01:04:00] It's a wild movie.

[01:04:01] It is bizarrely hilarious.

[01:04:03] Yeah yeah and then he you know most recently had a huge success in Ozark

[01:04:09] where he plays very much a Jason Bateman role but it's not a comedy.

[01:04:13] So it's funny because it's like very suited for him but it's like not at all a comedy.

[01:04:18] But I imagine there's probably some people where like they sort of discovered him in that.

[01:04:22] Yeah probably and then he was in the movie Air and I'm like it's wild

[01:04:28] because I enjoyed the movie Air but I like fell asleep at one point

[01:04:32] so I'm like blanking on what his character was.

[01:04:34] Was he like one of the agents?

[01:04:35] I can't remember.

[01:04:36] I actually I can't remember either.

[01:04:39] Anyway I didn't see it.

[01:04:41] I've heard very good things.

[01:04:42] It's good.

[01:04:43] It's very good.

[01:04:44] I saw it.

[01:04:45] I enjoyed it.

[01:04:46] I don't remember what his character is.

[01:04:47] We started watching it too late and I got real dozy.

[01:04:50] Yeah and then we have Robin Lively.

[01:04:53] So she you know following her stint on Georgian Leo.

[01:04:59] She did a ton of guest star roles.

[01:05:01] She co-starred or sorry she you know she's been in like many many things.

[01:05:07] She's from a very successful Hollywood family.

[01:05:10] Like she's the older half sister Blake Lively.

[01:05:13] Oh shit.

[01:05:14] Yeah her dad she's also Teen Witch.

[01:05:18] She was in that campy 80s classic Teen Witch.

[01:05:22] She's the Teen Witch.

[01:05:23] Is that a movie or TV show?

[01:05:25] It's a movie.

[01:05:27] It's a wild movie.

[01:05:29] It's like one of those so bad it's good kind of movies.

[01:05:32] The only Teen Witch I don't know.

[01:05:34] Yeah and so she's just been in tons of stuff but most recently she had like a like a co-starring role in a YA series for Amazon that looks kind of like it was a cute show.

[01:05:49] It's called Gordimer Gibbons Life on Normal Street.

[01:05:53] So it's kind of this like fantasy like YA show that was like very popular.

[01:05:59] The title makes more sense now because I was like who the fuck would agree.

[01:06:02] And she also had a recent recurring role on 9-1-1 Lone Star which I guess is like a popular show.

[01:06:09] Then we have Daryl Thears who we didn't get to see much like he was in the mainly in the pilot but I want to kind of see how he is in the mix more in the other episodes because he's kind of a fun.

[01:06:22] He's like the you know the typical snarky employee at a bookstore.

[01:06:27] I let it play a little bit longer.

[01:06:29] Yeah.

[01:06:30] So I got to see him in more and I find and I got to see Robin Lively who doesn't show up until episode nine or something like that.

[01:06:41] He's very funny.

[01:06:42] Wait who played the daughter then?

[01:06:44] Who plays Casey in the pilot?

[01:06:46] Beth something.

[01:06:49] OK so sorry everyone out there kind of misspoke because Robin Lively is the ultimate one that like took over the role but it was a recast.

[01:06:57] The episodes we watched were.

[01:07:00] Well she wasn't even in the episode eight like there was no daughter in episode eight but in the pilot it was a different actor.

[01:07:07] I will.

[01:07:09] Barry can look that up.

[01:07:11] Sorry Barry also was googling and completely forgot the name of the show we were covering already.

[01:07:18] Beth's Meyer.

[01:07:19] OK OK so yeah so we'll give her her flowers as well because she was good in the pilot.

[01:07:26] But this happens and often happens with women like they recast all the time.

[01:07:30] You know like why no one's going to notice it's annoying.

[01:07:34] They were barely like learning how to use her character.

[01:07:38] I thought I thought she I really yeah I wanted to see more of her from where we she had a cute relationship with what's his with Ted George.

[01:07:52] No but with George.

[01:07:53] Yeah with George.

[01:07:55] Because he was you know her father figure at this point because he had been around for a long time and was very sweet to her.

[01:08:02] And you know her own father was like not around so she's in two episodes two episodes.

[01:08:08] Yeah so get this at least according to me she doesn't show she doesn't show back up again until episode five.

[01:08:18] Oh OK you're right she's not she just she bails in the wedding and to and apparently just doesn't show back up.

[01:08:25] So yeah now I kind of want to watch all of it.

[01:08:28] I definitely need to watch to see her to see like like how that plays out with her and whether it's like she bails on the wedding and then like isn't around and then comes back because she has to have the baby at some point.

[01:08:41] So it's even we're doing that because when the when Robin Lively shows up as the character.

[01:08:46] Yeah I didn't realize it was the same character because she plays it.

[01:08:51] Yeah completely different.

[01:08:53] The look is different.

[01:08:54] Look at everything is different.

[01:08:55] So it's like clearly like one of those like we're not hiding it.

[01:08:59] We're embracing it so that's weird.

[01:09:02] I feel like I have to go back because I was interrupted.

[01:09:06] You have to go back.

[01:09:08] So Daryl Theorists.

[01:09:09] So he you know he did a lot of things.

[01:09:12] He's actually more known as a successful like theater actor but he's done a ton of TV as well since then.

[01:09:19] So he recurred on the series popular which I can't remember whether you're a fan of popular Barry.

[01:09:25] It seems like a show you would have watched a little bit like not you know early what do you call it what's his name Brian Murphy.

[01:09:33] Yeah before he became.

[01:09:34] Yeah he co-starred on the show Jesse with Christina Apelgate.

[01:09:40] He guest starred in tons of like huge shows including judging Amy, Nip Tuck, Spin City The War at Home numbers as well.

[01:09:49] And but sadly he passed away in 2009.

[01:09:52] So he was like working right up till his death but he was like a big important like theater actor as well.

[01:09:59] So I always find that so fascinating the TV actors who were also big in the theater.

[01:10:05] I'm like I wish you could like see more of their theater credits and like what but it's all like a mystery unless you're really dialed into like New York theater culture and history.

[01:10:20] So one thing that we've never done.

[01:10:22] What?

[01:10:23] Because like you know usually we watch two episodes of a show and we critique it.

[01:10:28] Yeah.

[01:10:29] And occasionally we like the shows enough to suggest that we might want to actually watch more of it.

[01:10:34] This is the first time in a long time where all three of us are like I would watch more of this.

[01:10:38] Yeah.

[01:10:39] So I propose.

[01:10:40] Yeah in a long time but it's not it's happened a lot.

[01:10:42] I know.

[01:10:43] Like we watched like Ned and Stacey we all enjoyed it.

[01:10:45] I know it's happened but I'm saying.

[01:10:46] John Lair Kett Show.

[01:10:47] One thing one thing that we've never done.

[01:10:49] Yeah.

[01:10:50] Is revisit a show again after all of us have watched more of it.

[01:10:57] And I'm not looking for any specific schedule or time commitment but I'm just proposing that

[01:11:02] maybe one day one day we do a George and Leo Part 2.

[01:11:08] Yeah maybe we do that.

[01:11:09] Or George and Leo comma revisited and where we've like binged on this whole season of

[01:11:15] George and Leo and actually have more thoughts on it.

[01:11:20] Yeah just thinking like that's that's something we've never done before so.

[01:11:26] And now you're putting it out there.

[01:11:27] So putting it out there.

[01:11:28] It's an option.

[01:11:29] We'll see what.

[01:11:31] The other option that we have is to see what Mr.

[01:11:36] Producer thinks about George and Leo.

[01:11:38] Well I mean because you always for whatever reason Aaron always have to find out what

[01:11:42] he thinks so.

[01:11:43] Well like.

[01:11:44] I feel like he's probably a fan of these these actors I would think.

[01:11:49] Well we'll see.

[01:11:50] Okay.

[01:11:51] I just assumed he was somehow like financing this podcast.

[01:11:56] He's our secret angel investor.

[01:11:59] Hey kids what's shishkin your kebabs.

[01:12:08] Hey Mr. P we're just finishing up talking about George and Leo.

[01:12:14] Oh sure sure New Heart Hirsch little baby Justin Bateman now that was our program.

[01:12:21] It certainly was.

[01:12:23] You know I was lucky enough to work with New Heart in my day but Hirsch that young

[01:12:28] buck he's the one that got away.

[01:12:30] I must have pitched him two dozen times in my days.

[01:12:33] Well I mean he was a pretty busy guy.

[01:12:36] You worked with Bob Newheart.

[01:12:39] Haha you bet that guy could sell knives like you wouldn't believe.

[01:12:44] Sell knives like an infomercial for knives.

[01:12:48] Oh kid no no no we're talking about the Klamensky slicer.

[01:12:52] Now a product that fine doesn't need anything as crass as an infomercial

[01:12:56] and they weren't really around in those days.

[01:12:59] No no no you need the personal touch.

[01:13:02] There I say it the door to door touch.

[01:13:05] You sold knives door to door together.

[01:13:10] I mean I don't know about together I was his supervisor.

[01:13:14] I tell you though you put that kid in the right room with the right folks

[01:13:18] and the Klamensky slicer why it was practically a match made in heaven.

[01:13:23] I barely had to say a word.

[01:13:25] When was this?

[01:13:27] Oh shoot must have been uh Pearl Harbor was uh must have been early 41.

[01:13:33] Wait how old was Bob Newheart?

[01:13:36] Oh geez that couldn't have been more than 11.

[01:13:39] Haha so you had an 11 year old selling knives.

[01:13:44] So after you got into show business you're telling me you sold knives door to door

[01:13:50] with comedy legend Bob Newheart in the early years of World War II?

[01:13:56] I mean I was before I was well immersed in show business at that time

[01:14:01] but you know we all had a little downtime uh you know during the great war times too.

[01:14:06] I mean hell I had already produced four Cagney movies.

[01:14:10] Jimmy Cagney?

[01:14:12] No Leslie Cagney guy did instructional lawnmower film strips with John Deere.

[01:14:18] And you produced them?

[01:14:21] A couple sure I mean you know guy like Leslie Cagney you answer the call when he puts you

[01:14:29] but he's got a lot of guys out there.

[01:14:33] When you weren't selling knives with a child aged Bob Newheart?

[01:14:38] Klamensky Slices.

[01:14:41] Never got to work with Judd Hirsch though.

[01:14:44] No not yet but hey fingers crossed right?

[01:14:48] Fingers crossed.

[01:14:53] That's funny.

[01:14:54] Now I'm just picturing a tiny like baby Bob Newheart selling knives door to door.

[01:15:01] The thing is I sort of can.

[01:15:03] But was these stammering even back then?

[01:15:07] Like yeah like you can picture him walking into someone's home setting it up on their table

[01:15:13] just demoing some products and just sort of yeah stammering his way through it.

[01:15:18] I think he actually had a stammer I think he developed his comedy around it.

[01:15:23] I feel like I remember reading that which I always found interesting.

[01:15:27] Yeah well it's great this I thoroughly enjoyed thoroughly enjoyed this show had many laughs

[01:15:36] and yeah did either of you have any leftovers?

[01:15:41] No.

[01:15:43] Yeah that makes sense this is the least notes I've written down in a long time

[01:15:48] because I was pretty much like not much to critique here just some well-delivered zingers.

[01:15:56] Yeah.

[01:15:57] All right well until next time folks yes.

[01:16:04] I feel like is there like a funny button that we could end this on?

[01:16:08] No let's just end it.

[01:16:09] We've had a good run of funny buttons.

[01:16:11] Let's just end it right here.

[01:16:16] Hey there Mr. and Mrs. Joe American you've used a Klamensky slices now really stick it to Jerry with our Klamensky Bay and X.

[01:16:27] That was a show is created and hosted by Bryn Burney Andrew Barry Helmer and myself Aaron Jaeger.

[01:16:42] It's a production of Radio Gizmo in Toronto Canada.

[01:16:46] Subscribe rate review and share follow us on Instagram and tell your friends about it.

[01:16:52] That was a show.