Their recollections are as remarkable as the characters who populated the quirky sitcom.
BOB BENDETSON:(producer, 198890):We went broad.
We had a Japanese man wanting to build a vertical golf course, which made no sense to anybody.
Art Streiber for EW
Then we jumped five years.
SCOLARI:That was the first and only time the Darryl brothers ever spoke.
Their three wives were chattering on, so they finally turn and yell, “Quiet!”
Everett Collection
That set Bob up to say, “Your brothers can speak?”
One of those three actresses was Lisa Kudrow.
DUFFY:I do remember some group hug in the episode.
Art Streiber for EW
It was an echo of the lastMary Tyler Moore Show.
I just love that.
BENDETSON:The one who came up with the idea for the final scene was not any of us.
[Writer] Dan O’Shannon gave us the idea during the previous season.
O’SHANNON:It looked like it was going to be the final year.
Shortly before I popped up with this, there was the ending onSt.
So it occurred to me, Why not have Bob wake up as Bob from the first series?
I went into the writers' room and told them.
They said it was great.
The executive producers called up Bob, who apparently loved it.
It looked like a go.
But thenNewhartwas picked up for another season, and I went toCheers.
NEWHART:JFK once said victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan.
This is the true story of how the show ended.
I said, “I think this is going to be the last year ofNewhart.”
Suzanne Pleshette was at this party, so Ginny said, “I think I have the ending.
You should wake up in bed with Suzanne and explain to her this dream you had.”
So I gave it to the writers.
But you might see two people coming up with it.
O’SHANNON:Here’s my thought.
But it’s not like Bob ever came into the writers' room and told us.
BENDETSON:It’s like, all right, whatever you guys want to believe.
NEWHART:The crew didn’t know about it the night of the finale.
We just told them to keep filming, whatever happens.
SCOLARI:It was the loudest reaction I had ever heard from a studio audience.
They screamed and howled and broke into this tumultuous applause that did not stop.
What you see in the final edit is a cut version because the applause was unnaturally long.
It was very exciting.
They wanted to kindly the female lead of the show, though they never intended to run it.
I know because I was there.
BENDETSON:I’m not 100 percent sure, but I don’t believe that scene was ever shot.
I thought that was gracious and also realistic of her.
Bob was so pleased with himself for having scammed theEnquirer.
His manager, Artie Price, planted the story.
DUFFY:I do hope people will talk about the other 183 episodes.
There were gems in there.
But we always talk about the finale.
No, I didn’t think that.
But it may have been.
NEWHART:There was a lot of sniffling during that final week.
It’s a terrible cliche, but we were a family.
We just laughed and laughed over eight wonderful years.
