September 11 – Chicago, IL -- Few television shows are an immediate hit. The Bob Newhart Show was! Few comedy albums make it to #1 on the Billboard charts or win a GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year. The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart did. Few actors and comedians inspire generations of new talent like Bob Newhart either. DECADES salutes the 45th anniversary of The Bob Newhart Show and signature comedic style of Bob Newhart with a Weekend Binge event on Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17, featuring continuing episodes of this enduring classic.

“The Bob Newhart Show was a sophisticated, cosmopolitan sitcom with a new sensibility when it debuted. And yet, it attracted a broad audience. It still does. There is just something about Bob Newhart’s remarkable wit and warmth in awkward situations that viewers of all ages and walks of life respond to. The show is as funny and engaging today as it was in 1972. We’re proud to present it as the Weekend Binge. Laughter is great medicine and we thought everyone could use a little Dr. Bob Hartley at the moment,” said Neal Sabin, Vice Chairman of Weigel Broadcasting Co.

The Bob Newhart Show launched in 1972 in a highly competitive television comedy landscape that included the premieres of M*A*S*H, Maude, and Sanford and Son. Newhart’s portrayal of psychologist Dr. Bob Hartley, combined with the brilliant performances of co-stars Suzanne Pleshette, Jack Riley, and the rest of The Bob Newhart Show cast, catapulted the show to instant success. Viewers across America tuned in each week to watch Bob play the “straight man” as he engaged in hilarious encounters with patients, neighbors, colleagues, and his lovingly sarcastic wife.

"Like all of you, I'll be binging on The Bob Newhart Show. At 88, I am not sure I'll be able to stay awake through all 84 episodes. I'm very proud of the show and touched by the recognition it's receiving on DECADES," said actor and comedian Bob Newhart.

Even before the debut of the series, Bob Newhart was a comedy star with television audiences who loved his wry wit and gentle satire. Throughout the prior decade he appeared regularly on must-see shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Dean Martin Show, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, as well as his own short-lived variety show. The Bob Newhart Show ran for six seasons and 142 episodes, ending in 1978. Bob Newhart launched his second hit

television series, Newhart, in 1982 and continues to surprise and entertain audiences in guest appearances on popular series.

DECADES will air 84 excellent episodes of The Bob Newhart Show back-to-back as the “Weekend Binge” starting at 1:00pm ET on Saturday, September 16, and ending at 7:00am ET on Monday, September 18. To find out where to watch DECADES in your area, click “Where to Watch” on www.decades.com.