Around the dial

Let's start this week's review at Comfort TV, where David offers a tribute to Bob Newhart that's both a personal reflection and a historical appraisal of why Newhart is one of television's greatest actors, and how his brand of humor will always be timeless. 

Inner Toob has his own tribute to Newhart, and as a bonus we get his celebration of the 100th birthday of Don Knotts by looking at his many appearances outside of The Andy Griffith Show. At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence has his own memories of Don Knotts and Bob Newhart, and I recommend checking these out as well. When we have the opportunity to celebrate our classic TV icons, we should take every chance we get.

At bare•bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues with the grimly humorous "Six People, No Music," the only Hitchcock episode written by Richard Berg, featuring a masterful performance by John McGiver as an undertaker seeking to bury the truth along with a body.

Jack continues his review of the nasty dystopian political thriller The Guardians at Cult TV Blog. "Head of State" is a lesson in politics, power, and political power, creating all kinds of interesting conversation points that would fit in well with my recent series on thoughtful television.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger realizes something I've been saying for years: it's impossible to watch classic television with the mindset of a contemporary viewer, and those who do are doomed to failure. It's a truth discovered while watching this week's Avengers, "Take Me to Your Leader." TV