‘Bob’ Still Alive; Changes in the Works

Bob Newhart’s streak of hit TV shows is not dead yet.

“Bob” wasn’t on the fall schedule that CBS unveiled Thursday, but a producer on the show who requested anonymity confirmed Friday that it will be back as a mid-season replacement. Another source said that the series is in the process of being overhauled.

A CBS spokeswoman would say only that negotiations about the show’s future were continuing. “Bob,” which premiered last fall on the heels of the veteran comedian’s long-running CBS hits, “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart,” foundered in the ratings for most of the season on Fridays and failed to live up to expectations during its recent run in the cushy Monday spots both preceding and following “Murphy Brown.”

When “Bob” does return, it probably will have a new look. A source on the series said that Newhart’s character would move from his comic book setting into a newspaper syndication house.

Several actors from this season’s show have already been dismissed, the source said, but Newhart’s wife and daughter in the series, played by Carlene Watkins and Cynthia Stevenson, are likely to be retained, along with Timothy Fall’s character from the comic book shop. A couple of new characters, including a syndicated advice columnist, will probably be added.