CBS’ Bob Newhart Tribute Special Hits 4.1 Million Viewers on CBS

“Bob Newhart: A Legacy of Laughter,” an “Entertainment Tonight” special paying tribute to the comedy icon following his recent death, hit 4.1 million viewers on CBS on Monday.

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That made it the most-watched program in its 8 p.m. timeslot — surpassing the viewership of “American Ninja Warrior” (2.7 million viewers on NBC), “The Bachelorette” (2.6 million viewers on ABC), “Name That Tune” (1.4 million viewers on Fox) and “All American: Homecoming” (322,000 viewers on the CW) — and the most-watched program of the night when excluding sports telecasts.

The Newhart tribute also became the biggest-watched “Entertainment Tonight” special to date. Previously, that title belonged to “NCISVerse: The First 1000,” which aired to 3.8 million viewers in April. The third and fourth-most-watched ET specials are “Salute to NCIS: LA,” which aired to 3.4 million viewers in May of 2023, and “Norman Lear: A Life on TV,” which aired to 3.1 million viewers in December of 2023.

Hosted by Nischelle Turner, “Bob Newhart: A Legacy of Laughter” looked back at Newhart’s 70-year career with behind-the-scenes footage from his films and sitcoms, his final interview and more. The special also featured new and archival interviews with his friends and collaborators including Jim Parsons, Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Jason Bateman and Michael Weatherly.

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“Entertainment Tonight” is produced by CBS Media Ventures and co-hosted by Turner and Kevin Frazier. Rachel Smith, Cassie DiLaura and Denny Directo serve as correspondents. Erin Johnson serves as executive producer, while Whitney Wallace and Leslie Kawaguchi are co-executive producers.

Newhart, best known for “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart” as well as more recent credits like “Elf” and “The Big Bang Theory,” died on July 18 at age 94.

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