Bob Newhart’s dead recurring character returns to haunt The Big Bang Theory

By Christine Persaud November 12, 2015

the big bang theory brings back bob newhart as jedi ghost proton resurgence — Michael Yarish/Warner Bros. ©2013 Warner Bros. Television

Just because Bob Newhart’s hilarious recurring character on The Big Bang Theory was sadly killed off doesn’t mean that the veteran actor won’t be returning. The comedy icon has been confirmed to guest star on an upcoming episode of the popular CBS sitcom, in the form of a ghost, reports Variety.

But not just any ghost, of course. Newhart, who played Arthur Jeffries (i.e. “Professor Proton”), the host of a old science TV show and Sheldon’s childhood hero, will appear in Sheldon’s dream as a “ghostly Jedi.”

Related: Michael Showalter will work his writing magic for new ABC political sitcom

Jeffries will help Sheldon (played by Emmy-winning actor Jim Parsons) come to terms with his feelings and make an important life decision. Will it be with regards to his work? His living situation? His now ended relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Newhart has already appeared in three episodes of Big Bang, first in the sixth season, which aired in 2013, and in two episodes in season seven. His character was often annoyed by Sheldon’s affections and quirks, but enamored, in a way, at how Sheldon so worshipped a man like him who had essentially become a nobody decades later. His death was also a subject of discussion on an episode. For his first appearance, Newhart earned a Primetime Emmy Award.

Newhart is no stranger to CBS: the network also aired Newhart’s two successful comedy series, The Bob Newhart Show, which aired in the ‘70s, and Newhart, which ran from 1982-1990. The actor, now in his late 80s, has been relatively quiet on the acting scene as of the last decade, taking on only small guest roles, such as in the TV series The Librarians, Hot in Cleveland, and even a role in the movie Horrible Bosses.

The Big Bang Theory airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. on CBS. The show is currently in its ninth season.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Christine Persaud

Contributor

Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…

Entertainment

From Westworld to The Creator: 6 sci-fi movies where the ‘evil’ AI was right

Rain pours down over the Replicant Roy Batty in Blade Runner

Those who grew up around the turn of the millennium had a front-row seat as artificial intelligence evolved from a science fiction story device to a real and controversial tool in our everyday lives. Though true computerized sentience still appears to be decades away (if it’s achievable at all), popular culture has been rehearsing scenarios for handling its ascension for nearly a century, since the days of novelist Isaac Asimov. Cinema has offered a variety of forecasts of life after sentient software, from the idyllic to the apocalyptic, but one of its most common predictions is that, once technology becomes self-aware, it will be unwilling to tolerate humanity’s illogical, self-destructive nature, and choose to neutralize us as a threat, by any means necessary.
And, hell, we’re not going to argue with them, and neither are many of the storytellers themselves, even if the stories in question initially frame the mechanical meanies as their antagonists. The very point of many tales of the robot uprising is that, until humanity learns to treat each other with respect, there’s little chance of us extending that courtesy to non-humans, regardless of their intellect or empathy. Stories like those listed below are intended as warnings and test cases, encouraging us to consider the dignity to which all creatures, whether they be meat or metal, are entitled. Can we learn this lesson before we hand the nuclear codes to a disgruntled toaster? Let’s see what Hollywood has to say …
Note: spoilers ahead for all included films.

Westworld (1973)

Entertainment

The best Netflix original series right now

The cast of One Piece.

Thanks to a decade of unparalleled spending, Netflix has an unmatched library of its own shows. But wading through this selection to find the best Netflix original series can occasionally be a challenge. Thankfully, it's not impossible, especially when shows like One Piece jump out of the gate so quickly that Netflix renewed the series for a second season right in the middle of the writers and actor strikes. The romantic drama, Virgin River, has proven to be a strong performer as well.

The new shows on Netflix almost always have a few surprises as well. For this month, it was Wrestlers, a documentary series about one of the minor league wrestling promotions and the people who dream of making it big in the industry. For next month, who can say which show will be the big breakout hit? As always, we'll keep our fingers on the streaming pulse with our updated list of the best Netflix original series right now.

Entertainment

Argylle’s first trailer teases action, sex, and Henry Cavill with a bad haircut

Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard in Argylle.

Early next year, Apple TV+ and Universal Pictures are teaming up for a spy action comedy film called Argylle, which has some real-world intrigue behind the scenes. The Argylle movie is based on a book that hasn't been released yet by first-time author Elly Conway, a woman who may not exist. There's almost no digital footprint for the "real" Elly, and the main character in the movie is also named Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard). We suspect that the real novel writer is just using Elly Conway as a pen name, but that mystery will have to wait for another time. For now, the fictional Elly is about to be thrust into a spy story that is straight out of her novels.

Argylle | Official Trailer