The show, set in Vermont, starred comedian Bob Newhart as Dick Loudon, an author, local television talk show host, and inn keeper. Mary Frann portrayed Loudon's wife, Joanna. The show also featured Tom Poston as handyman George Utley, Peter Scolari as Loudon's television producer Michael Harris, and Julia Duffy as maid Stephanie Vanderkellen.

In the later seasons, actors William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss, and John Voldstad joined the cast and became three of the most popular characters on the show, Larry, Darryl and Darryl. The two Darryls never spoke, and Larry would introduce them every time they entered a room with "Hi, I'm Larry, and this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl".

The series had one of the most memorable final episodes in television history. At the end of the final show, Dick is hit in the head with a golf ball; he falls to the floor and the picture goes black. A light is turned on and the viewer sees Loudon waking up in bed. He reaches over to wake up his wife sleeping next to him and she turns out to be Suzanne Pleshette, who portrayed Newhart's wife Emily Hartley in the 1970s sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show. Newhart then begins to tell Pleshette about the strange dream that he just had.