Bob Patterson is an American television sitcom starring Jason Alexander, produced by Ira Steven Behr. It was directed by Robby Benson and Barnet Kellman. The series premiered on ABC on October 2, 2001, and the final episode aired on October 31 of that year. It was canceled in November 2001 after five of the ten scheduled episodes aired.

Overview

The show revolves around fictitious motivational speaker Bob Patterson, "America's #3 Self Help Guru", who is popular with millions of people across America, thanks to his books I Know More Than You, I Still Know More Than You and the To the Top! franchise. Friction between his job and family occurs partly due to Bob's self-absorbed but insecure nature and complete lack of self-awareness, ironic qualities for someone whose job is supposed to be selflessly motivating others to improve their lives.

Use of character outside of show

After the show's cancellation, Alexander used the concept behind Patterson to create a similar fictional character named Donny Clay, "America's #4 Self-Help Guru." Alexander has toured the United States in character as Clay.

Catchphrases

The character of Bob Patterson had a series of catchphrases:

Cast

Episodes

Reception

Critical

The series received poor reviews. The New York Times critic Caryn James wrote that "the series may be the season's biggest disappointment... Robert Klein yells while Mr. Alexander screeches." In a one-and-a-half-star review for USA Today, Robert Bianco called Chandra Wilson "the only person in the show you can imagine wanting to see again." Los Angeles Times reviewer Howard Rosenberg wrote: "The only character here that's amusingly written is Bob's new assistant, Claudia (Chandra Wilson)."

Ratings

Ratings for Bob Patterson were considered disappointing. The series' premiere drew 9.8 million viewers, while its final episode recorded 7.8 million viewers.