Tiffani-Amber Thiessen is proposed for a clearly high-school-aged Anna, then an all-Black remake develops around Sterling K. Brown, Sanaa Lathan, J.B. Smoove, and Tracy Morgan, with Kevin Hart rejected.

In the discussion (12)

Approx. transcript time · 00:08:50Read transcript

Will Ferrell is proposed as Bob because he could balance an annoying character with likability.
Phil Hartman is proposed as Leo because the role needs rage that remains comic.
The existing cast is first declared perfect before the discussion pivots to an all-Black version.
Tiffani-Amber Thiessen is proposed if Anna is meant to read as an unmistakable high-school student.
The panel worries that a more conspicuous teen-star casting would disrupt the family’s intentionally ordinary quality.
Sterling K. Brown is proposed for Leo in the all-Black version.
Sanaa Lathan is proposed for Leo’s wife.
Kevin Hart is identified as the obvious commercial Bob choice but rejected because the panel doubts he would disappear into the character.
J.B. Smoove becomes the preferred Bob because he can charm the family while aggravating Sterling K. Brown’s Leo.
Kenan Thompson is considered for Leo as an undervalued performer.
Tracy Morgan is also proposed as Bob and receives strong support.
The remake discussion pivots to an all-Black cast for What About Bob.

Roger Ebert's review

The episode states that Roger Ebert gave What About Bob? three stars and called it Bill Murray’s best movie since Ghostbusters; Gene Siskel’s opposing criticism of Dreyfuss’s anger is also discussed.

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:26:33Read transcript

The movie is reported to have cost thirty-nine million dollars and earned sixty-four million.
Roger Ebert is reported to have given the movie three stars.
Ebert is reported to have called it Bill Murray’s best movie since Ghostbusters.
Gene Siskel is reported to have disliked the movie because Dreyfuss’s anger felt excessive.
The panel understands Siskel’s objection but disagrees because Dreyfuss’s anger powers the comedy and trailer.

Picking Nits

The panel questions Bob’s shifting symptoms, the Gutmans’ constant availability, Leo’s murder plan, and the length of Leo’s vacation; Bob’s apparent inconsistency is answered as gradual improvement through Baby Steps.

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 00:30:24Read transcript

Bob’s OCD behavior seems to come and go: he cannot leave home or touch a doorknob, then suddenly socializes with the answering-service workers.
Anna’s immediate invitation of Bob is called a borderline nitpick and prompts debate about the character’s age and possible attraction.
The response is that pursuing Leo forces Bob into increasingly difficult interactions and therefore functions as treatment.
Bob touching the family car without a napkin becomes evidence that his trust is growing.
Bob’s impersonation and detective work show him re-entering the world rather than remaining static.
The Gutmans appear across the lake whenever the story needs them despite supposedly running a diner.
Leo’s plan to blow Bob up offers no credible explanation for the death or evidence.
The panel accepts that Leo has lost his mind but still finds the attempted-murder mechanics excessive.
A participant’s only nitpick is that committed therapists would treat possible patient self-harm as a 911 emergency.
The producer questions whether a psychiatrist would leave patients from July 31 through Labor Day.
A roughly thirty-five-day vacation is judged unusually long for an active practice.

Casting What-Ifs

Woody Allen was approached for Leo and possibly directing or rewriting; Patrick Stewart was also considered for Leo, and Robin Williams was the first choice for Bob.

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:49:03Read transcript

Woody Allen is reported to have been approached to play Leo and possibly direct or co-write.
The panel rejects Allen because his screen neurosis would unbalance the premise.
Patrick Stewart is reported as another Leo possibility, which the panel also doubts.
Robin Williams is reported as the first choice for Bob before the production reached Bill Murray.
The panel says Williams was likely the bigger star in the late-1980s to early-1990s window.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Research covers the miniature house explosion, a reported Spielberg Oscar campaign, Murray’s awards history, the Murray-Dreyfuss feud, the Virginia filming location, and Charlie Korsmo’s academic and legal career.

In the discussion (12)

Approx. transcript time · 01:00:10Read transcript

The explosion used a three-quarter-scale replica rather than destroying the expensive real house.
Steven Spielberg is reported to have spent his own money campaigning for a Bill Murray Oscar nomination.
The panel notes Murray has only one Oscar nomination despite his long importance to movies.
Sean Penn’s win over Murray’s Lost in Translation performance is criticized; the winning film title is unclear in the machine transcript.
Murray is reported to have acknowledged that aggravating Dreyfuss helped the movie.
Dreyfuss is reported to have called the experience unpleasant while still admitting Murray made him laugh.
A Dreyfuss account says Murray aggressively confronted him and threw a heavy glass ashtray.
The panel condemns physical harm but treats Murray’s verbal insult as darkly funny.
The vacation house was filmed at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.
Charlie Korsmo is reported to have chosen What About Bob? instead of the Terminator 2 child role.
Korsmo later earned physics and law degrees, practiced law, taught corporate law, and received a federal board nomination.
The group calls Korsmo a legend in both acting and his later academic career.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Questions ask whether Leo is an attempted murderer, whether Bob was foisted on him, why no sequel happened, and what a sequel without Leo could be.

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 01:14:05Read transcript

Leo’s effort to blow Bob up is judged attempted murder that should lead to jail.
Bob’s previous doctor transferring him to Leo is proposed as an all-time foist.
The absence of a sequel is attributed partly to the stars’ hostility.
The panel says a sequel still needs Dreyfuss because his performance is essential.
A conventional reversal sequel is compared with Analyze That and the observed “Meet the Fokkers.”
One 2021 sequel pitch makes Bob a successful television self-help figure whose progress collapses after Leo dies.
A reported royalties dispute with Disney is raised as a practical reason Dreyfuss might not return.
Possible sequel titles include But Seriously…What About Bob? and What About Me?
The all-Black sequel is later given the title What About Van?

Producer review

Producer Craig’s sole added point is that Leo’s July 31-through-Labor-Day vacation seems too long for a psychiatrist with patients.

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:19:03Read transcript

The producer introduces the vacation length as an omitted Picking Nits answer.
The period from July 31 through Labor Day is estimated at about thirty-five days.
The hosts agree that a month away from active patients seems unusually long.