Where Everybody Knows Your Name, A Cheers Retrospective

A few steps to the left of the Melville's entrance and down the stairs lead to the most iconic bar in comedy history. Cheers, which debuted in 1982, was a sitcom that defied expectations, rising from the bottom to the top of the ratings over its 11 seasons. It introduced the world to one of the strongest casts ever to appear in a comedy and won 28 Emmy Awards with 179 nominations. When it went off the air in 1993, it set a record as the second most-watched series finale of all time. In its heyday, Cheers was part of NBC's hit Thursday night comedy lineup, shoulder to shoulder with other hits like The Cosby Show and Family Ties.

But the network was in a very different state before that golden age. Throughout the '70s, NBC was safely in third place among the big three networks. Their strategy was to broadcast television that was harmless rather than attractive, assuming that people leave their televisions on all night, so it is better to broadcast something that people will not change channels. However, in the 1980s, NBC executives decided to change their strategy to produce programming that would attract audiences. They then approached the creative team of Glen, Les Charles and James Burrows. This trio had been working together for a few years and had all been discovered by MTM companies.

The three first worked together on the Mary Tyler Moore spin-off, Phyllis. Most famously, though, they were hired to be the showrunners of the 1970s sitcom Taxi. The three eventually decided they wanted to produce their own show, and NBC lured them in with the promise of a 13-episode commitment. One of the inspirations for the show was the British series Fawlty Towers, starring John Cleese, about a fictional hotel in a small English town. The hotel setting was converted into a bar, influenced by the radio comedy Duffy's Tavern, created in the 1940s by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Abe Burrows, father of James Burrows. "- In the United States there are great neighborhood bars, but not everyone has one, so we thought about giving one to all those poor and disadvantaged people, and that included ourselves, we didn't have any. ".

And then we had to find a place for this bar. Cheers co-creator Les Charles explains: "We talked about putting this bar some

where

in the desert, or in a small town, but once we looked at a city, we immediately went to Boston. It hadn't been used much on television, and "We wanted a city with a certain charm, a city that had that kind of English-style pub. Plus, it was a sports-crazy city. Everything seemed good." The Charles brothers traveled to Boston to look for venues and finally found a place called the Bull & Finch pub. Although the interior set of the show would not entirely match the interior of the Bull & Finch, the exterior shots would make this small Boston pub famous.

And, of course, the show wouldn't be called the Bull & Finch pub, their bar would be called Cheers. At the center of Cheers there would be a couple, or rather, a man and a woman trying hard not to be a couple. The inspiration behind this pairing was the films of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, which often mixed romance and antagonism, drawing inspiration in part from the real-life affair these two had behind the scenes. On Cheers, this would forever be remembered as the explosive relationship between Sam and Diane. Although NBC suggested

name

s such as Bill Cosby and Sid Caesar, the series was chosen to be made up of relative unknowns, creating the opportunity for a true cast, and because the show's creators did not want any major stars to overshadow the rest of the cast.

Ted Danson was cast as Sam Malone, although he was originally a former football player, Danson's physique was more like that of a baseball player. So he became a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Cheers is one of the few symbols of wealth Sam has from his days playing ball, as he lost much of his former life during his battle with alcoholism. He cuts a great figure at the bar, and when he's not pouring beer, he's chasing an endless stream of women or getting his hair done. "- I need a waitress, you need a job, you like the people here, you think they like you... - And the phrase "magnificent pagan beast" has never left

your

mind." Diane Chambers was played by Shelley Long, although she was initially envisioned as an executive who ran the bar, but Diane became a graduate student turned waitress.

Educated and erudite, Diane stands out compared to the other Cheers denizens, often causing some friction. A little-known fact about Diane's casting is that during her audition, Shelley Long said that the set reminded her of a bar she had been to in Boston, called Bull & Finch, the same bar that inspired the Charleses. Brothers. "- You know, I have never met a smart woman I would like to date. - On behalf of smart women around the world, I can say: phew! Ernie Pantusso, or coach, as he is more commonly called, is one of Sam's former coaches during his time with the Red Sox.

During Sam's drinking days, the coach helped him get sober and Sam returned the favor by hiring him to work on Cheers. Played by Nicholas Colasanto, the coach is kind, thoughtful and serious. , although perhaps not the most sophisticated thinker after taking one too many baseballs to the head during his playing days. "Cheers? Yes, just a second. - Is there an Ernie Pantusso here? - That's you, coach. - Speech. Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli, played by Rhea Pearlman, is the acerbic waitress on Cheers. Carla is brutally honest and is never ashamed to say what she thinks. "- Would you bring us a bottle of wine? - Only if I can spit in it." Norm Peterson, played by George Wendt, is a Cheers fixture, sitting on his usual stool at the end of the bar with a beer in hand, two if he's feeling feisty.

A little-known fact about Norm's signature greeting is that he came from Nicholas Colasanto, whose favorite New York spot had a special way of greeting his regulars. "- Good afternoon everyone. - Norm! - What can I do for you, Norm? - Well, I'm going to need something to kill time before my second beer. - How about a first one? - You got it." . The final cast member from the first season, Cliff Clavin, was almost not a part of the show. John Ratzenberger had auditioned for the role of Norm and, fearing he had ruined the audition, proposed the idea of ​​a know-it-all at the bar as part of the show.

The character was written into the pilot and appeared in almost every episode of the first season, and officially joined the main cast in the second season. Cliff is a cowardly mailman who has an endless trove of trivia that isn't always accurate. "- Alright, here's a little known fact: the most intelligent animal... is the pig. - What?... - They look pretty stupid! - Yes, the average oinker, yes, yes, yes. - Scientists say, if a pig had thumbs and a tongue, it could be trained to do simple manual labor. - You mean they would be part of the workforce. - Yes, yes, they give 20 to 30 years of loyal service, then at the retirement dinner, you could eat them." Over the years, the cast would change, with several notable additions and departures, but this group was the core of its first two seasons and the many that came after.

The set of Cheers created the opportunity for anyone to walk into the bar, and the series had its share of memorable guests. Some favorites included con man Harry "The Hat" Gittes, played by Harry Anderson, Carla's ex-husband Nick Tortelli, played by Dan Hedaya, his new wife Loretta, played by Jean Kasem, and barfly Paul Krapence played by Paul Willson. . On September 30, 1982, Cheers premiered, and although the response was not encouraging, this would change in the years to come. The pilot episode of Cheers, Give Me a Ring Sometime, started the series off on a good foot. In the first shot, we see bartender Sam alone, walking through Cheers, ready to start the day, and we get a sense of how expansive this set is.

Unlike other sitcoms,

where

the cameras are placed firmly on the fourth wall, we get to see her follow Sam around the bar a bit. While not every shot in the series will be like this, it gives us an idea of ​​how the applause bar is almost a character in itself. The first season exclusively uses the bar as the setting for each episode, with the only deviations from the main area being those that take us to the pool room or Sam's office. In later seasons, several new locations would be used, but the bar was almost always the center of the action.

The

cheers

changed forever with the entrance of Diane, a graduate student who entered alongside her new fiance and professor Sumner Sloan, played by Michael McGuire. Sumner plans to leave his wife to run away with Diane to Barbados that night, and he will leave her at Cheers while he breaks the bad news to her wife. In a brief exchange, we see Sam and Diane interact for the first time. "- Are you Sam? - Yes, he's here. - Someone

name

d Vicki. - No, no, no, no, no. - Sorry, I was wrong. He had to leave. - Where? - Well, um. - I think that what happened is that he uh... - He had... - He had to go to mime classes.

For the next few minutes, the program introduces all of its characters, gives us their names and a sample of their personalities. All This exposition feels effortless, particularly because Diane being new to the bar offers a natural way for the audience to learn about the characters while waiting for Sumner to return." - You don't know who he is? -He used to be one of the best pitchers in baseball! -Samuel Mayday Malone! - Well, if you were so good, why don't you keep playing? - I had a problem with my elbow, I bent it too much. - Were you drunk? - Are you kidding?

He was a big drunk! "However, Diane finally realizes that Sumner is not going to Barbados with her." - That nonsense will appear on the cover of the Saturday Review someday! -That fool will probably be on a beach in Barbados tomorrow morning, rubbing suntan oil on his ex-wife! - I would like to change the reservations for flight 481 from Mr. and Mrs. Sumner Sloan to Barbados. - They did it? -Are you sure? "Diane spends much of the first episode of Cheers deeply curious about those around her, but her tragedy humiliates her." -I'm sorry. - How did you know? - The bartender's intuition. - What a shame that such an astute observer of human nature is trapped behind a bar. - That's what I think." Sam offers Diane a job, now that her teaching assistant position is probably gone because Sumner abandoned her.

Diane has no interest in being a waitress, until we find out she might be pretty good at it. - Carla, what am I doing? - Two shots of vodka. One neat, one with ice mixed in. One with ice shevitz, soda, a Comfort Manhattan with the cherry, a white wine spritzer with a twist. An old decaf. Irish Bushmill with sugar..." And at the end of the show, Diane gives us the premise of the series: "- And where better than here to study life in all its facets? - People gather in bars, "He

cheers

up, he rejoices, he suffers. - They come here to be with their own kind! - What can I bring them? - Where are the police?

We have lost our luggage." The Cheers pilot is considered a gold standard for sitcoms. His characters are exactly where they need to be, they reveal themselves to the audience naturally, and the premise of the show is presented concisely. Some shows often take many episodes, sometimes a season or two, to work out some of these details. Cheers manages to do almost everything in 25 minutes. Cheers is a show that is based on people getting together, talking, and spending time together. When the front door opened, there was no telling who might enter and what story they would bring with them.

Something that was maintained throughout the series and that could be seen in its first episode. That's not to say there weren't obstacles along the way. A little-known fact about the pilot is that an entire character was removed. Mrs. Littlefield, played by Margaret Wheeler, was destined to be one of the bar's regulars. An older woman in a wheelchair, she had a tough personality and was known for making racist comments. Although her lines were cut, you can see her in the background throughout the episode, sometimes quite close to one of the focal points of a scene. Although no images of her have been released, the original pilot script has been, and here is a sample of what Mrs.

Littlefield was like: "- Go somewhere? - Yes. - Avoid nations whose leaders have hair on the face. - Abraham Lincoln had a beard. - Do I need to say more?" It was decided that Mrs. Littlefield was not a good fit for the dynamic of the show and, although she managed to fade into the background in the pilot, she was written out of all future episodes. Critics' response to the pilot was warm. Many appreciated her intelligent writing. The episode earned writers and co-creators, Glen and Les Charles, an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. The ratings,On the other hand, they were a completely different story.

Cheers premiered at number 60 out of 63 in the weekly ratings. The idea of ​​a 'will they, won't they?' dynamic. in sitcoms has practically become a cliché at this point. From Ross and Rachel in Friends, to Jim and Pamela in The Office. But in 1982 this was completely unique. Married couples argued and fought, but two potential lovers at odds? That was something you just didn't build a sitcom around. Every star-crossed couple in future comedies owes a debt to the place where it all began. With the charming bartender called Sam and an effervescent waitress called Diane. The first season of Cheers in particular builds on the constant sexual tension between these two characters, with the season progressing around their growing realization that they are attracted to each other.

Part of the key to this dynamic was the unmistakable chemistry between Ted Danson and Shelley Long. Cheers to writer Ken Levinedescribes how seriously co-creator James Burrows explained it to him at the time: "- That's

your

money, Sam and Diane are your money, and even if you're making a show that doesn't involve Sam and Diane, at least make some career." . - Paying lip service to Sam and Diane's relationship. Before Diane's arrival, Sam often entertained his friends with stories of his sexual conquest, sometimes giving them a front-row seat. "-My mother told me to be careful with guys in bars.-Well, then let's get out of this bar, so you don't have to worry." But the arrival of Diane, as a more sophisticated woman he is attracted to and who is not so easily seduced, forces Sam to rethink his life. " - You know, this week I've been out with every woman I know, I mean all the women I really enjoyed and suddenly all I can think about is how stupid they are. - I mean, my life isn't fun anymore. - It's thanks to you." Diane presents a challenge to Sam.

Not just sexual conquest, but the challenge of a relationship more meaningful than a series of one-night stands. For Diane, Cheers is a new horizon, far from the world. of the academy. From the first episode, she finds Sam to be particularly cunning. She sees more in him than others suppose. "- Now I don't want to criticize. - In a way, I was congratulating you. I think you can do better! - I don't want to do better. - You see Diane, there are certain things in this life that I really like and no one is going to change of opinion about them. - You see, I like funny women, hot dogs, contests and I don't care what they say about them. - Did you read when they found rat parts in hot dogs? - I like rat parts, This is my favorite part of the hot dog!

Diane's struggle is to find something special in Sam and this new world he finds himself in. Sam does everything he can to live up to her expectations, bringing them very close to each other. another, only for them to inevitably become disappointed and end up fighting. But we also somehow manage to grow closer. This is a typical ending to this cycle, in this case to an episode in which Diane seeks sympathy after the death of her cat. "- I don't know why I'm trying to talk to you, every conversation we've had is an ordeal! - Well, then let's not have more, what do you say? - Good! - I'll tell you.

You something more! - You won't catch me huh, trying to hit on you again! - You're right, you won't! - Well, hey, we agree on something, right? - No no! - I think we agree on something else: that I'm going to get out of here. - Two things! - Diane! - That? - Wait! - What's happening? - I'm sorry about your cat! - Thank you ! - Thanks, you are welcome. - See you tomorrow. -Okay. "In the episode Endless Summer, Sam gives a lucky bottle cap to his friend, a struggling baseball player named Rick, played by Christopher McDonald." -Could I borrow that for a couple? of days? - This? - Uh, please Sam, this could mean my entire career. - Well, uh. - A couple of days, sure, I guess so." Sam becomes increasingly anxious about not having the lucky bottle cap and can no longer do his trademark bar slide. "- It's not that it's special or nothing magical. - Hello, Cliffie. - Here you have.

And eventually, Diane finds out why. "- It's the cap of the last bottle of beer I drank. The last thing I drank. - I remember holding onto the cap of that bottle during some pretty rough nights. I mean, I would wake up in the morning and have his print on my palm. "My hand, I mean, was flat because I was squeezing it so hard! - Sometimes when I was tempted to have a drink, I would look at the bottle cap and that would stop me." When Sam discovers that Rick lost the bottle cap, he is tempted to take a drink. "- Sam, no! - No.

Just don't do it." Diane doesn't say or do anything special here, but even though she doesn't offer some words of wisdom that will convince Sam to stay in the car, he still manages to resist the temptation. Sam can't bring himself to drink in front of Diane. Sam and Diane strive to be better people because of each other. Sam wants to hold onto this idea of ​​being a more respectable guy and Diane wants to learn more about the world outside of her sheltered upbringing. "Another element that makes this romance so compelling is the reversed class dynamic between the two.

Sam is clearly coded as a man of the people, with a more working-class or middle-class aesthetic. Diane's background is more privileged, as we learned." When her mother visited Cheers, Diane chose a very different path than her family." - Hi Diane, if your mother is so rich, why aren't you? - She didn't want that money. - She didn't want to spend her life receiving money. on a silver platter. - See you. Now their roles are reversed: Sam leads a relatively comfortable life as the owner of his own bar and Diane waits tables as an employee. Yet, their background is so ingrained in them that they still act as if it were Quite the opposite.

Diane has all the personality of the rich sophisticate, and Sam is very much the average Joe. It shows us how class attitudes are internalized and that, in turn, influences how relationships are formed. If Diane and If Sam had seen each other as equals, those first few episodes might not have been as difficult. Although that might have made them a lot less entertaining. At the end of the first season, things came to a head in the two-part finale Show Down. Derek , Sam's brother, arrives at Cheers and proceeds to show Sam all the ways Sam feels special. And the worst of all is that he wants to date Diane. "- Do you know what your problem is, Mr.

Malone? - You're afraid of your feelings. - I'm not afraid of my feelings, I don't have any feelings about this, whatever you and my brother Derek want to do, it's fine with me. "I don't care. - Fine. - Please don't leave. - What? - What did you say? - I said I have no feelings about this." Diane has a similar response for Sam "- Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go freshen up. - I'd rather stay with you. - What? What did you say? - I didn't hear anything. ". In the second part, Diane reveals that Derek wants to take her to Paris and when Diane confronts Sam with news about Derek's offer and how it could lead to something serious, it all happens in the same way that both conversations usually do. " - Is that okay with you? - If you're happy. - I'm ecstatic. - Goodbye. - See you at the wedding. - Can I kiss the bride? - I think you know what you can kiss. ".

This time, however, with a real exit at risk, Diane tries to make things work. "- Could you explain something to me? - It's very important to me. - Why aren't you with Derek? - Because I like you more!" And then... "- We should kiss or something, huh? - No, we're not just going to kiss... - We're about to start something - I mean, uh... - A kiss is where start, right? - You don't make an announcement when you're about to kiss someone romantically. - No, no, no, it wasn't an announcement, I just didn't want to surprise you- guard, that's all. - In our first kiss it's okay to be - You should let yourself go. - Well, I was, I was! - Nobody gets carried away when they have the presence of mind to say, "maybe we should kiss"! - Well, this whole thing we're trying to do here, I mean, every time we try to be together, something goes wrong! - I mean, look, just because I'm a neat looking guy and you.

Just because you're a little hungry right now doesn't mean... - Are you hungry? All this back and forth might have been too much to bear until we finally see it. " - You know, - You know, I always wanted to blow you up. Maybe this is my lucky day, huh? - I dislike you. - I hate you. - Are you as turned on as I am? - More. - Bet me." "And that's how it took an entire season for Cheers to come to a kiss. This season-long arc was another innovation that Cheers pioneered in the sitcom genre.

Although the episodes were standalone, the relationship between Sam and Diane was constantly building, each one of them. The episode turned up the heat a little more, until it finally became that kiss. Although Sam and Diane's relationship would remain in the spotlight for several seasons in many ways, this kiss was the peak of their relationship. Season one is arguably one of Cheers' strongest seasons, but unfortunately this was not reflected in the ratings. Cheers struggled near the end for most of the season, sometimes falling to the bottom. last place in ratings. Normally, this would be the kiss of death for a series, but Cheers managed to avoid being canceled.

Former NBC executive Warren Littlefield explains: "- We are the series with the lowest ratings of all the television networks. And Grant said, "Do you have anything better?" - And we said: "No." And he says, "End of discussion." With the network firmly behind the quality of the series, Cheers was given a chance with a second season, and fortunately for the series, a few things changed between seasons to raise its profile. Reruns of old Cheers episodes over the summer holidays performed unusually well, probably because many people had missed the episodes when they first aired, and then at the Emmys, which aired four days before Cheers premiered. , won the Emmy for best picture.

Comedy series, surpassing the last seasons of the much loved Mash and Taxi. Shelley Long also won for lead actress in a comedy series, James Burrows won for directing in a comedy series and the Charles brothers won for writing in a comedy series. Suddenly, Cheers had some buzz, and when its second season premiered on September 29, 1983, it managed to break the top 20 in the weekly ratings, and season 2 began immediately after the end of season 1. "- Well "Isn't it nice that we're not fighting for once? - Oh yes, oh yes!" As you may have guessed, this didn't last. The season 2 arc between Sam and Diane would be a test to see if this highly explosive combination could somehow stay together.

Some of the obstacles they face are external, such as Sumner's return, or when Sam is tempted by a ski trip with a friend to pursue women. The main struggle of the series comes from the internal dynamics of Sam and Diane's relationship as two very different people: they try to stay together. A central conflict in the relationship is that Diane wants Sam to be a more committed partner and Sam struggles to maintain any type of relationship. At the end of the season, the couple is pushed to the limit in the two-part finale when artist Philip Semenko, played by Christopher Lloyd, paints a portrait of Diane.

Although it was originally Sam's idea, he becomes bitter when he meets Philip and finds him too enthusiastic about the project. "- I must start our sessions tomorrow, maybe tonight, maybe now. - Whoa, wait, wait a minute. Don't you see what's happening? He'll invite you to his house and ask you to get completely naked! - Hey, turns out that's my territory, buddy. - Sam!" When Sam tries to forbid Diane from being painted, she does it behind her back. During the painting, Diane reflects on her relationship. "- I admit that Sam and I are very different people. - Sometimes that's good. - Sometimes it's not so good. - Sometimes it makes me cry. - Sometimes it hurts me and he seems to like it." Diane's frustrations with Sam are easy to understand.

She often belittles his feelings, makes fun of his favorite things, and has a wandering eye. For Sam's part, she feels as if Diane is putting him down and trying to control him, molding him into someone she doesn't want to be. "- You know, you always do this, I really hate it. - You think you have to tell poor Sam what he should like, what he shouldn't like... - How he should walk, how he should talk, what fork he should use with your soup and salad. - I know, I know! You don't use a fork with the soup! - I just said you use a fork with the soup, it was a mistake. - Please don't say: "You don't use a fork with soup" - If you do nothing else for me, the rest of your life, don't say: "You don't use a fork with soup"!" Frustrated, Diane tries to walk away from the fight, too exhausted after two seasons of fighting. "- This relationship has always been a contest of wills. - I give up. - All my anger is gone. - Maybe it's all gone." Sam tries to goad her into a fight and finally succeeds. "This doesn't bother me at all, Sam.

ENOUGH! ENOUGH! ENOUGH! I've got you, I've got you! - How dare youslap me? - Never hit me again! - As hell. - You always think you have to do it. get the last one in... - Okay. Come on. - Oh! Oh! - Okay, please, come on, let it go, let it go. - This is. - We have fallen as low as human beings can sink! -There's no more degradation left! "When Sam kicks Diane out of her bar, things come to a boil. "Because if I go, I'll never come back. - Can I write it down? - Damn, I only have pencils!

I would like to write this in ink! - Don't be kidding, Sam, I'm serious. . - And I want you to understand that if you don't stop me now, this will be the last time you will see me. "Okay." After that goodbye, Sam and Diane briefly reconsider, and maybe if the timing had been a little better, they could have tried to patch things up, but they were a couple who were never quite in sync with each other. After two seasons of watching these two, it became clear that they were never that good with each other. A relationship based on conflict is difficult to maintain and for these two it seemed impossible.

Despite the deep attraction they feel for each other, for each other, their personalities are too different. The second season was the process of Sam and Diane leaning towards each other, but they could only bend so far before breaking. The cast of Cheers was very good at make you laugh, but Coach was the character who could also make you smile." - You know, Coach, every night. You leave here and forget your keys. Do you have them this time? -It's okay, Carla. I have it all figured out, I left them in the car. - Aren't you afraid that someone will steal it from you? - I close the doors!

How are we going to get in without your keys? - I made a duplicate game! - Well, where are they, coach? - Holy Mackerel! - Carla, we really have to fight. - It looks like rain, come on, I left the windows open." What makes Coach attractive, however, is how completely serious he is about everything he does. Here's an example of how he was taken out of Diane's apartment when she and Sam were trying to have a special night." - Sam, I wasn't even thinking... - Diane, please forgive me. I would never want to get in your way.

I'm sorry honey. - Thanks for understanding, coach. "You know, when you live alone, you tend to forget that other people have lives." Brain-addled from too many overhead pitches in Little League baseball, the coach's sweet personality makes other characters want to take care of him. Even though he What's especially wonderful about the character is that he takes care of other people in his own way. Coach isn't some kind of bar mascot that everyone takes turns feeding. He's part of the Cheers family, someone who sometimes needs a little comfort. helps, but also offers her own support. A wonderful example is the first episode in which Lisa, the coach's daughter, played by Allyce Beasley, introduces the Cheers gang to her fiancé Roy, played by Philip Charles MacKenzie.

To put it mildly, Roy is an asshole." - Lisa tells me that you and Sam were in baseball. - Yes it's correct. - I think it's a dead sport. - They have not yet claimed the body. - There is no action, people need action these days. - What sport do you like, Roy? - Women's full contact karate. And Roy is clearly committed to Lisa to advance her career. "-Lisa is my district manager, she has my destiny in her hands.-I work in Jersey now, but I'm moving to Pennsylvania soon. Hey, Lisa?-Well, I guess something could be arranged." Coach is deeply disappointed in Roy and, with some encouragement from Sam, he talks to Lisa about his choice of her fiancé. "- I know he's insensitive. - And I know he'll probably only marry me so he can get the territory of Pennsylvania. - But why would you want to marry a man like this? - Dad, isn't it obvious to you? - Nothing It's never obvious to me. - Dad, don't make me say this! - What, what? - I want to get married and I want to have children. - Roy is the first man who asked me to marry him and I'm afraid he will be the one. last. - Oh, come on, honey, there must be dozens of young men who proposed to you. - No, dad. - Wake up. - Roy is the first in history. - But you're so beautiful that... - Beautiful? ?

Dad, since I was very little you have told me that I am beautiful. - But look at me! - Not like my father, but as if you were looking at me for the first time. And please, try to see me as I really am. - My God, I didn't realize how much you look like your mother. - I know. - I look exactly like her, and Mom doesn't. - Comfortable with her beauty - But that's what made her more beautiful. - Your mother was She became more beautiful every day of her life. - She was really beautiful. - Yes, and you too!

You're the most beautiful boy in the world." Lisa then kicks Roy to the sidewalk. There's a sweet innocence to Coach that's very refreshing in the world of Cheers, a place that often harbors some cynicism about the world. Usually , the Slow sitcom characters are punching bags for the rest of the cast, objects of ridicule and contempt. But Coach is always treated kindly. The third season of Cheers benefited greatly from the arrival of the show Thursday NBC's Cosby Show Nights, a huge hit. It raised the profile of all the network's other late-night shows, propelling cheers into the top 10 of the weekly ratings.

In its third season, Cheers added some wrinkles, time that concluded the season 2 cliffhanger, where Sam and Diane broke up and Diane vowed never to come back. Set several months after the season 2 finale, we discover that Sam is taking his breakup with Diane very hard and once again he submits to his alcoholism. "- Coach! - Yeah? - This is my bar, right? - Yeah, it sure is, Sam. - Look, I told you I had a bar. - Oh, I like it, Sam. - Well, no It's a lot, but of course, I am." Diane is also going through a difficult time having had to check herself into a mental health facility.

When we see her again, she has just returned to her house. "- I think I'm happier than ever. - I have a new life. - All these wonderful things have happened to me. - I'm better now. - Miss? - I'm fine Boggs, I just jumped a little. - That's a reaction perfectly normal. - Perfectly. " Coach intercedes and asks Diane to visit Cheers. "- Diane, you could be my last chance. - Sam is drinking again." Diane wants Sam to see the therapists she met during her mental health treatment. And the rest of the Cheers gang has her back. - Sammy, uh... - I just want to say this because you're my friend, okay? - Don't get defensive, but maybe you're drinking a little more than you should. - Well, you too. - I already have the face of an exuberant mother!" When Sam agrees to seek help, we meet Cheers' new resident psychiatrist, Frasier Crane, played by Kelsey Grammer. "- Tell him to come, I'll try to accommodate him among the ladies. - Why don't you say hi to him right now? - Hello Sam.

I'm Dr. Frasier Crane. And, to Sam's surprise, he finds out that "Diane and Frazier are dating." -I'm the luckiest person in the world. - The second luckiest. - Not here, Diane." Frasier naturally complicates the dynamic between Sam and Diane, according to series co-creator Les Charles: "I think our inspiration for Frasier was the role Ralph Bellamy used to play in the Cary Grant movies: The guy the lady falls in love, but it's not real. You just know that he doesn't have the sexual dynamism that Grant has. Frasier is, in many ways, everything Diane thinks she wants in a man.

He is intelligent, cultured and kind. Frasier also trusts Diane completely. He's also a talented therapist who helps Sam deal with his addiction to alcohol and always offers a healthy dose of bedside banner. "- There's no such thing as a former patient. I think you'll find that once you've been a patient of mine, I'll always be there when... - Oh, great! - I bet this is important! With a little help from the coach, Diane agrees to go back to work on Cheers. "- You'll be doing us both a big favor if you stay here for a while, a couple or three weeks, until he gets back on his feet. - Please. -Well...-I've come this far, I might as well persist until he recovers...-HE'S BACK!!

Frasier was originally going to be on the show for six episodes, but the show's creators were so impressed with Kelsey Grammer's performance that they continued to extend her time on the show, until she joined the main cast in season 5. But Grammer didn't. was immediately. welcome. Les Charles explains: "-It was interesting that at first the public didn't like him because he came between Sam and Diane, so he didn't do well in any kind of survey or test, surveys that they did." There was even some drama between Kelsey Grammer and Shelley Long, according to her 1996 biography: "Shelley was convinced that Diane and Sam were meant to be together and that it was a terrible mistake to break them up...Shelley's efforts to get me off the show" were relentless.

I learned after readings that she insisted that the writers squeeze out every laugh she had." The two actors overcame their differences and the truth finally came to light that there had been a misunderstanding regarding Shelly Long's pregnancy during the third season. and a suggestion from production staff that Frasier be the father. Long's opposition to the idea was misinterpreted as her wanting Frasier off the show entirely. Shelley Long explained: "-He's brilliantly talented and was wonderfully funny in the program. I even saw Frasier, you know? I have no idea how he came up with that idea, other than one time I spoke up and said, "No." "I really don't think it should be Frasier's baby." Diane and Frasier introduced a new dynamic to the show, a gentler relationship that progresses quite a bit throughout the show's third season.

By the eighth episode, Frasier is already introducing to Diane to her mother, Hester, played by Nancy Marchand." - Listen and listen carefully. Stop seeing my son, or put God as my witness, I'll kill you. Something to snack on! Yum Yum Yum! Now listen to me. I have a gun, I know how to use it." Although Frasier and Diane grow closer throughout the season, Sam and Diane's past bubbles beneath the surface alongside him. "- I'm sorry. - I did the best I could when I was with you. - I mean you're right, I have blind spots and I'm not a very good boyfriend, but I've never tried harder with any woman in my life.

I mean we had bad times, I'm telling you, the good times with you were some of the best of my life." Towards the end of the season, Frasier, newly hired by the University of Bologna in Italy, takes Diane with him . for a six-month trip to Europe. When they try to say goodbye, Sam and Diane struggle to separate. They kiss and almost get back together, but in the end, Diane returns to Frasier. "- Maybe Frasier can give you a firm solution. guarantee of a lifetime of security. - But with me it's one day at a time. -Now, if you can live with that, he calls. "In the season finale Rescue Me, Frasier tries to take his relationship with Diane to the next level." -I wanted tonight to be perfect so I could ask you to marry me. - Oh, how you talk! "Well, Dr.

Moreno helped me make arrangements to get married tomorrow at his parents' estate in Florence." Instead of answering, Diane calls Sam to get her perspective. "So, are you going to say yes? - Do you think I should say something else? -No. "Sam didn't realize that Diane was calling him to dissuade her, so she accepts her proposal." -Yes. I'll marry you. With visions of Diane and Frasier getting married, Sam decides he needs to ruin the wedding. He then books a flight to Italy. "Listen, I have to do this. It's not for me, it's not for Diane, it's for Frasier.

I mean, no one deserves to be married to that woman. - No, I'm not saying I'm going to marry her, just uh, I can't let her make this kind of mistake." The episode ends with Diane trying to contact Sam one last time and, unable to find him, she decides to go ahead with the wedding. While Sam is on his way to Italy. In the season four premiere, we find out what happened to Sam in Italy. "- I got off the plane and I, uh. I took a taxi to the Moreno estate where they had told me they were going to get married.

But they wouldn't let me in. I found out that Diane and Frasier decided to get married somewhere else." As for what happened at Diane's wedding, it would be months before the Cheers gang found out. Meanwhile, there was a major cast change between seasons three and four. While filming the third season of Cheers, the cast learned that Nicholas Colasanto, the actor who played the coach, had been suffering from heart disease for almost a decade. Although this was known when he was cast, he had not let it be seen for the first two seasons, but the rest of the cast began to notice that he was losing weight during season 3.

George Wendt explained how the cast found out about Colasanto's health: " Earlier in the season, they called us all into Glen and Les' office, and they told us that his heart muscle was dying, but they said they'd given him permission to go back to work. They said, "Well, it could mean six weeks." , it could mean six years..." We waited six years. Turns out it was six weeks." While the third season was still filming, Nicholas Colasanto died of a heart attack on February 12, 1985 at the age of 61. There was some discussion about what to do with the character of Coach, possibly removing him from Cheers.But it was ultimately decided that Coach would never abandon Sam alone at the bar, and it was also written that his character had passed away between seasons 3 and 4.

One notable tribute paid to the actor on the set of Cheers was that an En The photo of Gerónimo that Colasanto had kept in his dressing room was hanging on the set. As his illness worsened, Colasanto struggled to remember his lines while filming episodes and began writing them throughout the set. Ted Danson explains: "There was an episode where a friend of Coach's dies and he says, 'It's like he's still with us.'" Nick had written the line on the wooden slats next to the stairs the actors would use to enter. to the studio. Nicky dies, and the next year we're all devastated, and the first night we went downstairs, there was his line: "It's like you're with us now." And so every episode, we'd go around him and pat him while We came down to be presented to the audience.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find this line in the episode. I think he's referring to Coach Buries a Grudge, where the coach delivers a eulogy for his recently deceased friend. It was possibly cut from the episode, or perhaps rewritten during filming, but I found a line the coach gives about the passing of his friend that has a similar feel. "-And I know that for the rest of my life, every day there will be a moment when I will miss him." The premiere of the fourth season brought with it a new member to the cast. A farmer from Hanover, Indiana, named Woody Boyd, played by Woody Harrelson.

Woody, Boyd, not Harrelson, is a simple guy who always wears his heart on his sleeve and shares the innocent naivety that the coach had. "- In fact, along with the Twirley brothers at home, you are the closest friends I have. - Woody, after you left, both Twirley brothers made inappropriate advances on me. - Hey, that makes them my closest friends." When Woody arrives at Cheers, he reveals how he met the coach. "- Well, we never met. - We were kind of like pen pals. - Did you exchange letters? - No, pens." Woody is soon hired to be a bartender at Cheers.

The similarity between the two characters invites comparison, although as the seasons progressed, Woody would distinguish himself as a unique character, becoming less like the kind father. at the bar and more like the innocent younger brother. And that connection between the character's narrative and his personality is part of how Harrelson landed the role. Producer Peter Casey explains: "Harrelson comes into reading, looking like he just came off a basketball court. He was wearing sports shorts and slip-on high-tops, and I was like, 'This isn't the character.' And then he read and contributed. "That beautiful innocence to the whole thing, and when his character heard the news that the coach had died, he cried a little.

No actor had ever done that." An important distinction the series creators often make about Woody and Coach is that they are not exactly dumb, but rather described as naive. They are willing to accept the world as it comes to them. I think that's why they can be a constant source of stupid comments without becoming an object of contempt. Shortly after Woody's arrival in the first episode of season 4, Cheers receives a more familiar face when Frasier sets foot in the bar for the first time since he left for Europe with Diane." - Well, she left me in the altar. - I simply promised to take her as a wife, the priest asked her if she would marry me, she looked around and asked him if he was talking to her." Frasier lost his position and his practice, while Diane spent time exploring Italy.

However, recently, Diane has returned to Boston and is now working at a convent. So Sam decides to go visit her. "- I want you to go back to Cheers, I don't think you belong here, Diane." And, naturally, this means we return to a familiar setting." - You were wonderful. - Yes, you were wonderful too. - It can be so wonderful, can't it Sam? - You bet." By season 4, Sam and Diane's dynamic was starting to weaken a bit. Much of it was spent with Sam and Diane insisting that the romantic part of their lives was over, and that from now on, they would just be friends.

Ironically, it's Frasier of all people who cuts through this nonsense. "- You're hell! - You love each other. And you hate each other. - And you hate each other for loving each other!" The season 4 finale raises the stakes by cornering Sam and Diane's relationship, when Sam is pursued by a local councilwoman, Janet Elridge, played by Kate Mulgrew, Diane is skeptical. the councilor's intentions. "- I remember you were so worried that I was going to abandon Sam after I had fulfilled my political agenda. - You were obviously wrong about Sam and I. - You were wrong about Sam and I. - That too." She would later crash Eldridge's press conference on Cheers. "- Counselor, on the less political side, there seems to be a lot of interest in you two.

Mr. Malone, would you mind discussing your plans for the future? - Yes, I thought about having a pizza and then trying to watch a movie on the subway. " When the press conference goes completely sideways, Eldridge ends things with Sam. "- You have no respect for my career, and what's worse, you don't take me into account. You lied to me when you said you didn't feel anything for Diane, obviously you have very strong feelings. - Come on, please, that, that... - No, Sam. - Face it. - You're trying to leave all your options open and you just can't do it. - You have to make some decisions. - And some compromises. - It's called growing up.

Sam reflects on his life and then makes a decision. - I think I, uh... - I ruined my life here. I mean, look at me, I'm close to 40 and... - What do I have to show in return? - Maybe it's time to settle down, huh? - Maybe it's the right time for Mayday to get married. - Yes, hello, it's me. Look... - I've been thinking about you... - Oh, what the fuck, will you marry me?" It's not until season 5 that we find out who was on the other end of that line. - Sam? - Who else Do you think it would be? - Sam, if this is some kind of joke... - No, I'm serious, will you marry me?" Diane demands a better proposal, so Sam takes her to her boat for a romantic evening. "- Will you marry me? - No, no? - No! - It seems to me that you have two options. - One, I can throw you, or two, you can jump. - Sam, I want... - It's very simple, one or two. - Sam, you haven't... - It's not open to debate, Diane. - Sam, I think after hearing my explanation, you don't... - What if wanting to get married is an instinctive reaction to losing her?

Does he want me or just someone? And then Diane tries to accept the proposal. "- Yes! - If that? - Yes i marry with you. - Oh, oh, I see what's going on here you're still under the assumption that that offer is still valid, no, no, no, not the statute of limitations on that proposal ended the moment your feet touched water." So what exactly is going on with these two? The Cheers guys give voice to exactly what we're all thinking. "-Do you think Diane and I will ever get back together?" "Could I have my drink before I answer?" Hopefully this makes it clear how long this went on between Sam and Diane, to the point where being a couple becomes less a question of prevailing love and more a question of how healthy is this relationship for everyone involved.

Despite this never-ending romance, Cheers manages not to be exhausting with its snappy dialogue and sharp acting. Here's a quick example: "-Do you really think it's okay to go through someone's personal papers?" a man, no matter how close a friend he is, no matter... - How many Chambers are you here? - Give me that. - "Diane Chambers, probably the most incredible woman I have ever met, don't you agree, Diane?" Well... And most of the episodes are full of cute moments like these. It's a shame that the season's long narrative arc, which was so groundbreaking, had "been boiled down to five different versions of asking whether or not Sam and Diane will work out.

Season 5, despite its adherence to this pattern, at least it offers a change when the marriage proposal eventually goes somewhere. And how fitting that the episode in which it happened was titled Chambers vs. Malone. When Diane asks for a proposal and then rejects Sam, he explodes and tells her chases her out of her bar. While chasing her, Diane stumbled and then filed charges against Sam for assault and battery. As the ordeal is revealed in court, the judge finally demands that Sam propose to Diane" - Diane , will you marry me? - That didn't sound very sincere." And then he tries again. - Diane, will you marry me? - Okay. - Case dismissed. - I'm not going to force you to accept that proposal. - I know it was made under duress. - You're going to pay for what you put me through. - What do you mean? - I proposed to you, you said yes.

Now they can stop me from killing you. - But they can't stop me from marrying you. - Oh, Sam!" And so they got engaged, just four and a half seasons since that first fateful meeting. In the real world, there were rumors about Shelley Long possibly leaving the show, as her five-year contract was coming to an end. These rumors finally proved true when Long announced that she was leaving the series at the end of season 5. Several different reasons have been given as to why Long might have left the show, a common one being that she was difficult to work with. since her process involved a lot of discussion and intense preparation that isolated her from her co-stars.

Series co-creator Glen Charles explains: "Shelley liked to argue things. It was never a tantrum. But it did require a lot of talking, and I think the biggest problem was with the rest of the cast, because we had a reading at the table. , and immediately she wanted to talk about it. The normal procedure was for Jimmy to remove the cast and start blocking it, so we could see him standing. So I think that indulgence on our part, created a schism between Shelley and the rest of the cast ". Long had a response to those claims. "There were rumors about me talking too much and being passionate about Diane.

But I thought, 'That's my job.' That's what I'm supposed to do... Don't tell me not to get involved in the discussion." And Ted Danson also offered his opinion: "Shelley's trial would have infuriated you if it had been cruel or if it hadn't been that way. I haven't had a purpose. But it had a purpose, it was her way of being Diane, and there's not a single There wasn't a single bit of evil in Shelley's body. I had trouble being around her until we got on stage together, and then she was in heaven. The lure of film was also strong for Long, as he had always intended for her to be was her career path before Cheers diverted her from it.

In some ways, this could have been seen as a correction to her career path. There was also the fact that she had recently given birth and was looking forward to spending more time with her son in two years, which is another reason why Long has explained why she had left the show. Long herself explained the reason in an interview with Phil Donahue. "- I firmly believe in this, in making decisions from what I seems correct. -And a lot of people thought she was crazy to begin with, a film career, which was just budding, but was starting to happen earlier.

I was once signed to Cheers." How would this resolve Sam and Diane's long-running romance? Before the finale, Season 5 offered Diane a reminder that she once aspired to be more than just a bar waitress. She gets especially emotional when he discovers that one of his poems has been published in a literary magazine. "- I'm published! - Yeah! - I'm published! Oh, this is so exciting! - It's like, like the first time I... - I rode a bike. These aspirations arise again in the season 5 finale I Do, Adieu, when shortly before Sam and Diane's wedding, Diane's old love Sumner returns. "- I was so impressed with one of your unfinished novels that I took the liberty of sending it to a friend who is an editor at Houghton Mifflin. - You had no right to do that. - Although you agree with me that it is crude, embryonic and immature, "He loves it. - And he thinks it has a good chance of being published." When Diane reveals that she hasn't been able to write for the last five years, the same amount of time she's been on Cheers, Sumner tells her that she can't be a novelist while he's stuck there.

Sam, who overheard the conversations, suggests they delay the wedding so Diane can finish her book, and instead she convinces him to get married right away, and what better place than Cheers? "- Those dear souls will share our moment of greatest joy. - Better yet, why don't we have them right here? We'll do it right here. - Oh, I don't want those people in my house." During the wedding vows, Diane receives a call that her novel is being published. "- You have to do this book. - You have to. - I don't care about the book. - I care about you." Despite Diane's insistence that she wants to marry him, Sam doesn't want her to live with regrets. "- This is important to you. - I mean, I had my day in the sun. - I may not have been the best relief pitcher in the world... - Yes, you were, Sammy! - Thanks, the point is ... - The point is that I shot. - You have to shoot. - Do you agree thatWe... - Shouldn't we get married? - Yeah." With the wedding officially canceled and Diane leaving Cheers to finish her book, the final scene is Diane leaving Cheers with a memorable goodbye to Sam. - Hey, have a good life. - Have a good life? - What? - Well, that's something you say when something ends! - Sam! - I'm gone for six months, that's all. - So no more of that "have a good life" thing. - You never know. "You could die, I could die, the world could end, one of us could hit our head and, uh, wander the streets for the rest of our lives with amnesia.

Or maybe one of us decides he wants something more." "None of those things will happen. - I'll come back here - I will. - I'll see you in six months. - Okay? - Okay. - Okay. - That's better. - Have a good life." At the beginning of the episode, there was an extended dream sequence in which Sam imagines the future he and Diane could have had by leaving at an older age, having children, and settling down happily. A future where neither of them regrets for a second the path they chose. But the most important thing is that this is a fantasy.

Sam imagines this happy ending because it's the kind of future he wanted to have with Diane. One without all the conflict and chaos where the two can simply find a way to live happily together. It's something they wanted for themselves but couldn't find with each other. Instead of trying to make this fantasy a reality, the ending makes Sam realize that Diane has her own dream, and instead of chasing something that may never happen, she has the chance to make this dream come true. How many of our relationships are based on these types of illusions? The future we imagine with someone without taking into account the reality of what it means to really be together.

Sam and Diane were a couple who lived for that illusion, that feeling of what it could be like to ignore the struggle of the present that told them how unlikely that future would be, without realizing that happiness could be somewhere else in the world. Some of the most memorable romances in art are of couples that someone might aspire to be a part of, but Sam and Diane are not an aspirational couple. The first five seasons of Cheers are about a couple pursuing a fantasy. As Sam says goodbye to Diane, the image fades into that fantasy one last time and we can imagine for a moment more what Sam and Diane might have been like in another life.

Shelley Long's departure from the series was well known before the finale, although during filming it was still kept secret, to the point that an alternate ending was filmed in front of a studio audience where Sam and Diane got married. "- Don't you think I want to marry you? - Listen, you know, I want to marry you much more than you want to marry me! - Oh, now wait a minute. - I want to marry you more than anyone else in the land of God! - You're telling me you want to marry me - Yes, you're saying you want to marry me? - Yes, yes! - I now pronounce you husband and wife!" Sometimes it's fun to think what could have happened if Shelley Long had stayed on the show, but in retrospect, this might have been the best thing for Cheers.

Another reason she gave for leaving is that she had grown increasingly tired of Diane Chambers' character and her dynamic with Sam, constantly repeating the same arc of reuniting with Sam and then separating from her. Cheers needed a new dynamic, and in season six, when Long left the series, someone else came along to fill that role. We believe in you... Before we move on to the next season of Cheers, we need to take a quick trip to talk about a lesser-known spin-off series that debuted during the sixth season of Cheers, the Tortellis. The very short-lived series starred Carla's ex-husband, Nick, and his wife Loretta.

We were introduced to Nick and Loretta at the beginning of the series, although Nick and Carla have been divorced for some time, they have several children together, so they stay in touch. Nick is destined to be a sexy guy. "- What if I... - Stop it, Nick, don't look at me! - No, not the look! - Call me... - Irresponsible... - Oh, and the song! - Oh, look and the song!" Or at least sexy to Carla and also, in some ways, to his new wife Loretta. We also meet two other members of the Tortelli cast through Cheers.

Carla's son, Anthony, played by Timothy Williams, and his new wife, Annie, played by Mandy Ingber. "- You're only sixteen! - You were pregnant when you were sixteen! - Yes, but I wasn't stupid enough to get married! The premise of the Tortellis was that the previous characters were packing their bags to move to Las Vegas. Living with Loretta's sister Charlotte, played by Carlene Watkins, and Charlotte's son Mark, played by Aaron Moffatt, while Nick made a living in a television repair business. The show was not a success. It ran for 13 episodes before of being canceled. Here's a sample: "- Oh, hey, listen to us.

Are we the biggest pair of tits in town or what? - Not in this city. Unlike Cheers, the quality of Tortellis couldn't save it. All of the Tortellis would make appearances in later episodes of Cheers, revealing that Nick's television repair business failed and that those responsible for the Tortellis have gone into hiding for their involvement in creating a comedy crime. Heading into the sixth season of Cheers, there was a lot of concern about the future of the show following the departure of Shelley Long. Co-creator Les Charles commented: "I remember one critic saying, when Shelley walked out that door, 'There she goes, cheers.' And for all we knew, they could have been right.

But we said to ourselves, 'We're not going to do it.' make another romance. Let's find something different." The romance between Sam and Diane would no longer be the center of every story. Instead, the series would focus more on the whole and the supporting cast would have more opportunities to be the center of attention. There was also There was an opening for a new member to join the cast. This was filled by Kirstie Alley, playing the character of Rebecca Howe. Speaking in 1993, series co-creator James Burrows reveals where the idea for Rebecca came from: " -When I started talking about the show, originally it was Sam who was going to work for a woman, a woman who would own the bar.

So we thought it was really interesting, you know, Lothario was working for the woman. And so we went back to that particular idea and the juxtaposition of characters." The season 6 premiere, Home is the Sailor, fast-forwards the show six months after Diane's departure. Woody summarizes recent events for us: "-Sam sold the bar from some big corporation, bought a boat. - He's sailing around the world with it. - Hey, well, good for Sam! I thought he was supposed to get married. -Well, Miss Chambers went to write her book, but that didn't work out. The last we heard she was in Hollywood trying to write for television.

Sam sold Cheers to a corporation called Lillian who gave everyone uniforms, changed the decor, and attracted a new clientele. "- Good afternoon everyone. - NORM! - That was it, Woody. Last chance, I'm out of here." When Sam returns, having crashed his boat, he hopes to get his old job as a bartender back. Only Sam learns that Cheers' new boss, Rebecca, isn't ready to welcome him with open arms. The original concept of Rebecca was to turn her into a beautiful woman in charge of her who would be tough on everyone around her. The problem was that this wasn't very fun.

But there was a moment during rehearsal that changed the character's course. James Burrows commented in an interview: "It wasn't fun until Rebecca had to go to her office and Kirstie couldn't get in the door. She kept turning it and it wouldn't turn, and she got frustrated, and I remember us saying, 'Oh my God, this That's what this character is: a woman from the 80s, during the feminist movement, who believes she has control of everything and can't open a damn door. "I locked myself in. - No, I didn't." Although at first she blushes like a no-nonsense professional woman, so composed that she in fact easily rejects Sam's advances, we discover that Rebecca turns into a mess every time someone mentions Evan Drake, her boss and the man her. she is in love.

In deference to Drake, Rebecca hires Sam again and we establish our new semi-romantic dynamic. Sam constantly flirts with Rebecca and she rejects him. "- I want to sleep with you 25 times, but... - You don't want to sleep with me at all, right? - Good. - Well, what's half of 25? - Your IQ." This pattern repeats itself so often that Sam's effort feels a lot more like sexual harassment, particularly since Rebecca clearly has no interest. However, she establishes that this won't be another Sam and Diane dynamic to monopolize the focus of the series. I want to highlight a couple of characters that are well known and loved by Cheers fans.

Of course, I'm talking about the beloved couple of Norm and Rebecca. Of course, with these two it's not love or even attraction that connects them. What really unites them is their ties to corporate culture and how it is represented on Cheers. When we first met Norm, he was working as an accountant, although he was fired in the first season for stopping his boss from sexually assaulting Diane. "- That's not my idea! - Oh, come on, Diane... - No, no, wait a minute! - Mr. Sawyer, I told you to leave! - What are you doing?! Stay away from me! me! - Norma, this is a big mistake! - I'm sorry sir, I know sir. - Nice cologne, sir, excellent." From there, Norm goes back and forth between unemployment and short-term jobs.

Almost all of them in faceless corporations where he gets lost in a sea of ​​accountants. Norm is a character who isn't terribly motivated to achieve. success in his career. He's happy to have his barstool, a beer, and a couple of friends in his life. When it comes to work, he's perfectly happy not to be a top executive." - Norm Peterson is perfectly happy to be an anonymous cog in this company's gigantic machine. - Oh, I forgot, didn't you want to say something at the meeting? - How delighted I was to be part of the firm, sir. - Well, we're glad to have you on board, Springsteen.

Norm has the most ordinary jobs and lives, and considering the life of the average man in the '80s, perhaps this explains his need to find a place like Cheers, a place of comfort in the crushing reality of the modern world. Norm is not a go-getter in a world that glorifies the concept. He and his coworkers are told to do their best, making their company a lot of money, while everyone is trying to move up the corporate ladder, only there isn't enough room there for everyone, so workplaces become competitive, leading to toxicity as seen in this episode where Norm's office mate decides to ruin it the moment he has a chance to get ahead of Norm.

Ambition becomes a weapon that way, since there may be more people qualified for that first position than there are vacancies that can be filled, or in some cases it can lead someone to reach a position for which they are not suited. The perfect contrast to Norm's indifference toward success in the business world is Rebecca's ambition. Rebecca largely represents Lillian's drive to succeed in the business world, eager to move up the corporate hierarchy. Uncomfortably tied to this is Rebecca's affection for rich and successful men, usually those who are her superiors. In season 6, she constantly fawns over Evan Drake, and in season 7, when Drake is replaced, her affections transfer to her new boss, Greg Stone.

There is an instance where Rebecca rejected an executive, Martin Teal, even though she had established that she was not interested in him, before discovering that she was his boss. Rebecca's philosophy towards dating is most accurately represented in this line: "- I've wasted too much time, I'm not getting any younger, and I've made the decision to only date men who can help me in my career. - You know they have a name for women." like that. - Yes. Vice President. This raises interesting questions about how ambition in the corporate world is shown to us on Cheers. For Rebecca, to climb the corporate ladder, she feels her only option is to date to get to Merit Never is an important consideration for her, and throughout the series we definitely get the impression that Rebecca isn't particularly good at her job, although she does show flashes of skill from time to time. "A lot of these executives don't seem particularly skilled either.

They are constantly being replaced and, in some cases, let out of their jobs in handcuffs. Success in the corporate world seems to be largely a product of circumstance. In many ways, Norm and Rebecca are caught on the lowest rungs of corporate success, but neither of them have the means to be much more than that, so they spend their days on Cheers, far from that harsh corporate world. The only time Cheers is not a welcoming space is in that period when Rebecca, adhering to the corporate standards of a bar, took his life, as seen in the first episodes of season 6.

But gradually, the bar It regains its old character and once again becomes a refuge for its regular customers once it begins to shed the imposed corporate aesthetic. However, there is one time we see NormFinding Some Happiness Through His Work: In the season 6 episode Paint Your Office, Norm reveals that he is not only good at painting but also enjoys it. "- Painting is very different from accounting. - This is real, you know? - I have some control over this. - I mean, when I look back, I finish a job, I can say, "You know, I did that." " He enjoys it so much that he decides to focus on painting instead of looking for another job as an accountant.

However, in season 7, Rebecca decides to help give Norm's painting business a chance by running it for him. "- Now If I can turn a beer-drinking nobody into a successful businessman, then those corporate guys will see that I can do anything." It doesn't go well and is considered another of Rebecca's failures. The message here seems to be that if you're struggling in your career and living a life of failure, it's best to find a friendly bar where you can lick your wounds, but there's an important addition to that. Greetings, it is not a good place. Of the many bosses we know, several are sexual predators or criminals, and even co-workers are depicted ready to stab you in the back whenever they get the chance.

It's not that Rebecca and Norm are being kicked out of the corporate world for their personal failures, there's the added dimension that it's a cutthroat place that attracts terrible people neither of them have any interest in being, and at various points in the story. series, both characters face unpleasant bosses despite what it might mean for their careers to do otherwise. Rebecca and Norm are not exceptional people, they are perfectly average, but they are the average type of people chewed up and spit out by these large corporations. They're only losers because they can't make it in that corporate world.

There are two other Cheers regulars I want to talk about too, but they're not as friendly with each other as Norm and Rebecca are. Carla and Cliff are possibly the two biggest losers on Cheers, and they're both completely enthralled by motherhood. One of Carla's defining traits is her chaotic family life. Aside from Sam, she may have the most romantic interests on the show, and several of them get her pregnant. Nick is the father of five of her children, Frasier's mentor Bennett Ludlow, played by James Karen, is the father of her sixth child, and Eddie Lebec, played by Jay Thomas, is the father of her twins.

Carla, to her credit, does not get caught up in relationships that she would not feel comfortable in, such as when Ludlow proposes to her, keeping that proposal even after finding out that she was pregnant. "- I don't want your cheesy looks, I don't want your charity, I don't want your sympathy, in fact, I don't even want to talk about this anymore. - I just want to be left alone to live my life. Understood? - Understood. - Do you understand?" What are you made of? Of stone? Carla walks a difficult path, but it seems that what matters most to her is that it is the path she herself has chosen.

She does not need a man to come along to save her, and she will face any obstacle on the way to "- Eddie Lebec. "-Eddie Lebec. - Born in Hull, Quebec. Selected among the youth players in the fifth round for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played for a year with the Leafs, then was traded to the Winnipeg Jets, then to Calgary and then to Boston. - Wow. - Missed two games, 78 and 81. - Currently leads the league in goals against. - Mh-hmm. - Single, favorite number is 555-7843. - What's that? - Where can they find me at night. - Oh, well..." In season 6, the two get married and it seems, at least, in some ways, that Carla might have a happy ending after all. " - What the hell. - I'm married. - And in love with a great guy.

But things with Jay Thomas, the actor who played Eddie, took a turn outside the series. Calling into a radio show for an interview, Thomas made a joke about needing combat pay to kiss Carla. According to Thomas, the joke was directed at the character, not Rhea Pearlman herself. According to series writer Ken Levine, "Rhea came into my office and was furious. I had never seen her like this. She said, 'I want him off the show.'" Pearlman denied this, saying, "That's not true. I loved Jay Thomas as Eddie LeBec. But there was a point where they thought maybe we should live together and I didn't like the idea of ​​Carla being with someone because that would make you feel like you weren't part of the people at the bar.

Whatever the reason, in season 8, things take a dark turn for Eddie. "- Eddie is dead. - It was a freak accident with the ice show. - It happened very suddenly. - They were cleaning the ice with that big machine after the penguin dip act. - One of the penguins slipped and fell in front of the machine. Eddie dove in just in time. - He pushed the guy out of the way. - He never felt a thing." A hard blow to one of the few good things in Carla's life: instead, she has to raise eight children alone.

Over and over again, there are countless jokes about Carla's unruly children committing crimes, torturing babysitters, or getting arrested. Although Carla loves her children, she always seems to be attached to them. Watching Carla is like watching someone get hit over and over again, only to get up and move on. She is incredibly resilient. Her life has given her a direction, but she still manages to live with some zest. There are a few episodes where Carla laments what she could have been if she hadn't gotten pregnant in high school, but she never gets that chance. Motherhood is her destiny and she never has the means to escape it, simply falling into an endless cycle of unprotected sex and parenting. "- Look at my life. - I never had a childhood, I married Nick when I was 15, I never got to go to prom or homecoming.

To a sleepover. - To Fort Lauderdale on spring break. - Go straight from grade school to grandma." Although the show never explains why Carla doesn't use protection, it is probably due to her strict Catholic upbringing. In many ways, Carla is trapped by her biology and a religious belief of hers that discourages women from exploring her sexuality safely. Cliff Clavin, of course, is not a mother, although one of her defining characteristics is the heavy shadow of her mother that looms over her life. Ironically, the first of Cliff's parents we meet is the father who abandoned him in season 4.

Dick O'Neill plays Cliff Sr. "- After what you've done to me there can be no peace between us. - Now, hit the bricks! - Cliffie. - What? - What is that? - Where? - I got you! Ha ha , ha! - Ah, dad! You always knew how to press the right buttons! - Hey!" Cliff's father abandons him again before the episode ends, but in season 5 we meet Cliff's mother, Esther, played by Frances Sternhagen. "- It's a little-known fact that arctic wolves that stayed in the den too long showed a tendency to be reticent in their howls. - Oh. - Now, when I read that- - Hey, mom, come on, you're boring "Take away the pants to these people here." In her previous appearances, Esther seems more interested in finally getting Cliff out of the nest, even going so far as to sell her family home so she can move to Florida. "- Clifford, I'm doing this so much for you as for myself, you are 39 years old!

It's time to cut the cord!" Eventually, Esther has to return to Boston, and she and Cliff live together again, only now in their new apartment. A recurring narrative that has caused him to find some happiness is that he is a mentor from a new employee at the post office, Margaret O'Keefe, played by Annie Golden. "-Margaret, what the hell are you trying to say here? - Cliff, do you find me attractive? - I mean, physically? - Cliff, do you want to be with me? - I want to be with you! It doesn't work when Margaret is fired and goes to Canada to get a job in the postal service there.

However, Margaret would return several times, even almost marrying Cliff, although this is notably ruined due to Ma Clavin's domineering presence. "- Ma'... - I want to talk to you. - You can stop crushing that organ right now. - I take off my little hat. - I'm already your monkey. - Clifford, we don't have time for the monkey speech, we're too busy. This is a recurring theme for Cliff: trying to escape his mother, only to be dragged back into the same codependent relationship. Although his mother is overbearing, the reason she stays so close to Cliff is, in part, for reasons "-Well, you know how much I enjoy the... - ...historically rich sport of dog racing. - Who does not? - Turns out I enjoyed it too much last Friday, and let's just say I owe some people some money." Carla feels infinite hatred in her heart towards Cliff.

It's something she clearly feels down to her bones. "- The Vikings in They weren't actually the killer loot- - Would you shut up?" Part of that hatred could be because Carla sees in Cliff her biggest nightmare: an overgrown child who was too attached to his mother, and with eight children and a turbulent financial reality. , that would be eight times the number of Cliffs for Carla. A truly terrifying thought. The two characters contrast interestingly with that perspective, it is a reminder that the bonds of motherhood can last much longer than a mother or child would like, creating a relationship that is mutually suffocating.

Although Cliff obviously loves his mother, the relationship is clearly toxic and he desperately needs Cheers to get away from her. For Carla, it is not so much a refuge as a job, a place to help her feed her her own children, and what makes that job more difficult is the terrifying vision of a potential future with a child or children who may never leave her alone. . She then lashes out at Cliff for that horrible sight. Or maybe she just hates him because he never shuts up. "-...and the high-tech shatterproof reflective lenses that allow me to see the dollies without attracting attention. -You can walk up to them naked with your hair on fire and not attract attention." The eighth season played out as a kind of love triangle.

I say sort of because two of the participants, Rebecca and Sam, could hardly be described as romantically involved. Although season 7 saw them two inches closer together, and Rebecca considered Sam a potential lover, the relationship was never anything more than sexual. "-Definitely maybe!-I heard that!" In season 8, things take on a slightly different focus with the arrival of billionaire Robin Colcord, played by Roger Rees, who interrupts Sam's big chance to connect with Rebecca. Robin, apparently impressed by a business letter Rebecca had sent him, showed up in Boston to meet her and the two begin a relationship that spans the entire season.

Robin is everything Rebecca wants in a man: Rich... Sam stays on the sidelines, although he doesn't miss Rebecca so much as he cares about a friend. He reveals how the relationship is really just sexual attraction and not much more than that. At the end of season 8, Rebecca and Robin's relationship is tested when she discovers that he was using her to steal inside information from the Lillian corporation. Although Robin is dating another woman at the same time, Rebecca decides to protect him and it is Sam who ends up turning him in. Sam is rewarded by the corporation when they sell him the bar for less than a dollar.

And Robin bails out of prison, only to flee the United States, leaving Rebecca behind. Sam, trying to comfort Rebecca, eventually sleeps with her. Although when Robin returns and realizes that he loves Rebecca, he finds her with Sam. "- Rebecca. - I'm back. - Oh my God!" Although season 9 would pick up this plot with Robin going to jail and Rebecca trying to wait for him, they never end up together. The relationship with Robin challenges Rebecca to grow as a character, to decide if she can tolerate a man who cheats on her and uses her for corporate espionage because she is attracted to his money, or perhaps to consider that life can be something more. to chase. after a rich guy.

What makes this relationship ultimately fail is that Rebecca doesn't really grow. She started out as a shallow person who was only interested in Robin for her money, and when she finally breaks it, after Robin goes bankrupt and is left with nothing but himself: "-I only loved you for your money!" " When she leaves, she doesn't even lash out at all the ways he hurt and used her, she's just sad that he doesn't have more money. Rebecca is a difficult character to like and moments like these only make it even more difficult. Although many of the characters on Cheers have aged surprisingly well, Rebecca was one of the few characters who seemed like a vestige of the past.

The '80s career woman who is revealed to be a dollar-chasing woman in the shape of a man, a new shell of an old trope. "- How would you like to win that root beer? - Sure! Uh, yes I can!" The Cheers cast was not limitedstrictly to appear on his own show. In addition to guest appearances on other shows, such as Wings, Saint Elsewhere, and The Simpsons, we also got to see the Cheers cast in several specials, completely outside the confines of the sitcom format. These segments and shows are very strange in many different ways, and I want to take a moment to count down the 7 strangest guest appearances from the Cheers cast.

Number 7: Pregame segment from Game 3 of the 1986 World Series. The least bizarre of these guest appearances is creative and appropriate. During the 1986 World Series, in which the New York Mets faced the Boston Red Sox, NBC, which was broadcasting the series, thought it would be fun to have a few minutes before the game in which the former Mets pitcher Red Sox Sam Malone is interviewed by Bob Costas. It only lasts a few minutes, so it doesn't wear out its welcome and is a fun way to tie in one of the network's biggest shows with its sports programming. "- Remember how you said that if you were in a tough situation, you would go to your money toss. - Money toss? - Yeah, um, you know, when you put the dollop of Vaseline on the ball to do it- - Number 6, Super Bowl 17 Pregame Segment In 1983, before Super Bowl 17, sportscaster Pete Axthelm hangs out at Cheers for a quick drink.

Once again, it only lasts a few minutes and doesn't wear out its welcome. , but the jokes don't land as well as the previous segment. What makes it a little stranger than that World Series segment is the monologue delivered at the end of the scene, completely breaking the fourth wall, but thankfully shortening this segment Number 5. Uncle Sam Malone This standalone special has the cast of Cheers promoting US savings bonds. It's about half an episode long, just under 12 minutes, and is surprisingly entertaining. But the very nature of the special makes it feel strange, with the Cheers cast reduced to launch people. "- Coach, do you have somewhere to store? - Oh yeah, Sam, I have a bunch of them, I bought them years ago! - You know, I thought it was for the good of the country. - Great. - Yeah, but no "I remember what I did with them. - Well, no problem because the government will replace them free of charge." Number 4, 1983 NBC All Star Hour.

This is where things start to get really weird. Before its new fall season, NBC used to air hour-long specials. featuring the many artists in its programming. In a series of short sketches. Although other versions of All Star Hour had the actors appearing as themselves, the 1983 edition featured a framing device where the show begins with Cheers before slipping into a dream sequence where Diane is on the show, waiting tables alongside to his other Cheers co-stars. As each show from the 1983 season has a small segment, the Cheers cast appears in a series of silly sketches before finally ending with Diane meeting Johnny Carson and then appearing again on Cheers, realizing it was all a dream.

Number 3: Mickey's 60th birthday. This special aired on NBC on November 13, 1988, to celebrate Mickey Mouse's 60th birthday. In this special, Mickey has apparently disappeared and wanders around. in different television programs. At one point, he ends up on Cheers, where the cast is so bewildered by the news of Mickey's disappearance that they don't realize he walked into the bar. Upon discovering that it is Rebecca's birthday, he sings her happy birthday to her and then leaves. "-Happy birthday to you..." The Cheers cast hanging out with Mickey Mouse felt strange, especially the part where Sam once again tries to convince Rebecca to hook up with him. "- Do you want to go to my house maybe and, uh, cry together? - No, I'd rather be alone. - Besides, crying would only make me look older. - Oh, what are you talking about?

Well... - " Well, I think you look great! - Really? And then Rebecca invites Mickey to dinner. The implication here of Mickey taking Sam's place is a little strange. I'm not sure this would be appropriate for a special. Mickey Mouse Number 2: Celebrating Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Another Disney-themed special, this one from February 4, 1990. In this case, the special ends with visits to Cheers, beginning with Woody describing the time he went to the Disneyland's haunted mansion and apparently kissed a girl who was also a ghost. The special is a glorified hour-long advertisement for Disneyland. It is historically interesting because, within a few years, Disney would buy ABC, NBC's rival, and Disneyland advertising became much more insidious when trips to the theme park suddenly found themselves at the center of several sitcom episodes.

Also the strange thing about this special is that it features a special rap performance by Will Smith. "- And they say, you say it loud so you sound precocious! Super-cali-fragile-istic-expi-ali-docio! Number 1, the Earth Day special. This special in honor of Earth Day is aired on ABC in April. The two-hour program featured an all-star cast offering advice on how to better treat the environment. Most notably, it featured characters and actors from film and television coming out of their respective bubbles to be part of this special. We saw Doogie Howser hanging out with Doc Brown from Back to the Future and Murphy Brown reporting on the developing Mother Earth Disease saga.

There were segments with the Huxtables from the Cosby Show and the Bundys from Married to children, watching it aired on TV. And of course, the cast of Cheers also had a brief cameo. The special had a framing device of a couple at home watching all the stories unfold: Vic and Paula played by the couple from the real life of Danny DeVito and Rhea. Pearlman, that's why Carla wasn't included in the Cheer segment. The special ends with celebrities telling us to remember to recycle. And more than 30 years later, we finally solved the environment by killing it. Although Cheers had been among the top five most-watched shows and television shows for the previous five seasons, season 9 was the first and only season in which it was, on average, the most-watched television show in the United States for the entire year.

By reaching number one, it had done the unthinkable: go from the least watched show to the most watched in nine years. The long-term stories began to pay off as we saw the characters blossom. In particular, Woody managed to do more than be an outlet for funny one-liners. It's not that they disappeared completely. "- Wow, those English people are smart. - No wonder we lost that war. - No, we didn't lose the war. We won it. - Oh, right. So why do we speak English?" In season 7, Woody introduced a love interest, Kelly Gaines, played by Jackie Swanson. "- Are you always this obtuse? - The sash makes my waist look thick. - Yes, thick, that's the word I was looking for. - Write it on your hand, you'll never forget it! - It's so much fun!" Although Kelly seems unaware at first, as we get to know her, we discover that she is Woody's mirror image.

He is the naive farmer and she is the naive rich girl. The relationship blossoms perhaps most memorably when Woody writes a song for Kelly. "- Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly... - K-E-L-L-Y - Why? Because you're Kelly, Kelly, Kelly... -... From me." At the end of season 8, Woody proposes to Kelly before her trip to Europe. "- I won't sit still while you run away to Europe. - I love you Kelly, and I want to make you Mrs. Woodrow Tiberius Boyd. - Tiberius? - Susan! - Let's get married! Oh, that will be wonderful!" In season 9, Kelly returns from Europe with her new friend Henri, played by Anthony Cistaro.

It's hard to imagine that she would ever cheat on Woody, although Henri tries his best. "- I could steal Kelly with both hands tied behind my back. - Ooh..." This motivates Woody to propose to Kelly again. "- I want to spend the rest of my life with you. - What I'm trying to say is... - Will you marry me? - Of course I'll marry you, Woody!" Woody and Kelly probably have the healthiest relationship on Cheers, aside from the two of them adjusting so well to each other, their innocence creates a bond between them that allows them to see the world in the same way.

The relationship almost seems out of place on Cheers, so much so that when the wedding comes around at the end of season 10, it takes place at the Gaines home. Although this finale originally aired as a one-hour special, it was split into two episodes during syndication, and as a result, the second part is the only episode of Cheers that does not have a single scene set in the bar. "- Now if we can get the body in the cellar and Frasier fix Uncle Roger and Rebecca to fix the cake and Lilith to entertain the guests and Cliffie to fix Woody's pants and we'll be ready. - Sammy, I Hate be the one to tell you this, but the body seems to have fallen from the dumbwaiter. - Oh, wow... - Just when everything was going so well.

It was a crazy episode. In contrast to the blissful innocence of Woody and Kelly, we have the tumultuous marriage of Frasier and Lilith. We met Lilith Sternin, played by Bebe Neuwirth, in season 4, when she and Frasier were on a date. "- I thought we could have a drink or two, which would lower our inhibitions a little and allow us to return to your house and have some kind of physical encounter. - Well, we won't. - I appreciate your candor. - No, no. you do." Originally intended to be a one-off character, Neuwirth did such an excellent job that she returned in season five.

And this time she and Frasier got along. "- What these two people, who are so great as romance, are trying to do is make you let your hair down thinking that it will stimulate me like some kind of Pavlovian dog. - You mean like that? - Precisely." Over the seasons, we see this romance develop into a marriage and eventually they have a son together, Frederick. "- He's 11 months old, what values ​​can he learn here? - Well, I thought the place had a lot to offer! - Oh please, he'll never learn to speak in this environment. - Good afternoon everyone. - Norma! " Neuwirth would join the main cast in season 10.

Although it may seem like the story of a happy couple, Frasier and Lilith have a very turbulent relationship. It's surprising that they stay together despite all the fights they fight. In one memorable moment, Frasier forgets himself when he is reunited with his first wife, Nanny G, played by Emma Thompson. "- Oh Lord." For season 11, it looks like Frasier and Lilith are going to completely end things in a two-parter where Lilith reveals that she's been dating someone else. "- What's the worst thing I can imagine? - Okay, I got it. - Lilith, your news, please. - This afternoon, in a moment of extreme weakness, - I tricked you. - That was it! - That it was the worst!" Lilith leaves Frasier to live in an underground eco-pod with Dr.

Pascal, leaving Frasier suicidal. "- Thanks, Frasier. - Well, thanks for getting me off the ledge. - I was going to pretend to faint and fall back down, but this worked out much better." About 10 episodes later, Lilith realizes her mistake, escapes the eco-pod, and returns to Frasier. - No matter how much you have seen, no matter how much you beg, we are not going to Venice. - Oh, Frasier! - Welcome home, Lilith." Comparing these two marriages, Woody and Kelly and Frasier and Lilith, one thing that is incredibly surprising is how dramatically different they turn out. In the case of Woody and Kelly, we see Henri in five episodes throughout for three seasons.

And even when he convinces Kelly to marry him at a bad time to obtain American citizenship, it never seems like Kelly's feelings for Woody are in serious danger. All of the tension comes from Woody's anxiety. On the other hand, we don't even meet Dr. Pascal until he and Lilith are already having an affair, but the idea that Frasier and Lilith's marriage is in trouble feels completely natural. If these relationships present the two extremes of function and dysfunction, most of the relationships we see in the series are more similar to Frasier and Lilith than Woody and Kelly.

Sam and Diane were an explosive combination, Carla's marriage ended with the death of her husband only to discover that he he had a secret second family all the time. Cliff's romance with Margaret ends with her marrying another man. Back in Canada, and although Norm is adamant about his marriage to the invisible Virah, his marriage is not particularly warm and loving, at least from what we see on Cheers. With Woody and Kelly, the conflict arises not from their personal tension but from the way they both naively view the world. That shared experience makes them apt to stay together happily, and perhaps their relative innocence would make a divorce or some other breakup more sad than fun.

They are characters that just don't seem to work while living under a rain cloud. "I have to tell you Woody Boyd, this is the worst day of my life and I wish I was dead! - Bye everyone!" The eleventh season would be the show's last, although there was talk of a twelfth, Ted Danson had decided that he was ready to leave the show.show and, without Sam, the producers decided that the show simply couldn't continue as it had. . At one point, they proposed to Woody Harrelson that they could rework the show to make it the focal point.

He explained in an interview: "After it became clear that Teddy was no longer going to do the show, a network EC took me to dinner and said, 'We can continue the show and you'll own the show.'" " We hadn't even eaten our appetizers yet! I said, Ted Danson is the star, and I can promise that people won't want to watch it without him. I didn't want to watch it without him. Dinner was awkward after that. The eleventh season concluded many of the Cheers characters' stories. Frasier and Lilith's marriage had gone through its most difficult period and somehow survived.

Although this wouldn't last after Cheers. Carla makes some kind of peace with her ex-husband Nick, Cliff gets a promotion at the post office, Woody is elected a Boston city councilman, Rebecca gets engaged to a plumber, Norm asks Woody to get her a job as accountant for the city and we find out that Sam wears a hairpiece."- Sammy!! You wear a rug! - It's not a rug, it's not a rug! - It's a hair replacement system." But a hairpiece wouldn't be Sam Malone's only bow. Cheers would end with the conclusion of the standalone story that has been occurring throughout the entire series.

In the second episode of Cheers, Diane summarized Sam by saying: "- You're a rapidly aging teenager and throughout the series, we get glimpses into Sam's life and that his endless parade of encounters has left him dissatisfied." - I bet you have many things that matter to you deeply. - Yeah? Like what? - Your work. - It's a great way to meet girls. - You love your car. - The girls love it. - Browse. - Babies in waves! At the end of season 9, Sam begins to want more for himself and considers becoming a father after taking care of Frederick.

He asks Rebecca to be the mother. "- I was thinking that you and I should have a baby together." As you might have guessed, this goes nowhere, and midway through season 10, Sam and Rebecca decide that it would make more sense to have a child with someone they really want to start a family with. The culmination of these growing feelings of youth fading, leading to an empty old age, is when Sam decides to seek help for his womanizing habits and goes to a support group for sexually compulsives. "-I'm not so happy anymore. I guess I'm starting to realize that all that skirt chasing kept me from experiencing some of the good things in life, some of the important things." After Sam gives his speech near the end of the episode, there was a pivotal moment in which one of the other participants in the group shares his own story, and Sam responds like this: "So you like Chinese food?" ?" Another classic Sam Malone line, but instead of everyone at Cheers laughing.

As he advances, the group looks at Sam disapprovingly and the audience's laughter disappears. It's a sign that, as fun as they are, Sam's antics with women aren't always a source of levity, and that he needs to find some kind of solution. happy ending for himself. This was the episode that led us to the three-part finale, One For The Road. It marked the return of Diane Chambers to Cheers. "-That Kim Alexis is hot!-Look to the right of her.-Thank you, Dr. Wendell Brandt." Sam decides to send Diane a congratulatory telegram for winning her prize, which leads to a call, which leads to Diane's return to the bar. "- Hello everyone!

After pretending that they are both happily married and have families, Sam and Diane open up to each other, not only about being single, but also about why Diane never returned to Cheers." - I didn't want to go back until I was successful, Sam. "-But six months turned into a year, and by then I had waited too long." At this point in his life, Sam is trying to find more than sex, and Diane being his last meaningful long-term relationship represents his missed opportunity for something more. Although, interestingly, when he talks to Diane, he reflects on what a bad match he is. "- We are totally different. - I think we have proven it again today, right? - I guess we did.

Although they almost say goodbye, they instead get together, leading to: "Diane and I are together again!" Did you hear what I said? I said we're, huh. We're a couple, in fact, we're leaving. to marry". Sam plans to move with Diane to California, but when the Cheers gang seems to disapprove, he lashes out at them: "I mean, all you guys do is sit there and watch the world go by, you don't need me for that!" Come on , I want to get off the bench, you know, - I want to get in the game! - So, you're going to abandon us? - You're going to walk away like it's nothing.

A traitor? - A traitor? - I need more than this, You know? - You should need more than this! - I'm not your mother! - This is not your house! - I gave that man the best years of my life. While on the plane to California, Sam and Diane "- Well, you know it's been a long time since I flew first class, I guess I remember it being more comfortable. - Yes me too. - Hey, you know... - Yeah, I think we both know that." With Diane returning to California, Sam returns to Cheers and offers Cuban cigars to make peace with everyone.

After some teasing, they join him. Although Sam

knows

that Diane has always been a fantasy of his, he still feels unfulfilled. "- You know, coming here and telling them they don't have lives..." - I guess he was really talking about me. - God, how ironic. - Yes, the irony. "- One by one, I seem to be losing my uh, thrills and tingles, you know, I keep asking myself, what is the meaning of life?" As everyone ponders the meaning of life, the phone rings and everyone wonders if it could be for them. - Who's calling here? - That's Lilith. - Probably Kelly. - It could be mine. - My kids?" They might all have a call, everyone except Sam. "- I'll keep thinking, you know, - I want some kind of change in my life. - You know something, I hate change. - I mean, you know, every day you wake up, something changes.

Everything is changing very quickly, I like things to stay the way they are, you know, I like things that you can count on. - You know you just gave me something to think about, Woody. - Oh, I'm sorry, Sam, I hate when someone does that to me. When everyone leaves, the last person to leave the bar is, of course, Norm." - I didn't want to say this in front of the others but, you know, what do I think is the most important thing in life? - It's love. - Do you want to know what I love? - Beer, Norm? - Yeah, have one quick. - I don't think it matters what you love, Sammy. - It could be a person, it could be a thing, as long as you love it totally, completely. , without judging. - Sammy, can I?

Did I tell you a little secret? - Sure. - I knew you would come back. - Did you? - You can never be unfaithful to your one true love. - You always go back to her. - Who is that one? - Think about it, Sam." Sam reflects on Norm's words, and as he looks around the bar, everything suddenly falls into place. - I'm the luckiest beep son in the world." The last spoken line in Cheers is: "Sorry, we're closed!" And the series ends with Sam walking to the back of the bar and taking a moment to straighten up. the image of Geronimo, the image hung in honor of Nicholas Colasanto.

And the final shot matches the one that began the series. Cheers finale had an air of melancholy hanging over the bar, only tempered by the kindness of the people inside it. That Cheers is Sam's one true love is a bittersweet realization, knowing that it's not having another person come into his life that makes it worthwhile, but that he's created a space to build a community of friends who are now so close to him. dear ones. to the fantasy of living with a perfect partner imagined for Sam, is to spend his days offering a friendly ear and a frothy drink to help his friends get through the day a little easier.

When Sam was about to leave with Diane , his line about comfort stood out. "-I guess I remember he was more comfortable.-Yes, me too." And when the topic of the meaning of life comes up, Cliff offers his own answer: "-Comfortable shoes.-Shoes?-Yes.-If you don't wear comfortable shoes, life is chaos." A place like Cheers can only exist when it offers comfort, a refuge from the outside world. All of the Cheers characters have been beaten up by their lives, and Cheers is where they go for comfort. How they ended up there doesn't matter as much as knowing that you are welcome and appreciated.

Who doesn't want that? One of the limitations of Cheers is that he doesn't offer much space. To grow, although the characters' lives are changed, this usually happens somewhere else, somewhere outside the bar. When they're on Cheers, they get caught in a kind of stasis. That's why the show had to end the way it did. , with everyone leaving the bar to challenge the world again. Only Sam stays because it's his job to keep Cheers going. The ending of Cheers was originally going to be a little different. It was originally only planned to be a single 30-minute episode.

The network convinced the producers to make it an hour-long episode, and then when President Clinton expressed interest in being in the finale, it was extended again to the 90-minute version we got. Although his part was written, Clinton had to withdraw from the show due to a scheduling conflict. The final episode of Cheers was so anticipated that NBC sold ads for $650,000, which translates to $1.2 million in 2021. When the finale aired, it became one of the most-watched non-sports broadcasts of all time. time. It was estimated that 80.5 million people watched the final episode. The only other non-sports broadcasts to surpass it were the Dallas Whodunnit episode, which reached 83.6 million, and the series finale of Mash, which reached 106 million viewers.

There were Cheers parties in bars all over North America, although the biggest was probably in my hometown of Toronto, where a free screening was held at the Skydome. It attracted between 30,000 and 40,000 people to see the finale on the Jumbotron. NBC had planned a full night of Cheers, with a 30-minute special airing before the finale, and then, once it concluded, a special live one-hour episode of the Tonight Show broadcast from Boston with the Cheers cast celebrating the final episode. at the Bull & Finch pub. It was, to say the least, a complete disaster. Being set in Boston, Cheers had a special place in the minds of locals at the time.

A special celebration had been held for the show's 200th episode, and every time there was filming to be done in the city, the cast and crew were treated like royalty. The finale was no different, with stands set up around the Bull & Finch pub and hundreds of Bostonians eager to celebrate the end of the show. The cast had arrived at the bar hours before the Tonight Show started, and with nothing to do but sit and have a few drinks, that's exactly what they did. The Charles brothers reflect on that night: "-And, as the night went on, and the show was very long, I looked and saw my cast starting to deteriorate into drunkenness.

I think, 'Wow, this is going to be a Really strange Tonight Show! ". The special went ahead, and although the cast wasn't completely impressed, you could tell they had some. "- We had some sketches, we had some comedy bits that were going to work, but they've been partying, they're completely drunk, come on! shoot them from the hip!" Although Tonight's Show had originally planned some funny skits with the Cheers cast, they were too drunk to participate, so Jay Leno had to buy time by shaking hands with every person at the bar that night "I'm not exaggerating. This goes on for several minutes.

The cast sat down for a question-and-answer session, and that didn't go particularly well either. "-We're here for you. - No no, we're already here. - Okay, ask a good question. - So, do you think...? That's Kelsey's question." Although it ended in a complete disaster, the last night of Cheers felt like a raucous night at a bar. It started with some blunt banter, the special clip, then the drinking escalated and everyone started having fun, the three-part finale, only for it all to end with people going too far, getting hit, doing something embarrassing, and trying to forget how the whole night ended with tonight's special.

By the time it went off the air, Cheers had lasted 11 seasons, had aired 275 episodes, was nominated for 179 Emmy Awards, won 28 Emmy Awards and set a ratings record for NBC with its finale. After Cheers, Ted Denson would then appear in several film projects, in particular, he was The protagonist for 6 seasons of the CBS series Becker, he was also part of all four seasons of The Good Place and currently stars in the NBC series Mr Mayor. Starring in The Money Pit, while doing Cheers, Shelley Long would appear in several films, including Troop, Beverly Hills and the Brady Bunch.

She has worked steadily as an actress for the past 30 years. After she ended Cheers, Rhea Pearlman would star in her own short-lived sitcom titled Pearl. After that, she appeared in a lot oftelevision shows and movies, perhaps most notably with a recurring role on the Mindy Project. George Wendt would appear in many different projects throughout the rest of his career, although most often as a guest. Of course, he will also be remembered as Saturday Night Live's Bob Swerski. John Ratzenberger would voice the character Ham in Toy Story and would later have a role in all subsequent Pixar feature films, with a current total of 22 films.

He also hosted the documentary series Made In America, which covered American manufacturers for 97 episodes. Kelsey Grammer would immediately follow Cheers by bringing the character of Frasier Crane to a spin-off called Frasier. Like Cheers, it lasted 11 seasons. He also appeared in many other films and television shows, although aside from Frasier Crane, his most memorable character is probably Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons. Woody Harrelson's career took off after Cheers in a big way, starring in countless films, including Natural-Born Killers, Zombieland, Hunger Games, and more than I could summarize here. The next major movie of his to debut is Venom, Let There Be Carnage, where he will play the main antagonist, Carnage.

After Cheers, Kirstie Alley would star in several films and win an Emmy in 1994 for the television movie David's Mother. After taking time off from acting, she returned in 2016 to star in a comedy titled Kirstie on TV Land, which ran for one season. Bebe Neuwirth would return to acting on stage, winning a Tony for her role as Velma Kelly in a revival of Chicago in 1996. In addition to that, she appeared in both Jumanji films and was part of the first four seasons of the series Madam. . Secretary. In 2011 there was a Spanish version of the series Cheers, also called Cheers.

It was such a faithful adaptation that it had a Spanish version of its main theme. However, it was not very successful among the Spanish public and only lasted one season. There was also an attempt to create an Irish language version of the show called Teach Seán, although it does not appear to have taken off and no episodes have been broadcast. In 2016, a stage production of Cheers, called Cheers Live On Stage, opened in Boston. Although a tour was originally planned to take place the following year, it was canceled before then. However, no reason has been given as to why it was cancelled.

The Bull & Finch pub was renamed Cheers, making the most of the television series it inspired. Although the pub itself doesn't look like the TV show Cheers inside, a replica of the TV has opened in Faneuil Hall, although sadly this recreation of the set has apparently closed for good after being affected by the Covid pandemic. Since it ended, there have been a few small-scale Cheers reunions with the cast of various TV shows, such as The Goldbergs or the Kirstie Alley comedy Kirstie. However, to date there has been no attempt to fully reunite the entire cast or reboot.

The show's creators seem to have no interest in either of them. Glen Charles in an interview said: "We never considered doing any kind of reunion show. Sam alone in the bar was the last image we wanted. That's where the show started and where it ended. It made people think that there is still a bar. in Boston, where you can walk in and see this aging baseball player. Since a return to Cheers seems unlikely, all that's really left is to see what traces of the show remain in the current television landscape, and for such a hit As big as Cheers was, its creators don't feel remembered in the same way as other shows.

Glen Charles explained: "For better or worse, I see more of Seinfeld's influence in comedies now. Not jokes-jokes, but people who air very personal, subjective issues and, sometimes, things that are closed without even a joke. We would never have done that. We were there until two in the morning, making sure he had a button on the spot. I'm not making a value judgment. It just seems to be more of a trend now." And while Cheers may have established trends of its own, like the "won't they?" dynamic and season-long sitcom arcs, the show itself doesn't seem Having left as big a mark on the public's mind as some of its contemporaries like Seinfeld and The Simpsons have done, Cheers is a safe place where people can seek refuge from the world is great, but how long until that place leaves you? catch you to face?

That world and have a chance to grow? Maybe that's why Cheers has faded over time. It was a nice, safe place to hang out, but not one you can stay in forever. Ted Danson spoke about what being on the show meant to him in an interview: "I leave my past life peripherally, because I'm interested in what's there. I want to keep going forward. But there's nothing I do in my life that doesn't involve Cheers. I can walk and people say, "Hey!" and smile and laugh. I get bathed in this kind of post-Cheers glow as a direct result of Jimmy, Les, and Glen.

I have to play Sam Malone. How cool is that?" Co-executive producer Rob Long summed up the series beautifully in an interview: "A show like Cheers should always be on the air in some form. You don't need a hook, you don't need a special setup, you just need really great performers and pretty good writing. For us, I think the difference between the huge success of Cheers and a reasonably good show is that we had these incredibly talented, gifted performers in every role. There was no weak part on that screen. You can't plan that. That's just lightning in a bottle." Many thanks to the people who lent their vocal talents to this video.

It is greatly appreciated! Thank you Maggie, Maya and Sage. You can find their YouTube channels linked below. What a journey fun to Cheers!! I had a lot of fun watching this series. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things that I couldn't address in this video, issues of representation, unfortunately I couldn't fit it into the script. There's also the representation of gay characters in On the Show , the first season had a really interesting episode about gay men in a bar and if the place became a gay bar, and people were worried. Other than that episode, not much happened on Cheers. "Very interesting, other than some gay joke here and there.

There was also the whole conspiracy theory that Cheers was a rip-off of a Boston public access television show called Park Street Under, and while there are superficial similarities, I couldn't find enough evidence to really support the idea that Cheers stole from them. the idea to them, and not, for example, to co-creator James Burrows' father, who came up with the idea for Duffy's Tavern in the 1940s. I've included links to some articles that discuss Park Street Under if you're anyone who wants to delve deeper into that little theory. If you are someone who liked this video and would like to support more similar videos, I suggest you do like these people in the credits and become a patron of my channel.

You'll get early access to videos, download links to my songs, and your name in the credits. If you're someone who would like to support these videos non-monetarily, you can like, comment, and subscribe if you haven't already, and maybe ring the bell too. Thank you all for watching.