TV Flashback: Cheers

Another All-Time Classic Television comedy!

Cheers ran on NBC Television for 11 great seasons from 1982-1993. It is hard to imagine that is has now been off the air for almost 17 years although the show lives on through syndicated reruns throughout the world and still remains as popular as ever.

Cheers almost never survived to run for more than one single season after it’s premiere in 1982 ranked last, #77 out of 77 shows, in the ratings. It did survive and went on to become a very successful show, ranking in the top-10 for eight of the next ten seasons. The show would not have survived today. When was the last time in recent memory that the show with the WORST ratings for the whole season got renewed for another season? Thank goodness the execs at NBC realized that they had a great show on their hands!

The show starred a cast of virtual unknowns that have since gone on to highly successful Television and Film Careers. Before Cheers, few outside of Hollywood had ever heard of Shelley Long, Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, Bebe Neuwirth, Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman, etc. All are household names today.

(Bull and Finch Pub in Boston, used for the exterior of Cheers)

Favorite Quote: Know-it-all Cliff Clavin trying to explain the positives of drinking to Norm…

“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

The show featured characters that are forever coupled in TV history such as Sam and Diane, Norm and Cliff, Woody and Kelly, Frasier and Lilith, Sam and Rebbeca, Rebecca and every rich guy that walked in the door, etc. The female lead on the show was pretty evenly divided between Shelley Long being on the show for the first 5 seasons and Kirstie Alley the remaining 6 seasons. Many viewers thought the show would never survive the Diane Chambers character leaving the show but Kirstie Alley’s Rebecca Howe quickly became a fan favorite. Like the age old Rock and Roll question of David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar for Van Halen fans, Cheers fans have also asked “Sam and Diane” or “Sam and Rebecca”? (I was a Sam and Diane fan) As you know, Sam eventually ended up with neither.

Cheers cast and crew earned a remarkable 117 Emmy Award nominations over the course of the show with an impressive 28 wins. Kelsey Grammer set an Emmy record when he went on to win Emmy Awards for three different series, all playing the same character, Frasier Crane. He won for Cheers, for Frasier, and for a guest spot on Wings.

Cheers went off the air for the last time on May 20, 1993. That last episode still ranks as the #22 most watched Television show in TV history.