Cheers

Where everybody knows your name.

About

American television sitcom that aired on NBC for 11 seasons and 275 episodes between 1982 and 1993. The show spent most of its run on NBC’s Thursday night “Must See TV” lineup. Frequently cited as one of the greatest television shows of all time.

Nearly canceled during its first season when it ranked last (77th) in ratings on its premiere. However, it eventually earned a top-10 rating during eight of its 11 seasons — including season 9 at number one. The only sitcom to place in first and last place in the ratings during its run.

The show tackled then-controversial issues such as addiction (alcoholism, gambling, sexual), homosexuality, and adultery. Other topics include social class, and feminism. The show promoted responsible drinking by never showing a tipsy person driving home — with frequent references to calling cabs and designated drivers. Although not the first sitcom to do it, Cheers employed the use of end-of-season cliffhangers and, starting with the third season, the show’s storylines became more serialised — helping to popularise such multi-episode story arcs.

The show garnered a record 111 Primetime Emmy Award nominations (28 wins); 31 Golden Globe nominations (6 wins); won the Golden Globe Award for “Best TV-Series — Comedy/Musical” (1991); and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series four times (1983, 1984, 1989, and 1991). In 1991, won the Golden Globe Award for Best TV-Series — Comedy/Musical.

Ted Danson won two Emmys (1990, 1993) and two Golden Globes (1990, 1991); Shelley Long one Emmy (1983) and two Golden Globes (1983, 1985); Kirstie Alley one Emmy (1991) and Golden Globe (1991); Rhea Perlman four Emmys (1984–86, 1989); Woody Harrelson one Emmy (1989); and Bebe Neuwirth two Emmys (1990, 1991). Danson, Long, Alley, Perlman, Wendt, Ratzenberger, Harrelson, Grammer, Neuwirth, and Colasanto all received Emmy nominations for their roles; Ted Danson was the only person to be nominated for an an Emmy in all eleven seasons.

“Filmed before a live studio audience” on Paramount Stage 25 in Hollywood, generally on Tuesday nights. Scripts for a new episode were issued the Wednesday before for a read-through, Friday was rehearsal day, and final scripts were issued on Monday. Held the title for longest-running multi-camera sitcom at two hundred seventy-five episodes, until 2019 when surpassed by The Big Bang Theory.

The series finale in 1993 became the most-watched — with 93 million viewers — single TV episode of the 1990s; equating to 64% of all viewers, and 40% of the entire population! NBC dedicated a whole night to the final episode of Cheers, following the one-hour season finale of Seinfeld. The show began with a “pregame” Cheers: Last Call behind the scenes show (including the full theme song) hosted by Bob Costas, followed by the final 98-minute episode. NBC affiliates then aired tributes, and the night concluded with a special Jay Leno Tonight Show broadcast with cast and crew live from the Bull & Finch Pub — with thousands of fans watching the show outside on two Jumbotrons. The cast had been drinking so heavily they needed designated walkers, giggled like schoolgirls, fired spitballs into each other’s mouths, squirted water guns, Woody Harrelson implied he gave oral sex to both Ted Danson and Oliver Stone, and Kirstie Alley sang a song where the only lyric was “dick, dick, dick.’” The broadcast finished with Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo singing the full (three verse) theme song in front of Cheers with the cast and thousands of boisterous fans.

In 2013, voted the greatest comedy show of all time by GQ magazine. In 2017, Paste magazine ranked the show №5 on a list of The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time. In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it as the eighth-greatest TV show of all time. In 2023, Variety ranked it №11 on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Seasons

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

John Cleese in Simon Says.

Special Guests

Celebrity appearances by Red Sox players Luis Tiant and Wade Boggs; Boston Celtics Kevin McHale and Larry Bird.

Television stars as themselves include Alex Trebek, Arsenio Hall, Dick Cavett, Robert Urich, George McFarland and Johnny Carson. Other cameos by Harry Connick Jr. (Woody’s cousin), John Cleese (won a Primetime Emmy in 1987), Emma Thompson (Frasier’s ex-wife), Christopher Lloyd (tortured artist), Marcia Cross (Robecca’s sister), Brent Spiner, Peter MacNicol, Michael Richards, Celeste Holm, Thomas Haden Church, Nancy Cartwright, Glenn Shadix, David Paymer, Glynis Johns, Carol Kane, Jennifer Tilly, The Righteous Brothers, Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley, Tom Berenger, Kate Mulgrew (councilwoman), Barbara Feldon (Sam’s Valentine’s Day fling), and Jeff McCarthy.

Political figures include then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William J. Crowe, former Colorado Senator Gary Hart, then-Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, then-Senator John Kerry, then-Governor Michael Dukakis, Ethel Kennedy (widow of Robert F. Kennedy), and then-Mayor of Boston Raymond Flynn.

John Mahoney (jingle writer) and Peri Gilpin (reporter) would go on to star in the spin-off, Frasier, as completely new characters.

Frasier.

Spin-Offs and Crossovers

The series produced three spin-offs: The Tortellis (1987, cancelled after 13 episodes), Wings (exists in the same universe; 3 crossover episodes — The Story of Joe with Norm and Cliff, Trains, & Visiting Cranes with Frasier and Lilith, I Love Brian with a very brief appearance by Rebecca), and Frasier (11 seasons); and a 2011 Spanish remake. In the Cheers episode License to Hill, which aired the same night as the Wings crossover episode, Trains, & Visiting Cranes, Frasier mentions that he and Lilith are going to Nantucket.

Another crossover is the St. Elsewhere episode Cheers — where characters visit Cheers and interact with Carla, Norm, and Cliff. In the Cheers episode Little Sister, Don’t Cha, Carla mentioned that she was going to St. Eligius to have her baby. Very disappointing and unfunny crossover.

Besides Lilith and Frederick, Cheers cast make appearances in the episodes Adventures in Paradise, Part 2; The Show Where Diane Comes Back; Don Juan in Hell, Part 1 & 2; The Show Where Sam Shows Up; The Show Where Woody Shows Up; and Cheerful Goodbyes.

The Simpsons episode Fear of Flying.

References

Featured in The Simpsons episodes Flaming Moe’s (song parody), How the Test Was Won (opening couch gag), and Fear of Flying (full skit).

Referenced in the Seinfeld episode The Pitch, where George claims Ted Danson earns $800,000 per episode (his salary was actually $250,000 per episode). In the episode The Trip, George runs into George Wendt (portraying himself) while backstage on the set of The Tonight Show.

In the How I Met Your Mother episode Swarley, a coffee shop barista mistakenly hears Barney’s name as “Swarley” and writes it on his cup — leading to everyone in McClaren’s bar shouting “Swarley” when he enters and playing the Cheers theme song; the credits are shown in the Cheers style. In the episode Tailgate, a sign is designed to parody Cheers called Puzzles — and they invent a theme song which also parodies the Cheers theme song.

Referenced a couple of times in the television show Community; Friends; Family Guy; Scrubs; Adventure Time (Ice King’s favourite show); Mystery Science Theatre 3000; The Good Place (Ted Danson’s character appears as a bartender); Stranger Things; Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis is the nephew of George Wendt); and the film Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. New Girl has a character called Ernie but everyone calls him Coach because he’s a coach. In the show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the alien regular in Quarks Bar was named “Morn” (an anagram for “Norm”) as a homage.

In the video game Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 (2004), a bar named “Jeers” is set in Boston, with the typeface referencing the Cheers logo. In the video game Fallout 4 (2015), which is set in Boston, Prost Bar is a replica of the bar featured on the series; complete with two dead bodies sitting at the end of the bar, with one of them wearing a mail carrier’s uniform (Cliff Clavin reference). Small reference in Dragon Age 2.

Mickey’s 60th Birthday.

Specials & Adverts

In 1982, a mini-episode titled Uncle Sam Malone was filmed during the first season but never aired. It was produced for the U.S. Treasury to be used during savings bonds drives.

In 1983, the cast featured in the NBC All-Star Hour special. In 1986, Bob Costas NBC World Series spot. In 1988, featured in the Mickey’s 60th Birthday one hour special. In 1990, featured in Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary Special (some creepy Disney princess chat). In 1990, featured in The Earth Day Special.

In 1990, season 9 episode 8 was a one-hour 200th Episode Special highlight clip show followed by a panel discussion hosted by John McLaughlin. A “Cheers To Boston” celebration was held in Boston — featuring cast members at the actual Cheers bar. Cast members and show producers were also honoured in a parade, followed by a public ceremony and rally outside Boston’s City Hall.

In 1990, the eighth-anniversary special of Late Night with David Letterman begins with a scene at Cheers in which the bar’s TV gets stuck on NBC and all the bar patrons decide to go home instead of staying to watch David Letterman; the scene was re-used in 1993 to open Letterman’s final episode. A similar scene aired in the Super Bowl XVII Pregame Show on NBC, in which the characters briefly discuss the upcoming game.

In 2016, Norm, Cliff and Rebecca appeared in a Jenny Craig ad.

75th Emmy Awards.

Appearances

Rhea and George appeared on Kirstie Alley’s show, Kirstie. Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, and Kirstie Alley reprised their characters in an episode of The Goldbergs where they play customers of Geoff’s short-lived food delivery business. 8 Simple Rules had John Ratzenberger and Shelley Long playing the husband and wife neighbours of the main characters.

In 2006, the show was presented with the “Legend Award” at the TV Land Awards — with many of the surviving cast members (and Gary Portnoy, who sang the theme live) attending the event.

In 2016, reunion for the James Burrows Tribute Special (funny Norm skit after the panel). In 2023, a partial reunion at an ATX TV Festival panel to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the finale; also a segment on the Today Show and Entertainment Tonight. In 2024, partial reunion to present an award during the 75th Emmy Awards.

Cheers: Live on Stage.

Other Media

In 2010, a high-definition transfer of Cheers began running on HDNet; the program was originally shot on film (but transferred to and edited on videotape) and broadcast in a 4:3 aspect ratio. In 2016, a stage adaptation called Cheers: Live on Stage opened at the Shubert Theatre in Boston. In 2023, Cheers: The Complete Series (33 discs) on Blu-ray.

Subject of two trivia board games — both named Cheers — one in 1987 and 1992. Publications include a LIFE cover (May, 1993), LIFE Cheers (1992), Cheers TV Show: A Comprehensive Reference (2018), and Cheers: A Cultural History (2019). In 2025, Cheers Premiere Edition trading cards from Rittenhouse.

In 1993, The Cheers Years yearbook provided to the cast and crew — consisting of 76 pages of photographs and a separate two-page colour photo of the Cheers set sound stage; along with cast and crew team photos from each season.

Every time Norm Peterson enters the bar.

Opening title.

Abridged Episode Guide (Spoiler Free)

By cross referencing multiple (here and here) abridged episode lists with the top-rated IMDB episodes — plus a few extra episodes — arrived at my personal list of 135 best episodes.

Notes: Watched a total of 157 episodes (unable to find the 200th special anywhere online). An asterisk denotes one of my 32 classic must-watch episodes.

Season 1 (8): 1*, 5, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19*, 20, 21*, 22*
Season 2 (9): 4, 5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16, 21, 22
Season 3 (13): 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 14, 15*, 16, 20, 21, 22*, 23, 25
Season 4 (11): 1, 6, 9, 15, 16*, 17, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26
Season 5 (13): 1, 4, 6, 9, 14*, 15, 16, 17, 20*, 21*, 23, 24, 26
Season 6 (10): 1, 2, 5, 8*, 10*, 11, 17*, 19, 23, 25
Season 7 (9): 1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 16*, 22
Season 8 (14): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14*, 15*, 16, 19, 21*, 25, 26
Season 9 (11): 2*, 3, 7, 9, 16, 17*, 19, 23*, 24, 25, 26
Season 10 (16): 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16*, 17*, 18, 22*, 24, 25, 26*
Season 11 (17): 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 16*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23, 26*, 27*, 28*

One For The Road.

Abridged Episode Guide Personal Notes

Note: My personal favourite episodes in bold. Classic must-watch episodes listed as so.

Season 1

Establishing characters, feels the most like a theatre play (feel the confines of the bar and camera position) — different from anything else that has been on TV before or since.

• S1E1: Give Me A Ring Sometime. Classic. Pilot, masterfully establishes all characters from the very first episode, great chemistry between Sam and Diane, great supporting characters. The “sweatiest movie of all time” mentions Body Heat, which Ted Danson starred in. Episode won an Emmy. An elderly woman, “Mrs. Littlefield”, can be seen among the bar patrons and was intended to be a recurring character, but she was dropped. A rare example where the first scene directly follows from the cold open.
• S1E5: Coach’s Daughter. Emotional (tears)! Deals with settling for marriage. When Coach tells Lisa that she looks just like her mother, the audience laugh was removed. Re-aired with a dedication by Ted Danson after Nicholas Colasanto’s death as a memorial.
• S1E10: Endless Slumper. Best episode about Sam’s battle with alcoholism, emotional (more tears!), great gag about meditation (“Sometimes people join in!”), Sam curving a beer around the bar, Diane facial tick.
• S1E11: One For The Book. Low-key sexual assault, themes of wayward faith and loneliness, two characters search for meaning and find it at the bar.
• S1E12: Spy Who Came In For A Cold One. First Christmas episode, Diane ripping up $2 million! The only Cheers to play in real time. Title derived from the 1965 film, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Kelsey Grammer was once the assistant of Ellis Rabb (the spy); and based much of Sideshow Bob on him.
• S1E16: The Boys in the Bar. First “Cheers is filmed before a live studio audience” announcement, Harry the Hat, pleasantly forward thinking and accepting of homosexuality (emotional) for it’s time. Won a Media Award from GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Carla saying “Say it ain’t so, Tom” is a riff on the Joe Jackson “Say it ain’t so, Joe” story. The title comes from the groundbreaking Off-Broadway play, The Boys In The Band.
• S1E17: Diane’s Perfect Date. Andy Andy debut. Norm’s newspaper advertises Night Shift, which featured Shelley Long.
• S1E18: No Contest. Tip O’Neill (47th Speaker of the US House of Representatives) cameo, Ms. Boston Barmaid Contest, facial tick reference. The title refers to a “nolo contendere” criminal plea.
• S1E19: Pick A Con… Any Con. Classic. Best Harry The Hat episode? The title is based on magician instructions “pick a card, any card.”
• S1E20: Someone Single, Someone Blue. Diane’s mother, convoluted plot, almost wedding. Paul Willson’s character, Glen, would eventually become regular barfly, Paul. Nicholas Colasanto (Coach) directed two episodes of Bonanza, which is mentioned. The title refers to “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” — which bride’s must wear for good luck.
• S1E21: Showdown, Part 1. Classic. Sam’s mysterious brother, Derek (played by George Ball). Won an Emmy Award.
• S1E22: Showdown, Part 2. Classic. Reused opening scene from Coach’s Daughter. Carla narration, Sam and Diane finally kiss! Won an Emmy Award. Last episode before John Ratzenberger appears in the opening credits. Lois De Banzie (Lady #1) appears as a nun in the season four opener.

Season 2

Early into the Sam and Diane relationship; re-engineering the comedy engine as a couple.

• S2E1: Power Play. So-so episode, picks up where season 1 left off, Diane’s weird apartment — the first scene outside the bar.
• S2E4: Homicidal Ham. Andy Andy return. Severn Darden (Professor DeWitt) was a founding member of the Second City comedy troupe, which later featured Shelley Long and George Wendt. Diane’s references “Tiny Alice” — a bizarre Edward Albee play.
• S2E5: Sumner’s Return. Sam and Diane relationship test. Maison Robert was one of the most popular fine French restaurants in Boston at the time. Diane uncharacteristically saying ‘Cliff’ instead of ‘Clifford’.
• S2E8: Manager Coach. Great intro, normalising public breastfeeding. Twelve-year-old Corey Feldman as little league player, Moose. Final time the vintage straw boating hat hangs behind the bar. Nicholas Colasanto (Coach) directed several episodes of the mentioned show, Baretta.
• S2E11: Just Three Friends. Relationship test…the other way. Features the shorter version of the theme song.
• S2E13: Battle of the Exes. Nick Tortelli debut, what a sleazebag! The Fairview in New Hampshire is a senior living facility and not an inn. The title is a riff on the “Battle of the Sexes.”
• S2E14: No Help Wanted. Explores the meaning of friendship, vulnerable Norm. Al’s first appearance in the bar.
• S2E16: Cliff’s Rocky Moment. Cliff breakout episode. In real life, John Ratzenberger holds a red belt in karate. Rare instance where Diane says “Cliff.” The title is a reference to the Rocky movies.
• S2E17: Fortune and Men’s Weight. Sudden break up? First Al dialog (the second line cracks Sam up). The line Cliff says after being stunned is from the film, Bonnie and Clyde. The title is a play on Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare that goes “when in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes.”
• S2E21: I’ll Be Seeing You, Part 1. Christopher Loyd, emotional elevation beyond a sitcom. First Norm mention of the fictional restaurant, The Hungry Heifer. The Burt and Sally referred to are Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. The title is derived from the song, I’ll Be Seeing You. The longest hiatus (over two months) between episodes. Cliff uses the word ‘grok’ — which means to comprehend.
• S2E22: I’ll Be Seeing You, Part 2. Coach black and white narration of last week’s recap as a sports play illustration, slapping women, emotional ending. The exterior of Diane’s home is in the upmarket Back Bay neighbourhood. Carla drawing underarm hair on fashion model magazines was alluded to in an earlier episode.

Season 3

Frasier Crane’s genesis — a foil to Sam and Diane.

• S3E1: Rebound, Part 1. Sam drinking again, Diane nervous breakdown, Diane’s mother’s butler cameo, Ernie looking thin, Frasier debut…and dating Diane! The first episode to credit James Burrows, Glen Charles and Les Charles as Executive Producers, instead of Producers. Frasier offers to counsel Sam out of his relapse with alcohol, but, in real life, Kelsey Grammer is the one with alcohol (and drug) problems.
• S3E2: Rebound, Part 2. Cliff holiday slides recap (fictional town of Truro, Florida), Sam going to A.A., tie and belt confiscated suicide hospital joke, mental hospital flashback strange without laugh track, Diane back working, Coach manipulation.
• S3E4: Fairy Tales Can Come True. Halloween episode, sweet Cliff episode. Bernadette Birkett (Tinker Bell) is married to George Wendt and played the voice of Norm’s wife, Vera. A Nixon mask can be seen beside Norm. The title is a line from the 1953 song, Young at Heart. The original broadcast used the song, Moon River, which was later replaced with generic love songs.
• S3E5: Sam Turns The Other Cheek. Puns are Frasier’s greatest pleasure, Cliff living at home, Sam at gunpoint! Sam shoots himself in the ass!! Respect an important nice moment. The title cites a biblical quote “whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.” The original cold open for this episode was cut for time, and later reused in season three as a tribute to Nicholas Colasanto (Coach).
• S3E8: Diane Meets Mom. Frasier’s mother Hester, Norm’s birthday, Sam and Diane one-year relationship. According to Frasier, Hester passes away three years after this episode.
• S3E14: The Heart Is A Lonely Snipehunter. Frasier part of the gang, really nice “guy friendship” episode with a twist. Sam’s claim that there is no such thing as a snipe is not true. The title derives from the 1940 novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
• S3E15: King Of The Hill. Classic. Playboy playmates, acknowledging Sam’s competitiveness and father issues, Diane competitiveness, great finish. The real Playboy Club closed its doors in 1977.
• S3E16: Teacher’s Pet. Sam finishing high school, dumb Cliff and Norm are hilarious, Coach catchy tune, Diane bad at geography, last best Coach episode. “Albania…Albania…you border on the Adriatic!”
• S3E18: Bar Bet. Michael Richards (pre-Seinfeld), crazy sitcom plot, start of Coach absence. Jacqueline Bisset was a famous actress at the time. Carla’s shot about “Mammy Yokum” is a reference to the popular comic strip.
• S3E20: If Ever I Would Leave You. Nick, “Amsterdam’s World’s Fair.” The title is a song from the musical, Camelot.
• S3E21: The Executive’s Executioner. Norm dream sequence, great Norm episode. Won an Emmy Award. Rare view inside the Cheers men’s room.
• S3E22: Cheerio, Cheers. Classic. Sweet moment between Sam and Diane, Diane and Frasier leaving for Europe? Cliff and Norm kiss, emotional farewell, crazy ending. Nicholas Colasanto (Coach) died two days after this episode was filmed. Albert Schweitzer was a polymath and Nobel Peach Prize winner. Towards the end when Sam and Diane are hugging, Ted Danson accidentally replies “yes Shell.”
• S3E23: The Bartender’s Tale. Lillian Mary Poppins vibe, manic episode but funny, Lillian a sex machine. First episode where the picture of Geronimo is seen — which hung in Nicholas Colasanto’s (Coach) dressing room. The scenes of Italy were filmed prior to Shelley Long’s pregnancy, which was kept hidden in the show. The title is a takeoff on the book, The Canterbury Tales. Frasier tips the bellhop an equivelant to $176 dollars at the time!
• S3E25: Rescue Me. Bad opening, Frasier proposal declined! Answering machine, Sam and Diane connection, Italian wedding, Sam crazy objection dream sequence, Sam to Italy. Last appearance of Coach. Empire Strikes Back poster in the background. The title comes from the song, Rescue Me.

Season 4

Woody replacing Coach, Sam and Diane falling back in love.

• S4E1: Birth, Death, Love and Rice. Woody debut, explanation of Coach’s death, ridiculous cliffhanger plot resolution (Sam Italy story, Frasier with gun, Diane in convent), the “Frasier” soccer move. The longest time (five months) between opening and first act.
• S4E5: Diane’s Nightmare. Andy Andy returns, picked off one by one (clever), dream sequence cop-out, Norm’s chit sheets, Diane kiss, double dream sequence. Aired on Halloween. Nancy Cartwright is the only other (aside from Kelsey Grammer) main Simpsons voice actor to appear on Cheers. Takes place over a single night — almost in real time. The wine cellar is not referenced again until Woody gets married in season ten.
• S4E6: I’ll Gladly Pay You Tuesday. Bathroom stuffing record, back office safe, Diane and Sam resume their relationship? The book Diane purchases was actually sold in 2018 for $100,000. The title is a reference to the character Wimpy from the Popeye cartoons.
• S4E9: From Beer To Eternity. First Cheers’ rivalry with Gary’s Old Towne Tavern, Gary (Joel Polis) debut, extended shot outside the bar (bowling alley). Woody Harrelson is a member of the mentioned Sigma Chi fraternity. The title is a reference to 1953 film, From Here to Eternity.
• S4E15: The Triangle. Frasier a former psychiatrist and becoming a barfly, Sam insecurity, Sam admits to loving Diane, Frasier moving on, emotional ending. Louis was a luxury clothing shop in Boston at the time. Frasier’s “menage à boobs” rant is credited with cementing his role as a regular cast member. Norm remarks that he hates painting, but later becomes an interior decorator.
• S4E16: Cliffie’s Big Score. Classic. Cliff note very sweet, expensive VCR, Diane all dressed up (cute), Cliff’s ridiculous blue suit, Carla dazzling, very funny. The first episode with Kelsey Grammer in the opening credits.
• S4E17: Second Time Around. Lilith debut, silly sitcom shotgun wedding and objection, Jennifer Tilly cameo. First episode not to be directed by co-creator, James Burrows.
• S4E20: Save the Last Dance for Me. Nick, very sitcom-style dance competition plot. Nick Dimitri (Eddie Csznyk) is an iconic stuntman that performed the fall down the stairs stunt himself. During the Boston Boppers television show, the live studio audience for Cheers can be seen as its audience. The title is from the 1960 song of the same name.
• S4E21: Fear Is My Co-Pilot. Crazy plot, bit of serious acting for a sitcom. Won an Emmy Award. The title is a parody of the 1945 movie, God Is My Co-Pilot.
• S4E22: Diane Chambers Day. Guys looking sharp at opera, Sam blue balls, Sam and Diane almost getting back together. Buchholz was the least known of the actors in The Magnificent Seven.
• S4E24: Strange Bedfellows, Part 1. Three-part finale, Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway). The title refers to the common expression “politics makes strange bedfellows.”
• S4E25: Strange Bedfellows, Part 2. Really emotional scene with Diane eavesdropping behind the bar.
• S4E26: Strange Bedfellows, Part 3. Sam proposes cliffhanger!

Season 5

New comedy angle with Diane being antagonistic towards Sam. Farewell Shelley Long.

• S5E1: The Proposal. Important for plot but underwhelming episode, cringy boat scene. Won an Emmy Award.
• S5E2: The Cape Cad. Recap intro? Not a great episode away from the bar. Brenda Strong cameo.
• S5E4: Abnormal Psychology. Lilith and Frasier, great episode. First time Norm enters without the bar shouting his name. Norm‘s’ Latin phrase can be translated as “there is no disputing matters of taste.”
• S5E6: Tan ’N’ Wash. Fun little episode. First time a minor character (Paul) sets up Norm’s entrance one-liner. Diane song the same as sung by Coach in season 3.
• S5E9: Thanksgiving Orphans. Carla’s house (no kids?), Vera (sort-of). Aired on Thanksgiving Day. Vera played by George Wendt’s actual wife. Kelsey Grammer says “good turkey…George” (to Norm) after the food fight. Ted Danson slipping was not scripted. In 1997, ranked №7 on the TV Guide 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
• S5E13: Chambers vs. Malone. Sam and Diane engaged, bad episode.
• S5E14: Diamond Sam. Classic. Sam’s Corvette. The title likely refers to Diamond Jim Brady — a 19th century financier known for his extravagance.
• S5E15: Spellbound. Nick and Loretta. Established the premise for The Tortellis, which aired its first episode later the same night.
• S5E16: Never Love A Goalie, Part 1. Eddie LeBec debut, great Carla double episode.
• S5E17: Never Love A Goalie, Part 2. Brent Spinner (pre-Star Trek) cameo, great ending.
• S5E20: Dinner At Eight-ish. Classic. Lilith and Frasier living together, Frasier’s house, Lilith emotional outburst, Shelley Long cracking up (about the dip), Woody broken arm? Diane uses the term POSSLQ (Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters).
• S5E21: Simon Says. Classic. John Cleese guest star! Won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer.
• S5E23: Norm’s First Hurrah. “Top of the world, ma!” — a misquoted reference from the 1949 film, White Heat. Woody says “I pray every day I won’t get rich,” but eventually marries into a rich family.
• S5E24: Cheers: The Motion Picture. Good use of portable camera for external lives, The Hungry Heifer, suicide joke, artsy film, Woody leaving? Touching ending. The only episode to feature Carla’s backyard.
• S5E25: A house Is Not A Home. Far-fetched plot. The house Sam and Diane purchase is the same one Frazier and Lilith move into in Dinner at Eight-ish.
• S5E26: I Do, Adieu. As old people, perfect to have a bar wedding, nonsensical (Maine equals goodbye?) but super emotional ending, “have a good life.” Filmed an alternate ending (really good for something they knew wouldn’t air), which was novel at the time. Philip Perlman makes an uncredited appearance at the wedding. Shelley Long’s final appearance as a regular. First episode to use the shorter (30 seconds instead of 1 minute) into. Originally featured Irving Berlin’s What’ll I Do?, but later replaced with a different piano piece.

Season 6

Introduction of Rebecca, Lilith and Frasier fully formed.

• S6E1: Home Is The Sailor. Rebecca debut, very different setup (bar under new ownership, uniforms, office computer), Eddy appearance, Carla Nazi salute, Sam and Rebecca not as much chemistry but still pretty good, Screaming Viking drink bit. Kirstie Alley struggling to open the door unplanned. The only episode that shows the bar’s “fourth wall” — which can be seen when the patrons drink their cocktails as Rebecca watches them from the office door. The title is from the 1890 poem, Requiem. “Would you like your cucumber bruised?”
• S6E2: ‘I’ On Sports. The big Dave machine, terrible rapping, puppets. Final appearance of Fred Dryer as Dave Richards.
• S6E5: The Crane Mutiny. Sam standing with leg up tight pants, very funny Cliff gag on Rebecca, “Who are you?”, used the word ‘slut’, great Lilith episode, Co-nan? Awkward Frasier proposal. Rebecca picture actually one of Kirstie Alley’s professional headshots. “Festus” was the name of the hick sidekick in the television series, Gunsmoke. The title alludes to the 1951 novel, The Caine Mutiny.
• S6E8: Bidding On The Boys. Classic. Lilith and Frasier, “what about Diane?,” Lilith and Sam kiss! What about Woody? The Cape Cod resort that Sam takes Lilith is the same resort where Diane surprises Sam at when he pretended to be with another woman. Stage lights can be seen in the shot where Woody says “I don’t think her intentions are honourable.”
• S6E10: A Kiss Is Still A Kiss. Classic. Harry the Hat, Cliff living with Norm, Evan Drake debut, Rebecca a lesbian? Hiccup drinking trick, two years of celibacy, Kirstie Alley looking great, first Rebecca Sam kiss? …then Frasier! “Some of the guys down at corporate think she’s a Ladies’ lady.”
• S6E11: My Fair Clavin. Cliff moving out from Norm’s, Jeopardy!, actual model? The first time Kelsey Grammer stays the “filmed before a live audience” opener. Cliff has a portrait of then Postmaster General in his kitchen.
• S6E17: To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before. Classic. Frasier and Lilith engagement, bucks/hens night, Lilith great, very attractive stripper, Sam and Rebecca hooking up? Frasier’s mother died (played by a different actress in a Frasier flashback). Title from a 1984 song of the same name.
• S6E18: Let Sleeping Drake’s Lie. Absurd plot, Rebecca in the closet. Title based on the common phrase: “Let sleeping dogs lie.”
• S6E19: Airport V. Eddie joins an ice show, Carla has eight kids! Carla’s fear of flying, Frasier losing it. The only episode directed by George Wendt (after James Burrows came down with pneumonia). The title references the 1970s Airport series (four films) of movies.
• S6E22: Slumber party Massacred. Episode a bit too wacky. Eddie, Lilith, Carla’s house, Carla really operates the bar, guys singing. Final appearance of Anthony and Annie Tortelli (after the failure of The Tortellis); no further mention of Carla being a grandmother.
• S6E23: Bar Wars. Great episode. Phone rubber band slide, Gary’s Olde Towne Tavern, Wayne Boggs cameo, first Bar Wars. Gary played by a different actor (Robert Desiderio). Written in two days with no rewrites because of a writer’s strike. The title is a play on the film, Star Wars.
• S6E25: Backseat Becky, Up Front. Drake to Japan (final appearance), Sam being a buddy, no cliffhanger?

Season 7

Season without a year long arc, other characters coming to the forefront.

• S7E1: How To Recede In Business. New boss, old-school computer, Sam and Rebecca date, Sam promoted above Rebecca, so-so episode but important for plot. First time a computer is used. A nod to the musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
• S7E2: Swear To God. Father Barry debut, Sam almost a father, celibacy very funny. A truncated version of the proposed story arc in which a former girlfriend reveals to Sam that she’s HIV positive.
• S7E6: Norm, Is That You? Great Norm Episode, never mentions the word “gay,” Cliff’s brain quiz. The title comes from the 1976 movie, Norman… Is That You?
• S7E7: How To Win Friends And Electrocute People. Great Cliff episode, appendicitis, Lilith can’t drive, Rebecca accidentally dead, string on finger, Norm “butt tuck,” hilarious shock therapy. “See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet” was a slogan from a long-running jingle from the 1950s and 1960s. New England Presbyterian does not actually exist; the exterior shots are of Massachusetts General Hospital. The title is a play on the self-help book, How to Win Friends & Influence People.
• S7E10: Bar Wars II: The Woodman Strikes Back. Lilith and Fraiser kinky sex talk (mommy! Bathtime!!), Gary’s pub, bloody mary secret ingredient, double-double-double-cross (very clever), Woody Irish disguise, some grainy footage on some shots. The title is a play on the Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back.
• S7E12: Please Mr. Postman. Maggie debut, inappropriate workplace dating, “here’s looking up your address,” great Sam radio MC speech, Rebecca kissing Norm, Green Beret song. The song You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ was later replaced with Unchained Melody. Last episode by producers David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee — who make a cameo seated next to Norm in the cold open.
• S7E13: Golden Boyd. Kelly and Walter Gaines debut, super WASPy rich people. Streaming video places this episode out of sequence, accidentally appearing after I Kid You Not.
• S7E16: The Cranemakers. Classic. Lilith pregnant, hilarious pregnancy talk, Woody no vacation off to Italy, Kanga and little Roo, Norm cutting off Sam boat story (recurring theme), Frasier/Lilith go off grid. The title is a take on the term “rainmaker” (i.e., a person who brings in profitable clientele).
• S7E17: Hot Rocks. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “because I’m American,” sex for diamonds (“where and how often”), Sam and Rebecca serious kiss. Shreve, Crump & Low is one of the oldest jewelry stores in North America.
• S7E19: The Gift Of The Woodi. Beeterbaker vegetable (beeterbakerburgers, beeterbakerburritos, beeterbakerfajita), Sam hair care products, Lilith, Woody Dutch joke book, Woody “Kelly” song. The title is taken from the classic short story, The Gift of the Magi.
• S7E22: The Visiting Lecher. Rebecca absolutely losing it, no cliffhanger. Would have been better if they were able to secure John Cleese as originally planned. The line “you do nine stupid things before breakfast” paraphrases the Alice in Wonderland line “as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Season 8

Robin Colcord story arc, amazing episodes throughout.

• S8E1: The Improbable Dream, Part 1. Robin Colcord debut, Woody sleeps with eyes open, Trump mentioned. The “Great Taste, Less Filling” was an advertising campaign for Miller Lite beer. The title is a twist on the 1972 song from the film, Man of La Mancha.
• S8E2: The Improbable Dream, Part 2. Lilith, peanut butter analogy, rich Rebecca, crazy face peel dream? “I’ll fax you every day.” Al Rosen’s last credited appearance as Al. Frasier’s remark about Carla, the psychic, and Lilith stirring a pot is a reference to the “three witches” in Macbeth.
• S8E3: A Bar Is Born. Sam gives notice (should have been the season finale), Robin a slimeball. The title is a nod to the film, A Star is Born.
• S8E5: The Two Faces Of Norm. Sam car high noon funny, Carla phone taps Cliff funny, Sam sells car to buy bar, Doris, “Anton!” Vera’s maiden name was Kreitzer.
• S8E6: The Stork Brings A Crane. Cheers address, Cheers centenary, Frasier terrible dad-to-be, former whorehouse? Lilith birth in cab? 106-year old Frederick. Won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing.
• S8E7: Death Takes A Holiday On Ice. Red Sox cameo (no note follow up?), Eddie dead, black comedy, Thomas Haden Church cameo. Frick and Frack were an ice skating comedy duo in the 1930s to 1950s. Kevin Conroy (Darryl) was the voice of Batman. The title is a combined reference to the 1934 film, Death Takes a Holiday, and the long-running show, Holiday on Ice.
• S8E11: Feeble Attraction. Curl up with a good book…(2 star) Tina! Morton salt girl, Doris sociopath stalker. The Morton’s “salt girl”, was a mascot for the American food company. The desk was promised from Robin Colcord in his first appearance.
• S8E14: What Is… Cliff Clavin? Classic. Black book in safe and waterproof pouch, Cliff on Jeopardy! Alex Trebek, “I can turn over letters you’ve never seen before.” Cliff’s final response, “People who have never been in my kitchen,” later became an actual category on Jeopardy! After this episode a Jeopardy! contestant who bets enough to lose when they didn’t have to is jokingly known as “pulling a Cliff Clavin.” Johnny Gilbert got a rare on-camera appearance when introducing Alex. “Jonah” is a slang term for someone who has chronically bad luck.
• S8E15: Finally!, Part 1. Classic. Rebecca gets laid…hilarious entrance, Bill Medley cameo, Pup n’ burger, Colcort being a sleazebag.
• S8E16: Finally!, Part 2. Flashback sequence, Frasier Diane reference, love triangle.
• S8E19: Indoor Fun With Sammy and Robby. Cliff concussion jokes, poor Rebecca, Mayday Malone’s “Slider of Death.”
• S8E21: Bar Wars III: The Return of Tecumseh. Classic. Lilith! Tecumseh the wooden Indian statue, shaved heads with GARY funny, one-sided bar war…and Cheers still loses! The only Bar Wars episode that doesn’t feature Gary. Although Frasier claims his father is dead, he is one of the main cast of the spin-off show.
• S8E25: Cry Hard. Part 1 of 2. The title is a play on the film, Die Hard.
• S8E26: Cry Harder. Part 2 of 2. End of Robin storyline, Sam gets the bar back, Sam and Rebecca hook up, nice “cliffhanger” final moment. Sam finally puts back the picture he had when he owned the bar in the beginning. The title is a play on the sequel film, Die Hard 2: Die Harder.

Season 9

Prime of the show. Rebecca co-owning the bar. 200th episode special.

• S9E1: Love Is a Really, Really Perfectly Okay Thing. Robin goes to jail. Bar set and decorations restored to how they were at end of the fifth season (except for a fisherman picture, brass ship wheel, and thermostat). Matt Helm was a playboy spy character played by Dean Martin. The title is a nod to the song, Love is a Many Splendored Thing.
• S9E2: Cheers Fouls Out. Classic. A great guest appearance by Kevin McHale, Gary episode. Dedicated to Cheers casting director, Stephen Kolzak, who died. The date on Gary’s check is September 27th, 1990, the date this episode first aired.
• S9E3: Rebecca Redux. Earl…what a guy! At the car show there is an ad for an 1991 Candiru 4x4 — after an Amazonian “Vampire Fish.” One day after this episode aired, Norm and Cliff made guest appearances on Wings; arriving in Nantucket for a fishing trip.
• S9E4: Where Nobody Knows Your Name. Arsenio Hall cameo (not in person), Robin in fancy prison. Return of Paul. Brooks Pharmacy was a major pharmacy chain in Massachusetts in the 1990s. Frasier’s line “Be afraid — be very afraid” is from 1986 film, The Fly.
• S9E7: Breaking In Is Hard To Do. Amsterdam mention, Frederick’s first word is “Norm!” Based on Norm’s statement, he take a sip of beer once every 82.75 seconds. The title is a reference to the 1962 song, Breaking Up is Hard to Do. Baby Herman was a cartoon character in the 1988 film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
• S9E8: 200th Episode Special. One hour, the only highlight clip show, return of Diane, panel discussion, full theme song.
• S9E9: Bad Neighbor Sam. John Allen Hill debut (meh), Norm’s chair taken stunt, Bradley! Diane reference, Sam losing it.
• S9E10: Veggie-Boyd. “I like it.” When Sam is handing out napkins, KLOS Los Angeles radio personalities Mark and Brian are sitting at the end of the bar. Quincy, M.E. was a crime show at the time. Direct nod to the classic 1952 comedy episode, Lucy Does a TV Commercial.
• S9E12: Woody Interruptus. Kelly return, Henrí debut. Won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing. The title is a play on the term “coitus interruptus”.
• S9E16: Wedding Bell Blues. Rebecca and Robin storyline officially wraps up. The vow recited at the wedding by Robin is sonnet # 18 by Shakespeare. The title is from the 1969 song, Wedding Bell Blues.
• S9E17: I’m getting My Act Together and Sticking It In Your Face. Classic. “Is it the stool?” “Plan Z.” The title is a common entertainment expression “I’m getting my act together and taking it on the road.”
• S9E19: Crash Of The Titans. Norm stool depression funny, global warming reference, Sam and Rebecca co-own the bar. The title is a play on the 1981 film, Clash of the Titans.
• S9E23: Pitch It Again, Sam. Classic. Dutch Windmill, funny montage, Yankee Stadium, emotional nod to Coach, nachos and BBQ sauce. The title is based upon the “Play it again, Sam” mis-quote attributed to the 1942 film, Casablanca.
• S9E24: Rat Girl. Silly rat plot, “slip her a mickey” (poor taste), chubby chaser. Bebe Neuwirth won the Emmy for Supporting Actress for this episode. During an exterior shot, Cliff is walking among the extras. Frederick advances four and a half years “TV time” in real-time one and a half.
• S9E25: Home Malone. “The incident” funny, Kelly, “I’m talking about Sam,”, Henrí a slimeball. Frasier and Lilith live in Beacon Hill, Boston. The only episode to feature a bar fight. The title is a reference to the 1990 film, Home Alone.
• S9E26: Uncle Sam Wants You. Lilith good cop funny, Sam eager to be a dad, weird Elvis dream sequence, Sam and Rebecca decide to have a baby! Also titled as Elvis Ex Machina. The title comes from World War recruitment posters.

Season 10

Home stretch, so many classics.

• S10E1: Baby Balk. Lousy opener, smoking section, Norm and Cliff sitting in a different places? Start of Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith) in the opening credits. Features the Johnny Mathis song, Misty.
• S10E2: Get Your Kicks On Route 666. Diane reference. Carla says “Rebecca of Hornybrook Farm,” referencing the 1903 children’s book, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Charles Kuralt was a television presenter in the 1960s and 1970s. Sally Jessy Raphael was a talk-show at the time.
• S10E4: The Norm Who Came To Dinner. Norm and Lilith comedy duo. This Old House is an American home improvement show. The title is based on the 1939 play, The Man Who Came to Dinner.
• S10E7: Bar Wars V: The Final Judgement. Halloween episode, weird music bit, Gary new actor/hair? Death of Gary?! Originally featured the song, Monster Mash, which was later replaced. Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a 19th century English painter and poet.
• S10E8: Where Have All The Floorboards Gone? Outside shot intro, Frasier Lilith gold, Kevin McKale cameo, Boston Garden. There are 247 panels in the Celtic’s floor held down by 988 bolts. The Celtics invited the cast to a game at Boston Garden after this episode aired. The title is from the 1960’s song, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
• S10E9: Head Over Hill. Rebecca fat jokes, women’s bathroom set, Carla disapproved of Diane funny. One of four episodes directed by John Ratzenberger.
• S10E10: A Fine French Whine. Henrí, Woody proposes.
• S10E11: I’m Ok, You’re Defective. Period mention, Sam infertile, future Lilith! “That Damn Bar.” The only episode in which Norm enters the bar and is not greeted with “Norm!”
• S10E12: Go Make. Sam and Rebecca giving off Sam and Diane vibes, Frasier such a bad dad yet again, lots of flash-forwards. End of Sam and Rebecca baby storyline, which was dropped early due to viewer response. Woody’s “oil Can” joke is a reference to the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz.
• S10E15: My Son, The Father. The birth of Cliff’s comedy career. “What’s up with that?” Cliff parodying Seinfeld.
• S10E16: One Hugs, The Other Doesn’t. Classic. Emma Thompson as Frasier’s ex-wife (later played by different actors). “My number is 555–6792!” Kelsey Grammer’s daughter, Spencer Grammer, can be seen in the scene when Nanny G is singing The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Burl Ives was an Oscar-winning actor who also sang on a number of children’s albums. The title comes from a film, One Sings, The Other Doesn’t.
• S10E17: A Diminished Rebecca With A Suspended Cliff. Classic. Frasier has a beard! Harry Connick Jr., Frasier the stalker funny. The title refers to a complex musical chord. Raye Birk makes his final appearance as mail carrier Walt Twitchell; he would later reprise his role in Frasier.
• S10E18: License To Hill. Smoke blanket, Woody a poker shark (one-handed deal), Lilith “smooth,” tie-in to Frasier and Lilith’s Wings guest appearance that aired the same night. Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) is one of the extras at the bar.
• S10E22 Rebecca’s Lover… Not. Classic. Gay character, “bad things happen to good looking people,” not very good with names, very funny. Ossobuco is a northern Italian dish made from cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables.
• S10E23: Bars Wars VI: This Time It’s for Real. John Kerry cameo, nice twist at the end. Second Bar Wars episode without Gary.
• S10E24: Heeeeeere’s… Cliffy. 90s shoe skit, California, Diane reference, Johnny Carson cameo. The Tonight Show scene was filed after a real taping of that show; it took only 15 extra minutes. The only episode to show the Cheers roof. The security guard’s dig about Cliff being a postal worker is a reference to an actual case of a postal worker “going postal” and shooting coworkers. The title is a spoof of Ed McMahon’s famous introduction of Johnny Carson.
• S10E25: An Old-Fashioned Wedding, Part 1. Woody gets laid, abysmal French accent, takes place almost entirely in Mr. Gaines Kitchen. Prince was a guest during filming (former boyfriend of Jackie Swanson and friend of Kirstie Alley). Phil can be seen whenever the kitchen doors are opened. The only episode in which the “broom closet” is a cellar instead.
• S10E26: An Old-Fashioned Wedding, Part 2. Classic. Funny physical comedy — very frantic Faulty Towers style, poofter gay joke, Woody married!

Season 11

The greatest final season in sitcom history. Every story or side character given a fitting send-off.

• S11E1: The Little Match Girl. Bar burns down! Carla wears cigarette earings during part of the episode. Woody hints that his ancestor was the infamous Mrs. O’Leary of Chicago, whose cow kicked over a lantern and caused the great fire of 1871. Norm’s comment, “Oh, the humanity!” is a quote from the radio broadcast of the destruction of the Hindenburg zeppelin. The title is named after a Han Christian Andersen fairy tale.
• S11E2: The Beer Is Always Greener. Glenn Shadix guest star (from Beetlejuice), Mr. Pubb’s chain bar, Diane callback (Ellen “clone”). The neon “SERVICE” sign in Mr. Pubb’s is also seen in Central Perk on Friends. The title alludes to the expression “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”
• S11E3: The King Of Beers. Is Norm an alcoholic? The brewery exterior shots are from the an Anheuser-Busch facility. Norm takes the survey in front of the Boston’s Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. 578 pulls of the slot machine is $28.90 in nickels. Norm Peterson’s age is the same as George Wendt’s. The second beer taster played the Gary’s bartender in the Bar Wars VI episode. The title comes from the Budweiser slogan.
• S11E4: The Magnificent Six. Henrí send-off, babe kit, Godfather “they pull you back in” reference, original Love Actually foursome scene. The title is a play on the 1960 film, The Magnificent Seven.
• S11E5: Do Not Forsake Me, O’ My Postman. Andy Andy send-off (Diane reference), chest-buster reference, “work with me here” funny, Frasier’s Dad cameo (John Mahoney, but as the character Sly Flembeck), Maggie send-off, Cliff had sex! John Mahoney taped his scenes a week later — after the original actor was overcome with stage fright and did not show up to the taping. The piano was moved to show the actor’s face. The title is from the 1952 song, Do Not Forsake Me O’ My Darling.
• S11E6: Teaching With The Enemy. Wide angle shot, Tiny doorman, Boston Common shot, serious episode Lilith cheats on Frasier and leaves him!! The title alludes to the 1991 movie, Sleeping with the Enemy.
• S11E7: The Girl In The Plastic Bubble. Not a great episodes but storyline advancement with Lilith leaving Frasier for another man, Frasier threatening suicide. First episode to show the space above Melville’s.
• S11E8: Ill-Gotten Gaines. Thanksgiving episode. Woody makes a reference to a popular E.F. Hutton investment firm TV commercial of the day. Vera’s maiden name is Kreitzer.
• S11E12: Sunday Dinner. Single Frasier on a disastrous date sneak peak into the spin off, Frasier.
• S11E14: It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Bar. Robin send-off, secret handshakes, Trump reference, far-fetched episode. Features the Motown hit, Money (That’s What I Want). The title refers to the 1963 film, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
• S11E15: Loathe and Marriage. Nick and Loretta send-off (forced vocal inflection), Leah Remini cameo. Not a great episode. A number of cast members (Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Ted Danson) were connected to the Star Trek franchise. The title parodies the 1955 son, Love and Marriage.
• S11E16: Is There A Doctor In The Howe? Classic. Frasier and Rebecca…almost, Lilith returns to find them, cliffhanger. The title is based on the saying “Is there a doctor in the house?”
• S11E17: The Bar Manager, The Shrink, His Wife, and Her Lover. Far-fetched plot, bar hostage situation, Lilith and Frasier reunited. Lilith send-off. The title is a play on the 1990 film, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.
• S11E18: The Last Picture Show. Classic. Fourth wall Diane reference (“Why would an actress leave right in the middle of a successful series?”)! Sam claims he bought the bar from Gus, however in Coach’s Daughter, Norm says Gus was “two owners ago” (and is also claimed to be dead).
• S11E19: Bar Wars VII: The Naked Prey. Classic. Cheers gang naked, Gary and Harry The Hat send-off in one episode! Golfer John Daly and series writer Ken Levine can be seen sitting at the bar.
• S11E20: Look Before You Sleep. Classic. Peter MacNicol cameo (Ghostbusters), very fun visiting all the character’s homes, John Hill send-off. The only episode where the opening introduction does not feature the standard shot of the Cheers sign. Vera’s voice is that of George Wendt’s real life wife. The last episode to be filmed (with pick-ups after the finale). A play on the phrase “Look before you leap.”
• S11E21: Woody Gets an Election. Classic. Best episode title? George ‘Spanky’ McFarland cameo (died 2 months later), Woodrow, another future Frasier character (Holly Matherson / Ross), Cliff in drag, inauguration and White House dream sequence (Trump vibes), Woody having a baby.
• S11E22: It’s Lonely On The Top. Everyone blackout drunk, Norm hungover, Carla sleeps with Paul, Cliff and Norm butt tattoos, Sam wears a ”hair replacement system!” (Rhea Perlman genuinely shocked). NBC President Brandon Tartikoff is sitting at the bar. Above the jukebox, there is a caricature by Al Hirschfeld of Charles, Burrows, Charles — the creators of Cheers. Tattoo parlors were outlawed in Massachusetts at the time.
• S11E23: Rebecca Gaines, Rebecca Loses, Part 1. Googly eyes (“got me through a lot of pillow talk with Diane”), Cliff eluding to being a killer funny. Earlier in the day when this episode was to air, a real-life postal worker in California murdered his mother — NBC pulled all advertising.
• S11E24: Rebecca Gaines, Rebecca Loses, Part 2. Googly eyes return. Raymond Burr was a Canadian-American actor. Cliff’s mom and Walter Gaines send-offs.
• S11E25: The Guy Can’t Help It. Don debut, heavy storyline about Sam’s womanising — light on laughs. Odd choice for the penultimate episode. “Yada, yada, yada” before Seinfeld popularised it. The title is a parody of the 1956 movie, The Girl Can’t Help It.
• S11E26: One For The Road, Part 1. Diane back! The only time that Diane and Rebecca appear together. Executive Vice President of NBC Warren Littlefield, and President of NBC, Grant Tinker, are sitting at the end of the bar.
• S11E27: One For The Road, Part 2. Sam and Diane chemistry, metaphors for Shelley Long leaving the show for 6 months and not returning.
• S11E28: One For The Road, Part 3. Rebecca married, Norm employed, Cliff promoted, Woody in government, Trump reference (“I shoot for Donald Trump”), tribute to Nicholas Colasanto (Geronimo picture), Sam leaving through the pool room (where he entered in episode 1), Bob Broder (agent for the show’s creators, only shot through the front window) the final customer, emotional heartfelt finale. Ed Norton was a character in the 1955 film, The Honeymooners. The closing scene was filmed in secret. The only end credits with white letters on a black background. Won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Editing. “Sorry. Bar’s closed.”

Cheers Beacon Hill.

Trivia (Spoilers)

Production

• James Burrows is regarded as being a factor in the show’s longevity, directing 243 of the 270 episodes and supervising the show’s production. Among the show’s other directors were Andy Ackerman, Thomas Lofaro, Tim Berry, Tom Moore, Rick Beren, as well as cast members John Ratzenberger and George Wendt.
• Craig Safan provided the series’ original music for its entire run except the theme song.
• Danson, Perlman and Wendt were the only actors to appear in every episode of the series; Ratzenberger appears in all but two (and his name wasn’t part of the opening credit montage during the first season).
• Recorded on film stock rather than videotape.
• In 1978, WCVB, a Boston-based ABC TV station, produced its own sitcom, Park City Under. The show was about an underground bar in Boston owned by a former Red Sox player, and the cast included a flighty blonde waitress, a befuddled older bartender, and even a psychiatrist as a regular patron. The creators of Cheers have always denied any connection, and no legal claims of plagiarism have been made.
• The creators regularly visited bars in the Los Angeles area to eavesdrop on patrons’ conversations. In the series premiere, the argument about the sweatiest movie ever made was taken from one of these overheard conversations.
• In the later years, the main cast were so used to their characters that they did less and less rehearsal — usually leaving only guest stars to rehearse.
• Writer, story editor, and producer for the show, David Angell, and his wife were killed on American Airlines flight 11 during 9/11.
• The cast has bar straws around the set and the cast would shoot spitballs at each other during rehearsals.
• Director James Burrows would give each main cast member a hug before taping.

Opening

• The “Cheers was filmed before a live studio audience” disclaimer was added in 1983, due to some viewers’ complaining that the laugh track was too loud; no laugh track was used on the show.
• The cold open was often not connected to the rest of the episode, with the lowest-ranked writers assigned to create the jokes for them. Some cold opens were taken from episodes that ran too long.
• The theme song, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, was created for the show by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo; and includes a second and third verse. On syndicated airings, the theme song was shortened to make room for additional commercials. Released as a single in 1983. In 2011, ranked №1 on the Rolling Stone reader’s poll as the song at Greatest TV Theme Songs Ever. The original demo lyrics began with “Singing the blues when the Red Sox lose, it’s a crisis in your life.”
• The photos in the opening credits were taken from archives of photos from the 1940s and earlier, with some being and treated to look older. The newspaper headline “We Win!” refers to the Boston Braves winning the 1948 National League championship. In the final photo, three men in a black and white photo are colorised, and the credit for the three Creators, Glen Charles and Les Charles, and James Burrows is shown. Two of the men in the photo are brothers like the Charles brothers. The photo to represent Woody Boyd, starting in season four, was from a logging camp cafeteria in Wisconsin in 1905. The photo for Kirstie Alley is the cropped left-half of a circa 1895 photo of a store clerk at a pharmacy in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Set

• Cheers opened in 1889 — “Est. 1895” on the bar’s sign is a made-up date chosen by Carla for numerology purposes, revealed in The Stork Brings a Crane, which also revealed the bar’s address as 1121⁄2 Beacon Street and that it originated under the name Mom’s.
• The Bull & Finch Pub in Boston, which was the model for Cheers, was chosen from a phone book. When Glen Charles asked the bar’s owner to shoot exterior and interior photos, he agreed and charged $1. The bar owner has since gone on to make millions of dollars — licensing the pub’s image and selling a variety of Cheers memorabilia. The Bull & Finch became the 42nd-busiest outlet in the American food and beverage industry in 1997. Currently a pub named Cheers Beacon Hill, which draws nearly 1 million visitors annually.
• The original bar set was designed by Richard Sylbert — famous for his work on The Manchurian Candidate, The Graduate, Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, and Dick Tracy (the latter two earning him Academy Awards).
• The bar had a hinge down the centre so it could fold back on itself to allow Sam’s office to expand for filming.
• The bar was functional — making it great for show parties. The set was huge and required 30–40 extras as routine customers; to pack the bar required 500 people!
• The audience bleachers sat 200.
• After the show ended, the 1,000-square-foot bar set from Cheers was offered to the Smithsonian, which turned it down because it was too large. It was displayed for a short time at the defunct Hollywood Entertainment Museum, but later returned to storage, where it remained for many years. In 2014, CBS donated the set to the Museum of Television. In 2023, the bar was sold for $675,000 at auction after the Museum of Television failed to eventuate.
• The jukebox in the bar was a classic 1946 Wurlitzer, model 1015. It did not play any music; it would be added in post-production. The piano worked.
• The stage at Paramount Studios where this show was shot became the home of its hit spin-off, Frasier. The Cheers bar area became Frasier’s apartment.
• The wooden Indian at the front door was named Techumsa.
• The pool room at the rear of the bar sometimes has a poster for the “Boston Barleyhoppers” — a running club that met at the actual Bull & Finch pub in Boston.
• The beer on set was Kingsbury Brew “near beer” — a weakened strain of ale mixed with a bit of salt to keep a perfect head. Warm, flat, salty, and non-alcoholic.
• The silhouetted photo of Sam “Mayday” Malone, his nickname during his baseball career, in his baseball days that hangs in the bar, is actually a photo of Jim Lonborg, a Boston Red Sox pitcher in the 1960s and early 1970s. Lonborg wore #16 for the Red Sox. In one episode, Sam’s jersey is shown with №16 on it.

Sam

• The character of Sam Malone was originally intended to be a retired football player and was slated to be played by Fred Dryer, but Danson was chosen in part because he was younger and had more acting experience than Dryer. After casting Ted Danson, it was decided that a former baseball player (Sam “Mayday” Malone) would be more believable given his slim build.
• Ted Danson was sent to bartending school to prepare him for the part and according to Burrows, had to learn “how to pretend that he knew a lot about sports” since Danson was not a sports fan in real life and had never been to a baseball game. He was also initially uncomfortable portraying playboy.
• Ted Danson made his Broadway debut in a little-remembered 1973 play called Status Quo Vadis where he played a bartender.
• A recurring gag was Sam’s vanity relating to his hair. Ted Danson actually had a bald spot requiring him to wear a hairpiece, which was revealed in the episode It’s Lonely On The Top.
• Former NFL player Fred Dryer was a finalist for the role of Sam; he eventually made a guest appearance as Sam’s friend, Dave Richards.
• Ted Danson was the face of Aramis cologne in print ads and TV commercials. Diane and the others frequently make jokes about Sam’s overpowering cologne.

Diane

• Shelley Long wished to be offered the part straight out and had to be coaxed into giving an audition. Before the final decision was made, three pairs of actors were tested in front of the producers and network executives for Sam and Diane — the chemistry was so apparent between Long and Danson that it secured them the roles.
• Diane always addressed Norm and Cliff as Norman and Clifford.
• For most of the third season, the pregnant Shelley Long was mostly filmed behind the bar or from the neck up.
• Shelley Long and George Wendt were members of Chicago’s famed Second City comedy improv group before signing on with the series.
• According to writers Ken Levine and David Issacs reports of Shelley Long’s snobby attitude have been exaggerated over the years and that Long was kind and a very professional.

Coach

• Nicholas Colasanto, who played Coach, hospitalised shortly before filming finished for season three due to fluid in his lungs. He ultimately died of a heart attack at his home on February 12, 1985. NBC would not allow the entire cast to take a break from filming to attend the funeral so John Ratzenberger was sent as a representative; cast and crew held a memorial on-set. The season four opener, Birth, Death, Love and Rice, dealt with Coach’s death and introduced Woody Harrelson, Colasanto’s replacement. Sam is occasionally seen wearing Coach’s baseball jacket after he dies. The Geronimo frame was moved from Colasanto’s dressing room and hung near the bar’s piano; one of the last actions by Sam in the show was to straighen it out as a tribute.
• Nicholas Colasanto wore a Bryant College (now University) tie in every episode, which was his alma mater.
• The third-season episodes of Cheers were filmed out of order, partly to accommodate Shelley Long’s pregnancy; Rhea Perlman was also pregnant at the time, but it was worked into the show. As a result, they had already completed filming the season finale at the time of his death, which had scenes with Colasanto in it.
• A line Colasanto had trouble remembering and wrote near the entrance to the set became a good luck charm for the cast, touching it every day as they walked in. It was later painted over, upsetting members of the cast.
• Nicholas Colasanto was a recovering alcoholic who regularly attended AA meetings while starring on the show.
• When the character of Norm entered the bar the live studio audience would also shout his name. Nicolas Colasanto came up with the idea for greeting Norm every time he entered the bar.

Carla

• Carla’s full name is Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec.
• In the episode The Belles of St. Clete’s, Carla and other characters drink beer while pregnant.
• Rhea Perlman’s sister was a staff writer and her father Philip Perlman played Cheers patron Phil.
• Carla’s children in order of age: Anthony, Sarafina, Gino, Anne Marie, Lucia, Ludlow and twins, Jesse and Elvis. The two youngest kids are a set of twins named after Elvis Presley and his stillborn twin brother named Jesse.

Norm

• Norm’s full name is Hillary Norman Peterson.
• Norm Peterson’s oft-mentioned wife, Vera, was never shown. In a Thanksgiving Day episode, she finally appeared, only to have her face covered with a pie meant for Sam. Her voice was portrayed by George Wendt’s real-life wife, Bernadette Birkett.
• George Wendt played off his role of Norm in a series of television ads for Meister Brau beer.
• In 2012, co-creator Les Charles told GQ that Norm was based on a real person. “I worked at a bar after college, and we had a guy who came in every night. He wasn’t named Norm, [but he] was always going to have just one beer, and then he’d say, ‘Maybe I’ll just have one more.’ We had to help him out of the bar every night. His wife would call, and he’d always say, ‘Tell her I’m not here.’”

Cliff

• The character of Cliff Clavin was created for John Ratzenberger after he auditioned for the role of Norm Peterson, which eventually went to George Wendt. While chatting with producers afterward, he asked if they were going to include a bar know-it-all — the part he eventually played.
• Cliff was originally to be a Police Officer, but producers felt that his being a mailman would give him more access to information regarding his trademark “Little Known Facts” — many of which were ad-libbed by John Ratzenberger.
• In real life it’s illegal for USPS workers to wear their uniforms inside bars.
• John Ratzenburger’s trousers were always cut too short, the better to show his character’s signature white socks.
• In 1990, Postmaster General of the United States Anthony Frank filmed a scene in which he awarded a Post Department Medal to Cliff, and subsequently made Cliff-type comments about bronze. The scene was never aired.

Frasier

• Kelsey Grammer’s alcoholism became a problem during the final season. Co-stars noticed that he was oddly difficult to work with and would often be nearly catatonic between takes.
• Including the spin-off Frasier, Kelsey Grammer played the character of Dr. Frasier Crane for twenty consecutive years — a record for an American actor in a comedy series.
• According to Kelsey Grammer in his autobiography he and Shelley Long did not get along, but he later conceded he might have been wrong listening too much to gossip and jumping to conclusions.
• Frasier’s last name was originally Nigh, not Crane. Kelsey Grammer suggested to producers that it sounded wrong and it should be changed. If they hadn’t changed it, Frasier’s brother’s name would have been Niles Nigh.
• Kelsey Grammer played off Frasier’s therapist image in television ads for Snapper Lawnmowers.

Rebecca

• Wore a Shelley Long blonde wig to the first table read (meeting many of the cast for the first time).
• On the first shoot night George Wendt and John Ratzenberger were tasked with getting a last-minute welcome gift for Kirstie. They drove around and eventually got her a shotgun from Big 5 Sporting Goods with the note “you’re going to have to shoot your way out!” They were never asked to purchase another gift.
• Rebecca was the only regular character not to appear on Frasier. Kirstie Alley explained that she refused to appear on the show as psychiatry conflicted with her beliefs in Scientology.
• Kirstie Alley said in a recent Entertainment Tonight interview there was enough sexual harassment on the set of Cheers “to make Harvey Weinstein blush. There was groping, unwanted kissing, people taking pictures of each other naked and posting it everywhere, everything you can think of. We all did it to each other and we all loved it. I didn’t hear anyone complaining about it.”
• Rebecca’s world map that occupied the wall by her office for her first three seasons on the show is a reproduction of a 1670 map (“Magna Carta Mundi”) by Dutch mapmaker and engraver Nicolaes Visscher I.
• In 2022, Kirstie Alley sadly passed away after a short battle with cancer; aged 71.

Woody

• Woody addressed everybody, except Sam, Eddie, and Carla as “Mr., Miss, Dr.” et cetera.
• The character of Woody was written before Harrelson, who had never seen the show and only auditioned at the suggestion of a friend (bumped into George Wendt at a grocery store the night before), got the part. The first coincidence.
• Woody Harrelson was raised in Ohio and graduated from Hanover College — where his character is from. The second coincidence.
• During Woody Harrelson’s first week, the cast tried unsuccessfully to beat him at basketball, arm-wrestling, leg-wrestling (?), poker, foosball, and chess.
• Woody Harrelson’s second acting gig — having only previously worked as an extra in one TV movie.
• After Woody, who is a vegetarian, accidentally ate pork — he decided to go vomit in the bathroom; Ted Danson and George Wendt joined in and also threw up in solidarity!

Lilith

• Lilith actor Bebe Neuwirth left the series during the final season to play Morticia on Broadway in the Addams Family Musical.

Other Cast

• Eddie LeBec’s real first name (Guy, pronounced like “Gee” but with a hard G) is a common French Canadian male name. His surname translates as “The Beak.” Wore №38 with the Bruins. Jay Thomas, who portrayed LeBec, was dropped from the show after saying “It’s brutal, I have to kiss Rhea Perlman” on radio.
• The regularly seen background patrons, who at times would have one or two lines per episode, shared their first names with the actors who played them.
• Recurring barfly actor Al Rosen died of cancer a couple of months after season eight finished filming.
• In the episode Fairy Tales Can Come True, Tinkerbell is played by George Wendt’s wife (who also voiced Vera).
• David Alan Grier auditioned for a proposed African-American character that never came to fruition.
• Ed O’Neill auditioned for the part of Sam. Shelley Long played the ex-wife of O’Neill’s character on Modern Family (2009).
• In the episode Little Sister Don’t Cha, Paul Vaughn is Paul, while Paul Wilson is Tom. Later in the series, Paul Wilson becomes recurring character, Paul.
• Producers initially wanted to cast Rhea Perlman’s real-life husband Danny Devito as Nick Tortelli.

Departures

• While there were initial concerns, Shelley Long’s departure is largely credited with helping rejuvenate the series. Writers were able to evolve the show to a more ensemble series about a bar, which provided for a better variety of stories than the large focus on Sam and Diane.
• An alternate ending was shot before the studio audience of Shelley Long’s final episode to hide the fact that she was leaving the show. The fake ending has Sam and Diane actually go through with the wedding ceremony and get married, which was filmed without a studio audience. A third ending was apparently filmed, but has not been disclosed to this date.
• After Ted Danson announced that he was leaving the series, NBC wanted to continue the series by having Woody take over the bar. But Woody Harrelson refused to continue with the series without Danson.

Finale

• The show started with Sam walking out of the pool room and ended with Sam walking back into the pool room.
• Many bars across the United States — and one of the Canadian stadiums, the 50,000-seat SkyDome in Toronto — organised series finale watching parties.
• In 1998, a copy of this episode’s script contained the autographs of eight cast members that was donated by George Wendt was stolen from the Boston Four Seasons Hotel. The high bid at the benefit auction was $1,000 before it was stolen. A week later, the stolen script was left at a church and returned. An autographed copy of the episode’s script was sold to the Bull and Finch Pub (now Cheers Beacon Hill) for $10,000.
• Before the series finale, more than 500 people — including the cast of Cheers (except Shelley Long, Kirstie Alley, and Bebe Neuwirth), plus politicians — participated in an afternoon celebration on Beacon Street near the Bull & Finch Pub in Boston. After the episode aired, the remaining cast appeared live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in the Bull & Finch Pub; nearly everyone at the bar was intoxicated.
• During the finale, each 30-second commercial cost $650,000.
• Bob Broder was given the part of the final customer after the bar is closed because, according to James Burrows “he was the guy who got us the bar in the first place.”
• Three hundred people attended the filming of the finale at Paramount Studios’ Stage 25 — which lasted until 2:15 in the morning.
• Originally then-President Bill Clinton was supposed to make an appearance, but backed out causing the show to be rewritten. The writers also debated whether to bring Shelley Long back. The last scene of the regulars talking was filmed without an audience separately days after the rest of the episode was filmed, which prevented Long, who had other commitments, from being in it. The writers did not know exactly what the characters should say in that last scene, and many lines were ad-libbed.

Franchise

• In 2001, there was a replica made of the bar in Faneuil Hall to capitalise on the popularity of the show. It contains a restaurant and Sam’s Place, a spin-off sports bar.
• At one point there were 15 themed airport pubs. Some of these pubs featured two animatronic characters ($20,000 each) named “Hank Gifford” and “Bob Johnson” reminiscent of Norm and Cliff, which led to Wendt and Ratzenberger filing a 1993 lawsuit claiming the animatronics were using their likenesses without permission; the case was settled for an undisclosed sum in 1999.
• A number of franchise pubs around the world. Cheers London ran from 1997 to 2008 — with the opening attended by James Burrows and cast members George Wendt and John Ratzenberger.

Misc

• Almost every episode has someone peeling a lemon.
• In Australia, after Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos was abruptly pulled off the air midway through its first and only broadcast by network owner Kerry Packer; the network begin airing a rerun of Cheers. In 2008, the program was re-aired in its entirety — where it abruptly cut away to the opening of Cheers midway through in a reenactment of the incident…before resuming the second half that didn’t get aired.
• A cliffhanger was planned for the sixth season wherein Sam discovers a former girlfriend is H.I.V. positive, but episode was never filmed due to the writers’ strike.
• In Germany, this show premiered in 1985 as Prost, Helmut (“Cheers, Helmut”) on ZDF. The storylines and character names were completely changed, also the dubbing was completely inaccurate.
• Prince once visited the set, as he was friends with Kirstie Alley and Jackie Swanson (who played Kelly Boyd).

References

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheers
• imdb.com/title/tt0083399/
• reddit.com/r/Cheers/comments/gakfko/references_to_cheers_in_other_showsfilms/
• reddit.com/r/Cheers/comments/192tkw3/the_cheers_abridged_episode_watchlist/
• reddit.com/r/Cheers/comments/eh7mse/cheers_abridged/
• kenlevine.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-cheers-set.html
• cheers.fandom.com