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37 out of 44 people found the following review useful: Raise your glasses to a comedy legend., 1 February 2000 Author: Devyalento Latchford Deschanel from London, England
Cheers was a fantastic situation comedy, huge in all areas, such as cast, episodes and laughs. Cheers was so real it felt as if you were sitting next to the regular barflys of the most endearing watering hole in TV history.The characters of Cheers were excellent, with characteristics so real it was fascinating to observe. Sam (Ted Danson) was disgraceful yet lovable, Diane (Shelley Long) was just sublime, with her constant snobbery yet acceptance that this was where she suited best. Carla (Rhea Perlman) was viciously acidic to all yet there were rare moments when she showed her tender interior. Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger) were a hilarious comedy double act, constantly getting into crazed situations and forever fretting about where their next jar of love was coming from. Woody (Woody Harrelson) was divinely dim, sometimes so dense it was just TOO funny to watch.Yet among Cheers were three characters that really shone, that elevated it even further to the lofty heights of greatness. These characters were Rebecca, Frasier and Lilith, played by Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth. Rebecca was adorable and ditzy, always searching for her meaning in life as well as the riches she craved, Frasier was pompous yet yearned to just be 'one of the guys' and Lilith was a comedy creation to be admired, with Bebe Neuwirth playing her dry, totally devoid of emotion and cold character perfectly.Cheers was a sitcom that deserves to be remembered as a classic. Hopefully, in twenty years from now, it will still be doing the rounds on cable TV. Only time will tell.
26 out of 32 people found the following review useful: What Television Is Meant to Be., 29 July 2003 Author: tfrizzell from United States
A dominant block-buster of a television series that put NBC on top in the ratings race in the 1980s and the network has not looked back since. When "Cheers" first came into homes around the nation in 1982, it was greatly ignored by the viewing public. The Emmy Awards more than anything resurrected a series that had no life after a first season that found the series consistently in the gutter of the Nielsen Ratings. After several big-time awards (including one for Best Comedy Series) "Cheers" sky-rocketed and was almost always a top 5 show and most of the times the number 1 program in America. In modern-day Boston, a small tavern does prove that there are still places where everyone does indeed "know your name". A former baseball player (Ted Danson) owns a bar that caters to many (bar-flies George Wendt and John Ratzenberger, former professional coach Nicholas Colasanto, waitress Rhea Perlman and love interest Shelley Long). Quirky stories, heartwarming moments, heartrending situations and consistent comedy would always follow the key players. As the years passed, the cast changed (Long left the show and was replaced with Kirstie Alley who became the owner and Colasanto passed away in real life and the Woody Harrelson character was created), but the constant was always the show's outstanding group of creative writers and top-notch directors. Psychiatrist Kelsey Grammar (and wife Bebe Neuwirth) would also come along early in the series and just add more color, heart and intelligence to a show that had a surplus of all those elements throughout its 11-year-run. From the emotionally-charged theme song to its smallest of bit players, "Cheers" proved that there could be quality on television and that it could sustain and withstand unfortunate problems with its players in real-life. Monumentally important to the art of television study. A truly outstanding achievement for all involved. 5 stars out of 5.
26 out of 33 people found the following review useful: Cheers - where everybody knows your name!, 6 March 2004 Author: fluxsoda from Norway
Cheers - a tv-show you just can't stop watching! Many people dont like the show that much in the beginning, but when you get to know the persons in the bar, you start to understand them and their great humor.They will become your friends, and you want to go out to Cheers to meet them, and hang out with them. You want to shout "NORM" when he enters the bar. You want to listen to Cliffs theory about why the next president has to be named "Gelnic Mcwava", and you want to listen to Sam telling about his great baseball career. If you need help, you got dr Frasier Crane, if you need someone to cheer you up, you got Diane, if you need a loose, you got Rebecca Howe. IF you want to be yelled at, Carla is there for you, and if you want to listen to funny stories about Indiana, Woody will tell you all about it.All i can say is that Cheers is the place everybody wanna go, because you are allways welcome the place EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME
34 out of 51 people found the following review useful: After all these years, still the best, 11 January 2004 Author: mrenzella from Canada
The difference between Cheers and about 90% of the other sitcoms that have come and gone, is that in Cheers, nothing seems forced. The characters interact with such chemistry, that all you have to do is tune and it's like sitting at a bar listening to you're best friends tell tall tales. The characters, especially Sam Malone and Coach, are so well-rounded that the joy comes simply from watching them interact. As far as I can remember almost every episode of Cheers ended with someone smiling or laughing, and it's that sense of warmth that is so rare in television, that it makes Cheers stand tall amongst any competitor, then OR now. I feel wholly justified in calling Cheers the best program ever made. It's just that good.PS-I hope in Heaven I can sit at Cheers, and watch Sam hit on girls, listen to Carl tell useles trivia, and see Norm catch curving beer bottles around the corner of the bar.MIke Renzella
15 out of 20 people found the following review useful: consistently great, 15 July 1999 Author: mcfly-31 from anaheim, ca
The perfect setting for any tv show in my opinion, was this little bar in Boston. After a couple of so so seasons (NBC claims to have left it on because they had nothing else to air) the show really hit its stride in the mid 80s, with the core being the romance between Sam and Diane. But lending a comic hand were Norm, the unemployed accountant, Cliff the know-it-all mailman, Carla the spitfire waitress, Coach the dim-witted bartender (who passed away in the 85 season), Woody the second dim-witted bartender, and in later years Frasier the neurotic shrink. After the 87 season Shelley Long (Diane)left the show to pursue a film career, unsuccessfully. She was replaced, by my personal preference, with Kirstie Alley as Sams love interest and female foil. Too many high points along the years to mention, but top episodes would be the one where Woody and Sam try and kiss Rebecca, any episode dealing with Garys Old Towne Tavern, Rebeccas visiting sister, and maybe the night at the opera episode. ("Get a load of the warheads on that cellist!") Only real downside was the final episode, which didnt really tie up loose ends very well. None of the characters had any real life changes, the bar wasnt sold or destroyed, everyone stayed put, and the overall amount of laughs werent very strong. But there were so many other great moments that a bad send off can easily be overlooked.
12 out of 19 people found the following review useful: One of the Few Great T.V. Classics!, 19 July 2003 Author: Washu22 from Gig Harbor, WA
There aren't very many shows that I deem almost (or absolutely) perfect. 'Cheers' is, by far, definitely one of them. On the top. 'Seinfeld', 'Roseanne', 'Bewitched', 'Frasier'...(Those are just a few of the others that I think are great.)'Cheers' is the perfect show because it has something for everyone. There are so many different character personalities to chose from in that one, simple bar that you can't NOT have a favorite. I don't think anyone (anyone that's ever watched the show) could say "I don't like it, I don't like any of them!" ...But how could you not? For the people that want an (at least) semi-intellectual character (instead of everyone being a complete moron) they have Frasier, Diane, Lilith. Everyone loves Norm's witty one-liners as he enters the bar. Coach and Woody are goofily funny in their own stupidity. Carla has her crude, sarcastic zingers. Sam and his "little black book." Cliff with his "know-it-all" attitude when in actuality he doesn't know a thing. Rebecca's a great, all-around character...It also has the backup of being CONSTANTLY funny, some episodes aren't completely boring, then the next, twenty times funnier than the one before (though, I admit, some are absolutely hilarious!) It gets better and better with each year, not old and drawn out, just more jokes! That's why it lasted so long.So, if any of you read this, look in you're TV guides to see when it's on. After just a few, you'll know and love the characters, and you'll be completely hooked!
13 out of 21 people found the following review useful: Back from an era when NBC didn't suck so much, 5 January 2000 Author: Op_Prime from Ardmore, PA
This show was great. It had clever writing and lots of classic moments. This was back during a time when tv shows were able to be funny without making constant references to sex. Ted Danson does some of his best work here, as well as the rest of the cast. A classic in our own time.
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: One of my favourite sitcoms!, 24 December 2008 Author: adam pearce (adampearce96@hotmail.co.uk) from United Kingdom
10/10 It's a great show. If you ask people for their order of characters (favourite to least favourite) they all have a mixed opinion, Coach is my favourite because he is dumb and funny as hell, but other people call him unrealistic. I didn't like Cliff too much in the later seasons, he was okay in the first 2 or 3. But some would say he's a funny guy, with his dumb-smart-Alec remarks and "little known facts" All in all this is a damn good show. They did get a bit crazy with the ideas in season 11, but that's because they wanted to have fun with it since it was ending. the only problem i have is the DVD's, release 7-11 in region 2!
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: The GREATEST television comedy of all time!, 14 April 2009 Author: hnt_dnl from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
CHEERS was the peak of nighttime TV; show premiered in 1982 and was hilarious to the end in 1993. The weakest episode of CHEERS is still funnier than probably EVERY episode of hundreds of TV comedies that have ever aired! Into an obscure Boston bar one morning walks an uppity, sassy, snobby (yet kind of attractive and even a tad sexy!) recent grad school graduate Diane Chambers (played memorably by Emmy winner Shelley Long). Dumped by her fiancé, Diane meets the owner/bartender, former Red Sox relief pitcher Sam "Mayday" Malone (played during the show's entire run to sublime perfection by the great Emmy-winning Ted Danson). Sam enlists Diane as one of his waitresses since she no longer has a fiancé or any prospects. A wannabe writer, Diane decides to work at Cheers until she finds her footing.Sam Malone, is one of the top TV characters, simultaneously a ladie's man and a guy's guy! Danson brought a personable, EVERYMAN quality to the role that drew the viewer in each week. Danson won a couple of Emmys, but should have won at least 2 or 3 more! Together, Danson and Long's Sam and Diane form the greatest TV pairing of all time. Trading barbs, stares, glances, lustful looks, and quick-witted exchanges every week, these 2 were a joy to watch! Long left after the 5th season, though, but the show went on w/o her! They brought in Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe, the anti-Diane in a lot of ways. While Diane was overqualified, Rebecca was underqualified. Initially, Rebecca was a shakily written character that the show's writers didn't seem to know what to do with, but thankfully the rest of the cast more than made up for the void left by Diane. Then by Season 9, Rebecca came into her own as kind of a daffy, loser-ish character, which worked greatly to her advantage! I think initially, Rebecca was to be a replacement for Diane as Sam's girlfriend, but the show thankfully never really went that route as Sam-Rebecca just didn't have the Sam-Diane romantic chemistry-magic. I like to think of Rebecca as an "accepted outsider" that fit in nicely with the group.The true gem of CHEERS was the best ensemble in TV history. The supporting cast was pure GOLD! And heeeer'es the lineup!The leadoff hitter! The late, great Nicolas Colasanto played the dimwitted Coach (Sam's bartender and former pitching coach) initially the first 3 years before sadly passing away. Colasanto was hilarious with brilliant comic timing, maybe the best of all the actors on the show; during the rest of the show's run, they would showcase Colasanto's passing with subtle hints and in the last episode, Sam's adjusting of the picture was a tip o' the hat the Mr. Colasanto.Next up!...Norm!...or as Diane would say, "Norman". With a folksy, sarcastic approach, Norm Peterson, played by the wonderful George Wendt, Norm was the smart-alecky guy at the end of the bar who EVERYONE knew! A permanent fixture on the corner stool of the bar, Norm would amass a bar tab for the ages!Batting 3rd is Carla! The mean-spirited, lusty baby-machine waitress played with gusto by Rhea Perlman! Carla hated everybody, but especially Diane! No one escaped Cheers without facing the wrath of Carla Tortelli!Cleanup hitter is one Dr. Frasier Crane! Initially brought on as a short-term character in Season 3 as Diane's fiancé after she and Sam split up at the end of Season 2, Frasier (played hilariously Emmy winner Kelsey Grammar) quickly became a key part of the CHEERS ensemble after Diane dumped him at the end of Season 3. Frasier was the resident psychiatrist, spouting off Freudian epithets and trying to analyze the nutty occupants of Cheers! Of course, he went on to star on the CHEERS spin off FRASIER, which ran almost as long as CHEERS itself. Frasier's wife (and comic foil!) and fellow psychiatrist Dr. Lilith Sternin Crane (brilliantly played by Emmy-winner Bebe Neuwirth), the Yin to Frasier's Yang! Lilith was the ultimate ice queen and, if you ask her, a better analyst than Frasier!Our next batter is Woody Boyd! After Coach died, Woody (played hilariously by Woody Harrelson) was brought in as a young bartender that Coach trained. Woody was Coach's replacement in the dimwit department. Not as perfect as Coach (but close!), Woody was an important part of the CHEERS lineup!Now, for the unsung, under-appreciated Most Valuable Player!...Cliff Claven! Played to perfection by the unique John Ratzenberger, ole Cliffy was an uber-annoying Mama's boy who got on everyone's nerve spouting off useless facts and inciting riots from time to time! Cliff was the character that made the absolute most comedy out of the absolute least material!Also there were a host of memorable recurring characters: Nick Tortelli (Carla's sleazy ex-husband played by great film character actor Dan Hedaya of BLOOD SIMPLE, CLUELESS, and THE USUAL SUSPECTS), billionaire Robin Colcord (Rebecca's beau for a couple seasons played with panache and aplomb by British actor Roger Rees), Paul Krapence (Norm and Cliff's lackey played wonderfully by Paul Wilson), Phil (played by Rhea Perlman's dad Philip Perlman), codger Al who sat diametrically opposite to Norm's side of the bar(played by the late Al Rosen), lovable Ma Claven (perfectly portrayed by the great Frances Sternhagen), scheming grifter Harry the Hat (played by the wacky Harry Anderson, who starred on the wonderful TV show NIGHT COURT during most of CHEERS run). The CHEERS characters were all so well-defined and realized that they still to this day seem like real people that you knew. I mean, you can literally watch the series premiere in 1982 and the series finale in 1993 (for which Shelley Long returned to resume her role of Diane) and see that this show never lost it's charm, humor, or appeal. Oh, yeah, and EVERYTHING in between was great, too!...Cheers!
3 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Where everybody knows your name..., 4 June 2007 Author: Howlin Wolf from Oldham, Gtr Manchester, England.
... and the people who populate this little watering-hole become so familiar to you that they start to feel like family after awhile. Everybody has their own personalities and preoccupations, and with Norm it's only ever one thing: Beer. (What else?!) How the writers managed to dream up always funny one-liners connected to his favourite beverage for 11 years, I'll never know, but anyway... There was also his wife Vera, who never was seen but was often the source of some laughs. It's intricate little running gags like that which made it easy to spin off and create another successful comedy institution with "Frasier".If I had to pick one I'd say my favourite character was Sam, though. He didn't have very many passions in life (probably only two: women and baseball) but he never stopped thinking about them, and there's a funny quality to a guy who's not ashamed to admit he's that single minded. You could mostly predict what Sam was going to try to do each episode, he'd attempt to get each of his head barmaids to sleep with him. The comedy in that comes from the many diverse ways he planned to do this, and that no matter how many times he was rejected or foiled, he kept coming back. You've gotta admire a guy for trying, and Ted Danson is famous for playing most of his material in such an easy and relaxed manner that it's hard at times not to pull for him to succeed.I for one would like to say "Cheers!" to the creators and cast for blessing us with such a great show.
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