David Angell's Legacy Part 1: Cheers

After successfully selling scripts for Alvie Flynn and Archie Bunker's Place David Angell began to further his writing career when he joined the now widely known NBC sitcom Cheers.  Angell later became a producer alongside James Burrows and Glen and Les Charles. The concept was a long process, the creators wanted a show that had the feel of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The writers had considered Americanizing the Brit-com
Fawlty Towers, set in a hotel or an inn.  After settling on a fictional bar, the series became similar to the radio show Duffy's Tavern. The show is set in Boston, MA. Starring Ted Danson as Sam Malone, a once great baseball player who is a recovering alcoholic. After losing a bet Sam is now the sole owner of the bar.

Other cast members included Nicholas Colassanto as the naive bartender Ernie"Coach"Pantusso, Shelley Long as Diane Chambers, Rhea Perlman as the outspoken Carla Tortelli , George Wendt as the pessimistic Norm Peterson and John Ratzenberger as know-it-all Cliff Clavin. Sam and Diane were the core focus of the show being referred to as the Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn role types. The show's theme song "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" was written and performed by Gary Portnoy, and serves as the show's tagline. While the intro for the series is a minute long, there is a much longer version of the theme song. However, the network would not use any other verses because of several risque lines. 

 The show was not well received in its first season and was nearing cancellation and ranked 74th out of 77 shows. NBC however decided to give the series a chance and renewed it for another season. Reruns greatly helped improve the show's ratings and reputation. The show even earned five Emmy awards out of thirteen nominations, including an Outstanding Comedy Series of 1982–83. The show would eventually replace the low ratings series "Taxi" and "Fame".

As announced in May 1983, the Fall 1983 Thursday lineup consisted of, in order of time sequence starting at 8pm (Eastern) / 7pm (Central), Gimme a Break!, Mama's Family, We Got It Made, Cheers and Hill Street Blues. Season three made its debut on
September 27, 1984 and finished its run on May 9, 1985. It was also the last season to feature Nicholas Colassanto, whose health was beginning to decline and later passed away after the filming of "Cheerio, Cheers". Kelsey Grammer also joined the cast as upper-class psychiatrist Frasier Crane, beau of Diane and the rival of Sam. When season four premiered it was decided that Coach was written out as in subsequently passed away.

This prompted the writers to hire Woody Harrelson to play Woody Boyd, a not-so bright young man from Indiana who was said to be Coach's pen pal. However, instead of letter exchanging they'd exchange pens. In this season Sam returns to Boston after failing to stop Frasier and Diane's wedding, but learns that Frasier was stiffed at the altar. Sam finds Diane at a convent and after making her reconsider, he rehires her. Frasier however loses his job and becomes an alcoholic frequently visiting the bar. 

Only to recover and start a new psychiatrist job. Sam starts a relationship with a city councilor Janet Eldridge (played by Kate Mulgrew). Unfortunately, Janet gets tired of being in a love traingle with Sam and Diane and breaks up with him. Leading Sam to propose to an unidentified woman on the phone. Season four started on September 26, 1985 and finished its run on May 15, 1986 . For season five the cast receives a slight overhaul, adding Bebe Neuwirth as Frasier's girlfriend and later wife Lilith Sternin. It would also bring Sam and Diane's relationship to an end, as Shelley Long left the series to pursue a film career. 

Before the season began, a telephone survey asked callers whom they thought Sam was calling in the last episode of the previous season: politician Janet Eldridge or his on-and-off girlfriend, Diane Chambers. Nearly 140 picked Diane, while almost 60 chose Janet. Callers who voted for either woman expected the love triangle to continue during this season, or felt that Sam and Diane should live happily ever after. Diane and Sam are engaged to get married but the wedding is called off when Diane's ex-fiancé, Sumner Sloane, tells her one of his colleagues was impressed with her manuscript and forwarded it to a publisher. Diane learns how much money she will make if she finishes the book. Diane accepts the offer and promises Sam she'll return after six months.

 Season five began on September 25, 1986 and finished its run on May 7, 1987. Part of NBC's Best Night of Television on Television (later branded as "Must See TV") 1984–85 Thursday lineup, consisting of (from 8 pm Eastern) The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court and Hill Street Blues, was a ratings success. In 1987 Cheers entered its sixth season and the first five went into syndication via Paramount Domestic Television (now CBS Television Distribution). Season six saw the addition of Kirstie Alley to the cast as Rebecca Howe, a somewhat neurotic corporate bar owner and co-manager of Cheers. Rebecca was the replacement for Diane and later became a potential love interest of Sam.

Season six saw Sam sell the bar to a high end corporate company known as Lillian Corporation and leave on a yacht. Rebecca would be seen pining for the head of Lillian Corp. Carla with child, and Rebecca hired another bartender Wayne (Jonathan Stark) and makes changes to the bar. Including everyone forced to wear uniforms, Sam however returns and wishes to work as a bartender again. This serves as a problem for Rebecca, she has to fire one bartender and Sam proposes a contest to make a Screaming Viking drink mix. Wayne loses and decides to quit, allowing Sam to work at the bar again.

This season also saw Sam attempting celibacy, Carla getting married, and the start of the sexual tension between Sam and Rebecca. After the initial run of the sixth season which ran from September 24, 1987 to May 7, 1988, scheduled against The Cosby Show, A Different World, Night Court, and hour-long drama L.A. Law.

The series approached its seventh season, indirectly led by the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike. However, a long period of reruns immediately preceded the premiere on October 27, 1988. The seventh season saw Frasier and Lilith's marriage and her being with child, it also saw Carla's marriage being strained due to her husband's career as a hockey player, and Woody would begin dating Kelly Gaines (played by Jackie Swanson). Season seven would be the final season to feature Dave Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee as writers. The three had left the series to form a band new production company known as Grub Street Productions.

 Season eight made its premiere on September 21, 1989 and ran til May 3, 1990.
Season eight would also help launch the acting career of Thomas Haden Church (pictured on the right), who guest stars in the seventh episode "Death Takes a Holiday on Ice". Playing a character by the name of Gordie Brown who turns out to be a colleague of Carla's deceased husband Eddie. Who was killed after saving another player from being struck by a vehicle. Carla also learns Eddie led a secret life and had a second marriage while they were together. Church would later end up being cast in NBC's upcoming sitcom "Wings", but that is another story for another blog.

Season eight also saw Rebecca fearing she'd die alone and end up marrying a charming embezzler named Robin Colcord (played by Roger Rees. Lilith gives birth to a baby boy named Frederick while Frasier is not there, Sam is! Cliff appears on Jeopardy!, Robin sets up a trap for Sam, Norm, Cliff and Carla by rigging his yacht with a bomb while they try to win a race. Woody meets Kelly's mother who performs sexual advances towards Woody. Lilith writes a new book for women, which becomes a success, using Sam's experiences with women as an example. Robin and Rebecca get engaged but she later learns he is just marrying her to gain access to the company's accounts, and she becomes unsure about whether or not she should turn him in. Season eight closes with a cliffhanger involving Rebecca and Sam.

Season nine opens with a continuation of the finale, involving Rebecca trying to forget what happened on the couch with Sam. She pursues Robin, despite Sam's disapproval. This season also saw a special one hour episode to commemorate 200 episodes, hosted by John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group fame. The cast also stars in this special as well as Shelley Long after her very heavy publicized and criticized exit in 1987. Nicholas Colassanto is also honored in a tribute.

Other season highlights include Woody endorsing a product he despises, Sam dating John Hill's daughter as revenge when Hill takes advantage of Cheers' new coupon booklet which Woody is responsible for. Cliff and Norm walking around apparently decapitated, Sam and Rebecca trying to purchase the bar's toilets and pool room from Hill. Rebecca employing Norm to paint Sam's office, Sam babysitting Frederick and wondering if he is really his father.

Season ten made its premiere September 19, 1991, the NBC line-up also consisted of The Cosby Show, A Different World, Wings (originally a mid-season replacement in 1990) and L.A. Law. In season ten Sam and Rebecca's relationship furthered after Sam decided he wanted to finally settled down. Choosing Rebecca as his partner, but things were complicated and it derailed their relationship. Harry Connick, Jr. guest stars as Woody's cousin who develops feelings for Rebecca. Woody proposes to Kelly after almost losing her to Henri, and the season closes with a wedding episode. The season concluded on May 14, 1992 and the series ranking #4 in ratings.

Season eleven premiered on September 24, 1992 with The Little Match Girl, which involves Rebecca almost burning down the bar after deciding to quit smoking. As dramatic as it is, the rest of the season has a few good laughs. Including Sam gripping with the fact that he is a sex addict, Woody running for an election, Frasier and Lilith separating leading to a romantic fling with Rebecca. Cliff putting his domineering mother in a retirement home, Rebecca finally finding true love in a plumber named Don, and Norm becoming a taster in a brewery. In the triple length series finale which aired on May 20, 1993 Diane makes a surprising return, and learns how vulnerable Sam is at the moment.

Diane and Sam briefly get back together only to end their relationship while on a delayed flight.

The series ends with Woody winning the election, Rebecca preparing for a honeymoon after marrying Don, After deciding to go their separate ways, Diane and Sam depart. Diane goes to Los Angeles, and Sam returns to Cheers to see his friends again. After the gang heads home, Norm stays behind and tells Sam that he knew he would return to Boston for his "one true love", saying: "You'll always come back to her." The episode ends with someone attempting to come into Cheers with Sam replying "Sorry, we're closed!"

After Cheers aired its final episode, a special credit appeared after the Paramount logo. Unfortunately, it was cut out in syndication and is not preserved on the DVD release from CBS Home Entertainment. The series also dawned a spin-off involving Frasier Crane (Grammer) who moves to Seattle after his divorce from Lilith. The original show continued to rerun in syndication and was available in 39 countries and 179 American television markets and 83 million viewers. The series has aired on various networks including Nick@Nite, TV Land and Hallmark Channel. Because of its ongoing success the series underwent a careful restoration in 2001, and was fully rendered in high-definition on Netflix in 2011.

In 2003 Paramount Home Media Distribution began releasing the series on DVD, and in 2006 when the distribution changed hands CBS Home Entertainment began to release the show. While Paramount opted to keep most of the music, CBS had to substitute certain musical pieces due to copyrights. On March 6, 2012 CBS Home Entertainment released a fan favorites DVD consisting of episodes viewers voted for via FaceBook polls. On May 5, 2015, CBS DVD released Cheers- The Complete Series on DVD in a deluxe box set, but unlike the individual seasons this release does not offer any blurbs of the episodes or seasons.

Purchase the complete series on DVD

Purchase the fan favorites DVD















Next up: "Wings", "Frasier", and "Becker"

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