Cheers – Revisiting a Classic Sitcom

So, I’ve begun re-watching Cheers since it’s on streaming Netflix, and also because of a really excellent blog posting on LanceMannion.typepad.com that analyzed Shelley Long and the Diane Chambers character  in such an interesting light I decided to take another look at the series.

The article starts out:

“I’ve always thought Shelley Long’s been given a bum rap.

Her name’s become a synonym for really bad career move because of her decision to leave Cheers to pursue a movie career that never amounted to much, unless you think the two Brady movies are masterpieces of high artistic camp.

But given the information she had to work with at the time, a good case can be made—and I’m about to make it—that hers wasn’t a bad decision at all, just apparently unfortunate.  In fact, all things considered at the time, it might have been the smart decision.”

Read the rest here: LanceMannion.typepad.com

I was a kid when this show was in syndication, so my memories are foggy and underdeveloped at best. Watching it now is sort of like my first real look at the show that spawned Frasier, (a show I do remember, and really enjoyed growing up).  My clearer memories of Cheers revolve around the Rebecca years and the Woody years. So far, I definitely prefer Coach (Nicholas Colasanto) to Woody (Woody Harrelson), and am unsure if I prefer Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), or Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) — I’m sure when I finish watching all 11 seasons on Netflix, I’ll have a verdict.

I’m currently on episode 6 of season 2. But check out this screen capture from S02E02, of Rhea Perlman playing Carla Tortelli’s sister Annette on the show. Annette was so different in demeanor and appearance from Carla, it was  a testament to Rhea Perlman’s versatility as an actress:

Rhea Perlman

Do you remember Cheers? Who do you prefer? Coach or Woody? Diane or Rebecca? All of the above or None of the above?

This entry was posted in ramblings, tv shows and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Cheers – Revisiting a Classic Sitcom

  1. honeybee says:

    OK – I finished all 11 seasons, and Coach is definitely my favorite over Woody. The Woody / Kelly romance was boring. Woody Harrelson was great as Woody Boyd, but Coach’s character had some real sentimental moments, and a sweetness that tugged at my heart strings through the screen. The episode where he’s speaking to his daughter about how beautiful she is, made me cry.

    Between the leading ladies, I prefer Diane. Rebecca’s character was too unbelievably stupid at times, and such a gold digger. At least Diane had her principles and was a generally nice person. Rebecca was not always honest or moral, and cried in almost every other episode at a point. Lilith is probably my favorite female character. The way they wrote her off the show was really out of character. She seemed too good for Frasier at certain times in the show… **spoiler alert** like when he tried to emotionally blackmail her for leaving him by standing on a ledge and threatening to jump. And he was always making snarky comments about her not being human.

    My favorite male character is probably Norm. All in all, he’s a smart and funny guy to have around, and he shows a compassionate side more than a few times in the series.

Leave a Reply