Cheers Was at Both Extremes in the Ratings at Some Point
Cheerswas highly rated for most of its 11-year run. However, when the show premiered, it was a total flop. In fact, itwas rankedat 77 out of 100 shows that aired during its first week on the air.Brandon Tartikoff, who was then president of NBC, really believe in the show, though, and he gave it chances it probably wouldn’t get today.
Although it wasn’t an instant hit,Cheerswon critical acclaim with its first season, and viewers slowly started discovering it. When thefinal episodeaired on June 13, 2025, over80 million peopletuned in to say their good-byes to Sam Malone (Ted Danson), Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson, and the rest of the gang.
John Ratzenberger Created the Role of Cliff Clavin
WhenJohn Ratzenbergerauditioned for the role of Norm Peterson, he knew he hadn’t nailed the audition. Sensing that this was his one big shot, John then asked the producers if they had a know-it-all character for the bar. He explained how all bars have one, and he went on to create the character of Cliff.
Johnhadn’t intendedto create Cliff, though. He was trying to save face after a bad audition by making the producers laugh before he left the room. However, what he said amused the producers, and they began to consider the need for a know-it-all character atCheers. They called him a few days later, and Cliff Clavin found his way into television history.
Shelley Long’s Pregnancy Was (Sometimes Badly) Disguised During the Show’s Third Season
Shelley Longwas happily married for all her seasons onCheers, and she decided that she wanted to start a family at the height of the show’s success. She became pregnant for the third season of the show, and producers decided to hide her pregnancy in a variety of creative ways throughout the season. They put her behind the bar sometimes or had her carry the tray in front of her stomach. That didn’t always conceal very much!
Diane was eventually sent to Europe during the season, with Shelley appearing on the phone with Sam during parts of the show.Rhea Perlmanwas pregnant during the same season. In fact, she and Long both had their children in March of 1985. The producers decided to write the pregnancy of the Rhea Perlman into the show. Her very fertile character Carla was also pregnant that year.
Cheershas a lot of fans in high places. Everyone fromPresident Bill ClintontoKurt Vonnegutwere fans of the charming sitcom where everybody knows your name. Vonnegut was such a fan that he praised it for being so well done and theneven said, “I’d rather have writtenCheersthan anything I’ve written.”
Kurt Vonnegut’s high praise for the show no doubt meant a lot to show’s writers and producers. Vonnegut had an illustrious career that spanned over 50 years. He wrote such books asSlaughterhouse FiveandBreakfast of Champions. Don’t expect to find writing in the comedy style ofCheersin any of his work, though!
There’s an Awesome Full-Length Version of the Theme Song
TheCheerstheme song is called “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”. It was writtenby Gary PortnoyandJudy Hart Angelo. Gary Portnoy is also the performer of the song on every episode ofCheers. In addition to the short, memorable tune on the opening credits, there is a full-length version of the song.
The full-length version of theCheerstheme song includes lyrics that lament the fact that the narrator’s therapist went to Europe and didn’t even write. The full-length version of the song can be seen in a video with clips from the show on the 200th-anniversary episode ofCheers. It also aired as a different video with clips from the show during the pre-show to the show’s finale in May 1993.
There’s a Tribute to Coach at the End of the Show
Nicholas Colasanto, who played Coach Ernie Pantusso, was beloved by the cast and crew who worked onCheers. When he died during the show’s third season, they were gutted, and viewers were also devastated. Coach was easily one of the most lovable TV characters of all time, and those who worked with Nicholas said the same about him in real-life.
When he died, the creators, producers, writers, cast, and crew looked for ways that they could pay tribute to Nicholas. They had to move on with the show, but they didn’t want to leave his memory behind. The first episode of the fourth season began with a tribute to Nicholas, and he was also remembered in multiple other ways. A photo of Geronimo that Nicholas had in his dressing room was then hung inCheers, and at the end of the final episode of Cheers, Sam walks over and straightens the photo in a little nod to Coach and the man who portrayed him.
Kirstie Alley Showed Up as Diane for Her First Day on Cheers
Kirstie Alley and Shelley Long were quite possibly as different from each other as two actresses could be, and their characters weren’t anything alike, either. However, many fans loved them both and had no interest in choosing between them. Comparisons were inevitable in the media, though. Kirstie must have known she’d be facing a lot of judgment.
When Kirstie Alley showed up to the set ofCheersfor her first day at work, she wore a total Diane Chambers get-up. She had a blonde wig that matched Diane’s hair and whatPeoplereferred to as a “goody-two-shoes dress and a yellow coating on her dark eyebrows.” Kirstie wanted to break the ice, and she did. She was beloved by the cast and crew from that point on, and she became best buddies with Rhea Perlman.
George Wendt Wasn’t Really Drinking All That Beer
George Wendtmay seem to have an ideal job as the lovable character of Norm. After all, Norm gets to drink a seemingly endless supply of beer. With all the inevitable takes and reshoots of a show, that means George Wendt surely had to do a lot of drinking. Not so fast! What George drank wasn’t real beer.
Wendttold ESPNthat what he drank was non-alcoholic beer that was “pretty nasty”. He said that, in order for the “near beer” to be served on tap, the producers would put the beverage in soda dispensers well before time for Ted Danson as Sam to pour Norm a beer. By the time, George drank it, the faux beer was flat on top of being non-alcoholic.
Two Endings Were Filmed at the End of Season Five
Spoiler alert! Devoted fans of Sam and Diane cried buckets when Diane left Sam at the altar at the end of the fifth season. In real life, Shelley Long had decided to leave the sitcom to pursue feature film roles and spend more time with her very young daughter. That meant Diane had to leave Cheers and the love of her life.
The producers were very concerned that fans who attended the filming of Shelley Long’s last episode would tell others what happened to Diane. To prevent any leaks, the producers filmed more than one ending. In one ending that was filmed, Sam and Diane get married, but the one that aired showed the two parting ways. The happily-ever-after ending later aired but not as part of the series.
You Can Get Sam and Diane Salt and Pepper Shakers
Cheersmerchandising has been a thing since the show’s popularity took off. The Bull and Finch Pub, which was the original inspiration forCheers, retained merchandising rights while the show was on the air. They used to send out catalogs to fans who could then choose from a variety of officially licensed merchandise like shirts, golf balls, jackets, and magnets.
Other merchandise was created years after the show went off the air. Westland Giftware created a series of salt and pepper shakers that were modeled after important characters on the show. For example, they had salt and pepper shakers of Sam and Diane that were sold as a set. There was also a set of Norm and Cliff salt and pepper shakers.
