Recently the ATX TV festival on June 2 brought the cast and crew of Cheers back together after thirty years since the sitcom TV series finale. The cast members came together to reflect on the ‘80s sitcom and how it impacted their lives so far.
During the event, the reunion panel was hosted by Variety’s TV Editor Michael Schneider, with co-creators James Burrows, Les Charles, and Glen Charles. Also, actors Ted Danson, George Wendt, and John Ratzenberger were present on the panel.
Reflecting on then and now
The cast and creators reminisced on how they joined the iconic sitcom in the ‘80s. Burrows revealed that Danson and Shelley Long, who played Diane Chambers for five seasons, had wonderful chemistry, which “only makes writing better.”
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Danson praised his co-star, Long, who was not present at the reunion. “I don’t think we’d seen a character like that since Lucille Ball. I do believe I was on ‘Cheers’ because of Shelley because Shelley was a knockout,” Danson said.
The panel also reflected on the difference between sitcoms of then and now. “I’ve attended the funeral for a sitcom many times. Somehow it springs out of the coffin, but I’m not sure now. I don’t know what’s going on,” Burrows said.
‘Cheers’ co-stars pay tribute to the late Kirstie Alley
Nicholas Colasanto, who played Coach in the series, died in 1985, and the network wanted to continue with someone new and younger. While casting a character named Woody, the creators assumed they found the right fit until they met Woody Harrelson.
Also, Kirstie Alley joined the show as Rebecca Howe in season 6, and Danson remembered the late actress, who died of cancer in December 2022. “She’s not here. It’s very strange,” Danson said. “She came in like a ball of fire. She was making her entrance into the table read, and she put on a Shelly Long blonde wig. We’re like, ‘OK, you’ll do great.’”
Wendt and Ratzenberger further reflected on how they got Kirstie a shotgun as a gift on her first day on set. “We wrote on the card, ‘You’re gonna have to shoot your way out,’” Ratzenberger added.
Danson claimed the show had to stop
During the discussion, Danson revealed that he was responsible for the sitcom’s ending, as it was taking a toll on his life. “My life was a hot mess. I think I needed time to get my life together,” he said. “If I had kept going, I wouldn’t have met my wife Mary Steenburgen.”
The TV series aired on NBC for 11 seasons, and a spinoff, Fraiser, followed while a Fraiser reboot is in the works and is projected to debut on Paramount+ soon.