In the early days of Cheers, Ted Danson had serious doubts about Shelley Long joining the cast. In his mind, she just didn’t fit. But decades later, the actor is openly admitting that he was entirely wrong.
Speaking recently on Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Danson looked back at those early days with a touch of humor and with humility. “One of my first obvious ones was Cheers casting Shelley Long,” he said. “And I’m going, ‘Oh no, not Shelley Long. That’s all wrong.’” But instead of flopping, Shelley turned the role into something unforgettable.
Shelley Long and Ted Danson didn’t click at first, but the screen told a different story
According to Danson, their differences were clear from the very beginning. In another interview on the SmartLess podcast, he described their early interactions as “horrible.” He explained that their personalities and acting styles didn’t align. “Our styles, our approach, our everything is really different,” he said. “It was hard for us sometimes to be in the room together.”
But somehow, that tension made their on-screen chemistry even stronger. Long played Diane Chambers, a sharp, upper-class waitress with a tendency to overthink everything, while Danson played the laid-back bartender, Sam Malone. Their contrast brought sparks, and it worked. “When we started working, it was just fantastic,” Danson said. “She’d smack you back harder. She was just brilliant.”
Shelley Long put Cheers on the map
Despite their clashing off-screen, Danson had nothing but praise for Long’s talent. “Right out of the shoot, she became this instant, brilliant character actor,” he said. “That first year, she put us on the map. Yeah, she really did.” For him, her performance carried the weight of the show’s success in the beginning.
Shelley Long took home an Emmy award in 1983 for her role on Cheers, earning recognition as one of TV’s standout lead actresses in a comedy that year. Her character quickly became one of the most talked-about on television. Looking back now, Danson admits his first impression missed the mark entirely. “She is astounding,” he said. “I say it as a form of compliment.”