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Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: cheers
Cheers Creators Felt Sitcom's Success Was Tied to Shelley Long Staying
Cheers creators Glen and Les Charles discuss the initial concerns that they had that the sitcom's future was tied to Shelley Long.
Article Summary
- Cheers creators feared losing Shelley Long would end the show’s run.
- Sam and Diane’s romance was central to Cheers' early appeal.
- Ted Danson credits Long for the boost in early seasons.
- Long's Diane left after season five; Kirstie Alley’s Rebecca Howe filled the void.
With all the series revisit podcasts around, there's a wealth of behind-the-scenes stories fans can learn about their favorite shows. Among them is the Cheers podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name hosted by stars Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson, who played Sam Malone and Woody Boyd, respectively. On the February 27th episode, creators Glen and Les Charles appeared to discuss, among other things, their initial fears about how much of the NBC sitcom's success was tied to co-star Shelley Long.
Cheers: Glen & Les Charles Felt Shelley Long Was Key to Sitcom's Success
As part of the initial cast, Long played Diane Chambers, who came from affluence trying to study writing while working as a server at Cheers, butting heads with former baseball player-turned-bar owner Sam on several occasions as they fell in love. "There were some critics that said when Shelley walks out the door, that's the end of Cheers. And we had to live with that because that was this element of the show; the main element of the show was the Sam-Diane courtship," Glen Charles said. Danson credited Long for the early seasons' success, "Shelley really gave the first year or two or three the boost that 'Cheers' needed."
Long, who appeared in 122 of 270 episodes, left the series after season five as Diane was written off that she found a muse and decided to pursue her dreams in writing. Kirstie Alley's Rebecca Howe was written into the series as part of the conglomerate that buys Sam's bar, where she stayed for the remainder of the series. Long did return for the series finale in season 11's "One for the Road." It wouldn't be the last time Long would play Diane as she reprised her role across four episodes of the spinoff series Frasier on NBC, which starred Kelsey Grammer. For more, you can check out the full episode below.
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