This article is about the American TV series. For other uses, see Cheers (disambiguation).
Cheers
Genre
Sitcom
Created by
Glen and Les Charles
James Burrows
Directed by
James Burrows
Various (seasons 6–11)
Starring
Ted Danson
Shelley Long
Nicholas Colasanto
Rhea Perlman
George Wendt
John Ratzenberger
Kelsey Grammer
Woody Harrelson
Kirstie Alley
Bebe Neuwirth
Theme music composer
Gary Portnoy
Judy Hart Angelo
Opening theme
"Where Everybody Knows Your Name" by Gary Portnoy
Ending theme
"Where Everybody Knows Your Name" (instrumental)
Composer
Craig Safan
Country of origin
United States
Original language
English
No. of seasons
11
No. of episodes
275 (including three double-length episodes and a triple-length finale) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
James Burrows
Glen and Les Charles
Bill and Cheri Steinkellner
Phoef Sutton
Cinematography
John Finger
Kenneth Peach (first three episodes)
Camera setup
Film; Multi-camera
Running time
21–25 minutes
Production companies
Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions
Paramount Network Television
Original release
Network
NBC[1]
Release
September 30, 1982 (1982-09-30) – May 20, 1993 (1993-05-20)
Related
The Tortellis
Wings
Frasier
Cheers (Spanish version)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)
Cheers is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 episodes across eleven seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association with Paramount Network Television and was created by the team of James Burrows and Glen and Les Charles. The show is set in the titular bar in Boston, where a group of locals meet to drink, relax, socialize, and escape from their day to day issues.
At the center of the show is the bar's owner and head bartender, Sam Malone, who is a womanizing former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. The show's ensemble cast introduced in the pilot episode are waitresses Diane Chambers and Carla Tortelli, second bartender Coach Ernie Pantusso, and regular customers Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin. Later main characters of the show also include Frasier Crane, Woody Boyd, Lilith Sternin, and Rebecca Howe.
After premiering in 1982, it was nearly canceled during its first season when it ranked almost last in ratings for its premiere (74th out of 77 shows). However, Cheers eventually became a Nielsen ratings juggernaut in the United States, earning a top-10 rating during eight of its 11 seasons, including one season at number one (season 9). The show spent most of its run on NBC's Thursday night "Must See TV" lineup. Its widely watched series finale in 1993 became the most-watched single TV episode of the 1990s, and the show's 275 episodes have been successfully syndicated worldwide. Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series for all 11 of its seasons on the air, it earned 28 Primetime Emmy Awards from a record of 117 nominations.
During its run, Cheers became one of the most popular series in history and received critical acclaim from its start to its end. In 1997, the episodes "Thanksgiving Orphans" and "Home Is the Sailor," aired originally in 1987, were respectively ranked No. 7 and No. 45 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.[2] Its series finale was watched by an estimated 93 million viewers, almost 40% of the US population at the time.[3] The series also produced three spin-offs: The Tortellis, Wings, and Frasier; and a Spanish remake. In 2002, Cheers was ranked No. 18 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[4] In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it as the eighth-best-written TV series[5] and TV Guide ranked it No. 11 on their list of the 60 greatest shows.[6]
^Wood, Jennifer M. "Bar Trivia: 30 Facts About Cheers". Mental Floss. http://mentalfloss.com/article/56133/30-things-you-might-not-know-about-cheers Archived June 16, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
^"Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time". TV Guide (June 28 – July 4). 1997.
^Darowski, Joseph J.; Darowski, Kate (2017). Frasier: A Cultural History. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1442277960. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
^"TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows". Cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
^"101 Best Written TV Series List". wga.org. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
^Fretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt. "The Greatest Shows on Earth". TV Guide Magazine. 61 (3194–3195): 16–19.
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