Cheers is a sitom that ran for 11 seasons on NBC from 1982 to 1993. The show is set in the Cheers bar (named for the toast "Cheers") in Boston, Massachusetts, where a group of locals meet to drink, relax, chat and have fun. The show's theme song, written and performed by Gary Portnoy, and co-written with Judy Hart Angelo, lent its famous refrain, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name", as the show's tagline.

Cheers Cast Sam Malone, a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, owns and runs Cheers, a cozy bar in Boston. Somewhat snobby, beautiful and intelligent Diane Chambers - forced to become a waitress when her fiance jilts her - constantly bickers with Sam. Eventually, they fall in love. Several wacky characters make the bar their home-away-from-home, including sarcastic waitress Carla, beer-loving accountant Norm and know-it-all letter carrier Cliff. A few seasons later, Sam sells the bar to buy a boat and sail around the world. But his boat sinks and he returns to bartending. Rebecca Howe, the new (more ambitious) manager, hires him back. They love to hate each other and eventually get together as well.

Cast & Characters
  • Ted Danson as Sam Malone
  • Nicholas Colasanto as Ernie "Coach" Pantusso (1982-1985)
  • Shelly Long as Diane Chambers (1982-1987)
  • Krisite Alley as Rebecca Howe (1987-1993)
  • George Wendt as Norm Peterson
  • Rhea Pearlman as Carla Tortelli LeBec
  • John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin
  • Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd
  • Kelsy Gramer as Dr. Fraiser Crane (1984-1993)
  • Bebe Neuwirth as Dr.Lilith Sternin (1986-1993)

Broadcast History

 First Telecast: September 30, 1982
Last Telecast: August 19, 1993
Original Network:  NBC
Number of Seasons: 11
Number of Episodes: 269
Original Primetime TV Schedule:
  • September 1982- December 1982, NBC, Thursday 9:00-9:30pm
  • January 1983- December 1983, NBC, Thursday 9:30-10:30pm
  • December 1983- August 1993, NBC, Thursday 9:00-9:30pm
  • February 1993- May 1993, NBC, Thursday 8:00-8:30pm

Theme Song Lyrics & Opening Credits

 "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" by Judy Hart Angelo and Gary Portnoy, sung by Gary Portnoy

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.
You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.

Watch opening intro:


Listen to theme song:

Cheers on DVD

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Cheers Image Gallery

Cheers Trivia

 Sam Malone was originally supposed to be a retired football player on the TV show, but when the tall thin Ted Danson was cast for the role, they changed it to a retired baseball player.

The stage at Paramount studios where the series' episodes were shot is the same one where the spin-off series "Frasier" is now filmed.

Remember the episode where Sam & Diane stop their wedding ceremony at the last minute? In order to keep that ending a secret, they shot a different ending in front of the studio audience where they actually got married. This deception was to hide the fact that Shelly Long was leaving the Cheers cast.

Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek Voyager) appeared in the only triple episode of the series called "Strange Bedfellows"?

In the episode "The Stork Brings a Crane", Woody checks into what the bar was before it was a bar and finds out that it was a House of Ill Repute.

The scenes shot of the outside of the bar were actually the "Bull and Finch Pub" in Boston.

Norm and Cliff guest-starred on an episode of the TV show "Wings". They took Sandpiper Air to go on a fishing trip but ended out spending all their time in bars.

Cheers was nearly cancelled in its first season.

There were 3 bachelor party episodes on the TV show and all of them had something happen which brought them to an abrupt end! Sam's ends when Shelley Long (as the girl in the cake) throws cake in Ted Danson's face and storms out mad! Frasier's ends when he discovers that the stripper is one of his patients! Fitz's (Cliff's prospective father-in-law) ends when Fitz dies (not much point in going on, huh?)

Towards the end of the final Cheers episode, Sam straightens a crooked picture of an American Indian. This was a tribute to cast member Nicholas Colasanto who played the role of "Coach" till his death in 1985. The picture belonged to Colasanto and meant a lot to him.

George Wendt (Norm) and John Ratzenberger (Norm) sued in 1982 because the Producers of the TV show put robots that George and John claimed resembled them at a chain of Cheers themed airport bars without their permission.