When Sam and the guys from the bar are going on a fishing trip, Diane convinces them to let a depressed Frasier tag along. The guys play a prank on Frasier convincing him to stay in the woods like a fool hunting a fictional “snipe,” while they return to Cheers to drink. The tables are turned in the end, thus showing us that Frasier can hang with a tougher crowd than we thought. It’s a little mean spirited, but ultimately it shows us that the show has got a new permanent fixture in its ensemble.Pilot episodes, particularly for sitcoms, are usually a little out of sync with the series. A lot of times they feel like blueprints for what the show will become; early versions of the characters we’ll grow to love. “Give Me a Ring Sometime,” Cheers’ pilot , isn’t like that at all. From the cold open to the final scene, this pilot is Cheers operating at full steam. We’re introduced to Sam and Diane in the first act of the episode, and then the rest of the ensemble begins to trickle in, all of them establishing themselves quickly, efficiently, and hilariously. Even Cliff, who wouldn’t become a regular for a while yet, gets to offer up “a little known fact.”
The pilot serves as the breeding ground for the episodes to come, and Cheers’ made good use of Diane’s first (of many) fiancé Sumner Sloane in the years to come as well as Sam’s job offer of pity. As far as pilot episodes go, Cheers’ is one of the absolute best.It may have taken almost eleven full seasons to get there, but this is the episode that finds the eternally coolheaded Sam Malone at his most vulnerable. Where the Diane Era of Cheers focused on – and often even celebrated -- Sam’s womanizing, the Rebcecca Era often shamed it. “It’s Lonely at the Top” is a culmination of that, as Sam swallows his pride to help a friend in need.
Here, Carla sleeps with Paul, one of Cheers’ peripheral barflies and at the end of the episode, Sam reveals that he’s been balding since 1989 (a sort of meta in-joke as well, considering Ted Danson’s true hair situation) and allows his ultimate secret to be revealed. In brilliant juxtaposition, Sam even declares early in this episode “I’m Sam Malone! By definition everything that I do is cool!” only to have his ego cut down at the knees. It’s also got some great jokes for Cliff and Norm, who get so loaded they wind up with each other’s tattoos.The origin episode for the series of battles with Gary’s Old Towne Tavern that would occur for the rest of show’s run, the original “Bar Wars” is one of the best showcases of Cheers’ diverse ensemble cast. Everyone gets their due here, and “Bar Wars” is one of the few early Rebecca episodes where she’s shamelessly pulled into the degenerative undertow of the barflies despite trying her hardest to stay above water.
There’s a ton of great gags in this episode, from Norm and Cliff reading poetry to the attack on Wade Boggs, but most importantly it impressively set a new running gag and episode template for a show deep into its sixth season – about the time that most sitcoms would be struggling to stay fresh, let alone excelling at introducing new ideas.The three part series finale of Cheers returns to the Sam and Diane romance almost as a sort of red herring for what the finale is really about: comfortable shoes. The final scene of the episode finds Sam, Norm, Cliff, Woody, Carla, and Frasier sitting around talking about what the point to life is; why they sit around day after day in the bar. Cliff, for his eleven seasons of useless trivia, finally spits out something insightful: that life is all about “comfortable shoes.” It can be friends, having kids, falling in love, or hanging out a bar. It can be Cheers.
The button on the episode comes with Sam’s revelation that despite the pettiness and moments of vanity throughout his life, his life is far from empty; how can it be when he owns the bar that is the constant in so many people’s lives? It’s a poignant finale that’s equal parts heartfelt and funny, a summation of the best moments of Cheers’ history.
Cheers always excelled at examining the relationship of characters, oftentimes pairing up ones you wouldn’t expect. “Trice or Consequences” takes the opposite route and puts the characters with the most conflict – Carla and Diane – and makes them duke it out. It’s a classic example of an early Cheers episode that unfolds more like a stage play than a television show, particularly in the drunken heart-to-heart the two characters share midway through.
The real magic of the episode is that Carla and Diane actually do have a breakthrough, despite the prank that Carla plays by telling Diane that one of her kids is Sam’s. The episode ends with the first (and possibly the last) genuine moment of bonding between the two characters, as they share a laugh at how funny looking Carla’s son Gino is (Mama Tortelli isn’t always the kindest mom on the planet). It’s a great episode that shows the potential of the dynamic between Carla and Diane, a conflict so strong that it would linger even long after Shelly Long left the show.One of the most purely funny episodes in the show’s long run, “Thanksgiving Orphans” has the simple set-up of the Cheers gang all heading over to Carla’s for Turkey Day. What makes this episode shine is its razor sharp wit (Frasier in particular is at his best in this episode, just watch the cold open) and the genuine bonding that occurs between the cast of characters. Though Cheers was always an ensemble, by Season 5 it had become overwhelmingly involved in the Sam and Diane romance that the rest of the characters were usually used in service to that. Here, every character gets their chance in the spotlight with great lines and a chance to play up some screwball comedy in the climactic food fight.
There are some smaller moments that make this episode stand out too, like the first and only peek at Norm’s unseen wife Vera (who is obscured by a pie to the face) and Sam’s toast to the deceased Coach.Cheers played a wide variety of comedy throughout its long run, but rarely did it venture into pure screwball physical comedy – unless it was an episode written by David Lloyd. The two-part Season 10 capper of Woody and Kelly’s wedding is one of the most absurd episodes of the series, but also one of its best. Particularly in the second half, where the cast gets to put its physical comedy chops to work as they dash around the kitchen trying to keep the plates spinning as they hide a dead body, keep Kelly’s father from finding her and Woody smooching, Carla gets trapped in the dumbwaiter, Lilith entertains the guests with a vaudeville act, and the minister gets loaded.
Amazingly, the entire second part takes place solely in the kitchen and yet we never notice. While the average episode of Cheers is usually just set in the bar, even that set has multiple rooms to change up the scenery. Here, the whole episode is balanced on the cast’s stellar performance of will-timed antics. It might be a bit fantastical compared to the standard Cheers fare, but it’s absolutely hilarious.“Home is the Sailor” might not be the most hilarious episode of Cheers (though it’s close), but it’s arguably the most important. With Sam and Diane’s relationship dominating the show for five years, it was this Season 6 premiere that would test the waters of a show without Shelly Long. It returned the show to its “sitcom in a bar” roots, wholly embracing the ensemble cast more than ever before, and introduced new boss Rebecca Howe. It also gave us the first real glimpse at an aging Sam Malone; still a wolf, but wounded in a way we’d never seen before. He returns from his failed trip around the world to find his bar under new management and the memories of Diane poking at him.
Despite the changes – both in Cheers itself and the show’s cast – “Home is the Sailor” reminded us what the spirit of the show was all about: camaraderie. The way that the regulars and the barflies come together in the end in order to help Sam get his job back is legitimately touching without ever losing the show’s incredible sense of humor.Oof. Just as heart-wrenching (and funny) as it was in 1987, this Season 5 capper ushered in the end of Sam and Diane’s turbulent romance (at least until the series finale in 1993) as Diane accepted a book deal she couldn’t refuse and Sam makes the decision to call off the wedding. What makes the episode so magical are the two daydreaming sequences in Sam’s head featuring himself and Diane as an elderly couple thinking back on their life together. Beyond the “we’re old!” gags and funny make-up, it’s actually a psychological breakthrough for Sam’s character.
From his point-of-view, we see that Diane is telling him she’s got no regrets about marrying him and letting her writing career pass her by. In reality, Sam knows that he’s fooling himself and commits the selfless act of cancelling the wedding and pushing her to go, knowing that it means the end of their relationship, despite Diane’s dismissal of such a thought.
The fact that the episode ends with elderly Sam and Diane dancing alone in their home makes Diane’s departure all the more poignant and perhaps the most insightful look at the man behind the mask of machismo that Sam Malone wears. Cliff Wheatley is a freelance writer and a fiend. Follow him on IGN.
