![]() ![]() (Frasier also returned to Boston he was supposed to have been written off after the short-lived affair but the producers felt Grammer was a gifted comic. The two went to Europe to get married, but Diane jilted Frasier at the altar and returned to Boston and Cheers. In Season Three, Diane left Sam to run off with the equally neurotic and pompous psychiatrist Dr. By the end of the first season, Sam and Diane finally locked lips the second-season premiere had the two consummating their relationship-but it continued to be a love-hate affair, as their different backgrounds and personalities caused Sam and Diane to clash more than once. Helping to build interest was the relationship between Sam and Diane each could not stand the other at first, but there was an unspoken attraction. Slowly, viewers began finding Cheers the ratings began to perk up in the spring, and the show even landed in the top-20 during the summer rerun period. Despite complaints from NBC affiliates, the network ordered a full season's worth of episodes. And that patience was sorely tried: Cheers continued to rank at or near the bottom of the ratings through the fall and winter. Plus, NBC Chairman Grant Tinker and head of entertainment Brandon Tartikoff not only believed in the show, they were more willing to allow high quality but low-rated programmes (such as Hill Street Blues and St. But Cheers was lucky to find a home at NBC, which was in third place behind CBS and ABC at the time and lacking hit shows. Normally, a performance like that would have meant instant cancellation. The supporting cast consisted of razor-sharp tongued and promiscuous Carla, a waitress with an attitude the dense but lovable barman Ernie 'Coach' Pantusso accountant and frequent customer Norm Petersen, who always entered to the chorus of 'NORM!' from the bar's other patrons and know-it-all mailman and "mama's boy" Cliff Clavin.ĭespite critical raves, the show's pilot episode was the lowest-rated programme for that week. In the pilot, Diane is jilted by her fiance and stranded in Boston she takes a job at Cheers as a waitress. And in another break with series tradition, it spawned a spin-off that was at least the equal of its parent show in quality. And in a first for a US series, the romance of the show's leading characters became a major plotline, (would womanising Sam settle down with the uppity Diane?) leading to similar cliffhanger relationships on other series. Virtually ignored in its first season, the reasons for its eventual success are simple: Unlike many comedies, Cheers never talked down to its audience it assumed people were intelligent enough to understand the humour. ![]() One of the most top rated shows in the history of US situation comedy and a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Cheers is an excellent example of what faith in a concept and the people behind it can accomplish. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |