Everybody knows your name at Cheers, especially if it’s Diane. But when Shelley Long left Cheers after five seasons, it left not only a (watering) hole but put the cast and crew in panic mode. For more than 120 episodes, Long was a crucial figure on the show, especially when it came to her romance with Ted Danson’s Sam Malone. So when her contract expired, it left everybody wondering who could possibly fill the shoes.
Cheers co-creators Glen and Les Charles recently appeared on Danson and Woody Harrelson’s aptly titled Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, where the topic of Shelley Long came up. And the boys couldn’t avoid admitting that Diane was so vital to the show from its inception (she won an Emmy for the pilot) that they knew it was going to be an issue pleasing fans. As Glen Charles put it, “There were some critics that said when Shelley walks out the door, that’s the end of Cheers…[She] had signed on for five years anyway. Her contract was up, it’s not like she stormed out of here. She did say, ‘I’m out of here,’ but she was allowed to do that. She was having a certain amount of success in film and thought she had a career in film. So we can’t fight that.”
In Shelley Long’s final appearance (until the series finale six seasons later), Diane leaves to pursue her writing career, leaving Cheers, Boston and Sam. Starting in season six, Kirstie Alley stepped in as replacement Rebecca Howe. While it might not have been the best choice for Cheers purists (remember that couple who sat in Norm’s stool?), Alley was an immediate presence and perfect addition to the show. She, like Shelley Long, would win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for work on Cheers.
Remembering Shelley Long at the outset, Glen Charles noted, “We said often that we’re not sure that Cheers would have survived without Shelley in that first season because she was so strong and so confident and knew exactly who the character was and who she was. And I think all of the rest of [the original cast] were finding your way a little bit.”
Cheers would run for 11 seasons and 275 episodes, becoming – after a notorious start that had the show on the rocks – one of the greatest shows ever…which is precisely why I’m going through another rewatch.
Were you more a fan of Diane or Rebecca? Let us know who you think is the ultimate Sam Malone love interest.
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