{"id":115208,"date":"2025-02-27T22:28:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T15:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/?p=115208"},"modified":"2025-02-27T22:28:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T15:28:14","slug":"cheers-surprising-secrets-in-the-iconic-comedy-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/cheers-surprising-secrets-in-the-iconic-comedy-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheers: Surprising secrets in the iconic comedy series…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who else was obsessed with Cheers?\n

It was a straight-up classic, and I know I\u2019m not the only one who spent hours watching Sam, Diane, Norm, and the gang.\n

But get this \u2014 there are some wild behind-the-scenes secrets about the show that even the biggest fans probably don\u2019t know! Want to know what really went down on set? Check them out and let me know if you already knew any of them!\n

Cheers is such a classic! There\u2019s just something about hanging out at the pub with all those hilarious characters that never gets old. I recently started rewatching it on Paramount+, and it\u2019s still just as funny as I remember!\n

But here\u2019s the thing \u2014 there are a bunch of things about the show that even I didn\u2019t know, and I bet a lot of fans are in the same boat. Like any show, Cheers wasn\u2019t without its fair share of mistakes and bloopers.\n

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Promoting designated drivers
\nFrom the very beginning, the writers and producers of Cheers made a conscious decision to never show anyone leaving the bar drunk and driving home. This choice wasn\u2019t just for laughs \u2014 it became a key part of the show\u2019s message.\n

Over time, Cheers was recognized and even praised by anti-drinking and driving organizations for its positive portrayal of responsible drinking. The series played an important role in promoting the idea of designated drivers, helping to raise awareness and encourage safer habits among viewers.\n

The Writers Guild of America fully supported the initiative, leading to an unprecedented collaboration among the major TV networks of the time.\n

In total, 160 prime-time shows integrated designated driver messaging into their scripts and storylines, ultimately contributing to more than $100 million worth of \u201ddonated\u201d TV airtime for the cause.\n

Yeah, pretty awesome, right? It\u2019s amazing how so many major TV shows came together to promote such an important message. Just goes to show how much influence pop culture can have on society!\n

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Real beer on Cheers?
\nWhile it might have looked like the cast of Cheers was sipping on cold beers all day, they were actually drinking something a lot less enjoyable.\n

For practical reasons, the bar\u2019s taps were filled with a non-alcoholic, flat ale. To make it look like the real deal, they even added salt to give the illusion of carbonation. Safe to say, it wasn\u2019t the most refreshing drink on set.\n

From dead last to number one
\nAnother really fascinating thing that makes Cheers historic is the fact that it\u2019s the only sitcom in TV history to be ranked both first and last during its run.\n

On its first night, it ranked 77th\u2014dead last\u2014and then, by its ninth season, it was number one in the ratings. Talk about an incredible turnaround!\n

Kelsey Grammer\u2019s hidden struggle
\nUnfortunately, Cheers wasn\u2019t without its darker moments when it came to alcohol. One of the show\u2019s most beloved stars, Kelsey Grammer, struggled heavily with drinking \u2014 especially during the final season.\n

The actor has admitted that he turned to cocaine and alcohol as a way to self-medicate and cope with the hardships he had faced in his life.\n

While it may not be obvious when rewatching the episodes, his co-stars saw it firsthand. He became increasingly difficult to work with and would often appear nearly catatonic between takes.\n

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Another star of the series, Ted Danson, once gave Grammer a firm talking-to, which strained their relationship. Looking back, Danson has expressed regret that he didn\u2019t reach out with more support to his friend, who was clearly struggling.\n

\u201dI missed out on the last 30 years of Kelsey Grammer. \u2026 I feel like it\u2019s my bad, my doing,\u201d Danson said.\n

Despite multiple intervention attempts, it took years before Grammer fully turned things around. He eventually sought help, but his real road to recovery didn\u2019t begin until the early seasons of Frasier in 1993.\n

From barstools to best buds
\nEven 43 years after Cheers, Woody Harrelson and Ted Danson are still the best of friends! They\u2019re so close, in fact, that they even cohost a podcast together called Where Everybody Knows Your Name, where they chat with old friends \u2014 including former Cheers castmates.\n

Their bond started in season four when Harrelson joined the show, and Danson still remembers their wild first day meeting.\n

Apparently, Woody managed to get in a bar fight and get carjacked on the same day \u2014 talk about an entrance! But just when you think you\u2019ve got him figured out, he pulls out a beautifully written poem and invites you to see a brilliant play he wrote.\n

As Danson puts it, \u201cYou cannot pigeonhole that guy.\u201d\n

The creators of Cheers originally cast someone else to play Woody, but Ted Danson personally advocated for Woody Harrelson to get the role behind the scenes.\n

Their friendship was so strong that when Danson decided to leave Cheers, NBC wanted to keep the show going with Woody taking over the bar. But Harrelson wasn\u2019t having it \u2014 he refused to continue without his friend. Now that\u2019s true Cheers loyalty!\n

The truth about Woody\u2019s name
\nSpeaking Woody Harrelson, it\u2019s pretty wild that he and his character both share the same first name. But it turns out that was purely by chance!\n

The character of Woody was already named before any actor even auditioned. Harrelson himself admitted he had never seen the show and wasn\u2019t really interested in doing TV at the time. It was actually a friend who encouraged him to audition, and the rest is history.\n

\u201cIn fact, nobody had ever heard of Woody at that point. Anyway we said we want a country bumpkin kind of guy, somebody from Iowa, Ohio, farm boy. And there\u2019s the big city of Boston. So he has, he\u2019s a little naive. He needs to learn things,\u201d Cheers creator Glen Charles recently said.\n

\u201cAnd we, so we read a guy that was right on the money and I can\u2019t remember, even remember his name. I think his name was John.\u201d\n

He said their casting director Steve Kozak suggested Harrelson.\n

\u201cMeantime, this John had gone out and bought a car and yeah, rendered it, got married and he\u2019s now listening,\u201d Les joked about the original actor.\n

After Harrelson auditioned, Glen said that Danson \u201cfought like hell\u201d for him.\n

\u201cI remember very well you said, \u2018I know you think you\u2019ve got your guy, but this guy\u2019s more interesting,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we got the other guy, as I said, was right on the money. But what he was not exactly, he was the part, everything we wanted in the part, but a little more.\u201d\n

Ted Danson actually had a bald spot
\nTed Danson\u2019s hair was practically a character of its own on Cheers \u2014 fans admired it, talked about it, and even Sam Malone himself seemed more obsessed with his locks than with the ladies!\n

But here\u2019s the twist: that legendary mane wasn\u2019t entirely what it seemed.\n

While Danson did have a good amount of natural hair, it wasn\u2019t as full as it looked on screen. Behind the scenes, he struggled with significant thinning, which made him self-conscious about his appearance. To keep up Sam Malone\u2019s suave image, Danson turned to a secret weapon \u2014 a toupee. This clever non-surgical hairpiece covered the balding on the crown of his head, keeping the illusion alive for years.\n

Mind blown? You\u2019re not alone!\n

Keeping Shelley Long\u2019s pregnancy a secret
\nShelley Long, who played Diane, never planned to stick around for long on Cheers. In fact, she only reluctantly agreed to co-star in the series, with her initial contract set to be short-term.\n

But fans quickly fell in love with Diane\u2019s quirky charm, her on-again, off-again relationship with Sam, and her witty, intellectual banter. She became one of the show\u2019s most beloved characters, making her departure all the more memorable.\n

Speaking of memorable moments, when both Shelley Long and Rhea Perlman (Carla) were pregnant during the third season, and they both gave birth in March 1985. But only Rhea\u2019s pregnancy was written into the script. To hide Diane\u2019s pregnancy, the show often filmed Shelley and her ever-growing belly behind the bar. When she wasn\u2019t behind the bar, she\u2019d be seated at desks or cleverly blocked by the bar top! So next time you watch season 3, keep that in mind \u2013 it\u2019s actually true!\n

The bathroom confusion
\nFrom on-set mishaps to cast changes, Cheers had behind-the-scenes drama that impacted the show\u2019s production and reception.\n

If you\u2019ve ever noticed the bathrooms in the Cheers bar switching locations, you\u2019re not imagining things. Throughout the series, the women\u2019s bathroom occasionally ends up closer to the main bar, while the men\u2019s room is farther down the hall by the pool room \u2014 then, at other times, the setup is reversed. No, there wasn\u2019t a renovation on set; it\u2019s most likely just a case of the signs being mixed up.\n

Curtain makes an unexpected cameo
\nEver catch a random glimpse of something you\u2019re not supposed to see on screen? It happens now and then, but usually not for an entire season.\n

However, if you look closely at the end of Cheers\u2018 second season, you\u2019ll spot something unusual \u2014 a curtain on the left side of the screen. It appears whenever the camera pans out from Norm\u2019s spot at the bar. It\u2019s possible no one noticed it while filming, or they just figured the audience wouldn\u2019t catch it. Honestly, they were probably right\u2026 most people probably missed it..\n

One last fling
\nIn the episode One Last Fling, we get one of the best Diane costumes ever.\n

This 18th episode of Cheers\u2018 fifth season, directed by the brilliant James Burrows, is packed with memorable moments and some hidden details you probably didn\u2019t notice the first time around.\n

The episode starts with Frasier walking into Cheers to find Woody with his arm in a cast. Woody tells a long-winded story about how it happened, but in real life, Woody Harrelson had actually injured his arm. It happened when his car flipped during a practice for the Pro-Celebrity preliminary of the Toyota Grand Prix in 1987, which is why he is wearing a cast and why it was written into the show.\n

Then the main story kicks in, focusing on Sam and Diane. In the episode, Sam and Diane\u2019s relationship takes center stage as they prepare for Sam\u2019s bachelor party.\n

After a suggestion from Cliff, the gang plans to surprise Sam with a girl in a cake, and Diane ultimately decides to be the one to pop out.\n

However, Sam, who is wearing a headpiece in this episode, overthinking about their future and a comment he makes while Diane is inside the cake causes tension, leading her to propose 24 hours of uninhibited fun. The episode ends with Sam confessing he didn\u2019t do anything during his 24 hours, only to realize Diane was watching him too.\n