[quote] If Long was responsible for the shows success, then why did it last for another 7 years after she left?
As is the case with most sitcoms that make the main characters hook up and then eventually marry, Cheers was going the route of the dinosaur. Where do you go from there?
Shelley's exit breathed new life into the show, and I give credit to Kirstie Alley for the extra seven years.
As it was pointed out, she played her character flawlessly. I love that Rebecca character so much. A professional, put together exterior, with a "hot mess" of an interior. Love it.
[quote] Rees said that he and Neuwirth often would sit and wait for the cast to get it together at every rehearsal -- which often never happened as the show wore on -- and Shelley had the same problem, but Shelley seemed to take it more personally.
I can completely believe this.
Bebe is just a pro. So is Shelley. But Bebe seems to be more of a "team player," as evidenced by her cheeky sense of humor.
By the time she left the show, I'm guessing that Bebe was over it. Shelley probably didn't have the patience.
[quote] Alan Autry as Sam's former teammate was so hot in that episode when Sam finds out he's gay.
Cheers was way ahead of it's time in numerous ways.
It did a number of gay-themed shows, and Shelley's liberal slant really helped.
Nobody else on television was tackling gay issues, so the fact that Cheers took it on, and was PRO GAY, is HUGE for the 1980's.
[quote] Shelley/Diane was the best. Her relationship with Sam was an opposites attract, addictive ying and yang and very funny.
Her final season was the best. Thanksgiving Orphans, etc.
The Simon Fitzroy character played by John Cleese summed up their relationship perfectly.
She flat out asked him, "but what about the theory that opposites attract?" To which he replied, "ah, the refuge of the truly desperate!"
This show had excellent writing.
[quote] If Shelley Long was so great in Cheers why did her departure leave such a stink on her?
Same reason David Caruso failed after leaving his hit show.
The public doesn't like "uppity" actors.
[quote] I loved Bebe Neuwirth as Lilith. What a unique character she was, and Neuwirth was pitch-perfect.
Her character is probably my favorite of all Cheers characters.
She was supposed to be so tightly wound and straight-laced, but "Lilith" had this hard edge and dry humor that never failed to crack me up.
My favorite episodes were the Nanny G, where she physically fought with Emma Thompson, and then this one which really made use of her Broadway background. This never fails to crack my shit up!
I'm with R1. Cheers and Seinfeld were the best sitcoms ever. Smart, sophisticated humor.
Cheers writers were something special, and it always haunts me to see the name "David Angell" in the credits, knowing that he died on one of the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers on 9/11. What a tragedy.
I still watch the re-runs of Cheers on Hallmark Channel. It's a good reminder of how smart tv shows used to be.