Shelley Long or Kirstie Alley?

I was catching up on the series Cheers on netflix a while back and I will admit that this show really holds up. The character of Diane Chambers was better. I could not wait to get home and put on a couple of episodes. I finished the Shelly Long episodes and stated the Rebecca ones. Honestly when in first run, I liked Rebecca more because I started watching towards the end of Shelly Long trough out the end of the show. I liked Kristie Alley's performance as Rebecca but after the first season, she got a little bit different and too silly with Robin. I liked when she was hot for Mr. Drake.

Both good acting wise, but Diane was a stronger character. Better written. Still a great show.

Jesus. What a choice.

Long is just brilliant in the first season of Cheers. The episode where she is in the Miss Boston Bar Maid contest is just perfect and she is hysterical in it.

Kirstie gave me the big one every night.

Loved Shelley Long. Never cared for the show after she left.

I voted Shelly but if Kristie was a Scientology bot who voted for Trump I would have given it to her.

None of the above.

Kirstie Alley. Wonderful comic timing. Shelley Long started off strong but became insufferable as the seasons went on.

Both Shelley and Kirstie were great, but different.

"Ask her for her I D. Better yet, ask her to spell I D."

- Diane to Carla, about one of Sam's young bimbos.

Bebe Neuwirth > Both

Carla- "If this place is so great , why can't they come up with a better name than "the Café?"

Diane- "Oh, silly Carla. Everybody knows that a simple name denotes the very best in taste."

Norm- "You're right about that Diane. My favorite place is called "EAT" out on the highway near my home."

Lafayette we are here!!!!!!!!!

Rebecca Chambers all day long, bitch had swag.

Fuck that crazy, Scientologist bitch!

Diane's breakup scene with Sam at the end of the second season still amazes me every time I see it. It shifts so effortlessly from humor to tragedy, like some demented collaboration between Edward Albee and zpreston Sturges. Danson is good in it, but it's really Long's performance that sells it.

Looking back on both "Cheers" and "Frasier," I think I prefer Neuwirth in the spinoff. I think the "Frasier" writers knew better how to handle the character, plus late "Cheers" was more slapstick which wasn't as suited to Lilith as the dry humor on "Frasier."

As for Alley, I was never that fond of her or Rebecca, but still adore her performance in the episode where Frasier's mentor hits on her.

Shelley is a true Datalounger.

Shelley.

Shelley wins. She had some good movies too. Outrageous Fortune, Hello Again, Troop Beverly Hills, Brady Bunch, etc.. Kristie Fatass Allie cannot compare to Shelley.

The writers created Diane but it took Long to realize the character and maintain it. Perfect combination, so rare.

I prefer the Shelley Long seasons. I know it's unpopular, but I also prefer Woody to Coach.

Lost all interest after Shelley left (it seemed like the writing got bad all around).

Diane all the way. Her chemistry with Sam was unmatched. However, I noticed in reruns they flipped the dynamic with Sam in the last couple of seasons she was on. The gang could be downright mean to Diane and Sam would join in. I liked the earlier seasons where Sam respected her and put her up on a bit of a pedestal, in the later seasons it seemed like he mocked her most of the time, even when they reunited. I guess the dislike of Shelly Long had something to do with the shift in writing.

I liked Rebecca...even though i’m more of a Diane.

They both won Lead Actress Emmys.

Kirstie Alley was remarkably beautiful, and she seemed so tall....

Shelley is tall AND Long!

Haha.

It's interesting that Shelley is actually 5'6" and Kirstie is only 5'7"....but both read as much closer to the opposite ends of the scale.

Shelley Long but only the first couple seasons. It took me a long time to like Kirstie and the whole subplot with her boss was just tiresome. I always liked it when they had Lillith--you knew there'd be some great wprdplay.

Bebe Neuwirth (Lillith) was actually better-looking than both Shelley Long and Kirstie Alley. IMO.

What about me, Gang at Cheers?

Kirsties character took a 180 from how she started. She was supposed to be the Alexis Carrington of the bar but then they thought she was funnier as a neurotic loser like the rest of the barflies.

Both were gifted physical commediennes.

I think they changed Rebecca because the stern boss wouldn't have worked long term. She would have always been on the outside looking in. They had to make her part of the gang. Sam was dumbed down a lot in the shows later years.

I honestly can’t pick. Shelley Long had such incredible chemistry with Ted Danson and delivered her pretentious, desperate-woman lines with such aplomb. She was so fantastically irritating. Kirstie Alley was excellent as a trying too hard loser who was too trashy to ever win at life. I still love the episode where she gets dumped and walks around throwing drinks in customers’ faces. Her delivery is perfect.

Nobody has mentioned Carla at all.

I didn't like how kirstie kind of trashed Shelley when she replaced her.