Shelley Long | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | August 23, 1949
Alma mater | Northwestern University |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1971–2022 |
Known for | |
Spouses |
Bruce Tyson (m. 1981;div. 2004) |
Children | 1 |
Shelley Long (born August 23, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. For her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers , [2] Long received five Emmy nominations, winning in 1983 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. [3] She also won two Golden Globe Awards for the role. [4] Long reprised her role as Diane Chambers in three episodes of the spin-off Frasier , for which she received an additional guest star Emmy nomination. In 2009, she began playing the recurring role of DeDe Pritchett on the ABC comedy series Modern Family .
Long has also starred in several films including Night Shift (1982), Irreconcilable Differences (1984), The Money Pit (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Hello Again (1987), Troop Beverly Hills (1989), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), A Very Brady Sequel (1996), and Dr. T & the Women (2000).
Shelley Long was born on August 23, 1949, in Indian Village, Fort Wayne, Indiana. [5] She is the only child of Ivadine (née Williams), a schoolteacher, and Leland Long who worked in the rubber industry before becoming a teacher as well. [6]
Shelley was raised in the Presbyterian faith. She was active on her high school speech team, competing in the Indiana High School Forensic Association. In 1967, she won the National Forensic League's National Championship in Original Oratory. [7]
After graduating from South Side High School in Fort Wayne, she studied drama at Northwestern University [2] but left before graduating to pursue a career in acting and modeling. Her first job was at the university as a meal plan checker.
Long's break as an actress occurred when she began performing in local commercials for Homemakers furniture store in the Chicago area. [8]
In Chicago, Long joined The Second City comedy troupe. In 1975, she began writing, producing, and co-hosting the television program Sorting It Out on WMAQ-TV [9] and went on to win three Regional Emmys for her work on the show. [10] She also appeared in the 1970s in VO5 shampoo print advertisements and in commercials for Camay soap as well as more Homemakers furniture commercials. In 1978, she appeared in a vignette on The Love Boat . [11]
Long appeared in the 1979 television film The Cracker Factory as a psychiatric inmate. In the same year she guest starred on Family and Trapper John, M.D. , and played Nurse Mendenhall in an episode of M*A*S*H . [12] In 1980, she appeared in her first feature film role in A Small Circle of Friends . [13] The film about social unrest at Harvard University during the 1960s enjoyed a level of critical success. [14] [15] In 1981, she played the role of Tala in Caveman . In 1982, she starred as Belinda, the good-natured prostitute neighbor of the character portrayed by Henry Winkler in Ron Howard's comedy Night Shift (also co-starring Michael Keaton), and starred with Tom Cruise in Losin' It (1983). She was offered the role of Mary, the mother in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , but turned it down because she had already signed on to appear in Night Shift.
Although she had already been in feature films, Long became famous for her role in the long-running television sitcom Cheers as the character Diane Chambers, who has a tempestuous on-and-off relationship with Sam Malone. [13] The show was slow to capture an audience but eventually became one of the more popular on the air. Amid some controversy, Long left Cheers after season five in 1987. [16]
In the Cheers biography documentary, co-star Ted Danson admitted there was tension between them but "never at a personal level and always at a work level" due to their different modes of working. He also stated that Long was much more similar to her TV character than she might have liked to admit, but also said that her performances often "carried the show." [17] [18] Long said in later interviews that it did not occur to her, when deciding to leave, that she was going to "sabotage a show" and she felt confident that the rest of the cast could continue without her. [19]
In a 2003 interview with Graham Norton , Long said she left for a variety of reasons, the most important of which was her desire to spend more time with her daughter. In a 2007 interview on Australian television, Long said Danson was "a delight to work with" and talked of her love for co-star Nicholas Colasanto ("Coach"), who was "one of my closest friends on set". She said she left the show because she "didn't want to keep doing the same episode over and over again and the same story. I didn't want it to become old and stale." She went on to say that "working at Cheers was a dream come true...it was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. So, yes, I missed it, but I never regretted that decision." [20]
While appearing on Cheers, Long continued to appear in motion pictures. In 1984, she was nominated for a Best Leading Actress Golden Globe for her performance in Irreconcilable Differences . She also starred in the comedies The Money Pit and Outrageous Fortune . She was offered lead roles in Working Girl , Jumpin' Jack Flash , and My Stepmother Is an Alien but did not accept them.[ citation needed ]
On August 12, 1986, Long signed a production agreement with The Walt Disney Studios through Itsbinso Long Inc. to produce three films for the Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Films labels. [21]
Long's first post-Cheers project was Hello Again , a comedy about a housewife who is brought back from the dead. This was followed by Troop Beverly Hills , a comedy about another housewife who takes leadership of a 'Wilderness Girl' troop to bond with her daughter and distract herself from divorce proceedings. Neither film was successful with critics or at the box office.
In 1990, Long returned to television for the fact-based miniseries Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase . She received critical praise for the role, which required her to portray nearly 20 personalities. This introduced her to more dramatic roles in TV films, after which she starred in several more throughout the 1990s. [22]
Major feature film roles followed such as the romantic comedy Don't Tell Her It's Me with Jami Gertz and Steve Guttenberg and Frozen Assets , a comedy about a sperm bank, which reunited her with Hello Again co-star Corbin Bernsen.
In 1992, she starred in Fatal Memories: The Eileen Franklin Story, a television drama about a woman who remembers the childhood trauma of being raped by her father and his cronies, and witnessing him murder her childhood friend to prevent the child from "telling on him," based on a 1989 case. [23] The still-controversial "recovered memories" basis for the prosecution resulted in the conviction and sentencing of life imprisonment of George Franklin, [24] a conviction that was later overturned. [25]
Long starred in the 1992 film A Message from Holly with Lindsay Wagner. Long plays a workaholic who finds out that her best friend has cancer and only six months to live, then stays with her in her last months. [26]
In 1993, the actress returned to Cheers for its series finale, and picked up another Emmy nomination for her return as Diane. [27] She also starred in the sitcom Good Advice with Treat Williams and Teri Garr, a show that lasted two seasons. [28] She later resurfaced as Diane in several episodes of the Kelsey Grammer spinoff series Frasier , for which she was nominated for another Emmy Award. [29]
Both Outrageous Fortune co-star Bette Midler and Paramount studio executive Richard H. Frank, who helped develop Cheers, described Long as being difficult to work with. [30] [31]
Long appeared as Carol Brady in the 1995 film The Brady Bunch Movie which is a campy take of the popular television show. In 1996, she reprised her role in A Very Brady Sequel which had modest success, and a 2002 television film sequel— The Brady Bunch in the White House . Some ventures followed including the TV remake of Freaky Friday and the family sitcom Kelly Kelly , which only lasted for a few episodes. She played the Wicked Witch of the Beanstalk in a 1998 episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch . [29]
In 1999, she starred in another television film Vanished Without a Trace, about a woman who refuses to accept the kidnapping of her 13-year-old daughter and relentlessly pursues the villain's capture (not to be confused with the 1993 film of the same name about the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping.) In 2000, she appeared as one of the women in the Richard Gere film Dr. T & the Women , directed by Robert Altman. [29]
Long guest-starred in several TV shows such as 8 Simple Rules , Yes Dear , Strong Medicine , and Boston Legal . She had a recurring role on the popular ABC sitcom Modern Family as DeDe Pritchett, the ex-wife of Jay Pritchett. [29] She starred in television films, including Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door and Holiday Engagement . In 2012, she made a guest appearance on Switched at Birth . [29] In 2016, Long produced and acted in the feature film Different Flowers. [32]
Long's first marriage, to Ken Solomon, ended in divorce in the 1970s after only a few years. [33] In 1979 she met her second husband, Bruce Tyson, a securities broker. They married in 1981 and had a daughter, Juliana. [6] Long and Tyson separated in 2003 and divorced in 2004.[ citation needed ]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | The Key | Narrator | Voice role |
1980 | A Small Circle of Friends | Alice | |
1981 | Caveman | Tala | |
1982 | Night Shift | Belinda Keaton | |
1983 | Losin' It | Kathy | |
1984 | Irreconcilable Differences | Lucy Van Patten Brodsky | Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical |
1986 | The Money Pit | Anna Crowley Beissart Fielding | |
1987 | Outrageous Fortune | Lauren Ames | |
1987 | Hello Again | Lucy Chadman | Nominated – Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress |
1989 | Troop Beverly Hills | Phyllis Nefler | |
1990 | Don't Tell Her It's Me | Lizzie Potts | |
1992 | Frozen Assets | Grace Murdock | |
1995 | The Brady Bunch Movie | Carol Brady | |
1996 | A Very Brady Sequel | ||
1998 | The Adventures of Ragtime | Sam | |
2000 | Dr. T & the Women | Carolyn | |
2007 | A Couple of White Chicks at the Hairdresser | Barbara Kisner | |
2007 | Trust Me | Mitzi Robinson | |
2008 | Mr. Vinegar and the Curse | Ms. Persnickety | |
2011 | Pizza Man | Mrs. Burns | |
2011 | Zombie Hamlet | Shine Reynolds | Also co-producer |
2013 | The Wedding Chapel | Jeanie Robertson | |
2013 | Best Man Down | Gail | |
2014 | A Matter of Time | Nona | |
2017 | Different Flowers | Grandma Mildred | Also producer |
2021 | The Cleaner | Sharon Enderly | |
2022 | Give Me Pity! | Baby Dog |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1975–1978 | Sorting it Out | Host | (Local Chicago show) Won 3 Regional Emmy Awards |
1978 | That Thing on ABC | Performer | Variety special |
1978 | The Love Boat | Heather McKenzie | Episode: "Memories of You/Computerman/Parlez Vous?" |
1979 | The Dooley Brothers | Lucy Bennett | Unaired pilot |
1979 | Young Guy Christian | Mia Mishugi | Unaired pilot |
1979 | The Cracker Factory | Cara | Television film |
1979 | Family | Joan Phillips | Episode: "Sleeping Over" |
1979 | Trapper John, M.D. | Lauren | Episode: "The Shattered Image" |
1980 | The Promise of Love | Lorraine Simpson | Television film |
1980 | M*A*S*H | Lt. Mendenhall | Episode: "Bottle Fatigue" |
1981 | The Princess and the Cabbie | Carol | Television film |
1981 | Ghost of a Chance | Jenny Clifford | Unaired pilot |
1982–1987, 1993 | Cheers | Diane Chambers | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1983) Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1985) Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (1983) TV Land Awards (2006–2007) Viewers for Quality Television Award (1985–1986) Nominated – American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a Television Series (1987) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1984–1986) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (1993) Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1984) Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Female TV Performer (1984–1985) |
1990 | Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase | Truddi Chase | Television film |
1991 | The Real Story of... | The Dame | Voice, episode: "Baa Baa Black Sheep" |
1991 | Memories of M*A*S*H | Host | Documentary |
1992 | Fatal Memories | Eileen Franklin Lipsker | Television film |
1992 | A Message from Holly | Kate | Television film |
1993–1994 | Good Advice | Susan DeRuzza | 19 episodes |
1993 | Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's[ sic ] | Fay Sommerfield | Television film |
1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Lucille Newtrich/Ultra Lucille | Episode: "Ultra Woman" |
1995 | Welcome to Paradise | Anne | Television film |
1995 | Freaky Friday | Ellen Andrews | Television film |
1996 | A Different Kind of Christmas | Elizabeth Gates | Television film |
1996 | Susie Q | Penny Sands | Television film |
1995, 1996 | Murphy Brown | Dottie Wilcox | 2 episodes |
1996, 2001 | Frasier | Diane Chambers | 3 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (1996) |
1996 | Life with Louie | Sally Tubbs | Voice, episode: "A Fair to Remember" |
1996 | Boston Common | Louise Holmes | Episode: "Trustee and Sympathy" |
1998 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | The Wicked Witch | Episode: "Sabrina and the Beanstalk" |
1998 | Kelly Kelly | Kelly Novack | 7 episodes; also co-executive producer |
1998 | Diagnosis: Murder | Kay Ludlow | Episode: "Write, She Murdered" |
1999 | Vanished Without a Trace | Elizabeth Porterson | Television film |
1999 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Teacher | Episode: "The Green Boots" |
2000 | Beggars and Choosers | Pamela Marston | Episode: "Fasten Your Seatbelts" |
2002 | The Brady Bunch in the White House | Carol Brady | Television film |
2002 | The Santa Trap | Molly Emerson | Television film |
2003 | 8 Simple Rules | Mary Ellen Doyle | Episode: "The Doyle Wedding" |
2003 | Strong Medicine | Lauren Chase | Episode: "Jeaneology" |
2004 | Joan of Arcadia | Miss Candy | Episode: "Vanity, Thy Name Is Human" |
2005 | Boston Legal | Miriam Watson | Episode: "Death Be Not Proud" |
2005 | Yes, Dear | Margaret | Episode: "The New Neighbors" |
2005 | Complete Savages | Judy | 2 episodes |
2006 | Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door | Betsy Lucas | Television film |
2006 | Honeymoon with Mom | Marla | Television film |
2009 | Ice Dreams | Harriet Clayton | Television film |
2009–2018 | Modern Family | DeDe Pritchett | 8 episodes Nominated – Gold Derby Awards for Comedy Guest Actress (2010) Nominated – OFTA Television Award for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2011) |
2010 | Family Guy | Carol Brady | Voice, episode: "Excellence in Broadcasting" |
2011 | Holiday Engagement | Meredith Burns | Television film |
2011 | Retired at 35 | Ginny | Episode: "Hit It and Quit It" |
2011 | A.N.T. Farm | Mrs. Busby | Episode: "PhilANThropy" |
2012 | Strawberry Summer | Eileen Landon | Television film |
2012 | Merry In-Laws | Mrs. Claus | Television film |
2012 | The Dog Who Saved the Hollidays | Aunt Barbara | Television film; also co-producer |
2012 | Switched at Birth | Rya Bellows | Episode: "Game On" |
2013 | Holiday Road Trip | Cynthia | Television film |
2015 | Instant Mom | Magician | Episode: "Bawamo Shazam" |
2017 | Christmas in the Heartland | Judy Wilkins | Television film |
2017–2018 | Milo Murphy's Law | Grandma Murphy | Voice, 2 episodes |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1982 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Cheers | Won | [34] |
1983 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |||
1984 | Won | ||||
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Irreconcilable Differences | Nominated | |||
2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Nominated | [35] |
1983 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Cheers | Won | [36] |
1984 | Nominated | ||||
1985 | Nominated | ||||
1986 | Nominated | ||||
1993 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Cheers(Episode: "One for the Road") | Nominated | ||
1996 | Frasier (Episode: "The Show Where Diane Comes Back") | Nominated |
Cheers is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, for 11 seasons and 275 episodes. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television and was created by the team of James Burrows and Glen and Les Charles. The show is set in the titular bar in Boston, where a group of locals meet to drink, relax, socialize, and escape from their day to day issues.
Frasier is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee, in association with Grammnet (2004) and Paramount Television.
Edward BridgeDanson III is an American actor and comedian. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom Cheers, for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He was further Emmy-nominated for the legal drama Damages (2007–2010) and the NBC comedy The Good Place (2016–2020). He was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1999.
Dr. Frasier Winslow Crane is a fictional character who is both a supporting character on the American television sitcom Cheers and the titular protagonist of its spin-off Frasier and the latter’s 2023 sequel. In all three series, he is portrayed by Kelsey Grammer. The character debuted in the Cheers third-season premiere, "Rebound " (1984), as Diane Chambers's love interest, part of the Sam and Diane story arc. Intended to appear for only a few episodes, Grammer's performance in the role was praised by producers, prompting them to expand his role and increase his prominence.
Kirstie Louise Alley was an American actress. Her breakthrough role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom Cheers (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 to 2000, Alley starred as the lead in the sitcom Veronica's Closet, earning additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. On film, she played Mollie Jensen in Look Who's Talking (1989) and its two sequels, Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993).
Rhea Jo Perlman is an American actress. She is well-known for playing head waitress Carla Tortelli in the sitcom Cheers (1982–1993). Over the course of 11 seasons, Perlman was nominated for ten Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress, winning 4, and was nominated for a record six Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series. She has also appeared in films, including Canadian Bacon (1995), Matilda (1996), The Sessions (2012), Poms (2019), and Barbie (2023).
Samuel "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Ted Danson and created by Glen and Les Charles. Sam is a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox baseball team who owns and tends the bar called "Cheers". He is also a recovering alcoholic and a notorious womanizer. Although his celebrity status was short-lived, Sam retains that standing within the confines of Cheers, where he is beloved by the regular patrons. Along with Carla Tortelli and Norm Peterson, he is one of only three characters to appear in all episodes of Cheers. Sam has an on-again, off-again relationship with the bar waitress Diane Chambers for the series' first five seasons until her departure from the series. Then he tries to seduce Diane's replacement, Rebecca Howe, who frequently rejects his advances. Sam also appears in "The Show Where Sam Shows Up", a crossover episode of the spin-off Frasier.
Wendie Malick is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom Dream On, and as Nina Van Horn in the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me!, for which she was nominated for two Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe Award.
Rebecca Howe is a fictional character of the American television sitcom Cheers, portrayed by Kirstie Alley and created by Glen and Les Charles. Rebecca appeared in 147 episodes of Cheers between 1987 and 1993 and in one episode of Wings. She debuts in the season six episode "Home Is the Sailor" after Shelley Long—who played waitress Diane Chambers—left the show to pursue a movie career. Much of the show's humor in previous seasons had been based around the interaction and sexual tension between the womanizing, working-class main character, bartender Sam Malone, and the high-class, snobbish Diane. Rebecca was intended to fill the gap as Sam's new female foil.
Ernie Pantusso, commonly known as "Coach", is a fictional character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Nicholas Colasanto from 1982 to 1985. Coach is Sam Malone's former baseball coach, who becomes a bartender at Cheers under Sam's ownership. He is not "worldly wise" but has some shred of wit. He had a daughter, Lisa, who appeared in the episode "Coach's Daughter", by his late wife, Angela.
"Give Me a Ring Sometime" is the pilot episode and the first episode of the first season of the American situation comedy Cheers. Written by Glen and Les Charles and directed by James Burrows, the episode first aired September 30, 1982, on NBC in the contiguous United States and on October 14, 1982 in Alaska. The pilot episode introduces the characters at the Cheers bar in Boston: employees Sam Malone, Diane Chambers, Coach Ernie Pantusso, and Carla Tortelli; and regular customers Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin. In this episode, Diane, brought in by her fiancé, meets the employees and patrons of the bar. When she realizes that her fiancé has left her alone in the bar, Diane accepts Sam's offer to be the bar's waitress to start over.
"One for the Road" is the final episode of the American television series Cheers. It was the 271st episode of the series and the twenty-sixth episode of the eleventh season of the show. It first aired on NBC on May 20, 1993, to an audience of approximately 42.4 million households in a 98-minute version, making it the second-highest-rated series finale of all time behind the series finale of M*A*S*H and the highest-rated episode of the 1992–1993 television season in the United States. The 98-minute version was rebroadcast on May 23, 1993, and an edited 90-minute version aired on August 19, 1993.
Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, collectively known as Sam and Diane, are fictional characters in the American sitcom television series Cheers. Sam is a working-class, baseball player–turned–bartender played by Ted Danson; Diane is a college-graduate cocktail waitress played by Shelley Long. Danson appeared on Cheers for its entire run of the series; Long was part of the regular cast from the 1982 series premiere until the fifth-season finale, "I Do, Adieu" (1987). Long returned for a special appearance in the 1993 series finale, "One for the Road."
"I Do, Adieu" is the fifth-season finale of the American television sitcom Cheers, written by Glen and Les Charles and directed by James Burrows. It aired on May 7, 1987, on NBC. During the fifth season, Sam Malone repeatedly proposes to Diane Chambers, and she refuses repeatedly until she accepts engagement in "Chambers vs. Malone" (1987). In the previous episode, "A House Is Not a Home", Sam and Diane bought a house together. Before this episode aired, Ted Danson decided to renew his contract with the show as Sam Malone, while Shelley Long decided to quit the series, which could conclude the on-and-off romance of "Sam and Diane" that went on for the first five years since 1982.
"Showdown" is the two-part first-season finale of the American television sitcom Cheers, written by Glen and Les Charles and directed by James Burrows. It originally aired on NBC on March 24 and 31, 1983. In the Cheers pilot, college-educated Diane Chambers was neglected by her previous lover and then hired as a waitress by bartender Sam Malone. Since then, they flirted and resisted each other throughout the season. In this two-part episode Sam's more-successful brother Derek becomes Diane's love interest, leaving Diane torn between Derek and Sam. In the end, Sam and Diane passionately embrace in the office.
Diane Chambers is a fictional character in the American television situation comedy show Cheers, portrayed by Shelley Long and created by Glen and Les Charles. She is one of two main protagonists in the first five seasons of the series. After her fiancé Sumner Sloan abandons her in the Cheers bar in the pilot episode, Diane works as a bar waitress. She has an on-off relationship with the womanizing bartender Sam Malone and a one-year relationship with Frasier Crane, who later becomes a main character of the series and its spin-off Frasier. When Long left the series during the fifth season, the producers wrote her character out. After that, they added her permanent replacement Rebecca Howe, a businesswoman played by Kirstie Alley, in the sixth season. Shelley Long made a special guest appearance as Diane in the series finale, as well as in Frasier as a one-time figment of Frasier's imagination, and as the actual Diane in the crossover episode "The Show Where Diane Comes Back".
The first season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 30, 1982 to March 31, 1983. The show was created and produced by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles, who previously worked on Taxi, another sitcom. Cheers was produced by Charles Burrows Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television. The concept and production design of the show were inspired by a public house in Boston, the Bull & Finch, which is now called Cheers Beacon Hill.
The second season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 29, 1983 to May 10, 1984. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles and was produced by Charles Burrows Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television. The second season has been released on DVD as a four-disc set.
The third season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 27, 1984 to May 9, 1985. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles under production team Charles Burrows Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television. The third season is available on DVD in a four-disc set.
The fifth season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 25, 1986 to May 7, 1987. This season marks the departure of Shelley Long as Diane Chambers, bringing an end to the Sam and Diane relationship. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles, in association with Paramount Television.