Cheers season 7

Last updated

Cheers season 7
Season 7
Cheers season 7.jpg
Region 1 DVD
Starring Ted Danson
Kirstie Alley
Rhea Perlman
John Ratzenberger
Woody Harrelson
Kelsey Grammer
George Wendt
No. of episodes22
Release
Original network NBC
Original releaseOctober 27, 1988 (1988-10-27) 
May 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)
Season chronology
 Previous
Cheers season 6
Next 
Cheers season 8
List of episodes

The seventh season of Cheers , an American television sitcom, originally aired on NBC in the United States between October 27, 1988, and May 4, 1989. 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.

Contents

Background

This season premiered on October 27, 1988, after a long period of reruns, indirectly led by the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike. [1] At the time of the premiere, Night Court moved to Wednesdays, prompting the new series Dear John to fill in that spot. Besides Cheers and Dear John, other series in the Thursday night lineup for the 1988–89 season were The Cosby Show , A Different World , and L.A. Law . [2]

Cast and characters

Recurring characters

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title [4] Directed by [4] Written by [4] Original air date [4] U.S. viewers
(millions)
Rating/share/rank
(households)
1471"How to Recede in Business" James Burrows David Angell October 27, 1988 (1988-10-27)35.3 [5] 24.4 / 38 / #2 [6]
1482"Swear to God"James BurrowsTom ReederNovember 3, 1988 (1988-11-03)31.2 [7] 21.8 / 33 / #7 [8]
1493"Executive Sweet: Part 1"James Burrows Phoef Sutton November 10, 1988 (1988-11-10)36.5 [9] 23.5 / 35 / #2 [10]
1504"One Happy Chappy in a Snappy Serap: Part 2"James Burrows Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner November 17, 1988 (1988-11-17)31.4 [11] 21.4 / 31 / #5 [12]
1515"Those Lips, Those Ice"James Burrows Peter Casey & David Lee November 24, 1988 (1988-11-24)30.0 [13] 17.3 / 31 / #15 [14]
1526"Norm, Is That You?"James BurrowsCheri Eichen & Bill SteinkellnerDecember 8, 1988 (1988-12-08)36.4 [15] 23.7 / 37 / #3 [16]
1537"How to Win Friends and Electrocute People"James BurrowsPhoef SuttonDecember 15, 1988 (1988-12-15)35.6 [17] 23.7 / 37 / #4 [18]
1548"Jumping Jerks"James Burrows Ken Levine & David Isaacs December 22, 1988 (1988-12-22)31.3 [19] 20.6 / 34 / #3 [20]
1559"Send in the Crane"James Burrows David Lloyd January 5, 1989 (1989-01-05)37.9 [21] 25.1 / 37 / #4 [22]
15610"Bar Wars II: The Woodman Strikes Back"James BurrowsKen Levine & David IsaacsJanuary 12, 1989 (1989-01-12)39.2 [23] 25.4 / 38 / #3 [24]
15711"Adventures in Housesitting"James BurrowsPatricia Niedzialek & Cecile AlchJanuary 19, 1989 (1989-01-19)35.4 [25] 22.7 / 34 / #4 [26]
15812"Please Mr. Postman"James BurrowsBrian Pollack & Mert RichFebruary 2, 1989 (1989-02-02)38.3 [27] 24.7 / 37 / #5 [28]
15913"Golden Boyd"James BurrowsCheri Eichen & Bill SteinkellnerFebruary 6, 1989 (1989-02-06)25.7 [29] 17.3 / 25 / #23 [29]
16014"I Kid You Not"James BurrowsStory by: Rick Beren
Teleplay by: Rod Burton
February 16, 1989 (1989-02-16)35.1 [30] 22.8 / 35 / #4 [30]
16115"Don't Paint Your Chickens"James BurrowsKen Levine & David IsaacsFebruary 23, 1989 (1989-02-23)35.1 [31] 23.3 / 35 / #5 [32]
16216"The Cranemakers" Andy Ackerman Phoef SuttonMarch 2, 1989 (1989-03-02)35.9 [33] 24.3 / 37 / #4 [34]
16317"Hot Rocks"James BurrowsKen Levine & David IsaacsMarch 16, 1989 (1989-03-16)33.5 [35] 22.5 / 35 / #5 [35]
16418"What's Up, Doc?"James BurrowsBrian Pollack & Mert RichMarch 30, 1989 (1989-03-30)36.8 [36] 24.4 / 39 / #5 [37]
16519"The Gift of the Woodi"James BurrowsPhoef SuttonApril 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)32.2 [38] 22.2 / 36 / #3 [39]
16620"Call Me Irresponsible"James Burrows Dan O'Shannon & Tom AndersonApril 13, 1989 (1989-04-13)32.6 [40] 22.3 / 36 / #3 [41]
16721"Sisterly Love"James BurrowsDavid LloydApril 27, 1989 (1989-04-27)30.0 [42] 20.8 / 34 / #3 [43]
16822"The Visiting Lecher"James BurrowsDavid LloydMay 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)30.5 [44] 20.8 / 33 / #3 [45]

Specials

No.TitleOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
Rating/share/rank
(households)
S04"Mickey's 60th Birthday" [46] November 13, 1988 (1988-11-13) [46] 23.1 [9] 12.9 / 20 / #29 [9]

Production

Writers and producers David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee left the series in March 1989 for an upcoming production company, which became Grub Street Productions, [47] [48] which would later produce Wings and Frasier .

Reception

This season landed in fourth place with an average 22.5 rating and 35 share as of April 20, 1989. [49] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the character of Rebecca Howe as "annoying", and expressed pleasure at rumors that Joan Severance (originally set to play Susan Howe, a role eventually portrayed by Marcia Cross) could replace Kirstie Alley, contending that Shelley Long's departure in the fifth season was still affecting the series. [50] Another syndicate columnist Joe Stein found the sixth and seventh seasons "good [yet] somewhat watered down", and found Rebecca not as "compelling" as her predecessor Diane. [47] Conversely, Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle praised this season, including the cast ensemble and their performances, but still missed departed characters Coach and Diane. [51]

Todd Fuller of Sitcoms Online called this season "strong". [52] David Johnson of DVD Verdict rated the story 90 percent and the acting 95 percent, praising its episodic approach and departure from story arcs, like Sam and Diane's relationship or Rebecca's failed attempts to win Evan Drake last season. He praised Alley as "a solid comic force" for her "over-the-top portrayal of neurosis". [53] Jeffrey Robinson of DVD Talk gave this season three and a half stars out of five and gave a replay value of four, calling it "good" and its episodes "fun and amusing". [54] Current Film called this season a "strong roll" with "fine performances". [55]

Accolades

In the 41st Primetime Emmy Awards (1989), this season won three Emmys: Outstanding Comedy Series of 1988–1989, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Woody Harrelson), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Rhea Perlman). [56] In the 3rd Annual American Comedy Awards, Perlman was awarded as the Funniest Supporting Actress for her character Carla Tortelli. [57]

DVD release

Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season
Set Details [54]
Release Dates
Region 1Region 2Region 4
November 15, 2005May 18, 2009April 27, 2009

Notes

  1. Stein, Joe (October 24, 1988). "Prime-time battles finally begin in earnest this week". Evening Tribune. San Diego. p. C-4.
  2. "Night Court tops Nielsens in Thursday time slot". The Daily Union . Junction City, Kansas. December 14, 1988. p. 12.
  3. Raftery, Brian (October 2012). "The Best TV Show That's Ever Been". GQ .
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bjorklund 2014, pp. 375–389
  5. "Nielsen Ratings" . Life. USA Today . November 2, 1988. p. 3D. Retrieved July 21, 2020 via ProQuest.
  6. "Top 10: Oct. 24–30, 1988". November 2, 1988. p. 21.
  7. "Nielsen Ratings" . Life. USA Today . November 9, 1988. p. 3D. Retrieved July 21, 2020 via ProQuest.
  8. "Top 10: Oct. 31–Nov. 6, 1988". November 9, 1988. p. 19.
  9. 1 2 3 "Nielsen Ratings" . Life. USA Today . November 16, 1988. p. 3D. Retrieved November 14, 2020 via ProQuest.
  10. "Top 10: Nov. 7–13, 1988". November 16, 1988. p. 33.
  11. "Nielsen Ratings" . Life. USA Today . November 13, 1988. p. 3D. Retrieved November 14, 2020 via ProQuest.
  12. "The Ratings (Nov. 14–20, 1988)". The Dallas Morning News . November 24, 1988. p. 21C.
  13. "Nielsen Ratings" . Life. USA Today . November 30, 1988. p. 3D. Retrieved July 21, 2020 via ProQuest.
  14. "The Ratings (Nov. 21–27, 1988)". The Dallas Morning News. December 2, 1988. p. 12C.
  15. "Nielsen Ratings" . Life. USA Today . December 14, 1988. p. 3D. Retrieved July 21, 2020 via ProQuest.
  16. "Top 10: Dec. 5–11, 1988". December 14, 1988. p. 27.
  17. "A very Brady ratings hit" . Life. USA Today . December 21, 1988. p. 3D. Retrieved July 21, 2020 via ProQuest.
  18. "Top 10: Dec. 12–18, 1988". December 21, 1988. p. 25.
  19. "Nielsen Ratings" . Life. USA Today . December 29, 1988. p. 3D. Retrieved July 21, 2020 via ProQuest.
  20. "Top 10: Dec. 19–25, 1988". December 29, 1988. p. 15.
  21. "NBC, laughing all the way" . Life. USA Today . January 11, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  22. "Top 10: Jan 2–8, 1989". January 11, 1989. p. 27.
  23. "NBC clinches season's ratings title" . Life. USA Today . January 18, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  24. "Top 10: Jan. 9–15, 1989". January 18, 1989. p. 24.
  25. "NBC scores super ratings" . Life. USA Today . January 25, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  26. "Top 10: Jan 16–22, 1989". January 25, 1989. p. 19.
  27. "Comedies sweep up for NBC" . Life. USA Today . February 8, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  28. "Top 10: Jan. 30–Feb. 5, 1989". February 8, 1989. p. 27.
  29. 1 2 "CBS gallops to a tie with NBC" . Life. USA Today . February 15, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  30. 1 2 "NBC's back alone on top" . Life. USA Today . February 22, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  31. "CBS up despite Grammy drop" . Life. USA Today . March 1, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  32. "Top 10: Feb. 20–26, 1989". March 2, 1989. p. 15.
  33. "Hit-and-miss program changes" . Life. USA Today . March 8, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  34. "Top 10: Feb. 27–Mar. 5, 1989". March 8, 1989. p. 21.
  35. 1 2 "Glad tidings for all networks" . Life. USA Today . March 22, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  36. "ABC's roller-coaster week" . Life. USA Today . April 5, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  37. "Top 10: Mar. 27–Apr. 2, 1989". April 5, 1989. p. 21.
  38. "ABC's hit-and-miss week" . Life. USA Today . April 12, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved November 14, 2020 via ProQuest.
  39. "Top 10: April 3–9, 1989". April 12, 1989. p. 28.
  40. "CBS squeaks by into second" . Life. USA Today . April 19, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  41. "Top 10: April 10–16, 1989". April 19, 1989. p. 21.
  42. "We loved CBS' Lucy tribute" . Life. USA Today . May 3, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved November 14, 2020 via ProQuest.
  43. "Top 10: April 24–30, 1989". May 3, 1989. p. 19.
  44. "Bright spots for No. 3 ABC" . Life. USA Today . May 10, 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved July 5, 2020 via ProQuest.
  45. "Top 10: May 1–7, 1989". May 10, 1989. p. 19.
  46. 1 2 McIver, Glen (November 13, 1988). "This Week – Week Gallops Out of the Starting Gate". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. T-8 via NewsBank. Record no. 881101876.
  47. 1 2 Stein, Joe (March 3, 1989). "Defections to Hurt Cheers: 3 Writers, Producers to Leave". The Press-Courier. Copley News Service. p. 10.
  48. "Obituaries: David Angell". The Telegraph. September 13, 2001.
  49. Feder, Robert (April 20, 1989). "NBC, ABC and CBS keep losing viewers". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 61. Record no. CHI349816.
  50. Deeb, Gary (March 23, 1989). "Kirstie Alley may lose Cheers lead to 'another woman'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 21.
  51. Caen, Herb (March 23, 1989). "A Star Is Born". San Francisco Chronicle. p. B1. Record no. 569588.
  52. Fuller, Todd (November 9, 2005). "Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season". Sitcoms Online.
  53. Johnson, David (November 15, 2005). "Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season". DVD Verdict.
  54. 1 2 Robinson, Jeffrey (November 15, 2005). "Cheers - The Complete Seventh Season". DVD Talk.
  55. "Cheers: Season 7". Current Film. Archived from the original on September 5, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  56. Bjorklund 2014, p. 461.
  57. "American director's 1st film wins top prize at Cannes". Milwaukee Sentinel. May 24, 1989. pt. 1, pg. 3.

Related Research Articles

<i>Cheers season 6</i> Season of television series

The sixth season of Cheers is an American television situation comedy set in a Boston bar called "Cheers". It originally aired on NBC in the United States between September 24, 1987 and May 7, 1988. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles under their production company Charles Burrows Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Television. This season features the debut of Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe.

<i>Cheers season 8</i> Season of television series

The eighth season of Cheers, an American television sitcom, originally aired on NBC in the United States between September 21, 1989, and May 3, 1990. 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.

References