BACK TO THE BAR WITH 'CHEERS'!

For your drinking and comedy pleasure, the main cast of CHEERS: Sam (Ted Danson), Diane (Shelley Long) and Carla (Rhea Perlman). Image: CBS PARAMOUNT.

"You wanna be where everybody knows your name..."

Having been off UK TV screens for a reasonably lengthy absence, it's nice to see the return of those lovable, sometimes juvenile and often slapstick guys and gals frequenting the Boston basement bar of CHEERS, back in daily weekday stripped double bills on ITV 4, and certainly making a change from the channel's umpteen reality programmes and seemingly endless football!

Cheers Title Sequence - YouTube

It's nice to see that the show has aged so well, too, with progressive seasons getting bolder, more experimental and funnier, with iconic characters beautifully cast and supremely written by the shows creators James Burrows, Glen Charles and Les Charles, and a supremely assembled script writing team including Heidi Perlman, David Isaacs and David Angell. Ex-Aramis model turned actor Ted Danson is perfect as the bar's owner, skirt chasing ex-Baseball legend airhead with a heart and a talent for fun, Sam Malone, Shelly Long brings culturally snobby fun to his on and off academic girlfriend waitress, a real Miss Dudley-Do-Right, Diane Chambers, diminutive super-star Rhea Perlman is deliciously biting as fierce waitress Carla-her antagonistic verbal (and sometimes physical) bouts against Diane and US postman nerd stereotype Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) always a pleasure to watch, whilst George Wendt is an absolute delight and memorable must-see as the bar's almost permanent seated beer-guzzling resident, Norman "Norm!" Peterson (whose constantly mentioned wife Vera is never seen, but always has a place in proceedings). Early seasons also had the late Nicholas Colasanto as Sam's old friend and workmate, the dizzy and forgetful "Coach", who proved very popular with audiences, though I always preferred Woody Harrelson's career launching turn as his replacement, the extremely dopey but loyal Woody Boyd, whose observations, family background and sayings often had me in stitches. Season Three brought a new lover for Diane in the form of the equally snobby and often preposterous, but always mirth-inducing Doctor Frasier Crane, of which a new comedy superstar, and a further iconic comedy series spin-off, were born. Kirstie Alley also came along and brought a self-centred sexy and fiery vanity, and some finely realised thick-headed hilarity, to her role as Rebecca Howe, the new owner of CHEERS, in the difficult job of replacing the departed Shelley Long: it took a season or two to get used to her, but I soon warmed to her character and thought she proved a fine addition to the show, which had by its closure (in its eleventh season) become one of PARAMOUNT's most beloved, acclaimed, award-winning and successful TV shows ever.

Cheers Tribute- Great Moments from a Great Show - YouTube
Cheers - Norm & Cliffy [Episode 2.15] - YouTube
the funniest scene from season 7 of cheers - YouTube
Cheers-Best Norm Greeting - YouTube
Best scene from Cheers - YouTube
Cheers compilation season 8 (1/4) - YouTube

So, in these dark and cold nights of winter, take a break from all your worries and relax in the pure enjoyment that is CHEERS...

All eleven seasons of CHEERS are available on DVD.