Random Behind The Scenes Secrets From The Set Of 'Cheers' (17 items)

(#6) Katharine Hepburn And Spencer Tracy Inspired Sam And Diane

The romance between Sam and Diane was one of the sparks that kept Cheers going in the first several seasons. Writer-director James Burrows originally viewed the characters as a sort of modern-day Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. "She is uptown, he is downtown," Burrows said.

But, as time went on, he admitted that Sam and Diane forged their own path and strayed from the Hepburn-Tracy mold. "Our initial concept was to... [have] that marvelous mixture of romance and antagonism of two people in a competitive situation," he later said. "We got away from that in the Sam-Diane scenes."
(#17) The Show Addressed Social Issues In Clever And Subtle Ways

Anti-drunk-driving campaigns weren't the only social issues addressed on Cheers. They took on heavier topics as well and did so in funny and subtle ways. Sam, for instance, is a recovering alcoholic. It isn't a punchline, and it isn't a character failing. It's just part of who he is, and it makes him no more or less the person we see before us on the screen.

The show tackled other delicate topics, especially for its time, like homophobia. In a Season 1 episode, one of Sam's former teammates comes out as gay, and it generates much discussion among the bar patrons. Again, his sexuality isn't a punchline; it's a fact of life.

Viewers knew Cheers could do comedy well, but these episodes showed that Cheers could handle more sensitive material with ease and respect.
(#1) The Show Almost Didn't Survive Season 1

While Cheers was always a critical darling, audiences took a while to warm up to it. In fact, it almost didn't live to see a second season. The show's low ratings prompted NBC to consider cancellation. Out of the 77 shows on the air that season, Cheers's first episode ranked an abysmal 74th.

By the end of its run, and still today, it's considered by many to be the greatest sitcom of all time.
(#16) Shelley Long Supposedly Despised Kelsey Grammer

The now-iconic character of Frasier Crane was reportedly only supposed to be in a few episodes of Cheers. But, according to Kelsey Grammer, Shelley Long hated Grammer so much that the writers and producers made him a permanent fixture just to spite her. Cheers writer Ken Levine has disputed this story, saying that Grammer earned the promotion because of his standout performance.

Whatever the true story may be, Long and Grammer appear to have buried the hatchet. She guest-starred on a few episodes of Frasier, so there couldn't be that much bad blood remaining between the two.
(#12) Cliff Was The Creation Of John Ratzenberger

In all of television history, there is no single character quite like the Cheers mailman Cliff Clavin. He is a truly original creation that was primarily the brainchild of actor John Ratzenberger. Ratzenberger went in to audition for Norm, but suspecting he wasn't right for the part, asked producers if they had a know-it-all type of character.

He improvised a quick scene, and showrunners were so impressed they wrote the character of Cliff for him. Ratzenberger's ad-libbing skills came in handy during filming; he improvised many of Cliff's "facts" right on the spot.
(#7) Norm Is Based On An Actual Person

Everybody now: "Norm!" A regular patron who frequented a bar Cheers co-creator Les Charles used to work at inspired good ol' Norm Peterson. "I worked at a bar after college, and we had a guy who came in every night. He wasn't named Norm, [but he] was always going to have just one beer, and then he'd say, 'Maybe I'll just have one more,'" Charles told GQ.

"We had to help him out of the bar every night. His wife would call, and he'd always say, 'Tell her I'm not here.'"

Fun Norm Peterson fact: George Wendt's real-life wife, Bernadette Birkett, provides the voice of the never-seen character of Vera Peterson whenever Norm's wife has a part offscreen.