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

(#9) The Show Had To Wait Months To Acknowledge A Major Character's Death

Ernie "Coach" Pantusso was arguably the most popular character throughout the first three season of Cheers. The lovable but none-too-swift bartender exemplified the show's laid-back, unassuming charm and sense of community. Actor Nicholas Colasanto was nominated for three consecutive Emmys for his performance, but an ongoing cardiac illness caused him to miss three episodes in Season Three.

Hwne he visted the set after a weeks-long hospitalization, Colasanto told the cast he hoped to back to film the season finale, but he passed away just four days later on February 12, 1985. Producers used existing footage of Colasanto as Coach in the finale's cold open, but his death occurred late enough in the shooting schedule that they deferred openly addressing it until the following season, the premiere of which eulogized Coach and introduced his replacement behind the bar: Woody Boyd, played by Woody Harrelson.
(#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.
(#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.
(#8) Norm Drank Real Beer

Well, sort of. Norm was drinking near-beer, which has an alcoholic content of less than .5 percent.

"It was pretty nasty," George Wendt admitted in a Q&A with ESPN:

It wasn't available in kegs, and the producers wanted it to be on tap. So they took these cans of this generic non-alcoholic beer and put it into soda pop dispensers and put it in well before we would roll the cameras, so it was nice and flat. So the prop masters would put some salt in the mug to give the head a little pop. That was some serious acting to pretend I liked that stuff.
(#15) The Show Promoted Responsible Drinking

Cheers never did after-school-special episodes, but they did insert some social consciousness into the storylines, namely messages to prevent drunk driving. There was a concerted effort throughout the series to show bar staff calling cabs for inebriated patrons.

Cheers, along with The Cosby Show and Growing Pains, was among the first sitcoms to use the term "designated driver."
(#10) Coach And Woody Were Both Dumb To Make Writing Easier

Both the principal bartenders, Coach and Woody, were defined by a certain mental slowness. In the case of Coach, it was the result of injuries sustained over years as baseball catcher. Woody, who replaced Coach following Colasanto's death, was an earnest but naive farmboy from the Midwest, utterly lacking in guile and sophistication.

The results were similar: both characters are endearingly dumb. And this was no accident. In fact, it was a clever tactic to keep audiences clued in. According to writer and producer Ken Levine:

When [Nicholas Colasanto] died, they wanted the new character to be similar because of the role Coach played. Having such a 'dumb' character (from too many head concussions in baseball) allows you to get exposition out. When you explained things to Coach, you were really explaining it to the audience.