![]() ![]() His presence did give us our first glimpse at Rebecca’s softer, goofier side, but Cheers did the same basic story better later with Robin Colcord.Ī background barfly that occasionally piped up with a punchline of his own, Phil was an elderly coot with huge glasses who essentially took over for Al as the bar’s “funny old guy” in later seasons. The first in a long line of very rich men Rebecca set her sights on, the suave corporate bigwig played by Tom Skeritt was pretty much oblivious to her advances - and good thing, because she really embarrassed herself a few times there. We kinda wish she didn’t have to run off to Canada, just so we could’ve seen more of her. She only appeared in four episodes, but she made the most of them, with her awkward quirks meshing perfectly with Cliff’s. Played by future Orange Is the New Black standout Annie Golden, Margaret was a devoted mail carrier just weird enough to take a liking to Cliff. Actor Paul Willson appeared in more than 50 episodes altogether - but honestly, Paul’s severely limited charms didn’t really justify all the screentime. ![]() There were more than a few pathetic lost causes taking up space on barstools around here, but none more pathetic than Paul, who was so hopeless that even Norm and Cliff looked down on him. The role of Dave was a consolation prize of sorts: Dryer was one of the finalists to play Sam Malone before Ted Danson landed the part. So yeah, we still kinda hate the guy.īefore he was busting bad guys as NBC’s Hunter, Fred Dryer played Sam’s smarmy sportscaster pal - a guy so crude and misogynistic, he actually made Sam look gallant by comparison. Sumner did pop up a few more times and was indirectly responsible for Diane ditching Sam to pursue her dreams of becoming an author. So thanks, we guess, to this pseudo-intellectual jerk, whose betrayal led to a desperate Diane taking a waitress job at the bar… and the rest is sitcom history. Just think: If this foppish professor didn’t dump Diane Chambers in the pilot, we’d never have a Cheers. They were featured more prominently in the early seasons, but some stuck around until the very end. The barflies (Steve, Tim, Alan, Pete, Hugh, Tom, etc.)Ĭontrary to the famous theme song, everybody may not have known these guys’ names, but you probably recognize their faces, chiming in on the action with their slightly soused observations like the bar’s very own Greek chorus.(And if we missed one of your favorites, feel free to jog our memories in the comments below.) ![]() So pour yourself a frosty mug of suds and join us as we look back on the very best characters Cheers had to offer. ![]() We’ve tallied up the 30 greatest characters and ranked them, too, from memorable supporting turns to the bar’s core clientele. So with Cheers turning 40 this week, we here at TVLine are celebrating by raising a glass to the many fascinating and hilarious characters who served up drinks and occupied barstools across the show’s decade-plus run. The razor-sharp writing kept us happily entertained for 11 seasons, excelling both at witty wordplay and silly slapstick, and gave us a one-of-a-kind romance that left an indelible mark on television history. The action rarely strayed outside the confines of the titular bar owned by ex-ballplayer Sam Malone… but it didn’t need to. But glowing reviews and early Emmy wins kept it on the air, and it managed to turn a loyal following into massive viewership, eventually becoming the top-rated show on TV. 30, 1982, a little show called Cheers premiered on NBC, and initially, the ratings were not great. Forty years ago today, a snooty bookworm walked into a Boston bar… and TV was never the same. ![]()
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