h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: 'Cheers' - The TV Series - A1072982
Author: Jodan - Mining 42 - Trying his hardest to honor his vow to not write hard entries - U201497

Just a little trifle I did in my free time. This is my fourth entry on American TV. My third in a row

It might not read all that well because I keep having printer problems and I can't read my own stuff like that

I promise I'll be back with a Wright Brother entry soon!

Feedback appreciated. But don't insult the show

You like this show better than I Love Lucy?

Or was that ZSF? Your nicknames confuse me

I've never seen either was refering to the entry.

Well that's even better!

would you mind comment on a pice on fairies in PR that was entered just after yous, I'm not up to making the kind of comment this needs...

Excuse me?

You want me to do what? I'll be happy to I'm sure

it's called " If I were a fairy" and I'm not being a nasty scout any more today-- too scared, i will be back to my brutal and cutting self tomorrow..

You're lucky I'm here to pick up the slack.

I yiksed it and asked Anarchy to remove it already

"popular TV show of America" should this be "in America"?

"or some such." didn't know how to end the sentence, eh?

"who though he says bad things about" -> "and, although he says bad things about her"

" and greets its body," ?? the bar's body? they keep a corpse in the bar? Coach? (okay, the last one was in poor taste, I admit.)

"She has married Eddie Lebec and Nick Lozupone." at the same time? Is the bar in Utah? I thought Boston was in Mass. "Mormons can't send flowers? I mean, I knew they couldn't dance, but . . ."

"probably the main character" probably? what's the probability? 60-40? 50-50? 99%?

"which made it hard to own a bar" I would have thought that money was the only thing that determined how hard it is to own a bar. Do you mean "which made owning a bar a challenge"?

Should you mention that Ted Danson in real life is a baldy?

" simplemin1ded." just one thing to point out here.

"barflies" vomited untruths?

"engaged with Rebecca Howe." I'd say "engaged to Rebecca Howe"

"His corporation and himself" -> "He and his corporation" don't get me started on the proper use of the reflexive pronoun.

"constantly competes in, with sports" do you mean "with, in"?

"Woody Allen and Ted Danson " Woody Allen? Woody Allen? He got his start on Cheers? I must be Bananas, but I thought he started before that. I need a Manhattan.

I think that your sections are in virtually absolutely the reverse order of how they should be. Doncha think?

I knew this would happen

>>didn't know how to end the sentence, eh?

No, I didn't. I'm sure I'll think of something.

>>the bar's body? they keep a corpse in the bar? Coach?

You know.. the body. The group. Like the body of congress or something. Not a corpse.

>>"Woody Allen and Ted Danson " Woody Allen? Woody Allen? He got his start on Cheers? I must be Bananas, but I thought he started before that. I need a Manhattan.

I meant Woody Harrelson. I like Woody Allen. What can I say?

>>I think that your sections are in virtually absolutely the reverse order of how they should be. Doncha think?

I actually changed them around, the history section used to go first. The problem was that I was introducing Diane and Sam as characters before they got to the character section. It was terribly confusing. Not for me, I knew what was going on.

I'll change the rest.

I'm glad you decided to add this one to your rosta of tv show entries Jodan It's still one of my favourites, and I was lucky enough to get to see a show being taped - the first of the 'final five' You may want to add that the show, although set in Boston, was recorded at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.

Of course, I have the usual list of things I believe need to be reviewed

I think the last section - 'The Show' - should be incorporated with the introduction. After you've spent the entire entry talking about the show itself, we already know almost everything in that paragraph.

"tackling romantic problems or some such."
I think 'tackling life's problems' or 'everyday problems' would work just fine there

"He had a brush with fame when he was a relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox."
I always got the impression that it was much, much more than 'a brush with fame'. Sam *was* a professional sportsman.

"quite a womanizer."
Quite an understatement Women are Sam's raison d'etre. So is his hair (which you've mentioned), and his 'vette. And maybe there should be some mention of Sam's office too - it played a major role in so many episodes.

"Diane Chambers, played by Shelley Long, is a pretentious, educated barmaid."
Not exactly. She does play a barmaid in the series, but the way you've put it gives the impression that she's a career barmaid like Carla. AFAIR, she ended up falling into the job because she got stood up or dumped by someone in the first episode. Diane's character as an aesthete and someone who tries to bring culture to the bar needs to be emphasised.

"He is married to Vera Peterson"
Who (like Arthur Daley's wife - 'Er Indoors - in Minder) never actually appears in the series. Isn't there a term for such characters?

"superstitious Italian barmaid"
She's not Italian, she's of Italian extraction. That's an important distinction.

"She was married to Eddie Lebec and Nick Lozupone."
I'd reword that something like 'She had two husbands during the series - Eddie Lebec and Nick Lozupone.'

"Nicholas Colanstano is an old the bartender"
'An old bartender' or 'the bartender'?

"when Diane uses him to analyze the behavior of the bar"
Perhaps 'When Diane invites him to analyse the behaviour of the bar patrons'

"Around the middle of the series, he is quite bitter, for a number of reasons."
What reasons?

I think Woody's section needs to be fleshed out a bit. How about some mention of his posh girlfriend Kelly, her parents condescending attitude toward him, and *that* song - 'Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly'

One of the minor characters - either Harry the Hat or Alan, is Rhea Perlman's father I think.

"Sam and Diane were casted"
'were cast'

"At the start of season five, a psychiatrist character called Frasier Crane5 entered the cast. He had previously recurred, but at this point he became a regular"
'At the start of season five, psychiatrist Frasier Crane joined the regular castHe had previoulsy appeared as a minor character in a handful of episodes.'

I think you need to start a new paragraph at "Her contract, which was..."

"In 1993, Cheers went off the air. Ted Danson earning almost half a million dollars per episode, refusing to continue his role coupled overall high production costs caused Paramount to cancel it in its 11th season. With 11 seasons, this made it NBC's longest running sitcom."
I'm not quite sure what some parts of that paragraph mean. Did Paramount have to cancel because Ted Danson refused to continue playing his character, or was it because he demanded even more money?
'With 11 seasons' is redundant.
Was it cancelled during or at the end of the 11th season, and was it cancelled suddenly, which is the impression I get from that paragraph, or was it decided to end the show before they began work on the final season? When exactly was it decided to end the show?

"NBC created a three part finale in May 1993. This finale was the second most watched single episode of any show ever."
That's a bit confusing - was it a single episode in three parts all shown in one night, or three separate episodes? And didn't Diane return for the last one?

It's taken me a good long while to work through that lot, so apologies if someone else has brought up any of those points whilst I've been slowly typing

You've inspired me Gosho. Perhaps I focused too much on the history of the show?

>>I always got the impression that it was much, much more than 'a brush with fame'. Sam *was* a professional sportsman.

I always got the impression that he was famous, but the Red Sox weren't a professional team. He was only know in Boston and if you'll remember, he wasn't very good near the end of his career ()

>>And maybe there should be some mention of Sam's office too - it played a major role in so many episodes.

Perhaps I should include an overview of the layout of Cheers? I can picture it in my head easily

>>"Around the middle of the series, he is quite bitter, for a number of reasons."
What reasons?

I mentioned the reasons somewhere else in the section. I can't for the life of me remember what they were... I'll add it.

>>*that* song - 'Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly'

I forgot about that song! 'Twas funny

>>Was it cancelled during or at the end of the 11th season, and was it cancelled suddenly, which is the impression I get from that paragraph, or was it decided to end the show before they began work on the final season? When exactly was it decided to end the show?

I believe Ted Danson's decision to move on basically ended the show. Producers knew that they couldn't go on. I think he told them sometime during the 11th season. You've also reminded me to mention that the Charles brothers left the show, leaving Burrows to do most of the work, and making the plotlines a bit silly.

>>That's a bit confusing - was it a single episode in three parts all shown in one night, or three separate episodes? And didn't Diane return for the last one?

I believe it was on one night, but I've always heard it referred to as a three parter. Hmm, I only saw this episode in syndication so I'll have to investigate it a bit Diane did return for the last one, but it's not exactly relevant to the history of the show, which is where that paragraph is. I'll also include a mention that after the last episode, there was a sort of celebration.


Thanks Gosho, this'll be done in about a half hour

Hmm, I got it done in 28 minutes.

I'm ahead of schedule!

His little black book and its worship by Norm and Cliff - I'd forgotten all about that

Glad to see the office gets a mention now How about adding that it's a setting for many of Sam's conquests, on that HUGE couch

Ooh, good point.

These are getting better Really liked this one.
Shame you can't use the smiley.

My favourite scene was when Sam finally gets back to Diane's place. They disappear into the bedroom and a couple of seconds later Sam re-appears with his arms full of stuffed toys. Diane's voice follows him "Make sure that Freckles is comfortable on the sofa, but don't let Snuffles sit on the leather chair, oh and don't sit Mitzi next to Lambie because they fight...." Sam looks at all the toys in his arms, listens to the litany coming from the bedroom, then walks across the room and throws them all out the window. (Huge cheer from the audience.)

I thought he threw them out of the window because Diane said she called the police on him but didn't. Oh well doesn't matter, that *was* a great scene though

I think my favorite scene was the opening of an episode where Woody is lying on the ground, in a parking space, supposedly in great pain. There's a crowd, and Sam pulls up in his Corvette and Woody gets up and moves, completely fine and Sam parks there.

Did/do they air this in Britain? A lot of my previous shows weren't aired in Britain and didn't get a good response. I wrote an entry like this months ago, but just decided to redo it yesterday

Thanks!

BTW, I did arrange the entry so that 'They even have robot barflies' would be the last words

Cheers was a big show in the UK too, though I can't remember what channel it was on OR what I used to watch either just before or just after it - hey at my age - at least I still remember to get it out before I go to the toilet.