Cheers

The story about a blue-collar Boston bar run by former sports star Sam Malone and the quirky and wonderful people who worked and drank there.

Cheers (1982-1993) is an American network sitcom created by Les Charles, James Burrows and Glen Charles for NBC. Ted Danson plays Sam Malone, a former sports star who now runs a blue-collar Boston bar, and his sparring partnership with Shelley Long's Diane Chambers, a sharp-tongued intellectual, supplies the show's central romantic tension. Around them orbit Rhea Perlman's waitress Carla Tortelli, George Wendt's perpetual barfly Norm Peterson, John Ratzenberger's know-it-all Cliff Clavin, Woody Harrelson's gullible bartender Woody Boyd, and Kirstie Alley's Rebecca Howe, whose ambitions collide with the bar's easygoing culture. Each episode is a self-contained case of the week built from small indignities, schemes, and misunderstandings played out in one familiar room. The run spans eleven seasons across a long-running multi-camera format, and its tone stays warm, witty and communal. Its sitcom craft and affectionate ensemble rhythms put it in the company of Seinfeld, Friends and Taxi, and fans of those workplace comedies will find the same comfortable, quotable pleasure here. The bar's regulars feel like family, and the jokes land with a cozy, nostalgic ease that rewards repeated viewing.

Widely regarded as a timeless, warmly funny sitcom whose ensemble chemistry and sharp character comedy have kept it a benchmark of the form.

• Seinfeldworkplace comedy ensemble, bar setting, warm banter-driven sitcom
• The Officeensemble workplace sitcom with romantic tension between leads
• Friendsmulti-camera ensemble sitcom with a close-knit community of regulars
• Taxilong-running multi-camera sitcom about a found family in a single gathering place

Created by

Les Charles, James Burrows, Glen Charles

Release Date

1982-09-30

Episode runtime

23 min

Rating

8.0 / 10 (719)

What is Cheers about?

A former sports star turned bar owner and his eccentric staff and regulars trade jokes and romantic jabs in a Boston watering hole.

What is Cheers like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cheers as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Cheers violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Cheers.

What did critics think of Cheers?

Widely regarded as a timeless, warmly funny sitcom whose ensemble chemistry and sharp character comedy have kept it a benchmark of the form.

Which shows are like Cheers?

Shows with a similar feel include Seinfeld, The Office, Friends, and Taxi.

How long is Cheers?

Cheers: 11 seasons, 269 episodes.

Is Cheers still running?

No, Cheers has ended.

Where can I watch Cheers?

In United States, Cheers streams on Hulu, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.