Cheers is almost four decades old now, but it remains as brilliant as ever. This classic sitcom debuted on NBC on September 30, 1982, and it showcased the lives of people who hang out in a humble bar. It was created by Les and Glen Charles, who wrote and produced the show, and James Burrows, who directed it. In many ways it was the last of its kind, a show full of good-hearted humor before the age of irony hit, and it was more focused on its characters than its cleverness.
It also saw its characters grow throughout the show, and in many ways was ahead of its time as it unfolded with larger story arcs that were often absent from episodic comedy at the time. The show was not an instant success, but over time it built its audience as people grew to love the characters. While it is an ensemble, it was the bond between Sam and Diane and their trials and tribulations that really brought audiences in and got them hooked for good.
Cheers’ success is the sort that you rarely see today in a more fractured marketplace. In its 11th and final season, the show was garnering 26 million viewers every single week. To compare, the final season of The Big Bang Theory, which was the biggest network show of the past decade, averaged at 17 million viewers in its final season. It is not a surprise, then, that Cheers spun off into the incredibly successful Frasier.
Younger audiences may not know the show, but it had its share of fans, including from some unusual suspects such as Prince and Kurt Vonnegut. The show has left its mark on the world of comedy, with many of today’s top comedy writers looking up to it. Amy Poehler said, "I hope and assume that every good comedy writer, no matter the age, has a moment where they discover how great Cheers is. And I would encourage any young person getting into comedy to sit down and watch it."
Considering she watches it often in her trailer on the show Parks and Recreation, which she not only starred in but was a producer, writer, and director on, you know that Cheers is a sitcom that deserves your attention.