Cheers was an iconic sitcom that aired from 1982 to 1993. It was centered around a group
of oddball and endearing regulars at a Boston bar. The show was widely popular and received
critical acclaim for its witty writing, lovable characters, and relatable storylines. But,
like any show, Cheers had its fair share of gaffes and errors. From on-set mishaps to cast changes,
Cheers had behind-the-scenes drama that impacted the show's production
and reception. In this video, we will delve into some of the lesser-known facts about the show,
including some of the mistakes that occurred during its eleven-year run. Stay tuned,
as Facts Verse presents: This Scene Wasn't Edited - Look Closer at the Cheers Blooper!
Bathroom Confusion Most businesses go
through some kind of renovation at some point, and that can often include the bathrooms. But rarely
would it make sense for a bar to simply demolish the insides of the men’s and women’s bathrooms,
and rebuild them… but switch their locations. And yet, this is seemingly what must have happened in
the Cheers bar, because sometimes during the series, the women’s room is the one that’s
closer to the main bar. The men’s room is further down the hall, closer to the pool room. And yet,
there were several instances throughout where they were suddenly reversed. Now obviously,
there wasn’t any actual construction either on the set or in the plot of the show. It was
probably that they forgot which bathroom was which, and put the signs on wrong a few times.
It's Curtains for You Sometimes there’s a random shot where
you can catch a glimpse of a crew member, or a part of the set that isn’t supposed to be visible.
But usually, it’s not something that happened for the better part of a season. And yet, in a bunch
of episodes from the end of the second season, you can clearly see a curtain on the left side of the
screen. It happens whenever the camera pans out from the corner where Norm sits at the bar. It’s
possible no one ever noticed it while they were filming, or they decided it was something the
audience at home wouldn’t notice. And in fairness, they were probably correct for the most part.
Fire Codes, Shmire Codes Sometimes the magic of
television means you don’t have to follow the law to the strictest degree. And what we mean
by that is that fictional bars can probably get away with breaking a few regulations,
in the name of comedy. For example, the main door in the Cheers bar always swings in towards the
bar. That’s so that characters could make great entrances and exits, and use the door as a prop.
It was also a lot easier for them to enter a scene since they didn’t need to swing the door out,
and then walk around it. One problem though – according to most fire codes,
main doorways need to swing outward. And while we’re pointing out their fire code violations,
we should point out that there were never any “exit” signs that were illuminated,
and no emergency lighting either. And the pool room should have had a fire exit, but it didn’t
seem to. But since it was a set and not an actual bar, none of these issues were too big of a deal.
Bar Wars Sequels and Prequels. Sometimes even the naming details can get a bit
fouled up. There’s a legendary rivalry between the Cheers bar and Gary's Old Towne Tavern,
and the first time the show explores it is in an episode called “Bar Wars.” Then, as the season
progressed, new episodes about the rivalry and competition were given increasing Roman numerals.
But at some point, somebody forgot how to count. In season 8, there’s an ep called “Bar Wars III”,
and then in Season 10 there’s “Bar Wars V.” Weirdly enough, there is no episode containing
Bar Wars IV. Somehow that got overlooked, or mislabeled. Or maybe the writers and producers
were just having a little fun and seeing if anyone would notice. Well, we did, Cheers crew. We did!
Martin is a Zombie? When Frasier crane joined the show,
the character was originally meant to only be on for a few episodes. Then, because Kelsey
Grammer was so convincing the role, and because audiences were really responding to the character,
Frasier became a regular. But even then, no one could have predicted that he’d not
only get his own spinoff show, but it would go on to perhaps even more success than Cheers.
So they probably weren’t too concerned with future proofing Frasier’s backstory. As such,
they gave Frasier a line where he mentions his father passed away. Of course,
if you watched Frasier, you know that the show revolved in a big way around Frasier and his
brother Niles’s relationship with their father, Martin Crane. The Frasier writers attempted to
ret-con that particular choice in an episode of the show, where he tells Sam Malone that he had
made up the story of Martin’s passing because he’d been in a big fight with them. It was the
best they could do to rectify the awkward reality established in the Cheers episode.
Now let’s take a look at some fun facts about Cheers you might not know!
Desert Vibes Originally, the bar was
potentially going to be located out in the middle of the desert somewhere. Or at the very least in
a small town. They didn’t original envision it in a major city like Boston, and yet as
they explored that possibility, they realized how perfect Boston would be as a location. It
certainly would have been a drastically different show if it had been in the middle of a desert!
Longer Stories Nowadays, it doesn’t seem
that wild for a sitcom to have longer stories that arc over many episodes, or a whole season,
or many seasons. And yet, this was not something that really happened before Cheers. Usually,
the premise of the show was the consistent element, and the changes just came from
episode to episode. But everything sort of reset back to normal at the end of each episode. Cheers
flipped this on its head, but developing long story arcs that lasted the whole season. They
also were the first sitcom to end a season with cliffhangers. The creators of the show
later acknowledged that it was a risky move because if people didn’t manage to catch the
first couple of episodes of a season, they might have trouble following the story as it progressed.
But it was a worthwhile risk since it’s one of the things that makes Cheers so iconic and memorable.
Dual Pregnancies Two actresses were
pregnant at the same time, but the show kept one a secret. Or, at least, they decided not
to write it into the show. Rhea Perlman and Shelley Long were both pregnant during filming,
and they actually both gave birth in March 1985. This was during the third season. The writers
decided that Rhea’s pregnancy would be written in. But they went the old-fashioned route with
Shelley’s ever-growing belly, which was to put it behind the bar as often as possible,
and have her sitting at desks and the like when she wasn’t being blocked by the bar top.
Coach was a Scribbler Nicholas Colasanto’s performance as Coach was
legendary, and he quickly became a fan favorite. And his untimely passing in the middle of the
series meant saying goodbye to one of the most loved characters on the show. But before that,
Colasanto made sure to help with remembering his lines by scribbling them all over the place.
He’d even write the lines onto the set itself. The most notable instance of this was when he
wrote the line, "It's as if he's still with us now" on the wall, right next to the main entry
door of the set. This was for the episode “Coach Buries a Grudge.” And at that point,
it was just a funny little story involving an actor trying his best to remember lines. But
after Colasanto died, the scribbling took on a new meaning. That line reminded everyone who
worked on the show of how much they loved Colasanto and his character. So not only
the writing stay on that wall, the actors would touch it every time they entered the
set for the first time to film an episode, right before the cameras started rolling.
Norm’s Wife is George’s Wife Throughout the series, a running
gag was that we always heard Norm’s wife, Vera, but never actually saw her face. There was one
ep where she was technically shown on screen, but her face was hidden behind a mask. That
was in the season three episode, "Fairy Tales Can Come True." But what you might
not know is that the voice of Vera was done by Bernadette Birkett, George Wendt's actual wife!
Cliff is the New Norm? It’s hard to think of anyone other
than the talented actors we know and love from Cheers NOT playing their respective characters.
But the casting process for a show is always an up-and-down ride. And for John Ratzenberger,
that was very much the case. He originally auditioned for the role of Norm! But,
as we all know now, he didn’t get it. He wasn’t slated to be on the show in any
manner until he pitched the idea of the Cliff character to the producers. John
figured that the bar needed a resident know-it-all, since he had seen them
in so many bars he’d been to in his life. The producers agreed, and the rest if history!
Now it’s time to hear from you. What was your favorite episode of Cheers?
Who was your favorite character? Let us know in the comments section below!