Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 5

 

The 26-episode fifth season of Cheers aired during the 1986/1987 TV season. All the series regulars returned for the fifth season, including Ted Danson and Shelly Long, who played the two leads, Sam and Diane. Many of the "regular" recurring cast members, including Dan Hedaya and Jean Kasem, appeared this season, and Bebe Newerth returned in her role as Lilith. Lilith and Frasier were heavily featured in a couple of great episodes, including one of the funniest of the series so far. Other notable guest stars this season included Brenda Strong, Jay Thomas, Brent Spiner (who would go on to play Mr. Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation), and John Cleese. 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As of this writing, the blu-rays are only available in the complete series release, with individual seasons only being available on DVD. Like the fourth season release, this one does not include any bonus material, but the episodes can be played with English captions.

The series continued the same format that it had from the beginning of the show, blending weekly procedural storylines with longer serial arcs. Of course, the longest arc throughout the season was the continued question of whether Sam and Diane would get together. All of the main characters get at least one episode focused primarily on them, including Woody, and every character gets good material to work with throughout the season. This season would also be the last for Shelly Long, as she made plans to leave the show after the season. Diane was written off in the season finale, but the writers did leave her departure open-ended, presumably so she could return if Long changed her mind. 

The show remained good, but its writing differed significantly from what would be done on a similar show today. The Sam and Diane "will they or won't they" storyline was getting a bit stale and played out by this season, and the character of Diane was getting a bit irritating and not really evolving. So, writing Diane out of the show was not a horrible thing, but I do think it could have been done better (especially given the fact that Long did not end up returning to the series, save for a guest appearance in the series finale). One good thing the show did was continue to expand the world beyond just the bar, and saw the characters interacting with each other outside the bar from time to time. Ultimately, if you liked the previous seasons, this one is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 4

 

The 26-episode fourth season of Cheers aired during the 1985-1986 TV season. This season marked the start of the cast turnover, with the series finally acknowledging the death of Nicholas Colasanto, who passed away during the filming of Season Three. To replace his character, Coach, Woody Harrelson was brought on as a series regular to play Coach's pen pal from Indiana (who exchanged pens with Coach), Woody Boyd. Woody is hired as a new bartender and brings a bit of new life to the show. All the other series regulars, including Ted Danson, Shelly Long, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, and George Wendt, returned for the fourth season. Frasier remained a recurring character this season, but appeared in most of the episodes. The guest and recurring cast members this season included Kate Mulgrew (who would of course go on to star in Star Trek Voyager), Max Wright (who would go on to star in the series Alf), politician Gary Hart, Dan Hedeya and Jean Kasem (reprising their roles as Nick and Loretta), Jennifer Tilly, and Sherylin Fenn. Bebe Neuwirth also made her first appearance as Lilith about halfway through the season.

The season picks up shortly after the events that ended season three, revealing whether Sam was successful in stopping Diane's marriage to Frasier. From there, the show continues to be a blend of a story-of-the-week procedural and serial story arcs. The show remains primarily a comedy, but occasionally mixes in some dramatic moments. Some of the comedy is very much dated, and some of it absolutely would not be done the same way if the series were made today. Some of the jokes are very funny, but others are a bit cringeworthy. 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As with the first three seasons, the A/V quality of the episodes is very good. As of this writing, the individual seasons have only been released on DVD, and the blu-rays are only available as a complete series set. There is no bonus material for the fourth season, just the episodes, which can be played in a "play all" mode that allows you to pick up where you leave off, and can be played with or without English captions. 

The series continues to be funny, but the "will they or won't they" storyline between Sam and Diane does get a bit old this season. The writers provide all the characters with good material to work with, and each of them receives at least a storyline for an episode or two. They continue to expand Frasier's role, and he is much funnier this season than he was in Season Two. Woody Harrelson does a very good job being the new cast member and playing a character with similar qualities to Coach, without being a carbon copy. Ultimately, if you liked the series up to this point, you will probably like the fourth season. While I cannot say that everyone will like the series, especially younger people who may not like some of the humor, if you liked Seasons 1-3, this one is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 3

 

The 25-episode third season of Cheers aired during the 1984/1985 TV season. All of the main cast members returned for season three, although there would be some upheaval in the cast as Nicholas Colasanto became ill and passed away during production. Because of Shelly Long's and Rhea Perlman's real-life pregnancies, episodes were shot out of order (since Long's pregnancy was not written into the show). Because of the shooting schedule, Colasanto's character, Coach, would appear more sporadically as the season went along and make a couple of appearances posthumously. The writers would usually insert a line or two explaining his absence in the episodes in which he did not appear. The main addition to the series this season is the character of Frasier Crane, who is brought on as a recurring character as a love interest for Diane and rival to Sam. Dan Hedaya made a couple of appearances as Carla's ex-husband, Nick, as did Jean Kasem, who played Nick's new wife Loretta. The other recognizable season three guest stars included Carole Kane and Michael Richards.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set and reproduces the content of the original DVD releases. Again, the individual seasons are not available on blu-ray; you can (at least as of this writing) only get the blu-rays in a complete series set. The A/V quality of the blu-ray release is very good. The extras are all included on the final disc. Those include clips of Norm talking about his wife Vera (who never appear on screen), clips of Carla making fun of Cliff, clips of Fraiser's key moments in the season, a virtual tour of the bar, and a tribute to Nicholas Colasanto (which features interviews with Ted Danson, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman talking about Colasanto and what he brought to the show and the character of Coach.

The series really found its footing by the third season. The show continued to be a mix of procedural weekly storylines and longer serial arcs. While the show's focus remained on Sam and Diane's relationship, the writers continued to expand the storylines for the supporting characters, particularly Cliff and Norm. Each of the supporting characters received at least one show devoted to him or her. As was the case in the first two seasons, there are definitely jokes that would probably not be used if the show were made today, and there are quite a few adult jokes, so while the series is mostly good-natured and wholesome, it is not entirely family-friendly. Ultimately, if you liked the first couple of seasons, this one is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 2

 

The 22-episode second season of Cheers aired during the 1983/1984 TV season. All the main cast members returned for the second season, with John Ratzenberger being promoted to a series regular and included in the main credits. The show started gaining popularity in the second season, and as a result, it was able to bring in Dick Cavett for a cameo and recognizable guest stars such as Markie Post, Christopher Lloyd, and Dan Hedaya.

The show continued to primarily use a story-of-the-week procedural format, but also called back to storylines from previous episodes. The prominent serial arc was Sam's (played by Ted Danson) relationship with Diane (played by Shelly Long). The second season picks up immediately after the events that ended season one, with Sam and Diane kissing and agreeing to try to have a relationship. To say their relationship did not go smoothly was an understatement, with the two constantly bickering throughout the season. Even though their relationship was the primary storyline throughout the season, the writers gave all the cast members great material to work with, and all the characters received at least one episode centered on them.  

The blu-ray set is a four-disc set. Again, at least in the US, the blu-rays are only available as a complete series set, with each season packaged individually inside a decorative outer box. The A/V transfer is very good, and the play all mode allows you to pick up where you leave off if you stop before watching all the episodes.  The individual seasons are only available on DVD, which is a four-disc set. The extras are all on the third disc and are transferred over from the DVD release. Those include interviews with some of the cast members, some of which included archival footage from an Entertainment Tonight segment, and some of which were from interviews with Danson, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman made after the series ended. Then there are three different featurettes showing clips of Cliff's, Norm's, and Carla's best moments of the season and a gag reel. 

The show really starts to hit its stride in the second season. It is a good comedy, but some of the jokes are absolutely dated and would not work today. For example, there are jokes about being gay that would probably not get past today's censors, and a segment where Sam and Diane repeatedly slap each other that would not fly today. That said, the series is mostly good-natured and enjoyable. While there is no overt sexual content, there are jokes that are definitely suggestive, so it is not entirely family-friendly. Ultimately, if you liked the first season, the second season is worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 1

 

Cheers was the long-running sitcom set in a Boston bar about the lives of the bar workers and patrons. The 22-episode first season aired during the 1982/1983 TV season. It starred Ted Danson, Shelly Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Rhea Perlman, and George Wendt. John Ratzenberger, who would later become a series regular, had a recurring role in the first season (although he was in most episodes). Harry Anderson (who is probably best known for his role on the sitcom Night Court) had a recurring role, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O'Neil, was the season's notable guest appearance. 

In the show, Danson plays Sam Malone, an ex-pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who had to retire because he was an alcoholic. He runs a bar called Cheers that he bought before he retired, but manages to refrain from drinking. Long plays Diane Chambers, a grad student at Boston University who is left by her fiancé in the pilot episode and becomes a waitress at the bar. Colasanto plays a bartender named Ernie Pentusso, nicknamed "Coach" because he used to be a coach in the major leagues. Perlman plays a cynical waitress at Cheers named Carla, and Wendt plays Norm Peterson, a regular at the bar who spouts one-liners. The show is a procedural sitcom. It is not about anything in particular, just the lives of the people who work in and frequent the bar. The one major storyline in the first season was whether Sam and Diane, who were attracted to each other but also annoyed each other, would get together.    

The blu-ray set (which is not sold separately, only in the complete series set) is a three-disc set. It matches the content of the four-disc DVD set that was released years ago. The A/V quality of the blu-ray is very good, and the episodes look and sound excellent in the HD format. All the extras, which were also carried over from the DVD release, are on the final disc. Those include an interview with Ted Danson (filmed in 2003 after the series ended), clips of Sam and Diane arguing, clips of Coach dispensing wisdom, clips of Norm's various entrances, and a trivia game. 

The series is good but dated. While the show is well-written, it definitely has jokes that would fly in the 1980s but would not work if it were made today. It was very well-acted. All the actors had great comedic timing and seemed to have very good chemistry. If you watched the show during its original run, it is a good blast from the past. If you are watching it now because you remember the show but did not watch it regularly (or because you watched the spin-off series), even though it is dated, it is still worth watching.