The Best Sitcom of the 1980's-Cheers

The television landscape of today is far different than it was back in the 1980's. There were no "reality TV" programs created entirely on a premise of cruelty ("The Swan," "The Bachelor," "Boy Meets Boy" etc.) and Thursday really was "must see TV" on NBC.

But perhaps the best part of 1980's television was its reliance on the tried and true sitcom formula. Sitcoms were there to entertain and serve as a sort of visual comfort food. Shows like "The Facts of Life," "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Night Court" were all cleverly written and rarely became political. 1980's sitcoms did sometimes try to tackle serious life issues but only in episodes that were "very special."

But by far the best sitcom in the 1980's was "Cheers" starring Ted Danson and Shelley Long (who was later replaced by Kirstie Alley in one of the few instances where a show improved after the lead actress left). "Cheers" was not only brilliant because of its talented leads-the show really shined brightest because of standout performances from John Ratzenberger as know-it-all Cliff Clavin and Rhea Perlman as Carla.

My personal favorite, though, had to be the utterly lazy yet wise beyond his years Norm as played by George Wendt. Nothing dramatic ever really happened to Norm as he rarely left "his" bar stool yet he always seemed to be studying what was going on around him. In what has become my favorite line of TV dialogue Norm had this to say about his day, "Well ladies and gentleman it is a dog eat dog world out there and I am wearing Milk Bone underwear."

"Cheers" was also where television viewers first met Dr. Frasier Crane as played so brilliantly by Kelsey Grammar. The witty banter between Kelsey Grammar and Bebe Neuwirth as his cold and neurotic ex-wife Lilith was always perfectly timed and hyper-intellectual. This, of course, led to Kelsey Grammar getting his own sitcom "Frasier" which was on the air for what seemed like 15 years.

One of the most memorable episodes of "Cheers" in my mind was the finale of season 5. Sam was dating a politician known as Councilor Eldridge and she had been pushing him for a marriage proposal. Shelley Long's character of Diane still had feelings for Ted Danson's woman loving lothario so she was understandably out of sorts. After dragging out this love triangle all season long the final episode ended with Sam dialing a telephone and saying to "whoever" was on the other line, "Oh what the heck. Will you marry me?" Cue credits.

I was in the seventh grade at the time and had been watching this finale with my parents. I believe my response was something along the lines of, "You have to be (expletive deleted) kidding me!" Hence my first experience with the nail biting television cliff-hanger. And no, my parents didn't ground me. I think they were thinking the exact same thing that I had expressed verbally anyway.

So if you haven't experienced the singular pleasure that is watching "Cheers" all seasons are now available on DVD. They really don't make television like they used to.