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NEED TO KNOW
Cheers initially premiered in 1982 to low ratings despite strong support from critics
Led by Ted Danson, the cast included Woody Harrelson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger and, later, Kelsey Grammer
Over time, ratings improved dramatically, turning the once-last-place sitcom into one of television's most successful and enduring comedies
Some TV shows are instant hits, butCheerstook the long way around – and that slow start is a big reason it's aged so well. What began as a ratings underdog has since become a beloved classic, proving that great television doesn't always win right away.
In a recent appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson'sDinner's On Mepodcast,Ted Dansonrevealed just how uncertain those early days felt.
"Critics loved us. Everyone around us…the writers, everybody was so positive. 'Don't pay attention, just keep doing it' kind of feedback, which was lovely, but we were dead last one week in the ratings,"Danson told Fergusonover a cup of coffee. "We were like... Jimmy [Burrows] likes to say we were 75th outta 70. There were only 70 shows."
Danson, 78, revealed he was later told that the network "would have" scrapped the show, but "they had nothing to replaceCheerswith."
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After that shaky beginning,Cheersslowly found its audience and grew into one of the most iconic sitcoms at the time. The show premiered on NBC in September 1982 and was set almost entirelyinside a neighborhood Boston bar.
At its core,Cheerswas about a group of very different people coming together, episode after episode, to talk, argue, fall in love and support one another – usually over a drink.
Danson led the cast as Sam Malone, a former professional baseball player who owns and bartends at Cheers whileShelley Long played Diane Chambers, the intelligent and idealistic waitress whose complicated romance with Sam became a major storyline untilher departure after season 5.
The bar was also home to some of television's most memorable supporting characters.Rhea Perlmanplayed Carla Tortelli, a tough, sarcastic waitress and mother to eight children who never held back her opinions.
George Wendt'sNorm Peterson was the beloved regular whose entrances were always greeted with a cheerful shout of his name. John Ratzenberger portrayed mailman Cliff Clavin, the bar's resident know-it-all who delighted in sharing useless facts. Woody Harrelson, meanwhile, played Woody Boyd, a kindhearted bartender whose small-town innocence made him a fan favorite.
Later in the series,Kelsey Grammerjoined the cast as Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist who added a fresh dynamic to the show and eventually led to hisown successful spin-off.
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As word spread and viewers caught on,Cheerstransformed from a ratings long shot into an awards powerhouse. Over its 11-season run, the series won six Golden Globe Awards and 28 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Some of the iconic cast was even invited on stage for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards for alegendary reunion. Anthony Anderson, the host at the time,told PEOPLE: "We are paying tribute to iconic shows that have changed the scope of television and entertainment by being on the air."
"We're going to be paying homage to them, having a lot of cast members come back as themselves, as these characters, and there's going to be a little interchange between me and them on the sets of their shows," he added.
What once struggled to survive its first season is now remembered as a timeless comedy – proof that sometimes the shows that take the longest to catch on are the ones that stay with us the longest.
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