Do you think the show would have been different if it had started in 2004 instead of 1982? Have the the social norms and political situations have changed enough to make the show noticeably different? If so, how?
Would it have still been a bar? Or maybe a coffee shop?
And if it were a bar, would it serve the same type of clientele?

Would Sam still be depicted as such a womanizer? Or would overzealous political correctness in this day and age have prevented such a character development from occuring?

Just a few thoughts.

Originally posted by Pirate Jenny
Do you think the show would have been different if it had started in 2004 instead of 1982? Have the the social norms and political situations have changed enough to make the show noticeably different? If so, how?
Would it have still been a bar? Or maybe a coffee shop?
And if it were a bar, would it serve the same type of clientele?

Would Sam still be depicted as such a womanizer? Or would overzealous political correctness in this day and age have prevented such a character development from occuring?

Just a few thoughts.

It wouldn't work.
I'm not exactly sure why, but Cheers would not work if it had started today.

I'll eventually have a reason, but for now.... it just wouldn't work.

I'll say more later, but I'm sure Sam would still be allowed to be a womanizer. Joey on "Friends" is a womanizer (though not a sexual-compulsive like Sam) and no one really ever has a problem with that.

I think it must be harder to find situations for sitcoms now that cell phones are around so there is less miscommunicating to be done

though, that wouldnt destroy plotlines for Cheers as much as for some other shows.

and most things on Cheers arent that "un-PC" imo

It wouldn't work. It just wouldn't.

I think the producers would have discarded the idea for the show simply because they knew it would have a hard time getting ratings. Today's shows call for a bright, colorful set and a more attractive cast (ala Friends). But who knows...

It should be mentioned that Lilith and Diane were both very attractive ;)


And what about Everybody Loves Raymond, it is popular, it has an unattractive cast, as well as subpar writing....


well, my point was about the unattractive cast. Seinfeld didnt have an attractive cast either...

Originally posted by ThirteenInchEscape
It should be mentioned that Lilith and Diane were both very attractive ;)


And what about Everybody Loves Raymond, it is popular, it has an unattractive cast, as well as subpar writing....


well, my point was about the unattractive cast. Seinfeld didnt have an attractive cast either...

That's true, yes. I was just noting that producers seem less willing to take chances these days. I think Cheers would have done well now, just not sure if producers would have given it a chance. Especially because it was always set in a bar, whereas some of these other sitcoms have a bit more action.

Originally posted by ThirteenInchEscape
And what about Everybody Loves Raymond, it is popular, it has an unattractive cast, as well as subpar writing....



Them's is fighting words!

This thread made me realize how timeless Cheers actually is. All the characters are fully developed, believable universal types (without being parodies or stereotypes). The show didn't peg the stories to current events like Will & Grace often does. Even the language isn't very dated since they never used any obscure 80s slang. So future generations won't have any trouble comprehending their patterns of speech (I mean, unless future generations really screw up the English language, in which case - screw them). But my point is that Cheers will never go out of style.

I think if Cheers were on NBC today, it would be cancelled because of its low first season ratings. (That's assuming 2004-first season ratings were as low as the 1982-first season ratings.)


And Chambers, you are so right, Cheers is GODDAM timeless! (Well, I added the goddam cuz I think it sounds cooler!)

Originally posted by Chambers
This thread made me realize how timeless Cheers actually is.

:blush:

And on my first thread, too!


Some of the hairstyles were a little dated though.

So whether or not it would have existed...would it have been the same show?

I totally agree about it being understandable for all generations. Sometimes even shows that aired later than Cheers, The Nanny, for example, make some jokes that I don't get because they're related to a current event I was too little to know about at the time. But with Cheers I never had that problem.

It annoys the **** out of me everytime someone says "I guess I must just be too young to get that show", especially because the person is normally older than me.

I don't think it would be the same, because the producers would take a whole different look at the aspect of the bar.

Rather than have Norm and Cliff as barflies, they'd have two obnoxious college drunks.

Instead of Coach and Carla as employees, they'd have a young buff guy and a young chick with a huge rack.

Instead of the occassional war or words between Cliff and (well basically anyone), there'd be fistfights every episode.


It would try too hard to appeal to the young crowd, and in the end it wouldn't work out.
Timeless as Cheers is, it would have only worked at the time it did, give or take about 5 years.

Originally posted by Petrie Malone
I think if Cheers were on NBC today, it would be cancelled because of its low first season ratings. (That's assuming 2004-first season ratings were as low as the 1982-first season ratings.)


And Chambers, you are so right, Cheers is GODDAM timeless! (Well, I added the goddam cuz I think it sounds cooler!)

Amen....NBC sucks ass now. They were a lot more willing back in 1982 to take a risk...They did the same to Mama's Family when it debuted in early 1983 to dismal ratings...NBC renewed MF through the spring of 1984, but it just didn't work out after that, so they had to drop MF. Where's the NBC I used to know? :(

Something else funny to ponder...Cheers had its share of politicans on the show...Tip and John Kerry to name two...I wonder if such a thing would have flew with Cheers were it being filmed in 2004...

Haha, Jenny...The hairstyles. Gotta love 80's hair and clothes. :lol:

Originally posted by barwars

It would try too hard to appeal to the young crowd, and in the end it wouldn't work out.
Timeless as Cheers is, it would have only worked at the time it did, give or take about 5 years.

You're absolutely right. Even though Cheers has so many different characters that appeal to a wide range of viewers, it wouldn't succeed in today's world where people change the channel every five seconds. That was the problem Frasier was encouterning in its later years; people thought it as a show for grownups. Most kids our age don't give it a chance - they'd much rather see something young and trendy like Friends. Sadly, people our age tend to think anybody above 35 is old and not worthy of their attention.

also, so much of TV was based on Cheers/Cheers broke alot of ground for future shows/etc. who knows, if cheers never existed, who knows what TV would be like today?

the romantic sitcom wouldn't of been born til way after Cheers (if at all), and if NBC never put Cheers on to attract a few ppl until Cosby/etc, alot of other things never wouldve happened (lets see, no frasier, no becker...).