Brian Damage
02-20-2010, 11:27 PM
THAT famous bar where everybody knows your name could soon be open for business again.
The cast of the hit American television show Cheers are pitching for a reunion series.
The comedy, which notched up 270 episodes between 1982 and 1993, made household names of Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Kirstie Alley, Shelley Long and Woody Harrelson.
For another series the cast would need the go-ahead from NBC, the American network behind the much-loved programme which was broadcast by Channel 4 in Britain.
The main push for a reunion run comes from regular cast member John Ratzenberger, 62, who played Cliff Clavin, the postman who was famed for his know-it-all attitude. His character could always be found sitting next to his drinking partner and best friend Norm, played by George Wendt.
In London to promote the DVD of Up, the animated film for which he provides voices, John said: “I know for a fact that every single cast member would love to revisit it.”
He said it was still not clear whether NBC executives were behind the idea. But he added: “It’s up to the network. I know the cast members will do it.”
Asked whether scripts for a new series existed, he said: “I don’t know about scripts but how they take it forward would be up to the creators, James Burrows, Glen Charles and Les Charles. It would be their decision. Then we could get a script together.
“It would be a great thing to do. It was a terrific time in all of our lives. We just sat around in a bar cracking jokes for 11 years – and we got paid.”
Unlike the casts of many other long-running series, John said all the regulars had all rubbed along famously.
“Don’t forget, it was set in a bar,” he said. “It’s not like it’s an emergency room in a hospital. It wasn’t like there was a lot of tension. Despite appearances, we didn’t have a drink. It was all fake beer. We’d have been falling around all over the place.”
Asked whether Cheers would still be popular, he said: “I don’t know about now but I remember when we held a parade in Boston we drew more people than the Pope. It was big.”
Since leaving Cheers, John has provided voices for characters in animation films like Up, Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo.
Ted Danson, who gained an Emmy nomination for his role in the TV drama Damages in 2007, still insists that his time on Cheers was “the happiest of my life – it was like an extended family”.
A spokeswoman for NBC said: “There’s nothing on the slate at the moment that we know of. We don’t show Cheers on the network any more. It was like 20 years ago, wasn’t it?”
The final episode of Cheers was seen by 80 million people, the second most watched finale in television history behind the 106 million who saw the end of M*A*S*H 10 years earlier.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/159561/Cheers-Stars-of-the-hit-series-are-thirsting-for-return
The cast of the hit American television show Cheers are pitching for a reunion series.
The comedy, which notched up 270 episodes between 1982 and 1993, made household names of Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Kirstie Alley, Shelley Long and Woody Harrelson.
For another series the cast would need the go-ahead from NBC, the American network behind the much-loved programme which was broadcast by Channel 4 in Britain.
The main push for a reunion run comes from regular cast member John Ratzenberger, 62, who played Cliff Clavin, the postman who was famed for his know-it-all attitude. His character could always be found sitting next to his drinking partner and best friend Norm, played by George Wendt.
In London to promote the DVD of Up, the animated film for which he provides voices, John said: “I know for a fact that every single cast member would love to revisit it.”
He said it was still not clear whether NBC executives were behind the idea. But he added: “It’s up to the network. I know the cast members will do it.”
Asked whether scripts for a new series existed, he said: “I don’t know about scripts but how they take it forward would be up to the creators, James Burrows, Glen Charles and Les Charles. It would be their decision. Then we could get a script together.
“It would be a great thing to do. It was a terrific time in all of our lives. We just sat around in a bar cracking jokes for 11 years – and we got paid.”
Unlike the casts of many other long-running series, John said all the regulars had all rubbed along famously.
“Don’t forget, it was set in a bar,” he said. “It’s not like it’s an emergency room in a hospital. It wasn’t like there was a lot of tension. Despite appearances, we didn’t have a drink. It was all fake beer. We’d have been falling around all over the place.”
Asked whether Cheers would still be popular, he said: “I don’t know about now but I remember when we held a parade in Boston we drew more people than the Pope. It was big.”
Since leaving Cheers, John has provided voices for characters in animation films like Up, Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo.
Ted Danson, who gained an Emmy nomination for his role in the TV drama Damages in 2007, still insists that his time on Cheers was “the happiest of my life – it was like an extended family”.
A spokeswoman for NBC said: “There’s nothing on the slate at the moment that we know of. We don’t show Cheers on the network any more. It was like 20 years ago, wasn’t it?”
The final episode of Cheers was seen by 80 million people, the second most watched finale in television history behind the 106 million who saw the end of M*A*S*H 10 years earlier.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/159561/Cheers-Stars-of-the-hit-series-are-thirsting-for-return