Yes or No? Shelley Long Killed Her Career By Leaving Cheers?

[Brian Damage]

The actress formerly known as Diane Chambers is WAY overdue for a comeback. She's done some guest appearances recently but come on, Hollywood -- get this woman her own show

[Retro4Life]

The sad truth is that for women over 40 (and in Long's case, 50), good roles are very hard to find. It's changing a little bit with all the "cougar" emphasis, but even so women of that age get stereotyped as the "horny and bitchy" neighbor/mother-in-law/villainess, etc.

Long was great on Cheers and I do think she kind of blew it when she chose to leave. Then again, almost none of her Cheers co-stars exactly burned up Hollywood after the show, either, except for Kelsey Grammar.

[catlover79]

Well, post-Cheers, Ted Danson went on to have another successful sitcom (Becker), John Ratzenberger has made quite a career for himself in voiceover work (Toy Story movies, etc.), Woody Harrelson has done several acclaimed films, and of course Kelsey went on to Frasier and other shows. In Shelley's case, she did several successful movies like Troop Beverly Hills and the Brady Bunch flicks - but her post-Cheers TV vehicles have been less than stellar and often didn't last half a season (Good Advice, Kelly Kelly - anyone??). Last I heard, she had a guest spot on Modern Family.

So yeah - I'd say that her career was never quite as good as it was after quitting Cheers. Still, I wouldn't count out Shelley. Hey, if Betty White can reach the highest peak of her popularity and have the jobs pour in at age 88 - I think that can give any actress hope!!!

[CSeaver22]

I agree! I would really like to see her do comedy (obviously) because I think she had some of the best comedic moments in the first five seasons of Cheers ("Ode to a Cornish Hen" anyone?). But I think what Retro4Life said is unfortunately true. However, maybe if she gets subsequent guest appearances on a popular show like Modern Family then she might become a part of the pop culture radar again.

[TMC]

In my opinion, there were two things that really killed Shelley Long's career: (1) Her reputation as a difficult performer (which was further enhanced by horror stories about her diva-ish demands on the set of Hello Again) and her subsequently getting fired from My Stepmother Is An Alien); and (2) The arrival of Meg Ryan. Ryan was cheaper, younger, and (at the time) more agreeable and could easily do the type of roles that Long had been considered for just a few years before.

[Dr. Thong]

Has Shelley Long ever officially said that she made a mistake by leaving Cheers? I can't speak for her obviously, but I would imagine that even though she may have never said it publicly, that she has to regret it to some degree.

Even though Cheers went on to even better success in terms of ratings, it wasn't a sure thing at the time back in 1987. There was speculation in the industry and among fans that Cheers without Long might not make it.

Everyone was watching when season six debuted with Kirstie Alley. A sigh of relief came out of everyone's lips when they realized that the show would be okay creatively and commercially without Shelley Long.

But I have to imagine at some point, Shelley Long had to finally admit to herself that she hadn't made the best career move. Like Ted Danson, she could have made movies and done the show.

While I prefer the Shelley Long years, I liked the later seasons a lot and I think Kirstie Alley really grew into being a great comedic actress.

[Shalako]

In my opinion she enabled Cheers to go on much longer by leaving and the show only lasted 11 years because she left after 5. It enabled a whole reset to the storyline; with her on the show the focus was always Sam and Diane and how long could that last for? No coincidence at all that it went on for another 5 years plus a 'victory lap' season 11. It's really just a lack of in-depth thinking to presume that she missed another 6 seasons of the show when it probably wouldn't have lasted another 6 with her on it.

As far as her ruining her career- I can't speak to the diva aspect, gossip columns aren't my thing. She clearly was highly talented, winning Emmys and Golden Globes for her work on Cheers. I would venture that it's more likely that she was over-optimistic about her career prospects. She had climbed the mountain of success one time and, being yet young, most likely imagined she could do it again. A bit naïve there, perhaps. Success in Hollywood is extremely rare, which is why most actors who get ahold of it on a TV show stick it out til the bitter end. Also just my opinion, but there was something about her (and Ted Danson) that jumped off the screen with the Cheers TV cinematography that just didn't translate to the big screen. Perhaps the lesson is that when you've caught lightning in a bottle, it's best to keep the lid on tight.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by Shalako

In my opinion she enabled Cheers to go on much longer by leaving and the show only lasted 11 years because she left after 5. It enabled a whole reset to the storyline; with her on the show the focus was always Sam and Diane and how long could that last for? No coincidence at all that it went on for another 5 years plus a 'victory lap' season 11. It's really just a lack of in-depth thinking to presume that she missed another 6 seasons of the show when it probably wouldn't have lasted another 6 with her on it.

As far as her ruining her career- I can't speak to the diva aspect, gossip columns aren't my thing. She clearly was highly talented, winning Emmys and Golden Globes for her work on Cheers. I would venture that it's more likely that she was over-optimistic about her career prospects. She had climbed the mountain of success one time and, being yet young, most likely imagined she could do it again. A bit naïve there, perhaps. Success in Hollywood is extremely rare, which is why most actors who get ahold of it on a TV show stick it out til the bitter end. Also just my opinion, but there was something about her (and Ted Danson) that jumped off the screen with the Cheers TV cinematography that just didn't translate to the big screen. Perhaps the lesson is that when you've caught lightning in a bottle, it's best to keep the lid on tight.

Very well put.

[TMC]

I was just wondering again, why Shelley Long didn't have as successful of feature film career as she had on TV with Cheers?

Around the same time that Cheers was first coming on the air, she did a movie called Night Shift with Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton, which was directed by Ron Howard. During her time on Cheers, she did Irreconcilable Differences with Ryan O'Neal and a young Drew Barrymore, The Money Pit with Tom Hanks, Outrageous Fortune with Bette Midler, and Hello Again.

After she left Cheers, she appeared in Troop Beverly Hills, which while it was a flop during its initial release, has since garnered something of a cult following as well as Don't Tell Her It's Me and Frozen Assets, which I doubt that many of you even remember or heard of. Her biggest post-Cheers success at least movie-wise was probably her turn as Carol Brady in the two Brady Bunch movies from the '90s. But those were more ensemble movies instead of proper Shelley Long vehicles.

[Alan Brady's Hair]

Long was 37 years old in the spring of 1987. Goldie Hawn was 41, Teri Garr 42, Mia Farrow 42. These were people Long would have to compete with, and they had been prominent in movies for 15 to 20 years. If Long wanted to have some sort of a leading movie career, she had to act then. What happened subsequently bears that out: Meg Ryan, 12 years younger than Long, emerged as a star just two years later.

[Charles Knox]

She definitely left money on the table when she quit Cheers, but the will they won't they Sam and Diane romance had been completely mined out by the end of the 5th season. So I don't know how long the show would have continued if she would had stayed.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by Charles Knox

She definitely left money on the table when she quit Cheers, but the will they won't they Sam and Diane romance had been completely mined out by the end of the 5th season. So I don't know how long the show would have continued if she would had stayed.

I agree. As much as I love the original era (first five years), the Sam and Diane romance was played out, so in a way, Long leaving freed the writers up for new possibilities.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

I agree. As much as I love the original era (first five years), the Sam and Diane romance was played out, so in a way, Long leaving freed the writers up for new possibilities.

Kirstie Alley's arrival as Rebecca Howe, especially in hindsight, may have actually rejuvenated the show to keep it from getting stagnant. I really don't know if Cheers would've still been able to last six more seasons had Diane/Shelly Long stayed. With Rebecca, Cheers became more of an ensemble show and you can argue, that pretentious nature of the show was lifted and became more fun.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by TMC

Kirstie Alley's arrival as Rebecca Howe, especially in hindsight, may have actually rejuvenated the show to keep it from getting stagnant. I really don't know if Cheers would've still been able to last six more seasons had Diane/Shelly Long stayed. With Rebecca, Cheers became more of an ensemble show and you can argue, that pretentious nature of the show was lifted and became more fun.

I agree 100%.

A couple of years ago, I got Hulu and did a dedicated re-watch of the entire series.

As much as I love the Sam/Diane era, I was surprised that by the time Long departed, their back and forth dysfunctional relationship was played out.

Wisely, they didn't attempt that with Sam / Rebecca. Yes, Sam hit on her and they did sleep together once or twice, but ultimately, they became good friends and it was refreshing that the writers didn't take the easy way out in regards to Sam and Rebecca.

[TMC]

Why did Shelley Long's acting career go south after she left Cheers? Was it due to bad judgment, bad management, a bad reputation (she did have the "difficult" label by then), or a combination?

Multiple reasons, including:

1. She never really had a lot of range - “Neurotic blonde” was what she played in nearly everything but perhaps the film Night Shift, where she portrayed a hooker. Basically the role she hated in Cheers was the role she played throughout her career.
   
2. She took a lot of roles in films that didn’t make a lot of money - Her biggest success was the first Brady film and everything before or after that either did “okay” or bombed.
   
3. She turned lead roles in films that DID hit - Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Working Girl and they both were hits for Whoopi Goldberg and Melanie Griffith. Long seems to have been unable to pick a winner.
   
4. Good Advice - Not something that was given to her; it was a sitcom that lasted two seasons and starred her and the late Treat Williams. To be honest I have watched (sadly) thousands of hours of television, and I had to dig deep into the memory chest to bring up this one. It lasted two seasons (?) and yet it did NOTHING for her career, or Williams.
   
5. She really wasn’t a sexpot and she left Cheers when she was getting older - Ugly Hollywood fact: Women over 40 only get “mommy/early grandmother” roles unless they are HOT, or they are exceptional actors. Long was neither, and she soon found herself without the same options she had in the 1980s and 1990s. Now that she’s in her 70s, her career is pretty much one off appearances playing on her fame from Cheers, the series which she hated and quit.

Shelley Long took a long look at her potential career when she was on Cheers, and she decided to roll the dice. Unfortunately for her, it came up “Craps” and she’s been the subject of “What might have been” speculation ever since.