Characters
Before the Cheers pilot, "Give Me a Ring Sometime", was completed and aired in 1982, the series originally consisted of four employees of Cheers, the bar, in the first script. Neither Norm Peterson nor Cliff Clavin, regular customers of Cheers were featured; later revisions added them as among the regular characters of the series.
In later years, Woody Boyd replaces Coach, who dies off-screen in season four (1985-86). Frasier Crane starts as a recurring character and becomes a permanent character. In season six (1986-87) Rebecca Howe replaces Diane Chambers, who was written out of the show last season (1986–87). Lilith Sternin starts as a one-time character in an episode of season four, "Second Time Around" (1985). Since season five, she became a recurring character, featured as a permanent one for seasons ten and eleven (1991–93).
| Name | Portrayed by | Role at Cheers | Occupation | Seasons | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |||||
| Sam Malone | Ted Danson | Owner, Bartender | Former baseball player | Starring | |||||||||||
| Diane Chambers | Shelley Long | Waitress | Graduate student, writer | Starring | Guest | ||||||||||
| Ernie "Coach" Pantusso | Nicholas Colasanto | Bartender | Former baseball player and coach | Starring* | |||||||||||
| Carla Tortelli | Rhea Perlman | Waitress | Housewife | Starring | |||||||||||
| Norm Peterson | George Wendt | Customer | Accountant; house painter; interior decorator | Starring | |||||||||||
| Cliff Clavin | John Ratzenberger | Customer | Mailman | Recurring | Starring | ||||||||||
| Frasier Crane | Kelsey Grammer | Customer | Psychiatrist | Recurring | Starring | ||||||||||
| Woody Boyd | Woody Harrelson | Assistant Bartender | Actor; politician | Starring | |||||||||||
| Lilith Sternin | Bebe Neuwirth | Customer | Psychiatrist | Guest | Recurring | Starring† | |||||||||
| Rebecca Howe | Kirstie Alley | Businesswoman | Superintendent | Starring | |||||||||||
| *Before production of season 3 was finished, Nicholas Colasanto died. Therefore, his character Coach was written out as deceased in season 4.
†In season 11, Bebe Neuwirth is given "starring" credit only when she appears. However, Neuwirth appears in six episodes, so she is not given credit. |
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Read more about this topic: Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions
Famous quotes containing the word characters:
“We are like travellers using the cinders of a volcano to roast their eggs. Whilst we see that it always stands ready to clothe what we would say, we cannot avoid the question whether the characters are not significant of themselves.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Hemingway was a prisoner of his style. No one can talk like the characters in Hemingway except the characters in Hemingway. His style in the wildest sense finally killed him.”
—William Burroughs (b. 1914)
“Waxed-fleshed out-patients
Still vague from accidents,
And characters in long coats
Deep in the litter-baskets
All dodging the toad work
By being stupid or weak.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)