Diane Chambers - Creation and Casting

Creation and Casting

Shelley Long, Lisa Eichhorn, and Julia Duffy were producers' top three considerations for the role. NBC executives praised test scenes between Ted Danson and Shelley Long, so the creators chose Long. Julia Duffy later appeared in "Any Friend of Diane's", a 1982 episode of Cheers, as one of Diane Chambers's friends.

Diane is full of gumption and chutzpah, but quite frequently, she doesn't have the vaguest idea what's going on. However, the producers are cooperative, they have agreed Diane will change. One of my fears of television is `Do I want to play the same character seven, eight, maybe 10 years?' But it wouldn't be that bad because Diane has a lot of room to grow and still be funny. It's because she cares so deeply. —Shelley Long, Rome News-Tribune

Diane was to have been an executive businesswoman, who would have a "love-hate" relationship with Sam Malone (Ted Danson), the ex-athlete, inspired by the romantic movies of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Instead, she became a "pretentious, college student". When Shelley Long left the series in 1987, the original concept was reverted back with the replacement for Diane Chambers, Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley).

Shelley Long said, "Diane is more intellectual than intelligent." To Long, Diane looks smarter than she really is. She uses books and academics to communicate with others but misuses them and misses the grammar. After series of scorns and ridicules, Diane realizes that she does not know much about real world. Therefore, in order to fit in the bar environment, she then must learn about the world without help from books and academics.

Wendie Malick auditioned for the role. She later appeared in the Cheers spin-off Frasier as Ronny Lawrence.