Cheers (Fun Post)

With the help of a cool program called Netflix, I've been able to watch shows that I haven’t seen in years. Not only can I watch them, but I can see ever episode in sequence without commercial interruptions. But I do not want to get off track and make an entire blog post about Netflix, so I’ll just stop kissing their butt and get to the point: the show Cheers and how great it really was.

The characters, and the actors who played them, where all likable and brought something different to the episodes. Norm was the “every man” who was satisfied being a fixture at his favorite bar; Cliff was the typical know-it-all type of person who often had no real understanding of what he was talking about; Carla was a spunky lady with an attitude to trash talk anybody; Coach was a blue collar old man who had some dim light bulb moments because of sporting injuries, but he was loyal to his friends and very loving; Woody, who replaced Coach after his death, was a good ol’ boy from the Midwest who wasn't very bright but honest, hardworking, and a true good person; Frasier was a brilliant psychologist who was at times pompous and arrogant, but also had an affection for his friends at the bar and enjoyed the camaraderie; Rebecca came in midway through the series as a stern and focused woman who tried to hide her weaknesses but often failed to do so; Diane was pretentious and often diluted about what her true talents were. Despite this, she truly wanted to help people and for them to do the right thing; she also served as the potential soul-mate to Sam; Sam Malone was the series’ main character and had many layers despite being criticized for his lack of depth: he had an addictive personality (alcohol and sex), he was fun loving yet often reflected on his age and the idea of getting older, he was filled with braggadocio and machismo yet fell in love with Diane and had a buried sensitive side.

The characters all brought their own individual contributions to the show, but the best part to watch is how they collaborated and meshed together. The way that they converse with each other comes off as so natural that it genuinely feels like they had already known each other for years prior to the start of the series. This brings me to another reason this show was great; the writing

The writing of this show was perfect. The dialogue and situations never felt stale or boring, and there are numerous times when I’m watching the show and I’ll swear that I know exactly what’s going to happen next and it goes the other direction. The reason for this is that everything seemed real and organic; there was rarely any part of an episode that felt forced.

Perhaps the biggest reason I enjoy Cheers is this: every time I watch it, it makes me feel happy. It feels like I’m actually hanging out with this group of people and that they are offering me, as a viewer, their friendship. Every viewing is a mini “getaway”, and every episode makes me feel better than I felt before I watched it.