‘Cheers’ Cast and Creators Walk Down Memory Lane, Pay Tribute to Late Kirstie Alley at ATX TV Festival Reunion
variety.comEmily Longeretta Thirty years after “Cheers” came to an end, the cast and creatives got back together on Friday night, courtesy of the ATX TV Festival in Austin, Texas.
The reunion panel, hosted by Variety‘s Michael Schneider, included co-creators James Burrows, Les Charles and Glen Charles and actors Ted Danson, George Wendt and John Ratzenberger.
During the conversation, the iconic creators reflected on the making of the show and the cast opened up about how they joined the series and how it’s affected their lives over the years. “Teddy and Shelly auditioned together and they had chemistry that only makes writing better,” Burrows said of casting Danson and Shelley Long, who portrayed Diane Chambers, Sam’s love interest for five seasons.
For Danson, he praised Long, who wasn’t in attendance: “I don’t think we’d seen a character like that since Lucille Ball. I do believe I was on ‘Cheers’ because of Shelley, because Shelley was a knockout.” The group also spoke about the difference in today’s sitcoms — and the lack of the multi-cam. “I’ve attended the funeral for a sitcom many times,” Burrows said. “Somehow it springs out of the coffin, but I’m not sure now.
Read more on variety.com
