‘Cheers’ creators reveal how they really felt about Shelley Long’s shocking exit

nypost.com:

episode of their SiriusXM podcast “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson were joined by “Cheers” creators Glen and Les Charles.

The brothers revealed that they weren’t sure they could continue after Shelley Long left. Les Charles said that when he heard about her exit, he felt, “Sheer panic.” His brother and co-creator Glen chimed in, “There were some critics that said when Shelley walks out the door, that’s the end of ‘Cheers.’ And we had to live with that because that was this element of the show, the main element of the show was the Sam Diane courtship.” Les added that the creators often said, “we’re not sure that ‘Cheers’ would have survived without Shelley in that first season because she was so strong and so confident and knew exactly who the character was and who she was.

And I think all of the rest of you were finding your way a little bit.”Danson, 77, playfully quipped, “Kiss my a–. That’s so rude.” “Cheers,” which aired for 11 seasons on NBC from 1982 to 1993, followed womanizing former pitcher Sam Malone (Danson), and the customers who frequented the bar he owned.Long co-starred as Diane, the highly educated barmaid who had an “on again, off-again” relationship with Sam.

Harrelson, 63, entered the show in Season 4, playing simpleminded bartender Woody Boyd. Long, 75, left the show in 1987 to focus on her family and her film career.