When “Cheers” premiered back in September of 1982, no one predicted that the series about a bar “where everybody knows your name” would eventually rank amongst the longest running sitcoms ever. The incredible ensemble cast, made up of Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, the late Nicholas Colasanto, Kirstie Alley and Woody Harrelson came together week after week to deliver comedy, laughter and tears for eleven seasons. The last few years have marked a wonderful (though costly) trend in the DVD market. Many of the studios finally realized there was money to be made by releasing popular TV shows to the public.

Not being an insider, I can’t tell you how successful it has been monetarily for them, but judging by the slew of shows hitting the DVD market, it must be extremely lucrative.

I, for one have been happy to see this trend. There’s so many TV series that I would consider myself a fan of, or at least liked enough to make me wish I had recorded them in order to watch later. “Cheers” was one of those shows. Ensemble comedies were always my favorites because they gave the writers more than one direction they could go at any time. The focus wasn’t always on the same character. They offered more variety, and an endless combination of character interplay.

“Cheers” had the added advantage of having a cast of very talented character actors that could be endearing one moment or highly annoying the next. They each had the power to make you laugh or make you cry. And unlike some in many other shows, almost all of these actors have gone on to achieve similar successes elsewhere. Ted Danson with “Becker” and Kelsey Grammer with “Frasier” (for which I’m posting another review today as well) are good examples.

Back in 2003 Paramount released a DVD set for the 1st season of “Cheers” in a long-overdue, 4-disc set with all the episodes of the 1982 – 1983 season. It’s hard to believe that it had been twenty years, and the show was still as funny as ever. Whether it’s because of Cliff’s ‘encyclopedic knowledge’ or Carla’s sarcastic one-liners, I never failed to laugh at a single episode. This was followed up in January of 2004 with the release of the 2nd season, then the 3rd and so on.

“Cheers” was one of the rare shows that hardly ever had a bad episode. By the time it hit its 3rd season (1984 – 1985), it had gone well beyond being a hit and it was a pretty sure bet that it would be around for a while. Each season marked particular milestones for the series, the 3rd season having two. One was a happy addition, the other a tragic loss. On the positive side was the addition of Kelsey Grammer to the cast as Frasier Crane. Little did we know that this hysterically paranoid character would not only go on to his own TV series, but have it be so successful as to run for as many seasons. And then there was the loss of Coach (Nicolas Colasanto). Unfortunately, Colasanto passed away about midway through the season. His last official appearance was in the episode “The Mail Goes to Jail”, but in the season finale we were shown his final recorded scene in an outtake that played just prior to the opening credits.

Paramount is working to catch up with the rest of the series, by releasing the 8th season (1989 – 1990) on DVD this week. It offers up all 26 of the terrific episodes from yet another terrific season. And as is the case with shows like this, the whole season offered up storyline after storyline, so it’s hard to pinpoint some of the best. However, this season did offer up a heating up of the love/hate relationship between Sam and Rebecca as they finally share their first kiss. But when millionaire Playboy Robin Colcord (Roger Rees) becomes Sam's competition, the revenge game hits new heights. As the season progresses, we also find out that good old Robin isn't every thing he claims to be.

While the 8th season offers its own share of the series’ classic moments, the DVD set is again a little bit of a disappointment. The first couple of full-season sets had a fairly good portion of extra features, and after that, they kind of stopped. I never tire of interviews or ‘behind the scenes’ shenanigans and I had hoped there would be some here. No luck though. I was also less than thrilled to see that there wasn’t any kind of episode synopsis on the inside of the set. There is just an overall listing on the back cover of the case and that’s all.

I can’t imagine anyone not thinking that “Cheers” was one heck of a funny show. The writers made sure there was enough differing styles of humor so as to reach any audience. It had highbrow intellectual humor for those who got, it all the way down to simple sight gags for those who, well… wouldn’t.

Episodes:
The Improbable Dream, Parts 1 & 2
A Bar is Born
How to Marry a Mailman
The Two Faces of Norm
The Stork Brings a Crane
Death Takes a Holiday on Ice
For Real Men Only
Two Girls for Every Boyd
The Art of the Steal
Feeble Attraction
Sam Ahoy
Sammy and the Professor
What is…Cliff Clavin?
Finally!, Parts 1 & 2
Woody or Won't He?
Severe Crane Damage
Indoor Fun with Sammy & Robby
50-50 Carla
Bar Wars III: The Return of Tecumseh
Loverboyd
The Ghost and Mrs. Lebec
Mr. Otis Regrets
Cry Hard
Cry Harder

Starring: Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital 2.0
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 6/13/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Cheers: Season 8 a B.