Editing Cheers season 1

{{short description|Season of television series}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox television season
| season_number = 1
| bgcolour      = #E38181
| image         = Cheers season 1.jpg
| image_alt     = Front cover of Region 1 DVD
| caption       = Region 1 DVD edition
| starring      = [[Ted Danson]]<br>[[Shelley Long]]<br>[[Nicholas Colasanto]]<br>[[Rhea Perlman]]<br>[[George Wendt]]
| num_episodes  = 22
| network       = [[NBC]]
| first_aired   = {{Start date|1982|09|30}}
| last_aired    = {{End date|1983|03|31}}
| episode_list  = List of Cheers episodes
}}
The '''first season''' of the American television [[sitcom]] ''[[Cheers]]'' aired on [[NBC]] from September 30, 1982 to March 31, 1983. The show was created and produced by director [[James Burrows]] and writers [[Glen and Les Charles]], who previously worked on ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'', another sitcom. ''Cheers'' was produced by Charles Burrows Charles Productions in association with [[Paramount Television]]. The concept and production design of the show were inspired by a public house in Boston, the Bull & Finch, which is now called [[Cheers Beacon Hill]].

When it was first broadcast, critics praised the series as intelligent, sophisticated, cleverly written, well-cast, and well-timed. However, the [[Nielsen ratings]] for its original runs were very low. Typically, low ratings result in a show's cancellation, but before the season finale aired, the network renewed it for another season. Reruns of season 1 scored higher ratings than its first airing and the series earned award recognitions, including five [[35th Primetime Emmy Awards|Emmy Award wins in 1983]]. In later years, this season has still elicited positive reviews and is currently available on [[DVD]].

== Cast and characters ==
This season introduces six characters:

* [[Sam Malone]] ([[Ted Danson]])—a bartender, bar owner, and retired baseball player. Before the series premiered, his baseball career took a toll due to his alcoholism.  He quit drinking three years prior to the series start, but retained ownership of Cheers, which he had bought when he was still drinking.
* [[Diane Chambers]] ([[Shelley Long]])—a college-educated, sophisticated academic who is jilted by her fiancé and left without money or a job. Diane is hired by Sam as a waitress. She proves to be pretentious, annoys customers with her long-winded speeches, and becomes the butt of their jokes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WYAkAAAAIBAJ&dq=carla-tortelli&pg=2740%2C3316051|title=''Cheers'' provides tough education|date=January 23, 1983|access-date=August 24, 2012|via=[[Google News Archive]]|last=Buck|first=Jerry|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The Modesto Bee]]|at=p. 3, ''TV Magazine''}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* [[Carla Tortelli]] ([[Rhea Perlman]])—a hard-working, "wisecracking, cynical waitress".<ref name=scott1982/> Carla is a divorced mother of her ex-husband Nick's four children and then becomes pregnant with his fifth child. Diane and Carla do not get along and often insult each other.
* [[Coach Ernie Pantusso|Ernie "Coach" Pantusso]] ([[Nicholas Colasanto]])—an aging befuddled, "gravelly voiced"<ref name=scott1982/> retired coach and co-bartender. Coach is vulnerable to other people's exploits, which puts the bar at stake. Coach and Sam take care of each other as father and son figures whenever help is needed. Nevertheless, he listens to people's problems and solves them with advice and analysis.
* [[Norm Peterson]] ([[George Wendt]])—a semi-employed accountant and bar regular. Whenever Norm enters the bar, people yell out his name, "Norm!" Diane, however, always calls him by his full first name, "Norman", after everyone has already said "Norm!"
* [[Cliff Clavin]] ([[John Ratzenberger]])—a postal worker and bar regular. Cliff is often present in the bar and his words confuse or irritate other people. (The actor Ratzenberger in this season was never credited in the opening title sequence but in ending credits of almost every episode.{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|pp=281–295}} He would be billed in the opening sequence in subsequent seasons.)

== Episodes ==
{{main|List of Cheers episodes}}
Original air dates of episodes are not premiere dates for some areas of the United States. In those areas, episodes may have been broadcast at later dates,<ref>{{cite news|date=October 14, 1982|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PYY1AAAAIBAJ&pg=3717%2C5682812|title=Television (Thursday)|newspaper=[[Anchorage Daily News]]|access-date=August 29, 2012 |via=[[Google News Archive]] }} The pilot episode, "[[Give Me a Ring Sometime]]", aired on October 14, 1982, in [[Anchorage, Alaska]].</ref> but these dates are not included in this article. This series' original time slot was 9:00pm ([[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]])/8:00pm ([[Central Time Zone|Central]]). In January 1983, it was moved to 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT due to lineup changes.<ref name=lineup/>

<onlyinclude>{{Episode table|background=#e38181|overall=|season=|title=|titleR=<ref name="season-one">{{harvnb|Bjorklund|2014|pp=281–295}} "Season One: 1982-83."</ref>|director=|writer=|airdate=|airdateR=<ref name="season-one"/>|aux4=|aux4T=Rating/share/rank<br />(households)|episodes=
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=1
| EpisodeNumber2=1
| Title=[[Give Me a Ring Sometime]]
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|9|30}}
| WrittenBy=[[Glen and Les Charles|Glen Charles & Les Charles]]
| DirectedBy=[[James Burrows]]
| Aux4=9.6 / 15 / #60<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 6, 1982|title=CBS tops Nielsens in season's 1st week|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=273|issue=44|page=8|id={{ProQuest|2587914903}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=[[Boston University]] student Diane and her fiancé, professor Sumner Sloane (Michael McGuire), plan to marry in Barbados. When he receives a telephone call from his ex-wife at the bar, Sumner returns to her and leaves an unsuspecting Diane behind. When she tries to change their flight reservations, Diane learns that Sumner and his ex-wife have already used the reservations. Owner and bartender Sam offers Diane a job as a waitress, which she initially refuses, but reluctantly accepts when she finds she can repeat verbatim a lengthy order from one table.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=2
| EpisodeNumber2=2
| Title=Sam's Women
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|10|7}}
| WrittenBy=[[Earl Pomerantz]]
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=14.7 / 22 / #49<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 14, 1982|title=CBS takes week 2; baseball aids ABC|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=273|issue=49|page=4|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2594795876}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Diane confronts Sam for his serial dating of attractive yet unintelligent women. To prove he can date an intelligent woman, Sam uses his ex-wife as a dating charade, which becomes foiled when Diane sees that their opera pamphlet is from two years ago. Humiliated, Sam blames Diane for making him discontent with his womanizing ways, and assures her that he will not give up on winning an intelligent woman. A former customer, Leo ([[Donnelly Rhodes]]), comes to the bar seeking advice from Gus, the former owner. When Leo hears that Gus is dead, he reluctantly turns to Coach for help. Leo's son Ron has a fiancé Rick, an African-American man. Coach advises Leo to simply abandon Ron if he is "unhappy about it". However, Leo mistakes Coach's advice for deliberate reverse-psychology and leaves the bar as an accepting father.<noinclude>
----
<small>According to Bjorklund's book about the series, Gus from the 11th season episode, "The Last Picture Show" (1993), may not be the deceased former owner of the same name.</small>{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|pp=128, 449-450}} <small>In some syndicated prints, mention of Sam's past marriage is omitted.</small></noinclude>
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=3
| EpisodeNumber2=3
| Title=The Tortelli Tort
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|10|14}}
| WrittenBy=Tom Reeder
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=11.1 / 17 / #63<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 20, 1982|title=NBC wins weekly Nielsens race with coverage of World Series|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=274|issue=3|page=5|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2587802752}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Carla attacks Big Eddie ([[Ron Karabatsos]]) for insulting the Boston Red Sox, including Sam. Confronted with a lawsuit threatening either Carla's losing her job or Sam's losing the bar, Carla tries to placate the issue by seeing an anger management counselor. When Big Eddie next encounters Carla in the bar, he is both frustrated and impressed by her self-control, and ultimately drops the lawsuit against Sam and Cheers. A tough patron who plays for the [[Boston Bruins]] has overheard Eddie's insulting comments about his sports team, and escorts Eddie from the bar—apparently to beat up Big Eddie, much to everybody's pleasure. However, Carla still apparently carries anger when she rudely throws the beer mug to a customer from the pool table room.
----
<small>[[Jon Miller]], a then-announcer for the Boston Red Sox, provides the play-by-play of the game on the television in the opening scene.</small><noinclude><ref name="Levine ESPN">Levine, Ken (March 31, 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20040403204602/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page3/story?page=cheers/040331 Where everybody knows their sports."] ''[[ESPN]]''. Retrieved December 26, 2014.</ref></noinclude>
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=4
| EpisodeNumber2=4
| Title=Sam at Eleven
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|10|21}}
| WrittenBy=Glen Charles & Les Charles
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=11.1 / 17 / #62<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 27, 1982|title=Series gives NBC 2 weeks in row; now 2nd in season|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=274|issue=8|page=5|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2587810032}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Sportscaster Dave Richards ([[Fred Dryer]]) wants to interview Sam because no better-known celebrities are available. Later, Dave shatters Sam's second bid for fame by leaving in the middle of the interview for a now-available celebrity. In the billiard room, Diane tries to convince Sam to take pride in his past but enjoy the present, which backfires when Sam tries to kiss Diane. Diane flips him onto the pool table, revealing her unexpected knowledge of judo. To cheer up Sam, she expresses further interest in Sam's baseball reminiscences. A con artist, [[List of recurring Cheers characters#Harry The Hat|Harry "the Hat" Gittes]] ([[Harry Anderson]]), makes his first appearance, conning people throughout the episode.
----
<noinclude>{{small|Though credited, John Ratzenberger (as Cliff) does not appear in this episode.  This is one of two ''Cheers'' episodes in which Cliff does not appear—the other is "[[Cheers season 8#ep188|50–50 Carla]]."}}</noinclude> 
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=5
| EpisodeNumber2=5
| Title=[[Coach's Daughter]]
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|10|28}}
| WrittenBy=[[Ken Estin]]
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=11.0 / 17 / #69<ref>{{cite magazine|date=November 8, 1982|title=Season returns to normalcy: CBS is back on top|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|volume=103|issue=18|page=78|id={{ProQuest|963254255}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Coach's daughter Lisa ([[Allyce Beasley]]) arrives with her fiancé Roy ([[Philip Charles MacKenzie]]), who is rude and obnoxious. Coach tries to keep silent about his disapproval to make her happy, but Roy continues to insult others. Then Coach tells Lisa that she is too good for the likes of Roy. Lisa reluctantly agrees with her father and says that she will marry Roy only because she is ashamed of her own beauty, which resembles her mother's. However, Coach tells Lisa that she is more beautiful every day, like her mother. Feeling more self-confident, Lisa tells Roy off and ends their relationship and prepares to celebrate her freedom with her father. Diane draws sketches of people, but her efforts show no resemblance to their subjects.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=6
| EpisodeNumber2=6
| Title=Any Friend of Diane's
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|11|4}}
| WrittenBy=[[Ken Levine (screenwriter)|Ken Levine]] & [[David Isaacs (writer)|David Isaacs]]
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=12.4 / 18 / #62<ref>{{cite magazine|date=November 10, 1982|title=CBS takes 6th week of '82-83 season: ABC in second place|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=274|issue=18|page=6|author=Hack, Richard|id={{ProQuest|2587803060}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Diane's university friend Rebecca Prout ([[Julia Duffy]]) tells her that she has dumped her fiancé Elliott, who has been unfaithful to her. In desperation, Rebecca wants to have sex with Sam. Diane tries to stop them but is unsuccessful, and Sam and Rebecca leave the bar. Later, Sam returns and tells Diane that nothing happened, and that he found Rebecca "boring, depressing, [and] long-winded," much to Diane's relief. However, Rebecca returns in tears and tells Diane that Sam abandoned and neglected her, which angers Diane. In response, Diane and Sam pretend to be in a relationship, which boosts Rebecca's self-esteem over the rejection. In an attempt to impress one of his clients{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|page=285}} ([[Macon McCalman]]), Norm initially limits himself to one beer to avoid being seen as a barfly. However, his boss wants to drink more. Coach reluctantly lets Norm order a pitcher full of beer instead.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=7
| EpisodeNumber2=7
| Title=Friends, Romans, Accountants
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|11|11}}
| WrittenBy=Ken Levine & David Isaacs
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=13.6 / 21 / #49<ref>{{cite magazine|date=November 17, 1982|title=CBS takes week in Nielsens; 'Blue and Gray' beats rivals|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=274|issue=22|page=14|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2594774619}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Accountant Norm Peterson chooses a toga theme, suggested by Diane, and Cheers for the annual office party as an effort to impress his boss Herbert Sawyer ([[James Read]]). When Norm arrives wearing a toga, the party turns out to be moribund and lifeless, leaving Norm humiliated, disappointed, and the only person wearing a toga. Desperate, Norm begs Diane to be his boss's date for the evening, but she refuses until Sawyer turns out to be attractive. In the billiard room, Sawyer tries to seduce Diane. When she rejects his advances, Herbert begins attempting to sexually assault her. Norm sees Sawyer attacking Diane and saves her by grabbing Sawyer, who fires Norm. Norm is unhappy about losing his job, but then everyone finds out that Norm stood up to Herbert, causing everyone to celebrate.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=8
| EpisodeNumber2=8
| Title=Truce or Consequences
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|11|18}}
| WrittenBy=Ken Levine & David Isaacs
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=11.9 / 18 / #63<ref>{{cite news|title=Wednesday, November 24, 1982|page=10}} 65 programs.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=November 29, 1982|title=CBS wins rating battle with 'Blue and Gray'|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|volume=103|issue=22|page=49|id={{ProQuest|963235207}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Sam intervenes in a conflict between Diane and Carla, who cannot stand each other. He warns them about losing their jobs and orders them to patch things up. After Sam leaves the bar, Carla confesses to Diane that Gino, one of her children, is Sam's child, and commands Diane to keep this a secret. The next day, Diane inadvertently reveals Carla's secret to Coach. Then Coach tells her that Sam and Carla have only known each other for five years and Gino is seven and a half, exposing Carla's confession to be a lie. When another conflict between the two waitresses ensues, Sam drags them into the office to settle the matter. When they tell Sam the whole situation, and Carla shows a picture of Gino, all of them burst into laughter. Carla and Diane make a truce with a handshake.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=9
| EpisodeNumber2=9
| Title=Coach Returns to Action
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|11|25}}
| WrittenBy=Earl Pomerantz
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=10.0 / 18 / #69<ref>{{cite magazine|date=December 1, 1982|title=ABC wins weekly Nielsens with help from pro football, fights|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=274|issue=31|page=12|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2587814766}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=The weather in Boston is very cold. Coach has a crush on his new neighbor Nina ([[Murphy Cross]]), who comes into the bar because the heater in her apartment is not working, but Coach is too shy to ask her out. When Coach has almost given up asking Nina out, Diane and Carla cheer him up by telling him that, even old in age, he is still attractive to woman. As she is about to leave, Coach finally asks Nina out, but Nina kindly rejects his offer. Coach purposely falls down the stairs and feigns injury, and Nina takes him back to her apartment to nurse him back to health. An unhappy tour guide ([[Bill Wiley (actor)|Bill Wiley]]) repeatedly brings tourists into the bar until Sam kicks him out.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=10
| EpisodeNumber2=10
| Title=Endless Slumper
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|12|2}}
| WrittenBy=[[Sam Simon]]
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=12.7 / 19 / #57<ref>{{cite news|page=10|title=Thursday, December 9, 1982}} 68 programs.</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=Nielsen National TV Audience Estimates (November 22–December 5, 1982)|publisher=[[Nielsen Media Research]]}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=After Sam gives a struggling baseball player Rick ([[Christopher McDonald]]) his lucky bottle cap to improve Rick's struggling baseball career, Sam experiences bad luck as his bartending skills deteriorate. Sam admits to Diane that the cap prevents him from relapsing into alcoholism, as it was from the last beer he ever drank. Sam calls Rick, who tells Sam that he lost the bottle cap a week ago in Kansas City. Shocked, Sam pours beer into a mug and then resists drinking it, and claims the new bottle cap as his lucky charm. 
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=11
| EpisodeNumber2=11
| Title=One for the Book
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|12|9}}
| WrittenBy=Katherine Green
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=12.4 / 19 / #60<ref>{{cite news|title=Thursday, December 16, 1982|page=12}} 73 programs.</ref><ref name="1.11-1.12">{{cite report|title=Nielsen National TV Audience Estimates (December 6–19, 1982)|publisher=[[Nielsen Media Research]]}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary="Shy, serious-minded" young man Kevin ([[Boyd Bodwell]]), planning to enter a monastery, comes to the bar for a one-time visit. Kevin mistakes Diane's positive compliments about his physique as flirtation and tries to kiss her, upsetting Diane. Feeling bad about it, Kevin figures that he is unfit for the monastery and would rather go decadent. Kevin puts a coin in the coin-operated piano that has not worked for twenty years. When it "miraculously" works, he believes that he has healed the piano and will become a monk. After Kevin leaves, Coach reveals that he had the piano fixed "a couple days ago". An elderly [[World War I]] veteran Buzz ([[Ian Wolfe]]) enters the bar for another reunion with his former troops. However, no others arrive, devastating him. Nevertheless, all employees and Norm sing '[[Mademoiselle from Armentières]]' to cheer him up. Diane writes down quotes from bar customers that appeal to her. Sam learns that she was uninspired by his quotes and then omitted them. Frustrated, he angrily calls Diane a phony and says, "What does a [[:wikt:stuffed shirt|stuffed shirt]] know about [[:wikt:blue-collar|blue-collar]] poetry?", which Diane happily writes down.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=12
| EpisodeNumber2=12
| Title=The Spy Who Came In for a Cold One
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1982|12|16}}
| WrittenBy=[[David Lloyd (writer)|David Lloyd]]
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=12.1 / 18 / #64<ref>{{cite news|title=Friday, December 24, 1982|page=10}} Either 12.0 or 12.1, as microfilm copy can barely read this week's Nielsen ratings. 73 programs.</ref><ref name="1.11-1.12"/>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Stranger "Eric Finch" ([[Ellis Rabb]]) enters the bar and claims to be a spy, impressing barflies. When Diane sees through his stories, he shamefully admits that he is really just a boring man who writes poetry. Diane is impressed with his poetry until Coach recites a poem that Eric simultaneously recites, which turns out to be from another author, destroying Diane's faith in him. Eric then claims to be millionaire "Thomas Hilliard III", who wants to buy the bar from Sam with a $2&nbsp;million check. Angry and betrayed, Diane tears up the check and expresses no regret until a chauffeur enters and calls the man "Mr. Hilliard". To cheer her up, Sam assures Diane that he will never sell the bar.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=13
| EpisodeNumber2=13
| Title=Now Pitching, Sam Malone
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|1|6}}
| WrittenBy=Ken Levine & David Isaacs
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=14.8 / 22 / #56<ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 12, 1983|title=CBS takes week; 'Alice' warms up Nielsen servings|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=275|issue=9|page=32|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2594787202}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Sam flirts with Lana ([[Barbara Babcock]]), an advertising agent, and then becomes her client. As a result, Sam appears in a beer commercial, but he is not happy about the arrangement. Sam confesses to Diane about the affair, so she tries to help figure out what to do. When Coach threatens to kick Sam's butt, Sam reluctantly ends his relationship with Lana and his contract with her.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=14
| EpisodeNumber2=14
| Title=Let Me Count the Ways
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|1|13}}
| WrittenBy=[[Heide Perlman]]
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=12.9 / 20 / #61<ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 19, 1983|title=Football playoffs top scorers; CBS wins week again|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=275|issue=14|page=34|id={{ProQuest|2594753319}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Diane's cat Elizabeth Barrett Browning has recently died, and no one is consoling her for grieving over the pet. When she breaks down in tears, Sam takes Diane into the office to calm her down and orders her to discuss the cat. Diane relates how she had been close to Elizabeth; the pair enjoyed each other's mutual support, especially when Diane's parents separated. Sam and Diane almost embrace until Diane interrupts and accuses him of taking advantage of her grief for sex. They argue and insult each other, and decide not to hug each other again in order to avoid sexual tension. Coach and Sam win their secret bet on the [[1982–83 Boston Celtics season|Boston Celtics]] losing the basketball game—based on Marshall Lipton's ([[Mark King (American actor)|Mark King]]) book of [[cybernetics]].
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=15
| EpisodeNumber2=15
| Title=Father Knows Last
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|1|20}}
| WrittenBy=Heide Perlman
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=14.9 / 22 / #46<ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 27, 1983|title=Music Awards hit new highs as ABC victorious in Nielsens|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=275|issue=20|page=4|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2594764977}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Carla is pregnant with a fifth child and tells nerdy MIT teacher Marshall that he is the father. When Marshall tells Diane that he and Carla dated only once, Diane suspects Carla is lying and confronts her. Carla admits that the child's father is her ex-husband [[Nick Tortelli|Nick]] and refuses to tell Marshall this. Diane taunts Carla by repeatedly making "boom-boom" sounds from ''[[The Tell-Tale Heart]]'', a short story by [[Edgar Allan Poe]]. Still bothered by Diane's antics, Carla tells Marshall the truth, which ends his relationship with her. The Cheers gang volunteers to help Carla support the baby.
----
<noinclude><small>[[Rhea Perlman]] was pregnant while this season was filmed.</small><ref name="rhea-pregnant"/></noinclude>
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=16
| EpisodeNumber2=16
| Title=[[The Boys in the Bar]]
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|1|27}}
| WrittenBy=Ken Levine & David Isaacs
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=14.9 / 22 / #41<ref>{{cite magazine|date=February 2, 1983|title=Super Bowl gives NBC super win in weekly Nielsens race|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=275|issue=24|page=14|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2594763731}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Sam supports the [[coming out]] of his former baseball teammate ([[Alan Autry]]), to the annoyance of the bar's patrons, including Norm, who fear that Cheers will become a gay bar. The next day, Diane reveals that "there are two gay men" in this bar. The customers suspect that three male newcomers are gay and want them to leave the bar. However, when three men congratulate Sam for his support the day before, Sam decides not to eject them and to avoid turning Cheers into a discriminative place. Norm and other patrons announce [[last call (bar term)|last call]] for drinks at 7:00pm and escort the men from the bar. Diane reveals the three men are not gay, and that two gay men are still inside. The two men in question kiss Norm on his cheeks.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=17
| EpisodeNumber2=17
| Title=Diane's Perfect Date
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|2|10}}
| WrittenBy=David Lloyd
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=13.3 / 18 / #44<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-1982-83-ratings-week-2/114652269/|title=140 million watched 'The Winds of War'|date=February 16, 1983|work=[[Miami Herald]]|access-date=November 22, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Diane arranges a blind date for Sam with an intellectual woman. Sam assumes that Diane is his "date" and does not arrange one for Diane. Diane introduces Sam to Gretchen ([[Gretchen Corbett]]). Panicked, Sam randomly chooses Andy ([[Derek McGrath]]), an ex-convict. During their dates, Andy stuns others with his murderous behavior, frightening Gretchen away. When their dates leave, Sam admits his actions and clears up the misunderstandings and tells Diane that she may be a perfect match for him. Diane infuriates Sam by teasing him for admitting his romantic feelings for her. The bar patrons debate the relationship.
----
<noinclude><small>''Cheers'' was postponed on Thursday, February 3, 1983, because of television miniseries ''[[Shōgun (1980 miniseries)|Shogun]]''.</small><ref>{{cite news|date=February 3, 1983|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|at=Calendar section|title=Television Schedule|edition=Microfilm}}</ref></noinclude>
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=18
| EpisodeNumber2=18
| Title=No Contest
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|2|17}}
| WrittenBy=Heide Perlman
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=15.9 / 24 / #49<ref>{{cite magazine|date=February 23, 1983|title=CBS wins ratings; 'Dallas' tops again|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|volume=275|issue=39|page=4|author=Gansberg, Alan L.|id={{ProQuest|2587810263}}}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Diane finds out that without her knowledge, Sam has registered her into the 45th Annual Miss Boston Barmaid contest, a beauty pageant representing bar waitresses of Boston, which Diane considers "degrading to women". While going to decline her registration, she discovers that reporters and interviewers will be present so continues with the contest. While she is preparing to denounce the contest, Diane becomes overwhelmingly excited by winning two tickets to Bermuda and other prizes. When Sam promises to be a 'perfect gentleman', Diane declines to take him to Bermuda.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=19
| EpisodeNumber2=19
| Title=Pick a Con... Any Con
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|2|24}}
| WrittenBy=[[David Angell]]
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=13.1 / 20 / #58<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-1982-83-tv-ratings-wee/129350327/|title=CBS tops weekly ratings|date=March 2, 1983|work=[[Miami Herald]]|access-date=November 22, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=Coach loses $8,000 savings to George Wheeler ([[Reid Shelton]]) in rounds of [[gin rummy]], a card game. Sam bails out con artist Harry the Hat from jail and fronts him $5,000 to get the money back from George. That night, George plays [[poker]] with Harry and with others, including Sam. George wins every round when his opponents, including Harry, fold. Coach and Sam discover that, in a recent round, Harry's four 3s in his [[List of poker hands|hand]] ([[List of poker hands#Four of a kind|four of a kind]]) would have beaten George's [[List of poker hands#Straight|straight hand]]. George and Harry confess that they have been teaming together to cheat the bar patrons the whole night. George threatens to report them to the police for gambling if they try anything. However, Coach begs for another round with Harry and George alone. At the final round, Coach rubs his nose as a sign that George could beat Harry with three Queens. Harry wins with four 3s and exits the bar. When George leaves, Harry re-enters from the back room and admits that he teamed up with Coach to retrieve the $8,000 by cheating George.
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber=20
| EpisodeNumber2=20
| Title=Someone Single, Someone Blue
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1983|3|3}}
| WrittenBy=David Angell
| DirectedBy=James Burrows
| Aux4=14.7 / 22 / #43<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-1982-83-ratings-week-2/114699734/|title='M*A*S*H' tops Nielsens|date=March 9, 1983|work=[[Miami Herald]]|access-date=November 22, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref>
| LineColor=e38181
| ShortSummary=When Diane's mother Helen ([[Glynis Johns]]) is about to lose her wealth unless, under her father's will, Diane marries by the following day. Diane and her mother pick Sam to be Diane's groom, as suggested by Carla, and Sam reluctantly plays along. During the wedding in the bar, while exchanging vows, Sam looks at another woman, angering Diane. Then Sam and Diane argue, prompting Helen to halt the wedding. Although the fortune is gone, Helen's chauffeur Boggs ([[Duncan Ross (actor)|Duncan Ross]]) reveals he has been embezzling from the Chambers family for years. He then proposes to Helen, who accepts.
----
<noinclude><small>Producers wanted [[Lucille Ball]] as Diane's mother, but she turned down the role.</small><ref name=gqoct2012>{{cite journal|url=https://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201210/cheers-oral-history-extended?printable=true|date=October 2012|title=The Best TV Show That's Ever Been|author=Brian Raftery|access-date=September 28, 2012|journal=[[GQ]]}}</ref></noinclude>
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber   = 21
| EpisodeNumber2  = 21
| Title           = [[Showdown (Cheers)|Showdown, Part 1]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1983|3|24}}
| WrittenBy       = Glen Charles & Les Charles
| DirectedBy      = James Burrows
| Aux4            = 13.6 / 21 / #51<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-1982-83-ratings-week-2/114700084/|title='Thorn Birds' sweeps weekly viewer ratings|date=March 30, 1983|work=[[Miami Herald]]|access-date=November 22, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref>
| ShortSummary    = Sam's brother, Derek (an [[unseen character]], voiced by George Ball), who exceeds Sam in  success, education, talent, and looks, arrives to Boston with his private jet. Derek entertains bar patrons with his talents. He teaches Coach to speak Spanish for a coaching job in [[Venezuela]] and offers Norm a job. Derek and Diane begin dating, making Sam jealous.
| LineColor       = e38181
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber   = 22
| EpisodeNumber2  = 22
| Title           = [[Showdown (Cheers)|Showdown, Part 2]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1983|3|31}}
| WrittenBy       = Glen Charles & Les Charles
| DirectedBy      = James Burrows
| Aux4            = 14.7 / 23 / #36<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-1982-83-ratings-week-2/122270604/|title='Birds' scores points with viewers|date=April 6, 1983|work=[[Miami Herald]]|access-date=November 22, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref>
| ShortSummary    = Norm is fired from the job that Derek offered last week, the corporation having committed [[tax fraud]]. Coach loses the coaching job to someone else, putting the Spanish lessons to waste. Sam and Diane confess their feelings for each other putting Derek out of their picture. However, when Diane resists Sam's advances, Sam and Diane end up arguing, then spewing bad remarks about each other, and passionately kiss.
| LineColor       = e38181
}}
}}

'''Specials'''
{{Episode table|background=#e38181|overall=|title=|writer=|director=|airdate=|episodes=
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber   = S01
| Title           = ''[[Super Bowl XVII]]'' Pregame segment
| RTitle          = <ref name=1983superbowl>{{cite news|title=Cast of ''Cheers'' with special material about the Super Bowl|at=Part VI (Calendar), page 7|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 2, 1983}} Microfilm.</ref><ref name="Levine Super Bowl">{{cite web |date=February 6, 2010 |author-link=Ken Levine (TV personality) |last=Levine |first=Ken |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920100614/http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-super-bowl-tradition-lost-cheers.html |access-date=July 18, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 20, 2012 |work=...by Ken Levine at [[Blogspot]] |title=My Super Bowl Tradition: The Lost ''Cheers'' |url=http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-super-bowl-tradition-lost-cheers.html }}</ref>
| WrittenBy       = Ken Levine & David Isaacs
| DirectedBy      = James Burrows
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1983|1|30}}
| ShortSummary    = A short sketch, running under three minutes.  The gang is assembled at Cheers to watch the Super Bowl.  While Diane mocks the game, they all meet sportscaster [[Pete Axthelm]].   
----
<noinclude><small>Aired as part of 1983's Super Bowl pre-game show.  Other NBC shows ''[[Remington Steele]]'', ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'', and ''[[The A-Team]]'' also produced sketches for that year's Super Bowl pre-game. This short sketch is not available on home video.</small>

<small>Nicholas Colasanto does not appear in this sketch.</small></noinclude>
| LineColor       = e38181
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Cheers season 1
| EpisodeNumber   = S02
| Title           = Uncle Sam Malone
| RTitle          = <ref>{{cite web|work=[[United States Department of Treasury]]|url=https://research.archives.gov/description/5076619|title=Uncle Sam Malone|date=c. 1980s |access-date=July 21, 2012 |via=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] }} National Archives Identifier: 5076619; Local Identifier: 53-BONDS-14; Agency-Assigned Identifier: P0074.</ref>
| WrittenBy       = Ralph Phillips <br><small>additional material:  <br>Brian H. Sato & Steven Amaya</small>
| DirectedBy      = James Burrows
| OriginalAirDate = 
| ShortSummary    =  Cliff is about to go on vacation to Tahiti, paid for by his investment in U.S. Savings Bonds.  Sam, Cliff and Norm convince Diane, Carla, and Coach to also invest in bonds.
----
<noinclude><small>"Uncle Sam Malone" is presented as a complete (if short) episode of ''Cheers'', including opening theme and closing credits, and was produced by the [[United States Department of Treasury]] to promote sales of U.S. Savings Bonds.  The abbreviated episode runs 13 minutes, and stars the whole main cast of ''Cheers'', in character.</small></noinclude>
| LineColor       = e38181
}}
}}</onlyinclude>

== Production ==
{{multiple image|width=200|image1=Cheersbostonclose.jpg|image2=Cheers Beacon Hill interior 1.jpg|footer=Exterior (''left'') and interior of the Bull & Finch Pub, now [[Cheers Beacon Hill]], that inspired the show's bar stage set.}}

Director [[James Burrows]] observed that this series is intended to be about the bar, where anybody comes in for any reason, not just drinks.<ref name=scott1982/> The show was originally set in a hotel, a setting inspired by ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', Burrows's favorite British sitcom.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ouwtAAAAIBAJ&dq=cheers%20second%20diane%20sam%20cliff%20carla%20coach%20norm&pg=5027%2C2934378|date=November 19, 1982|page=3|access-date=September 19, 2012 |via=Google News |newspaper=[[The Rome News-Tribune]]|title=Cheering Up ''Cheers''}}</ref> The producers narrowed the setting down to a hotel bar,<ref name="bull-finch"/> but later evolved it into a neighborhood bar in [[Boston]],<ref name=scott1982/> according to [[Glen Charles]], "because it was more cozy".<ref name=meade/> The "athletic element" was added to the bar because the show's creators, Burrows and Charles brothers ([[Glen and Les Charles|Glen and Les]]) were sports fans.<ref name=meade>{{cite news |title=We'll Cry In Our Beers As Sam, Diane Split |date=29 April 1984 |page=14 |work=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] |author=Meade, Peter |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AkQsAAAAIBAJ&pg=5565%2C8417317}} Editions of April 27–29, 1984, are bundled in the webpage. Article is located at page 85 in ''Google''.</ref>

The show's bar setting was inspired by the Bull & Finch Pub in Boston. It was not filmed in the pub, but on the Stage 25 lot of [[Paramount Studios]] with the set decoration of ''Cheers''.<ref name="bull-finch">{{cite news|author=Lehman, Betsy|title=Cheers 'to the Real Cast'; Beacon Hill Pub Goes Hollywood - via TV|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|date=October 1, 1982|id={{ProQuest|294220180}}}} [[ProQuest]]: {{registration required}}.</ref> The Bull & Finch Pub was later renamed [[Cheers Beacon Hill]].<ref name="cheers-beaconhill">{{cite news|title='Cheers' pub reincarnated|date=September 1, 2001|author=Ferdinand, Pamela, from ''[[The Washington Post]]''|page=G2|access-date=June 21, 2012|newspaper=[[Bangor Daily News]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=daBjAAAAIBAJ&pg=1486%2C339965}} ''[[Google News]]''.</ref> The entire season is set exclusively in the bar, its office, the bathroom, and the billiard room; no locations outside the bar were used until Diane Chambers' apartment is seen in the second season.<ref>{{cite news|page=30|newspaper=[[The Bulletin (Bend)|The Bulletin]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ro9TAAAAIBAJ&dq=cheers%20diane's%20apartment&pg=5185%2C3095194|title=''Cheers'' Surges from Ratings Slump|agency=United Press International|date=September 30, 1983|access-date=July 7, 2012 |via=[[Google News]] Archives }} This source explicitly mentions the first appearance of Diane Chambers's apartment without implications.</ref>

{{Multiple image
|align=left
|image1=George Wendt at the 41st Emmy Awards cropped.jpg
|width1=151
|caption1=[[George Wendt]]
|image2=John Ratzenberger 2011 Shankbone.JPG
|width2=147
|caption2=[[John Ratzenberger]]
|footer=Their respective roles (Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin) were not envisioned until they auditioned for a minor, originally scripted role.
}}
In the pilot episode's original script, there were only four principal characters: Sam Malone, Diane Chambers, Carla Tortelli, and Ernie "Coach" Pantusso. Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin were absent from the original script. George Wendt and John Ratzenberger had auditioned for the role of George, a character who would have been included in the ending scene of the pilot episode with just one line, "Beer."{{sfn|Wendt|2009|p=112}}<ref name="wendt113-114">{{harvnb|Wendt|pp=113–114|2009}}</ref> Wendt was cast as George, who evolved into Norm Peterson,{{sfn|Wendt|2009|p=113}} while a know-it-all character Cliff Clavin was added at Ratzenberger's suggestion.<ref name="wendt113-114"/> Therefore, influenced by the casting of Wendt and Ratzenberger, the pilot script was revised before production began on the show. Wendt became part of the program's regular cast and continued until it ended.{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|p=281}} Ratzenberger was credited in almost every episode for his recurring appearances in season 1,{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|pp=281–295}} and he became part of the regular cast in the following season.{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|pp=297+}}

Sam Malone was supposed to be an ex-[[wide receiver]] for the [[New England Patriots]] football team,<ref name=audition>{{cite news |last=Meade |first=Peter |title=We'll Cry In Our Beers As Sam, Diane Split |work=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] |date=29 April 1984 |page=14 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AkQsAAAAIBAJ&pg=5565%2C8417317}} Editions of April 27–29, 1984, are bundled in the webpage. Article is located at page 85 in ''Google''.</ref> but Danson's casting led the program's writers to change Sam's former sporting role into a former [[relief pitcher]] for the [[Boston Red Sox]] baseball team, as Danson's build did not resemble that of a typical football player.<ref name=audition/><ref>{{cite news|author=Carter, Bill|page=6|date=May 9, 1993|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/09/arts/television-why-cheers-proved-so-intoxicating.html?pagewanted=6&src=pm |title=Why 'Cheers' Proved So Intoxicating }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Balk, Quentin |author2=Falk, Ben |title=Television's Strangest Moments: Extraordinary but true tales from the history of television|page=166 |location=London |publisher=Robson–Chrysalis |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4L7pA2tKumsC&pg=PA166|isbn=1-86105-874-8}}</ref> [[Nicholas Colasanto]], director and actor who appeared in the 1980 film ''[[Raging Bull]]'',<ref>{{cite news|title= Nick Colasanto Dead at 61; Played Bartender in 'Cheers'|work= The New York Times|date=February 14, 1985|access-date=December 27, 2011|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/14/arts/nick-colasanto-dead-at-61-played-bartender-in-cheers.html?scp=2&sq=Nicholas%20Colasanto&st=cse}}</ref> was cast as Coach.<ref name=scott1982/> About 1,000 actors who were not widely known were auditioned for these characters,<ref name=scott1982/> and Stephen Kolzak{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|p=281}} was in charge of casting.<ref>{{cite web|date=October 2, 2012|url=http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2012/10/my-thoughts-on-gq-cheers-article.html|title=My thoughts on ''GQ'' {{'}}''Cheers''{{'}} article|work=...by [[Ken Levine (TV personality)|Ken Levine]]}} Levine refers Stephen Kolzak as "Steve Kolzak".</ref> According to Ted Danson, Perlman was the first actor to be hired for the show<ref name="danson-interview">{{cite interview|title=Setting the Bar: A Conversation with Ted Danson|type=DVD|year=2003|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures]]|subject=Danson, Ted|work=Cheers: The Complete First Season}}</ref> and was cast as Carla.<ref name=scott1982/> Perlman had previously appeared in ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'' as the girlfriend (ex-girlfriend during the show's final season) of Louie de Palma, played by her husband [[Danny DeVito]].<ref name=scott1982/> Danson and Long were cast as a romantic duo.<ref name="NPR Fresh Air">{{cite interview|title=Ted Danson, On Life (And 'Death') After 'Cheers' |publisher=[[NPR]]|date= September 17, 2009|work=Fresh Air from WHYY|subject=Danson, Ted|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=112884242|interviewer=David Bianculli}}</ref>

[[File:Rhea Perlman (1988) - cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|Rhea Perlman was first to be cast.<ref name="danson-interview"/> Also, she was pregnant during the whole season, as well as her character Carla.<ref name="rhea-pregnant"/>]]
At the time the show was being filmed, [[Rhea Perlman]] was pregnant. She told the producers during filming of the third of fourth episode (produced or aired), and the episodes were filmed out of sequence to allow Perlman to hide her pregnancy with a tray until the episode "[[#ep15|Father Knows Last]]", after which Perlman's pregnancy was assimilated into her character Carla Tortelli, who was pregnant with her ex-husband Nick's child for the rest of the season. Perlman's daughter Lucy was born on March 12, 1983.<ref name="rhea-pregnant">{{cite news|author=Buck, Jerry|newspaper=[[The Press-Courier]]|at=TV Week, p. 7|access-date=July 23, 2012 |via=[[Google News Archive]] |date=April 24, 1983|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_T9KAAAAIBAJ&dq=rhea%20perlman%20pregnancy%20cheers&pg=3781%2C5675087|location=Oxnard, California|title=Rhea Perlman Mixes Real Life with Series}}</ref>

Drinks and snacks in the show were neither alcoholic nor edible. The scotch was made from water, the beer was non-alcoholic and was made out of "less lingering ingredients" with salt to produce a foam, and the cheese puffs were not real. The bathroom did not have toilets and sinks. [[Canned laughter]] was not used on the show; live audience reactions were recorded on film.<ref>{{cite news|title=Beers are fake, but ''Cheers'' aren't canned|author=Rothenberg, Fred|agency=Associated Press|page=WV11|date=February 16, 1983|newspaper=Deseret News|location=Salt Lake City|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jvVSAAAAIBAJ&pg=6967%2C283539|access-date=July 16, 2012 |via=[[Google News Archive]] }}</ref> From episode 13, each episode was preceded with the announcement, "''Cheers'' is filmed before a live studio audience", and this continued during the remainder of the show's run.<ref>{{cite news|title=There's no reason why 2 living room couch potatoes can't wash dishes — or is there?|author=D.L. Stewart|date=December 26, 1988|at=Pt. 3, p. 1 ("Good Morning")|access-date=July 16, 2012 |via=[[Google News Archive]] |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Sentinel]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rqNRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6966%2C6456721}}</ref>

NBC praised the show when the network was given test experiments and ordered initial thirteen episodes to be produced.<ref name=network>{{cite news|title=Shelley Long cheers up|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kZskAAAAIBAJ&pg=4036%2C2308024|author=Meade, Peter|page=20|date=14 January 1983|access-date=24 February 2012|newspaper=[[Rome News-Tribune]]|location=Rome, Georgia}}</ref> The series' [[Nielsen ratings]] were low during this season, and the network tried to attract more viewers to the series. One episode was experimentally shot on videotape to lower production costs, but the producers were not satisfied with the results and continued to shoot the show on film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2012/03/another-thing-about-cheers-you-didnt.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805051444/http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2012/03/another-thing-about-cheers-you-didnt.html|url-status=live|title=Another thing about ''Cheers'' you didn't know|author=Levine, Ken|author-link=Ken Levine (TV personality)|date=March 18, 2012|work=...by Ken Levine|access-date=July 16, 2012 |via=[[Blogspot]] |archive-date=August 5, 2012}}</ref> NBC also produced a scripted [[#epS01|Super Bowl sketch]] with sportscaster [[Pete Axthelm]], which was broadcast during the [[Super Bowl XVII|Super Bowl]] pre-game segment on January 30, 1983,<ref name=1983superbowl/><ref name="Levine Super Bowl"/> along with sketches for other NBC shows, including ''[[The A-Team]]''.<ref name=1983superbowl/> After efforts to improve the ratings failed, NBC approved production of nine more episodes,<ref name=network/> and renewed the series for the next season.<ref name=renewal/>

Before "[[Where Everybody Knows Your Name]]", written by [[Gary Portnoy]] and [[Judy Hart Angelo]] became the show's theme song, ''Cheers''{{'}} producers rejected two of Portnoy's and Hart Angelo's songs. The songwriters had collaborated to provide music for ''[[Preppies]]'' an unsuccessful Broadway musical. When told they could not appropriate "People Like Us", ''Preppies''{{'}}s opening song, the pair wrote ''My Kind of People'', intended to satirize "the lifestyle of old decadent old-money [[White Anglo-Saxon Protestant|WASPs]]," but, to meet producers' demands, they rewrote the lyrics to be about "likeable losers" in a Boston bar. The show's producers rejected this song, as well as later songs that Portnoy and Angelo wrote. When Portnoy and Hart Angelo heard that NBC had commissioned thirteen episodes, they created "Where Everybody Knows Your Name", and rewrote the lyrics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.garyportnoy.com/|archive-date=January 18, 2013|work=GaryPortnoy.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118024640/http://www.garyportnoy.com/|title=The Story Behind the Cheers Theme}} Click "The Cheers Story".</ref>

== Broadcasts ==

{{quote box|width=24em|quote=''Cheers'' was an easy call. That is just so well done that we should be sent to jail for cancelling it.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grant Tinker's Aim Is Not to Be No. 3|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uJdQAAAAIBAJ&pg=7117%2C3497819|author=Hastings, Julianne|agency=United Press International|page=8D|newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|date=June 27, 1983|access-date=July 20, 2012 |via=Google News Archive }}</ref>|2= - [[Grant Tinker]], NBC chairman and chief executive|salign=right}}

''Cheers'' was first broadcast at 9:00pm ([[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]) / 8:00pm ([[Central Time Zone|Central]]) on Thursday during fall 1982, which later became NBC's [[Must See TV]], which followed the hour-long musical series ''[[Fame (1982 TV series)|Fame]]'' and preceded another half-hour sitcom ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'', and hour-long crime series ''[[Hill Street Blues]]''.<ref name=lineup/> ''Cheers'' was scheduled against [[CBS]]'s ''[[Simon & Simon]]'' and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Too Close for Comfort]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tonight (Thursday)|page=26|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7CAvAAAAIBAJ&pg=3643%2C5080461|newspaper=[[Kentucky New Era]]|date=December 9, 1982|access-date=September 18, 2012 |via=Google News Archive }}</ref> Because of  poor Nielsen ratings, NBC changes its Thursday schedule. Critically acclaimed comedy ''Taxi'' moved to Saturdays; critically panned ''[[Gimme a Break!]]'' moved to Thursdays at 9pm ET/8pm CT and ''Cheers'' was moved to the 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT slot,<ref name=lineup/> still competing against ''Simon & Simon'' and ABC's ''[[It Takes Two (1982 TV series)|It Takes Two]]''.<ref>{{cite news|page=5C|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_N9OAAAAIBAJ&pg=7024%2C1132761|title=''Cheers'' gets low place in ratings because of Simons' competition|author=Judy Flander|newspaper=[[Wilmington Morning Star]]|date=January 6, 1983|access-date=September 18, 2012 |via=Google News Archive }}</ref> ''Fame'' and ''Hill Street Blues'' remained in the same time slot.<ref name=lineup/> The overall performance of the season was 74th place out of "[ninety-nine] regularly scheduled shows".<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|date=September 3, 1983|author=Bednarski, P.J.|issn=0743-1791|title=Why NBC Repeats Look Like New Shows|id={{ProQuest|294224469}}}} {{registration required}} The author worked for ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' at the time of publication.</ref>

Despite low ratings and unsuccessful attempts to improve them, NBC renewed ''Cheers'' for a second season, which it announced in March 1983.<ref name=renewal>{{cite news|page=D7|date=March 13, 1983|title=''Cheers'' for a second season|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[Beaver County Times]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MvZVAAAAIBAJ&pg=2960%2C2540368|access-date=June 28, 2012|location=Beaver County, Pennsylvania}}</ref> During mid-1983, reruns of the show's first season scored high ratings, most episodes reaching the top 20.<ref>{{cite news|page=37|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7hsiAAAAIBAJ&pg=4298%2C928434|date=September 22, 1983|title=''Cheers'' Boosted by Reruns|newspaper=[[Reading Eagle]]|access-date=July 6, 2012 |via=[[Google News]] Archives |author=Scott, Vernin|agency=United Press International}}</ref> "[[#ep18|No Contest]]" was rerun on July 14, 1983, at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bKgcAAAAIBAJ&pg=2192%2C5621317|title=Today's Television|date=July 14, 1983|access-date=July 20, 2012|via=[[Google News Archive]]|newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]]|page=C-10}}</ref> and tied with ''[[Remington Steele]]'' in 12th place out of 65 programs in the ratings week of July 11, 1983.<ref>{{cite news|author=Smith, Sally B|title=NBC Moves Past ABC in Prime-Time TV Ratings|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|page=C-23|date=July 21, 1983|id={{ProQuest|424661849}}}}</ref> "[[#ep14|Let Me Count the Ways]]" was rerun on May 26, 1983,<ref>{{cite news|at=Television Times, p. 37|title=Thursday, May 26, 1983|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=May 22, 1983}}</ref> and came 19th out of 63 programs with a 17.4 rating.<ref>{{cite news|date=June 2, 1983|at=p. 12, Pt. VI (Calendar)|title=Television Schedule|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> "[[The Boys in the Bar]]" aired again on July 28, 1983,<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=75ozAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nDIHAAAAIBAJ&pg=7021%2C3186534 "Television (Schedule)"]. ''[[Lodi News-Sentinel]]'' [Lodi, California] July 28, 1983: 12. ''[[Google News]]''. Web. June 13, 2012.</ref> and scored a 12.8 rating and 23 share.<ref>"NBC Wins Nielsen Race." ''[[Miami Herald]]'' August 3, 1983: 7B. ''[[NewsBank]]''. Web. June 13, 2012. {{registration required}}. Article at MiamiHerald.com: {{subscription required}}.</ref>

In [[Sydney]], Australia, the first season aired on Sundays on [[Network Ten]] from November 1983<ref>{{cite news|at=Lift-Out TV Guide, p. 63|title=Sunday's programs|date=November 20, 1983|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UhURAAAAIBAJ&pg=4365%2C1883021|access-date=July 25, 2012 |via=Google News Archive }} The show might have premiered on November 13, 1983.</ref> to April 8, 1984.<ref>{{cite news|at=Lift-Out TV Guide, p. 61|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BrRWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6226%2C3881731|date=April 8, 1984|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=July 25, 2012 |via=Google News Archive |title=Sunday's programs}} For some reason, some episodes were skipped during the period of November 1983 and April 1984. They might have been aired after episodes of the second season were broadcast.</ref>

== Reception ==

During the first broadcast of its first season in 1982–1983, ''Cheers'' received positive reviews.<ref>{{cite news|author=Thomas, Jack|title=Television Jack Thomas; Worst of the Worst|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|date=June 28, 1983|id={{ProQuest|294168672}}}}</ref> Rick Sherwood called it "ever-charming".<ref name=sherwood>{{cite news|author=Sherwood, Rick|date=September 15, 1983|access-date=June 28, 2012|issn=0163-402X|title=''Cheers'' episode is charming|location=Wilmington, North Carolina|page=5C|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7jhOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6811%2C3977979|newspaper=[[Wilmington Morning Star]]}} Rick Sherwood's article appears in other newspapers, according to Google search results.</ref> [[Montreal]] critic Mike Boone from ''[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Gazette]]'' called it "unpredictable" and the supporting characters "splendid".<ref name="Mike Boone">{{cite news |last=Boone |first=Mike |title=Cheers! Sam and Diane's breakup is a TV event worth drinking to |work=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Gazette]] |date=2 May 1984 |page=E12 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=c1wxAAAAIBAJ&pg=1158%2C600615}}</ref> Fred Rothenberg of the ''Associated Press'' called it the "funniest, most adult comedy on TV".<ref>{{cite news|page=E11|date=October 13, 1983|author=Rothenberg, Fred|work=[[Anchorage Daily News]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UHEoAAAAIBAJ&pg=1635%2C6890976|title=Love won't spoil Sam and Diane on ''Cheers''|access-date=November 25, 2020|archive-date=January 3, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103083410/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UHEoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=n6cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1635,6890976|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Later reviews were more positive. Jason Bovberg from ''[[DVD Talk]]'' praised season 1's writing quality above its "odd assortment of [characters]" and gave its content four and a half stars out of five.<ref name=dvdtalk>{{cite web|work=[[DVD Talk]]|title=Cheers: The Complete First Season|date=May 28, 2003|access-date=July 21, 2012|author=Bovberg, Jason|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/6465/cheers-the-complete-first-season/}}</ref> Steve Butts from ''[[IGN]]'' called this season "some of the best comedy writing and acting seen on television", praised the cast's performances, and gave it nine out of ten points.<ref name=ign>{{cite news|work=[[IGN]]|access-date=July 21, 2012|url=http://dvd.ign.com/articles/424/424920p1.html|title=Cheers: The Complete First Season Review|author=Butts, Steve|date=June 18, 2003}}</ref> Another ''IGN'' critic Cliff Wheatley called the pilot "Give Me a Ring Sometime" the ninth best ''Cheers'' episode and another episode "Truth or Consequences" fifth.<ref>{{cite web |first=Cliff |last=Wheatley |date=2014-05-30 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/30/top-10-cheers-episodes |title=Top 10 ''Cheers'' Episodes |website=IGN }}</ref> Stephen Tropiano from ''[[PopMatters]]'' called it "fresh and very funny", even for a very old show, but said that some situations seem "forced", especially for customers with no connections to main characters. He also wrote that the show has "witty dialogue, talented ensemble, and a premise reminiscent of 1930s screwball comedies", which compared with the most popular sitcoms of the 1970s—[[Three’s Company]], [[Laverne and Shirley]], and [[The Love Boat]]—"''Cheers'' was a welcome change of pace.".<ref name=popmatters>{{cite web|author=Tropiano, Stephen|work=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=July 21, 2012|url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/cheers-complete-1|title=Cheers: The Complete First Season|date=June 23, 2003}}</ref>

Michael Speier from ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine called it "clever and touching" with "fresh" stories and praised chemistry between [[Ted Danson]] and [[Shelley Long]].<ref name=varietyDVD/> Jonathan Boudreaux from the website ''TVDVDReviews.com'' wrote, "[w]hile the episodes are often outrageously funny, the show's humor is character-based. The laughs arrive from the personalities and foibles of the group rather than from wacky situations." He also wrote, "''Cheers'' is probably one of the best TV series of all time."<ref name=tvdvdreviews>{{cite web|author=Boudreaux, Jonathan|url=http://www.tvdvdreviews.com/cheers.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615061944/http://www.tvdvdreviews.com/cheers.html|date=July 6, 2003|archive-date=June 15, 2011|via= [[Internet Archive]] [[Wayback Machine]]|title=Cheers: The Complete First Season DVD Review}}</ref> Elizabeth Skipper from ''[[DVD Verdict]]'' rated the story 90 percent and acting 95 percent and wrote, "[t]here's nothing terribly unique about the series; it's&nbsp;...&nbsp; fueled by the sexual tension between the two leads and fanned by a well-rounded supporting cast, a portrayal of the attempts of a downtown boy to win over an uptown girl—it's all been done before."<ref name=dvdverdict>{{cite web|date=July 14, 2003|url=https://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/cheersseason1.php|title=Cheers: The Complete First Season|work=[[DVD Verdict]]|author=Skipper, Elizabeth}}</ref> Matt Brighton from ''Blu-ray Authority'' called the season's writing and directing "clever" and was "impressed at how this show has stood the test of time."<ref>{{cite web|author=Brighton, Matt|title=Cheers: The First Season|access-date=July 21, 2012|url=http://blurayauthority.com/standard-dvd/cheers-the-complete-first-season/|work=Blu-ray Authority|date=January 28, 2012 }}</ref> ''[[TV Guide]]'' called "[[#ep3|The Tortelli Tort]]" a "classic episode".<ref>{{cite book|page=54|title=TV Guide: TV on DVD 2006: The Ultimate Resource to Television Programs on DVD|year=2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1N4Okbxfz5YC&q=carla+cheers+tortelli&pg=PA54|isbn=0-312-35150-X|last1=Guide|first1=T. V.}}</ref>

== Accolades ==

{{quote box|quote=We could have no better relationship with a network.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[Lewiston Journal]]|date=September 26, 1983|title=Ask Why NBC...|author=Rothenberg, Fred|location=Lewiston-Auburn, Maine|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3Q8gAAAAIBAJ&dq=cheers%20television%20%7C%20tv&pg=1347%2C3808893|access-date=July 22, 2012 |via=Google News Archive }}</ref>|width=25em|salign=right|2= - [[Les Charles]] at the 1983 Emmy Awards|}}

The first season of ''Cheers'' received thirteen nominations for the [[35th Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Awards]] in 1983. It won five Emmy Awards, including an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series|Outstanding Comedy Series]]. All the main cast except George Wendt, and John Ratzenberger, who was not part of the main cast, were nominated for, respectively, their own leading and supporting roles.<ref name=emmys/> Shelley Long won the award for "[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series]]". Glen and Les Charles won an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series]] award for the pilot episode "Give Me a Ring Sometime". Episodes "The Boys in the Bar" and "Diane's Perfect Date" were nominated for the same category. James Castle and Bruce Bryant won an Outstanding Individual Achievement of Graphic Design and Title Sequences for "Showdown, Part One". James Burrows won an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series|Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series]] award for "Showdown, Part Two". The program's theme song, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name", was nominated for an Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics award, but did not win.<ref name=emmys>{{harvnb|Bjorklund|2014|pp=457–458}}</ref>

The ''[[Television Critics Association]]'' voted ''Cheers'' the Best New Series of 1982–1983.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZagcAAAAIBAJ&pg=2698%2C1130297|newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]]|date=July 3, 1983|access-date=July 20, 2012 |via=Google News Archive |page=TV12 |title=Thursday, July 7, 1983 }} Scroll the page right at upper half to find the page that has a schedule, and find ''Cheers''.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Critics Like ''Cheers''|at=TV section, p. 14|edition=Final|newspaper=[[The Miami Herald]]|date=July 10, 1983|via=NewsBank }} Record no: 8302240041.</ref> The episodes "Give Me a Ring Sometime" and "The Boys in the Bar" won the Episodic Comedy category in the 36th Annual [[Writers Guild of America Award]]s in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://librarycatalog.wgfoundation.org/title/titleAwards.ashx?id=2387|title=Cheers - The Boys in the Bar|work=The Writers Guild Foundation|access-date=July 22, 2012|year=2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105034547/http://librarycatalog.wgfoundation.org/title/titleAwards.ashx?id=2387|archive-date=November 5, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> "The Spy Who Came In for a Cold One",<ref>{{cite web|title=Cheers - Spy Who Came In For a Cold One, The|url=http://librarycatalog.wgfoundation.org/title/titleAwards.ashx?id=3318|year=2010|access-date=July 22, 2012|work=The Writers Guild Foundation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531105852/http://librarycatalog.wgfoundation.org/title/titleAwards.ashx?id=3318|archive-date=May 31, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and "[[#ep14|Let Me Count the Ways]]" were nominated for the same award.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 22, 2012|year=2010|title=Cheers - Let Me Count the Ways|url=http://librarycatalog.wgfoundation.org/title/titleAwards.ashx?id=2916|work=The Writers Guild Foundation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531105851/http://librarycatalog.wgfoundation.org/title/titleAwards.ashx?id=2916|archive-date=May 31, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> James Burrows won the Comedy Series category of the 36th Annual [[Directors Guild of America Award]] (DGA) for "Showdown, Part Two" in 1984;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1980s/1983.aspx|title=36th Annual DGA Awards Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1983|work=[[Directors Guild of America]]|year=1984|access-date=July 25, 2012}} To skim list down, click "ALL" and then "Comedy Series".</ref> he was DGA-nominated for "[[#ep4|Sam at Eleven]]" but did not win in 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1980s/1982.aspx|title=35th Annual DGA Awards Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1982|work=Directors Guild of America|year=1983|access-date=July 25, 2012}} To see all nominees, click "Winners and Nominees". Then, to skim down the list, click "ALL" and then "Comedy Series".</ref>

On Saturday, January 29, 1983, ''Cheers'' won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Musical or Comedy Television Series]] of [[40th Golden Globe Awards|1982]], and Shelley Long won a [[Golden Globe Award]] as the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actress in Television]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NqQyAAAAIBAJ&pg=2326%2C4501677|title=''Gandhi'' Dominates Golden Globe Awards|agency=United Press International|date=January 31, 1983|access-date=July 25, 2012 |via=Google News Archive |newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|location=Ottawa, Ontario, Canada|page=30}}</ref> ''Cheers'' did not win any Golden Globes for categories related to comedy television of 1983 at the [[41st Golden Globe Awards|1984 ceremony]].<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=January 30, 1984|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UKQyAAAAIBAJ&pg=4068%2C4394393|title=Globe winners at a glance|newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|page=60|access-date=July 25, 2012 |via=Google News Archive |location=Ottawa, Ontario, Canada}}</ref> On Thursday, March 17, 1983, ''Cheers'' won the Favorite New Television Comedy Program award at the 9th Annual [[People's Choice Awards]].<ref>{{cite news|date=August 20, 2012|page=6|newspaper=The Daily Record|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MoVUAAAAIBAJ&dq=cheers%20people's%20choice%20awards%20site%3Anews.google.com&pg=5150%2C6782380|location=Ellensburg, Washington|access-date=August 20, 2012 |via=Google News Archive |agency=United Press International|title=Burt, Barbara People's Choices}}</ref><ref>{{cite video|title=And the 9th Annual "Favorite New Television Comedy Program" People's Choice is...Cheers!|type=Web|date=March 11, 1983|url=http://search.peopleschoice.com/v/26948921/and-the-9th-annual-favorite-new-television-comedy-program-people-s-choice-is-cheers.htm?q=cheers|publisher=P&G Productions, Inc.|access-date=August 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531105256/http://search.peopleschoice.com/v/26948921/and-the-9th-annual-favorite-new-television-comedy-program-people-s-choice-is-cheers.htm?q=cheers|archive-date=May 31, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

== DVD release ==
Season 1 of ''Cheers'' was released on [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] [[DVD]] on May 20, 2003, twenty years after its season finale and ten years after the series finale, "[[One for the Road (Cheers)|One for the Road]]", were broadcast on television.<ref name=varietyDVD/><ref name=TVshowsonDVD>{{cite web|access-date=July 20, 2012|work=[[TVShowsOnDVD.com]]|title=Cheers - Season 1|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Cheers-Season-1/2322|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916072733/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Cheers-Season-1/2322|archive-date=September 16, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Elizabeth Skipper of ''[[DVD Verdict]]'' rated video quality 80 percent and the sound quality 65 percent, but called the menu settings "ugly" and uninspiring, and the special features "lackluster" and consisting mostly of compilation clips of this season.<ref name=dvdverdict/> Jonathan Boudreaux of ''TVDVDreviews.com'' found the video "clear and sharp", and found the sound quality similar to that of the television broadcast.<ref name=tvdvdreviews/>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; width:100%"
|- style="background:#E38181;"
| colspan=6 | '''''Cheers: The Complete First Season'''''
|-  style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
|  colspan=3 style="width:275px;" | '''Set Details'''<ref name=TVshowsonDVD/>
|  colspan=3 | '''Special Features'''<ref name=TVshowsonDVD/>
|- valign="top"
| colspan=3 style="text-align:left;" style="width:275px;" |
* 22 episodes
* 4-disc set
* [[Aspect ratio (image)#4:3 standard|1:33:1 aspect ratio]]
* English - Stereo
* [[Closed captioning]] (Region 1)
* Subtitles: Danish, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish (Region 2)
| colspan=3 style="text-align:left;"|
* Setting The Bar: A Conversation with Ted Danson
* Love at First Fight: Opposites Distract
* Coach Ernie Pantusso's Rules of the Game
* I'll Drink to That: Stormin' Norm-isms
* "It's a Little Known Fact..." ''Cheers'' Trivia Game
|-
| colspan=6 style="text-align:center;"| '''[[DVD region code#Region codes and countries|Release Dates]]'''
|-
| colspan=2 style="text-align:center;"| '''Region 1'''
| colspan=2 style="text-align:center;"| '''Region 2'''
| colspan=2 style="text-align:center;"| '''Region 4'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
| colspan=2| May 20, 2003
| colspan=2| 24 November 2003
| colspan=2| 15 January 2004
|}

== Notes ==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=scott1982>Scott, Vernon. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HJFSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wNAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6811%2C1282379 Series Producers Working Now to Get `Cheers']." ''[[Telegraph Herald]]'' [Dubuque, Iowa] 11 July 1982: 20. ''[[Google News]]''. Web. 05 April 2012.</ref>
<ref name=varietyDVD>{{cite journal|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117921154?categoryid=1023&cs=1|date=June 29, 2003|author=Speier, Michael|title=Cheers|journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=July 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109013112/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117921154?categoryid=1023&cs=1|archive-date=November 9, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name=lineup>{{cite news|date=December 22, 1982|page=B-6|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Gazette]]|agency=Newhouse News Service|title=''Taxi'' switch distressing news for tuned-in television viewers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UVwxAAAAIBAJ&pg=4352%2C383340|author=Wisehart, Bob|access-date=July 20, 2012 |via=Google News Archive }}</ref>
}}

=== References ===
* {{cite book|last=Bjorklund|first=Dennis A|edition=e-Book|orig-year=First published in 1993 as print edition|publisher=Praetorian Publishing|title=Cheers TV Show: A Comprehensive Reference|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pEN6sTeG20AC|access-date=June 27, 2012|isbn=9780967985237|date=September 2014}}
* {{cite book|author-link=George Wendt|last=Wendt|first=George|title=Drinking with George|location=New York|publisher=Simon Spotlight Entertainment|year=2009|isbn=978-1-4391-4958-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/drinkingwithgeor00wend}}

==== Ratings notes ====
According to ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ratings from 1982 to 1983 were based on 83.3 million households with at least one television set. "Television Ratings" column list is located at Part VI, "Calendar" section. Below sources originated from ''Los Angeles Times'', republished in [[microform|microfilm]] copies, which may be located in your local library.
{{reflist|30em|group=rat1}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://cocatalog.loc.gov/ Production order of ''Cheers'' season 1] at [[Copyright Catalog]]
** Click "<code>Set Search Limits</code>", select "<code><</code>" that indicates less than ('''not''' equal to) a year number, select "<code>Motion Pictures</code>" at "Item Type", type "<code>1984</code>", either hit "<code>Enter</code>" or click "<code>Set Search Limits</code>"
** Then, after above step, search by title, type "<code>Cheers</code>", and hit "<code>Enter</code>" or click "<code>Begin search</code>"
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083399/episodes?season=1 ''Cheers'', season 1] at [[Internet Movie Database]]
* [https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/cheers/episodes-season-1/100083 ''Cheers'', season 1] at ''[[TV Guide]]''
* [https://archive.today/20130122213141/http://www.epinions.com/reviews/mvie_mu-1120922 ''Cheers: The Complete First Season''] at [[Epinions]]
* [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cheers_the_complete_first_season/ ''Cheers'', season 1] at [[Rotten Tomatoes]]

{{Cheers}}
{{EmmyAward ComedySeries}}

[[Category:Cheers seasons|1]]
[[Category:1982 American television seasons]]
[[Category:1983 American television seasons]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by James Burrows]]