Cheers season 4

Cheers season 4
Season 4
Region 1 DVD
Starring	Ted Danson Shelley Long Rhea Perlman John Ratzenberger Woody Harrelson George Wendt
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 26, 1985 (1985-09-26) – May 15, 1986 (1986-05-15)
Season chronology
← Previous Cheers season 3 Next → Cheers season 5
List of episodes

The fourth season of Cheers , an American television sitcom, originally aired on NBC in the United States between September 26, 1985, and May 15, 1986, as part of the network's Thursday lineup. This season marks Woody Harrelson's television debut as Woody Boyd after Nicholas Colasanto, who portrayed Coach Ernie Pantusso, died during the previous season. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles, under production team Charles Burrows Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Television.

Background

During the previous season, 1984–85, after two years of struggling with low ratings, rapid schedule changes, and failed series, ^{[1] [2]} NBC's Thursday night lineup (years before the Must See TV promotional slogan was developed) consisted of, in time slot order starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern / 7:00 p.m. Central: The Cosby Show , Family Ties , Cheers, Night Court , and Hill Street Blues , and became a ratings success for the network. ^[3] The 1985–86 Thursday schedule was similar to the previous season's and was still a success. ^[4]

Cast and characters

• Ted Danson as Sam Malone — bartender, owner, retired Red Sox relief pitcher
• Shelley Long as Diane Chambers — snobby waitress, the moral compass of the bar staff and patrons
• Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli — bitter waitress, divorced mother of six. Gives birth to Ludlow, named after his father Dr. Bennett Ludlow, Frasier's mentor.
• John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin — postal carrier and virginal, loquacious bar know-it-all
• Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd — dim small town Indiana bar-tender, hired by Sam to fill-in for the coach's absence following the latter's death.
• George Wendt as Norm Peterson — a semi-unemployed accountant, a childless husband
• Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane (recurring) — jilted psychiatrist

  Recurring and credited in the end credits, though appears in most episodes. In remastered prints of the episode "Cliffie's Big Score", seen on DVD and later syndication, Grammer's name appears in the opening credits, although he does not appear in the episode and is not officially credited in the opening until Season 5.

During the previous season, Sam went to Italy to stop Frasier and Diane's wedding. This season, he fails to do so, and returns to Boston. Several months later, Frasier comes to the bar to announce that Diane jilted him at the altar, made love to other men, and is now in a convent, located one hour away from Boston. Sam retrieves Diane from the convent and rehires her as a bar waitress. After having lost everything, including his career, Frasier frequently visits the Boston bar, Cheers, for drinks and then slowly degenerates into alcoholism. He recovers, then begins another psychiatric job, distancing himself from Sam and Diane's relationship. Sam then begins a relationship with the city councillor Janet Eldrige (Kate Mulgrew). Tired of being part the triangle with Sam and Diane, Janet breaks up with Sam. In the season's finale, during a telephone call, Sam proposes to an unidentified woman.

Episodes

Further information: List of Cheers episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title  [5]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date  [5]	Rating/share/rank (households)
70	1	"Birth, Death, Love and Rice"	James Burrows	Heide Perlman	September 26, 1985 (1985-09-26)	26.0 / 39 / #4 [6]
71	2	"Woody Goes Belly Up"	James Burrows	Heide Perlman	October 3, 1985 (1985-10-03)	23.4 / 35 / #5 [7]
72	3	"Someday My Prince Will Come"	James Burrows	Tom Seeley & Norm Gunzenhauser	October 17, 1985 (1985-10-17)	23.5 / 36 / #4 [8]
73	4	"The Groom Wore Clearasil"	James Burrows	Peter Casey & David Lee	October 24, 1985 (1985-10-24)	20.9 / 30 / #13 [9]
74	5	"Diane's Nightmare"	James Burrows	David Lloyd	October 31, 1985 (1985-10-31)	24.1 / 36 / #6 [10]
75	6	"I Will Gladly Pay You Tuesday"	James Burrows	Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner	November 7, 1985 (1985-11-07)	21.1 / 30 / #14 [11]
76	7	"2 Good to Be 4 Real"	James Burrows	Peter Casey and David Lee	November 14, 1985 (1985-11-14)	24.7 / 37 / #4 [12]
77	8	"Love Thy Neighbor"	James Burrows	David Angell	November 21, 1985 (1985-11-21)	21.9 / 33 / #11 [13]
78	9	"From Beer to Eternity"	James Burrows	Peter Casey & David Lee	November 28, 1985 (1985-11-28)	21.6 / 36 / #10 [14]
79	10	"The Barstoolie"	James Burrows	Andy Cowan & David S. Williger	December 5, 1985 (1985-12-05)	24.4 / 36 / #5 [15]
80	11	"Don Juan Is Hell"	James Burrows	Phoef Sutton	December 12, 1985 (1985-12-12)	24.0 / 36 / #6 [16]
81	12	"Fools and Their Money"	James Burrows	Heide Perlman	December 19, 1985 (1985-12-19)	23.1 / 35 / #4 [17]
82	13	"Take My Shirt... Please"	James Burrows	David Lloyd	January 9, 1986 (1986-01-09)	24.3 / 36 / #7 [18]
83	14	"Suspicion"	James Burrows	Tom Reeder	January 16, 1986 (1986-01-16)	25.4 / 36 / #5 [19]
84	15	"The Triangle"	James Burrows	Susan Seeger	January 23, 1986 (1986-01-23)	24.0 / 35 / #7 [20]
85	16	"Cliffie's Big Score"	James Burrows	Heide Perlman	January 30, 1986 (1986-01-30)	23.8 / 34 / #6 [21]
86	17	"Second Time Around"	Thomas Lofaro	Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner	February 6, 1986 (1986-02-06)	24.7 / 35 / #5 [22]
87	18	"The Peterson Principle"	James Burrows	Peter Casey & David Lee	February 13, 1986 (1986-02-13)	23.9 / 35 / #5 [23]
88	19	"Dark Imaginings"	James Burrows	David Angell	February 20, 1986 (1986-02-20)	23.4 / 34 / #6 [24]
89	20	"Save the Last Dance for Me"	James Burrows	Heide Perlman	February 27, 1986 (1986-02-27)	26.0 / 38 / #3 [25]
90	21	"Fear Is My Co-Pilot"	James Burrows	Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner	March 13, 1986 (1986-03-13)	23.5 / 35 / #3 [26]
91	22	"Diane Chambers Day"	James Burrows	Kimberly Hill	March 20, 1986 (1986-03-20)	26.2 / 39 / #3 [27]
92	23	"Relief Bartender"	James Burrows	Miriam Trogdon	March 27, 1986 (1986-03-27)	22.3 / 35 / #6 [28]
93	24	"Strange Bedfellows, Part 1"	James Burrows	David Angell	May 1, 1986 (1986-05-01)	23.9 / 37 / #3 [29]
94	25	"Strange Bedfellows, Part 2"	James Burrows	David Angell	May 8, 1986 (1986-05-08)	22.6 / 35 / #5 [30]
95	26	"Strange Bedfellows, Part 3"	James Burrows	David Angell	May 15, 1986 (1986-05-15)	24.4 / 37 / #4 [31]

Production

Woody Harrelson debuts as Woody Boyd this season.

During filming of the series' third season, Nicholas Colasanto, who portrayed regular character Coach Ernie Pantusso, died of a heart attack. ^{[32] [33]} Rather than recast the character, ^[34] Coach was written out. In the season's premiere episode, "Birth, Death, Love and Rice", it was revealed that the character of Coach had died, although no explanation was given. ^[35] As a replacement for Coach, the show's producers created a new character, Woody Boyd, "an Indiana farm boy" who becomes a bartender in the bar of big city Boston, portrayed by Woody Harrelson. Before Cheers, Harrelson was an understudy in a Broadway play, Biloxi Blues , and made his film debut in Wildcats , ^[36] which was released to theaters in February 1986. ^[37]

Reception

In the 1985–86 season, Cheers was scheduled at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) / 8:00 p.m. (Central) against CBS's Simon & Simon and ABC's The Colbys , which replaced Lady Blue , which moved to Saturdays in mid-November 1985. ^[38] On December 26, 1985, the series gained 33 percent in the Nielsen ratings from the previous season. ^[39] As of January 29, 1986, it became one of top three rated series among females, along with the other two Must See TV sitcoms, The Cosby Show and Family Ties . ^[40] As of April 23, 1986, it scored an overall 23.7 rating and a 35 share, putting it into fifth place in the 1985–86 season. ^[41]

Despite disdaining the Sam-and-Diane romance, and considering this series a typical sitcom in earlier seasons, television critic Rick Sherwood praised the fourth season as the "funniest [and] most intelligent" since the debut season. ^[42]

The fourth season ended with the cliffhanger of Sam Malone calling and proposing to an unknown individual. A telephone survey polled callers regarding who they thought that recipient was: politician Janet Eldridge or Sam's on again/off again girlfriend Diane Chambers. Nearly 140 picked Diane, and almost 60 picked Janet. Those who voted for Janet were not fans of Janet; rather, they expected the love triangle to continue in the next season. A few of the callers polled considered Janet as "funny and appealing". The rest thought Janet was wrong for Sam. ^[43]

Jeffrey Robinson of DVD Talk perceived this season as neither as great nor as strongly rewatchable nor as hilarious as earlier seasons, but worth watching, especially for fans. Robinson found its shows "episodic". ^[44] Adam Arseneau of DVD Verdict described it as "impeccable and golden", with 95 percent on the story and 94 on acting. ^[45] The critics deemed the introduction of a new character, Woody Boyd (even if not well-developed and well-integrated), the growing prominence of Frasier Crane, and the supposedly one-time character Lilith Sternin, who becomes a recurring character in later seasons, as highlights of the fourth season. ^{[44] [45]} However, they found the unexplained death of Coach Ernie Pantusso to be one of the season's low points. ^{[44] [45]}

Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed praised this fourth season as well-aged and still "fresh", especially after mostly omitting "topical humor" and developing characters. ^[46] Robert David Sullivan ranked "I'll Gladly Pay You Tuesday" (1985) at number 36 in his list of top 100 favorite sitcom episodes. ^[47]

Accolades

All cast members, except newcomer Woody Harrelson and actor Kelsey Grammer (whose character Frasier Crane appears recurringly this season), were nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards in 1986. Only Rhea Perlman won her own Emmy Award, as an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The episode "Fear Is My Co-Pilot" earned the following crew an award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or Special: Michael Ballin, Robert Douglass, Douglas Grey, and Thomas J. Huth. ^[48]

Shelley Long was awarded the Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series by Viewers for Quality Television in 1986 for her performance throughout the whole season. ^[49] Long also won a Golden Globe in 1985 as the Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy Series for her performance in 1985. ^[50]

DVD release

The fourth season is available on DVD, with four discs in the set. On February 1, 2005, the entire season was released to Region 1 DVD with four discs in the set. Unlike DVD releases of earlier seasons, the season four set lacks special features, such as interviews and outtakes. ^[44]

Cheers: The Complete Fourth Season
Set Details [44]
26 episodes 4-disc set 1:33:1 aspect ratio English – Stereo Closed captioning (Region 1) Subtitles: Danish, English, French, Italian, Swedish, Spanish, Norwegian (Region 2)
Release Dates
Region 1		Region 2		Region 4
February 1, 2005		July 18, 2005		July 21, 2005

References

Specific

1. Jory, Tom (May 11, 1983). "Taxi, Fame Get the Ax as NBC Announces Fall Lineup". Lexington Herald-Leader . Kentucky. p. D5. Record no: 8301230394. (registration required)
2. "Buffalo Bill Returns Dec. 15". The Miami Herald . December 2, 1983. Record no: 8304060082.
3. Ed Bark (April 28, 1985). "NBC's Season Is the Cos for Celebration - Bill Cosby's show rescues the network from the bottom of the TV ratings pile". The Dallas Morning News . p. 1C.
4. "Schedule Changes, Ratings Reveal Magic of Cosby". Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. United Press International. March 7, 1986. p. P-8.
5. Bjorklund 2014, pp. 327–341 "Season Four: 1985–1986".
6. "Premiere week: NBC comes on strong". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 15. October 7, 1985. p. 36.
7. "NBC takes second straight prime time victory". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 16. October 14, 1985. p. 52.
8. "NBC makes it three out of four". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 18. October 28, 1985. p. 104. ProQuest   1014725795.
9. "World Series gives ABC week's ratings edge". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 19. November 4, 1985. p. 42. ProQuest   1014715626.
10. "NBC takes week six as sweeps begin". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 20. November 11, 1985. p. 56. ProQuest   1014708767.
11. "ABC leads sweeps with strong showing in seventh week". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 21. November 18, 1985. p. 88. ProQuest   1014718278.
12. "Movies, Thursday and Saturday schedules give NBC week eight". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 22. November 25, 1985. p. 42. ProQuest   1014708269.
13. "Ninth week of season: second win for CBS". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 23. December 2, 1985. p. 87. ProQuest   1014710938.
14. "NBC claims Thanksgiving victory with return of Perry Mason". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 24. December 9, 1985. p. 58. ProQuest   1014719129.
15. "NBC continues winning ways". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 25. December 16, 1985. p. 88. ProQuest   1014721078.
16. "NBC takes another Wednesday as it posts eighth weekly win". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 26. December 23, 1985. p. 61. ProQuest   1014718357.
17. "NBC goes nine for 13". Broadcasting . Vol. 109, no. 27. December 30, 1985. p. 80. ProQuest   1014722791.
18. "CBS wins second week in a row by a nose". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 3. January 20, 1986. p. 214. ProQuest   1014710358.
19. "Sixth Cosby record this season gives NBC another win". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 4. January 27, 1986. p. 74. ProQuest   1016911509.
20. "Bears also win for NBC". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 5. February 3, 1986. p. 50. ProQuest   1016916917.
21. "ABC starts fast but finishes last". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 6. February 10, 1986. p. 56. ProQuest   1016909677.
22. ""Sins" wins for CBS; NBC leads sweeps". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 7. February 17, 1986. p. 53. ProQuest   1016909361.
23. "NBC's best Thursday gives it another weekly win". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 8. February 24, 1986. p. 46. ProQuest   1016909425.
24. "NBC's regular schedule powers it to another win". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 9. March 3, 1986. p. 70. ProQuest   1016909221.
25. "NBC edges CBS thanks to 'Cosby' and Klugman". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 10. March 10, 1986. p. 92. ProQuest   1014715684.
26. "Reruns help power NBC to win number 18". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 12. March 24, 1986. p. 91. ProQuest   1014726491.
27. "CBS and NBC tie in ratings". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 13. March 31, 1986. p. 58. ProQuest   1285749976.
28. "Lowest-rated Oscars still lift ABC to tie NBC". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 14. April 7, 1986. p. 150. ProQuest   1014726066.
29. "NBC returns to winning form". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 19. May 12, 1986. p. 50. ProQuest   1016906834.
30. "'North and South' wins war for ABC". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 20. May 19, 1986. p. 73. ProQuest   1014722857.
31. "NBC flies highest despite slightly clipped 'Wings'". Broadcasting . Vol. 110, no. 21. May 26, 1986. p. 57. ProQuest   1016922364.
32. Jones, Jack (February 13, 1985). "N. Colasanto; Played Coach Role in Cheers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
33. Keets, Heather (February 11, 1994). "Coach's Last Call". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
34. Dawidziak, Mark (February 14, 1985). "Cheers Won't Try Recasting Coach". Akron Beacon Journal . Ohio. page 1, section D (Life Style). Record no. 8501050953.
35. Weinraub, Bernard (October 20, 1992). "Hit Series' Producers Must Scramble to Fill A Dead Actor's Role". The New York Times .
36. "New Cheers bartender brings fresh outlook to show". The Gazette. Montreal. Associated Press. December 24, 1985. p. C13.
37. Maslin, Janet (February 14, 1986). "The Screen: Wildcats, with Hawn". The New York Times .
38. "Lady Blue moving to 9 p.m. Saturday, beginning Nov. 16". Akron Beacon Journal . Akron, Ohio. October 18, 1985. p. D10. Record no. 8502060781.
39. "Growing Pains Dumps Most of Its Creative Leaders". Akron Beacon Journal . Akron, Ohio. December 26, 1985. p. D8. Record no. 8502170048.
40. Boyer, Peter J. (January 29, 1986). "Prime-time Soaps Are Taking a Bath". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C6. Peter J. Boyer worked for The New York Times at the time of publication. Record no. 8601030104.
41. Feder, Robert (April 23, 1986). "NBC peacock soars in rating triumph". Chicago Sun-Times . p. 41. Record no. CHI54818.
42. Sherwood, Rick (October 31, 1985). "'Cheers' is back in fine, funny form". The Gainesville Sun . p. 9A.
43. Carter, Bill (September 25, 1986). "Diane gets the cheers in this readers' survey". Reading Eagle. p. 45.
44. Robinson, Jeffrey (January 27, 2005). "DVD Video Review: Cheers: The Complete Fourth Season". DVD Talk .
45. Arseneau, Adam (February 9, 2005). "DVD Verdict Review - Cheers: The Complete Fourth Season". DVD Verdict.
46. Meyers, Nate (February 1, 2005). "Cheers: The Complete Fourth Season (1985-86)". Digitally Obsessed.
47. Sullivan, Robert David (June 11, 2012). "Top 100 sitcom episodes of all time, No. 36: "I'll Gladly Pay You Tuesday", Cheers". Robert David Sullivan at Typepad.
48. Bjorklund 2014, p. 459.
49. Schwed, Mark (June 10, 1986). "'Quality' group picks its top shows". The Miami Herald . United Press International. p. 6C. Record no. 8602150637.
50. "Golden Globe awards list". Southeast Missourian . Cape Girardeau, Missouri. January 28, 1985. p. 2.

General

• Bjorklund, Dennis A (September 2014) [First published in 1993 as print edition]. Cheers TV Show: A Comprehensive Reference (e-Book ed.). Praetorian Publishing. ISBN   9780967985237 . Retrieved June 27, 2012.

Ratings sources

According to the Daily Breeze , a newspaper from Torrance, California, the 1985–86 ratings are based on 85.9 million households with at least one television.

External links

• Production order of Cheers (season 4) at Copyright Catalog
  • Click "Set Search Limits", select "Range", select "Motion Pictures" at "Item Type", type "1985" at left box and "1986" at right box, either hit "Enter" or click "Set Search Limits"
  • Then, after above step, search by title, type "Cheers", and hit "Enter" or click "Begin search"
• Cheers, season 4 at Internet Movie Database
• Cheers, season 4 at TV Guide