Cheers season 8

Last updated

Cheers season 8
Season 8
Cheers season 8.jpg
Region 1 DVD
Starring Ted Danson
Kirstie Alley
Rhea Perlman
John Ratzenberger
Woody Harrelson
Kelsey Grammer
George Wendt
No. of episodes26
Release
Original network NBC
Original releaseSeptember 21, 1989 (1989-09-21) –
May 3, 1990 (1990-05-03)
Season chronology
← Previous
Cheers season 7
Next →
Cheers season 9
List of episodes

The eighth season of Cheers , an American television sitcom, originally aired on NBC in the United States between September 21, 1989, and May 3, 1990. 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.

Contents

At the 1990 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards, this season won three Emmys: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Ted Danson), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Bebe Neuwirth), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or Special. It also won the Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Kirstie Alley) at the 1991 48th Golden Globe Awards.

Background

This season premiered on September 21, 1989, and aired on Thursdays at 9:00 pm Eastern / 8:00 pm Central. Besides Cheers, other series in NBC's Thursday night lineup for the 1989–90 season were The Cosby Show , A Different World , Dear John and L.A. Law . In January 1990, Dear John was shifted to Wednesdays, and the newer sitcom Grand took its spot. [1]

Cast and characters

Recurring characters

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		Title  [2] [3] Directed by  [2] Written by  [2] Original air date  [2] U.S. viewers
(millions)		Rating/share/rank
(households)
1691"The Improbable Dream, Part 1" James Burrows Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner September 21, 1989 (1989-09-21)36.4 [4] 24.1 / 39 / #3 [4]
1702"The Improbable Dream, Part 2"James BurrowsCheri Eichen & Bill SteinkellnerSeptember 28, 1989 (1989-09-28)36.1 [5] 24.3 / 39 / #3 [5]
1713"A Bar Is Born"James Burrows Phoef Sutton October 12, 1989 (1989-10-12)33.6 [6] 22.4 / 37 / #3 [6]
1724"How to Marry a Mailman"James BurrowsBrian Pollack & Mert RichOctober 19, 1989 (1989-10-19)37.2 [7] 24.7 / 38 / #1 [7]
1735"The Two Faces of Norm" Andy Ackerman Eugene B. SteinOctober 26, 1989 (1989-10-26)35.7 [8] 24.1 / 39 / #3 [8]
1746"The Stork Brings a Crane"Andy Ackerman David Lloyd November 2, 1989 (1989-11-02)37.6 [9] 24.4 / 37 / #3 [9]
1757"Death Takes a Holiday on Ice"James Burrows Ken Levine & David Isaacs November 9, 1989 (1989-11-09)36.2 [10] 24.3 / 38 / #2 [10]
1768"For Real Men Only"James BurrowsDavid Pollock & Elias DavisNovember 16, 1989 (1989-11-16)36.1 [11] 24.0 / 37 / #4 [11]
1779"Two Girls for Every Boyd"James Burrows Dan O'Shannon & Tom AndersonNovember 23, 1989 (1989-11-23)28.4 [12] 16.5 / 31 / #13 [12]
17810"The Art of the Steal"James BurrowsSue HerringNovember 30, 1989 (1989-11-30)37.1 [13] 25.4 / 40 / #2 [13]
17911"Feeble Attraction"Andy AckermanDan O'Shannon & Tom AndersonDecember 7, 1989 (1989-12-07)36.2 [14] 24.2 / 38 / #2 [14]
18012"Sam Ahoy"James BurrowsDavid LloydDecember 14, 1989 (1989-12-14)33.3 [15] 22.5 / 36 / #2 [15]
18113"Sammy and the Professor"James BurrowsBrian Pollack & Mert RichJanuary 4, 1990 (1990-01-04)35.8 [16] 24.2 / 36 / #1 [16]
18214"What Is... Cliff Clavin?"Andy AckermanDan O'Shannon & Tom AndersonJanuary 18, 1990 (1990-01-18)37.7 [17] 24.7 / 37 / #1 [17]
18315"Finally! Part 1"James BurrowsKen Levine & David IsaacsJanuary 25, 1990 (1990-01-25)37.9 [18] 25.0 / 37 / #3 [18]
18416"Finally! Part 2"James BurrowsKen Levine & David IsaacsFebruary 1, 1990 (1990-02-01)33.4 [19] 22.7 / 34 / #2 [19]
18517"Woody or Won't He"Andy AckermanBrian Pollack & Mert RichFebruary 8, 1990 (1990-02-08)34.5 [20] 22.8 / 35 / #2 [20]
18618"Severe Crane Damage"Andy AckermanDan O'Shannon & Tom AndersonFebruary 15, 1990 (1990-02-15)35.2 [21] 23.3 / 35 / #2 [21]
18719"Indoor Fun with Sammy and Robby"Andy AckermanPhoef SuttonFebruary 22, 1990 (1990-02-22)35.8 [22] 23.6 / 36 / #1 [22]
18820"50–50 Carla"James BurrowsDavid LloydMarch 8, 1990 (1990-03-08)34.4 [23] 23.4 / 36 / #2 [23]
18921"Bar Wars III: The Return of Tecumseh"James BurrowsKen Levine & David IsaacsMarch 15, 1990 (1990-03-15)32.6 [24] 22.1 / 35 / #1 [24]
19022"Loverboyd"James BurrowsBrian Pollack & Mert RichMarch 29, 1990 (1990-03-29)35.5 [25] 23.8 / 38 / #2 [25]
19123"The Ghost and Mrs. Lebec"James Burrows Dan Staley & Rob Long April 12, 1990 (1990-04-12)30.1 [26] 19.7 / 33 / #2 [26]
19224"Mr. Otis Regrets"Andy AckermanKen Levine & David IsaacsApril 19, 1990 (1990-04-19)32.9 [27] 21.9 / 35 / #1 [27]
19325"Cry Hard"
"Cry Hard, Part 1"		James BurrowsDan O'Shannon & Tom AndersonApril 26, 1990 (1990-04-26)31.8 [28] 21.2 / 34 / #2 [28]
19426"Cry Harder"
"Cry Hard, Part 2"		James BurrowsStory by : Bill Steinkellner
Teleplay by : Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner & Phoef Sutton		May 3, 1990 (1990-05-03)30.8 [29] 21.1 / 33 / #3 [29]

Specials

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
S05"Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration" John Landis & James Burrows (Cheers sketch)Joe Guppy, Nancy T. Harris, Joie Albrecht & Scot GarenFebruary 4, 1990 (1990-02-04)
S06"The Earth Day Special"James Burrows (Cheers segment)Armyan Bernstein, Richard Baskin & Various WritersApril 22, 1990 (1990-04-22)

Production

In November 1989, actor Roger Rees told news agency Knight-Ridder Wire about Robin Colcord, the character whom Rees portrayed:

They needed a fillip, to give them a boost, someone to drive Sam [Malone] crazy. Robin's there to be dashing, sexy, irritating. He's not as charming and nice as he appears to be at first sight. He's sort of the villain of the piece. He's a megalomaniac millionaire. He's got an airline and a helicopter fleet. It's very much Donald Trump. [30]

In January 1990, actor Rees said that he had not based "the character on anyone", despite "speculation that Colcord was a British version of Trump", wrote Phil Kloer of Cox News Service. [31]

Critical reception

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly graded the season an A−, calling it "still awfully funny". He praised the supporting characters but criticizing the development of Sam Malone and Rebecca Howe. [32] Jeffrey Robinson of DVDTalk rated the season's content three-and-a-half stars out of five and its replay value four out of five. [33]

Accolades

At the 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards (1990), this season won three Emmys: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Ted Danson), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Bebe Neuwirth), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or Special. [34] Before his eighth nomination and Emmy win, Danson had seven consecutive Emmy nominations for the role of Sam Malone, and a nomination for his leading role in a 1984 television film Something About Amelia . [35] Danson also won a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) at the 47th (1990) [36] [37] and 48th Golden Globe Awards (1991). [38] [39] The 1990 season also won the Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Kirstie Alley) at the 48th Golden Globe Awards (1991). [38] [40]

DVD release

Cheers: The Complete Eighth Season
Set Details [33]
Release Dates
Region 1Region 2Region 4
June 13, 2006August 6, 2012April 27, 2009

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References

  1. ↑ "NBC premieres comedy tonight". Bluefield Daily Telegraph . Bluefield, West Virginia. The Associated Press. January 18, 1990. p. C-4 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bjorklund 2017, pp. 391–406
  3. ↑ Cheers: The Complete Series (front side of DVDs). CBS Studios Inc. 2015.
  4. 1 2 "'Cosby' reclaims the top spot". Life. USA Today . September 27, 1989. p. 3D.
  5. 1 2 "NBC wins but loses viewers". Life. USA Today . October 4, 1989. p. 3D.
  6. 1 2 "ABC muscles way to the top". Life. USA Today . October 18, 1989. p. 3D.
  7. 1 2 "Earthquake shifts the ratings". Life. USA Today . October 25, 1989. p. 3D.
  8. 1 2 "NBC's hits beat ABC baseball". Life. USA Today . November 1, 1989. p. 3D.
  9. 1 2 "NBC sweeps the week, 1-2-3". Life. USA Today . November 8, 1989. p. 3D.
  10. 1 2 "Brokaw still 3rd despite coup". Life. USA Today . November 15, 1989. p. 3D.
  11. 1 2 "'Small Sacrifices' wins big". Life. USA Today . November 22, 1989. p. 3D.
  12. 1 2 "NBC sweeps up another win". Life. USA Today . November 29, 1989. p. 3D.
  13. 1 2 "'Cosby' rebounds to lead NBC". Life. USA Today . December 6, 1989. p. 3D.
  14. 1 2 "'Cosby' leads NBC charge". Life. USA Today . December 13, 1989. p. 3D.
  15. 1 2 "'Rudolph' shines for CBS". Life. USA Today . December 20, 1989. p. 3D.
  16. 1 2 "Football fumbles for ABC". Life. USA Today . January 10, 1990. p. 3D.
  17. 1 2 "A 'Grand' entrance for NBC". Life. USA Today . January 24, 1990. p. 3D.
  18. 1 2 "AMA gets the popular vote". Life. USA Today . January 31, 1990. p. 3D.
  19. 1 2 "'Amen,' wedded to ratings win". Life. USA Today . February 7, 1990. p. 3D.
  20. 1 2 "'Faith' abides for No. 1 NBC". Life. USA Today . February 14, 1990. p. 3D.
  21. 1 2 "'Home Videos' a hit for ABC". Life. USA Today . February 21, 1990. p. 3D.
  22. 1 2 "'Videos' is a repeat winner". Life. USA Today . February 28, 1990. p. 3D.
  23. 1 2 "A week of ratings shake-ups". Life. USA Today . March 14, 1990. p. 3D.
  24. 1 2 "'Simpsons' soars for No. 4 Fox". Life. USA Today . March 21, 1990. p. 3D.
  25. 1 2 "ABC gets an Oscar boost". Life. USA Today . April 4, 1990. p. 3D.
  26. 1 2 "For the week, a network tie". Life. USA Today . April 18, 1990. p. 3D.
  27. 1 2 "'Earth Day' ratings bloom". Life. USA Today . April 25, 1990. p. 3D.
  28. 1 2 "'Caroline?' a hit, no question". Life. USA Today . May 2, 1990. p. 3D.
  29. 1 2 "NBC barely sweeping by CBS". Life. USA Today . May 9, 1990. p. 3D.
  30. ↑ Winfrey, Lee (November 17, 1989). "Roger Rees: From Bard to Cheers". The News Herald . Panama City, Florida. Knight-Ridder Wire. p. 26D from The Entertainer pullout section (week of November 17–23, 1989) – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  31. ↑ Kloer, Phil (January 28, 1990). "Roger Rees hard to figure on Cheers". The Lowell Sun . Lowell, Massachusetts. p. 16 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  32. ↑ Tucker, Ken (June 15, 1990). "Cheers review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  33. 1 2 Robinson, Jeffrey (June 18, 2006). "Cheers – The Complete Eighth Season review". DVD Talk. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Complete list of winners". The New Mexican . Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Associated Press. September 17, 1990. p. A-8 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  35. ↑ "L.A. Law, Tracey Ullman big winners at Emmy Awards". The Associated Press. September 17, 1990. p. A-8 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  36. ↑ "Born on the Fourth of July dominates Golden Globes". The News Herald . Panama City, Florida. January 22, 1990. p. 3A – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  37. ↑ "Winners & Nominees 1990—Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  38. 1 2 Horn, John (January 21, 1991). "Dances with Wolves takes 3 Golden Globes". The Lowell Sun . Lowell, Massachusetts. The Associated Press. p. 12 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  39. ↑ "Winners & Nominees 1991—Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Winners & Nominees 1991". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved March 11, 2019.

General references

Ratings sources

According to many newspapers, including the main source USA Today , the 1989–90 Nielsen ratings are based on 92.1 million households that have at least one television.

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