Alex Carson
Cheers was one of the top sitcoms of 1980’s, and remains one of the most beloved shows in television history. Anchored by a stellar cast and incredible writing, the show followed lives of bar patrons and workers in a fictional Boston pub. Since its time on the air, there have been revelations about things going on behind the scenes of the his show. But even as cast members and producers have revealed their versions of events. There are still disputes as to what really happened. This is especially true when it comes to claims made by Kelsey Grammer. The actor, who went on to take his famous Frasier character on to his own successful spinoff. And made claims about Shelley Long in a memoir published years after the show ended. Join Facts Verse, as we present: Kelsey Grammer Breaks His Silence on the Most-Hated Cheers Co-Star
Frasier’s Introduction to Cheers
The original pairing on Cheers was Sam and Diane. The two were set up to have an ‘opposites attract’ type of situation, one that would start with them hating each other, and then they’d eventually grow to love each other. The show took the trope of “will they, won’t they” and ran with it. And to the point where if you made a cultural reference to a couple being a real “Sam and Diane” scenario, most people would know what you were talking about. Eventually, however, the show decided to throw a wrinkle into that storyline by bringing another character to serve as Diane’s romantic interest. Thus, Frazier Crane entered the world of Cheers.
Frasier was created as much more of a direct complement to Diane’s character traits. They were both educated, somewhat pompous, and quite stubborn. So they were, in some ways, a great match. Frasier was originally supposed to be on the show for a quick 3 episode arc. But it became clear to both the producers and audiences alike that Kelsey Grammer’s character brought a lot to the show. And as such, he deserved more screen time.
The producers decided to keep Frasier on until at least the end of the season. Frasier’s presence had two intended purposes – he would play a romantic lead for Diane. And he’d use his expertise as a psychiatrist to help Ted Danson’s Sam deal with a recurrence of alcoholism following a break up with Diane. But regardless of the intentions, you never quite know if audiences will take to a newly introduced character. Fortunately for Kelsey Grammer, Frasier was a hit. At the end of the season, he and Diane are supposed to married. But when season 4 started, it revealed that Diane had left Frasier at the altar. He then became a more regular denizen of the pub.
Shelly vs. Kelsey
There are conflicting reports when it comes to the real life relationship between Shelley Long and Kelsey Grammer. Grammer published a memoir called “So Far…” in 1995, and it included a rather odd accusation as to why he asked to stay for longer than his original arc of three episodes. According to the book, the producers of Cheers strongly disliked Shelly Long. He said that Long was growing increasingly irritated that Frasier was on the show. And that he was essentially stealing lines from her, given that they were so similar. As such, Kelsey said she was constantly complaining about Frasier.
He also said that she didn’t like him in real life either. So, according to the book, the producers grew so tired of her gripes, that they decided to extend Kelsey’s stay on the show. Basically they knew it would fully annoy Shelley Long for Kelsey and his character to be there all season, and wanted to punish her for constantly complaining about him.
The Producer’s Rebuttal
Grammer may have made that accusation, but that didn’t make it true. One of the producers of Cheers, Ken Levine, said flat out that this was not the case. He said the decision to keep Kelsey on the show longer than three episodes was because of his talent and performance. Levine wrote on his blog that everyone could see that Kelsey was a terrific and captivated actor, and that as soon as he started interacting with the rest of the characters, it was evident to the production team that they needed to write him in to the more of the show. He even remarked that Kelsey was selling himself short by claiming it had anything to do with Shelley Long. Said Levine, “He earned that promotion!”
Levine did comment on what it was like working Shelley Long. He said that overall, Shelly was a lovely person, and that she definitely did not try to get Kelsey fired at any point. He did admit that Shelley could be a challenge to work with, and that made the producers and the cast get frustrated. But that she wasn’t mean spirited. He wrote that he admired how well Grammer and Long worked together, and that not only were they both gracious, but also professional. He did admit, a bit, that they were both of those things despite not necessarily getting along well. So at the very least that serves as a confirmation that not all was hunky dory between the two actors.
Shelley and Kelsey’s Departures
Shelley long shocked fans of Cheers when she left after season 5. The show , at that point, was a major hit, and Shelly was experiencing fame and fortune for her role as Diane. But, for Shelley, five seasons was enough. She had grown tired of the character, for one thing. It can be tiresome to essentially play the same role, week in and week out for years. And on sitcoms, characters often don’t change very much. So she knew that things would basically be the same for her and her character for as long as she stayed with the show. She also talked about how people on the show, and out in the world, often treated her poorly because of some of the negative aspects of her character.
She admitted that the character of Diane was indeed a ‘pain in the butt’ but that people often conflated her with Shelley in real life, presuming she was also hard to deal with. Of course, depending on who you ask on the show, that may have been at least partially true.
Kelsey Grammer, on the other hand, stayed until the end of Cheers. And because of the spinoff show, Frasier, his stint as his Cheers character outlasted everyone else on the show. Which also goes to show that producer Ken Levine was likely correct when he attributed Kelsey’s original promotion on Cheers to his talent, and not his feud with Shelley. Surely if it had been simply a move for spite, we would not have seen years and years of continuation of the Frasier Crane character.
Kelsey and Other Costar
In late 2022, actress Kirstie Alley passed away. Kirstie had come on to replace Shelley Long on Cheers from the 6th season on. They were large shoes to fill, since Shelley had done such a stellar job on the show. But Alley was a powerhouse, and audiences quickly grew enamored of her. When she passed, Kelsey had plenty to say abot her. Only, instead of perhaps less positive things like he said about Shelley, he had only amazing things to say. Kelsey referred to Kirstie as being radiant, saying that she just had a certain thing about her that made her shine. He also said that Alley was honest, and shared love with everyone around her.
Kelsey even spoke about a time when he was in some legal trouble. He said that when he was going through that ordeal, Alley was one of the people who really showed up for him. She even helped by making him laugh during his most difficult times. He recalled that he was scheduled to see her at a friend’s book signing about a week before she passed away. But that she was a no show. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but soon found out that she’d had to miss the event due to her sickness. And a week later, she died. Kelsey said he was blessed to simply know her.
Even More of Frasier Crane
Fans of Cheers and Frasier were thrilled when it was announced there would be a reboot of Frasier coming soon. However, it will be a very different show than its previous iteration. For one, it won’t be set in Seattle. Instead, Frasier will have moved cities (it’s unclear where yet) and presumably taking up teaching at a college. The cast will certainly look very different as well. The biggest change will perhaps be the absence of John Mahoney, who played Frasier’s father, Martin. His absence will be due to the fact that Mahoney passed away in 2018. But there will also be other cast members missing from the show. David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, and Peri Gilpin, who played Niles, Daphne, and Roz, will also not return.
All of those actors decided to pass on the offer, feeling that they didn’t want to revisit those characters. But they all wish the show, and Kelsey, well. It’s slated to air in 2023 on Paramount Plus, though no release date has been announced yet. Whether or not it will appeal to long time fans of the show remains to be seen, but it seems likely that fans will at least check out the reboot, for a chance to be reintroduced to one of their favorite TV characters.
Now it’s time to hear from you. Did you know that Kelsey Grammer wrote that he was kept on Cheers simply to annoy Shelley Long? And that the producers rebuked that claim? Who was your favorite Cheers character? Let us know in the comments section below!
