Cheers: The Complete Series

Back years ago, when my TV was still connected to the outside world, I used to watch the syndicated reruns of Cheers at 11PM, just as something to watch and wind-down by. It was never my favorite show- but it was always watchable; entertaining; and made ya laugh. In recent years, I'd been hearkening back to memories of watching Cheers, and wishing that I had the series on DVD- but alas! In the past, the price of the series on DVD was just too high to justify. Naturally, when I saw this complete series set offered for under 60 bananas on Amazon, I grabbed it- and I'm glad that I did!In my opinion, this show's appeal lies in the fact that it can make you laugh out loud quite often; and just transport you to a different world, apart from the current reality- which is what entertainment is supposed to do; but which most modern forms fail to achieve. And while I often don't like clichéd story arcs- I have to say that with Cheers, the Sam and Diane romantic story arc was very well done, and even keeps ME interested! And the beauty of it is, instead of concentrating on that one arc, the producers wisely just kept it as one aspect of the show, while giving equal weight to the other characters. Well-done!And, much like Three's Company, this is also one of those rare shows which is good right from the very beginning. It hits it's stride right off the bat in episode one; and the characters are already fully developed. A rare feat, successfully pulled off only by the real veterans of good TV comedy!I see some other reviewers complaining about the packaging. Personally, I have no problem with the packaging. It is more than adequate for storage and normal use; the DVDs are easy to access; and my mailman even dropped the box on the ground from his car, while trying to hand it to me while i was on my tractor- and it did it no harm.All in all, I am very glad that this series is now available in it's entirety for such a low price; and that the packaging is not bulky or gawdy, like some shows which come in novelty packaging!If you're looking for good old-fashioned entertainment to just sit and watch and relax to at night; which will take your mind off of reality and make you laugh...this is it! (I don't know what it is- even though in real-life i despise bars, and would never patronize one- there is something very comforting about this show!)

Once in a while, a TV series will catch lightning in a bottle, with an interesting premise, intelligent writing, and a stellar cast. "Cheers" was one of those series. Sam "Mayday" Malone (Ted Danson) is the charismatic owner of the bar. He is a former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher and a recovering alcoholic. Mostly, he is an aging babe hound whose life revolves around chasing and bedding women. Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) is an over-educated, sophisticated snob who is abandoned by her fiancé at Cheers. Without a job or marketable talent, Diane reluctantly becomes a cocktail waitress at Cheers. The Sam and Diane relationship became the central focus of the show for the first five seasons. The strength of the show was proved when Diane left, and was replaced by Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley). Rebecca brought a new dynamic to the series as the bar's manager, and the excellent quality of the episodes continued for the remainder of the series. Another one of the main characters was the beloved and befuddled Ernie "Coach" Pantusso (Nicholas Colasanto). Unfortunately, Nicholas died during the third season. He was replaced in the fourth season by Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson), a naïve, befuddled bartender from Indiana. As the writers explained in one of the bonus features, Woody's character was written as the son of Coach's character.Rounding out the cast was wisecracking cocktail waitress Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman), barstool-and-beer loving Norm Peterson (George Wendt), know-it-all mailman Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger), psychiatrist in need of therapy Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), and clinical, cold-as-ice Lilith Sternin-Crane (Bebe Neuwirth). Such was the popularity of "Cheers" that when "Frasier" became a TV series, many of the Boston bar's characters made guest appearances. All 270 "Cheers" episodes from Seasons 1-11 are packed onto 45 discs in two separate boxes. Unlike other box sets I have purchased in the past, there were no defective discs in this box set. I did notice that the commercial promos for the final season's episodes looked very dark. Occasionally, brief shots in some episodes also looked very dark, when compared to the rest of the scene. All of the bonus features, such as profiles of characters, a trivia game, and a blooper reel, are included in the first three seasons. The last episode of "Cheers" was preceded by a pre-game show hosted by Bob Costas. In addition, it was followed by a special "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, broadcast live from the Bull & Finch Pub in Boston. Unfortunately, neither of those are included in the box set as bonus features. In addition, no episodes with commentaries from cast members and/or writers are included. All in all, despite what it's lacking, it’s well worth owning this box set for all that it includes - every episode from one of the greatest TV sitcoms of all time!