Cheers - The Complete Fourth Season

Bought the first 5 seasons. After that Coach & Diane were gone. Why hang around?The first 5 seasons are great, timeless, pure entertainment. When TV was worth watching.Funny, sad, bittersweet, hopeful, silly. A great show for 5 years.

The fourth season of Cheers marked the beginning of a new era in the Boston bar, as Indiana boy Woody Boyd came to town and forever changed the face of the establishment.Replacing a beloved, and hilarious, character like Coach was no easy task. Nicholas Colasanto brought the guy to life, but with his passing near the end of the third season, someone was needed to take his place behind the bar and Woody was perfect.Boyd, portrayed by Woody Harrelson, didn't try to be Coach, he just tried to fill in where Coach had been with his own brand of humor. His naivete and his simple mind were much like Coach's which led to some great situations throughout the season and for many years to come.Of course central to the Cheers story in those early years was the relationship between Sam and Diane. Ted Danson and Shelley Long had some great chemistry, something that I was never able to witness in the days, as when these first seasons aired, I was too young to be watching. The Cheers I remember had Kirstie Alley, but the chemistry with the two original stars was a far superior brand and made for some incredibly awkward, yet very funny scenes.The season begins with Sam returning from Europe where he went to try and stop Diane from marrying Frasier (recurring star Kelsey Grammer). Throughout the year, the two hint at what they seem to be heading for with each other, but every time they seem destined to be together, they fall apart. The season ended with Sam and a city councilwoman in a serious relationship and Diane torn up about it, as she obviously still has feelings for Sam and vice versa.Adding to the atmosphere at Cheers, in addition to Woody, is waitress Carla Tortelli, whose wise-cracks are almost always directed toward Diane or Cliff, the mama's boy mailman who is always trying to impress the gang with some obscure knowledge, or even potatoes that look like Richard Nixon. Carla's view of the world is obviously tinted by the fact that she has a rather large number of kids at home and no husband. Her ex, Nick, played to perfection by Dan Hedaya, makes a great appearance late in the season.Also inhabiting the bar is Norm Peterson, an accountant with a penchant for beer. His barstool is never occupied by anyone but him. His relaxed attitude and his relationship with his never-seen wife Vera serve to make him one of the most memorable characters on television during the hayday of the show. His wise answers to everyone's greetings as he entered the bar always bring a laugh.Cheers ran for more than a decade but it is in these early years that it was certainly at the top of its game. The relationship with Sam and Diane, the wisecracks of Norm, Cliff and Carla, the genuine innocence of a naive Woody and the insightfulness of Frasier Crane make this show one of the best comedies of the 80s and certainly one of the best comedies of our generation.The only disappointing thing about the set is the lack of extras, but luckily the show is funny enough to divert attention away from that fact.

This is one of television's all time greatest series. It was one of the longest running. The characters were well defined, hilarious, and lovable. The writing was fresh, original, and just superbly done. The show also provided us with nine additional years of pleasure by giving us the spin-off 'Frazier.' This is classic TV on par with Seinfeld, MASH, Lucille Ball, Dick Van Dyke, and Bob Newhart.

Show was beginning to lost it's sharp edge here, and the loss of Coach was clearly evident. Woody was a decent character, but his character had a fine line to walk between innocent naive youth and outright stupidity. To his credit, his humor and appeal hit far more often than it missed, and he was a worthy addition to the cast. Diane's character was still very charming, cute, and true to form.Her jabs at Sam's intelligence were growing thin by this point though, and Sam's fixation of himself also grew increasingly tiresome and trite. What were once off the cuff, flippant and funny comments were deteriorating into increasingly sleazy and arrogant behavior. I'm not a prude at all, but this detracted from the overall allure of the show. Cliff and Norm's characters were still spot on, although the ideas for witty banter and back and forth were apparently losing steam. The appearances of Frasier were very welcome, and a refreshing interlude of what was becoming a more and more mundane viewing experience. Carla was always the weak link in this show, and her insults missed the mark even more than usual than the show's first 3 seasons. She got a good one off now and then, like one every 2 or 3 episodes. Overall a very fun and enjoyable show though, and head and shoulders above the shows it was competing against in the era. But the unraveling had undeniably begun. Then again, what do I know? Season 4 and 5 marked the 2nd part of the series, in between the Coach years and the dismal Kristie Alley years. Not great. Not horrible. And not overly memorable either. For me, it's a One Time View Season and it'll sit on the shelf for ages before it sees any play again. Increasingly ridiculous, unbelievable story lines and a light hearted view of failing marriages and infidelity keep the eyes rolling. Each cast member from time to time slips so far out of character credibility is strained to the breaking point.

Great show from a day when actors were actually paid to act and were not carried by laugh tracks. These actors even had the depth to go the other direction and get serious at times. Can you imagine any of these new comedies pulling that off? The last line of the season 5 finale says it all... No new comedy could end a season like that! Just beautiful.

On the episode "Cliffie's Big Score", the opening credits for Season 5 were accidentally put on there, where Kelsey Grammer's name appears in the opening credits, instead of Season 4. Kelsey does not appear in that episode.That was an error from the remastering of the series in 2001.Perhaps in a few years, or not, Paramount will re-release the 4th season of "Cheers", correct that mistake and have extras with the set, too. And hopefully, the extras won't suck. A lot of people thought the extras with the first 3 sets weren't that great.By the way, they could do that for Season 5, too.They might do that, they might not, I don't know. I can't fortell the future.

My wife and I laugh and laugh. The writing is terrific and obviously has not aged with time. Ted, Shelly and all the crew are terrific actors. We will start Season 5 soon and are looking forward to continued enjoyment. Even though we have seen many of these episodes when they first were played, we enjoy them as if they are fresh.

Well I have gotten the DVD awhile back(3 weeks ago maybe) but had to watch before I give a review. The photo in the DVD sleeve says it all. It's the season when Diana is at the crossroads with Sam. And season 5-11 are a follow up I think, to this couple. But I won't tell :)The quality of the DVD is great and I purchased because of the subtitles(don't always understand the American accent). Frasier has started his career on Cheers and for that too, it is worth to see Cheers 4th season. There are numerous celebrities here..There's more showing of the city's surrounding Cheers. at any episode, especially at start. This season is very Rich in events and some sad goodbyes. For Sam, I think. Perhaps Cliff will find his dream girl, but he don't do it on this season nor do you see Vera. I am just glad for it, because it keeps some suspension on what's to come on 5th season which I only seen in early 90's. Anyway - extra ordinary DVD With endings and beginning for Sam and Frasier.Very recommended DVD!

Woody is now brought into the Cheers bar and sets himself up as the dullard of the bar and the butt of many jokes, but he soon becomes integral to the cast and remains throughout the rest of the shows.The fourth season was as good as any other and has so many timeless gags, Cliffy and Normisms!If you are a fan of Cheers then you are just going to need to get this one for the collection. I managed to pick this up on Amazon for £8, but price fluctuations can put it a lot higher. Try adding it to your wish list and wait to see if it drops again - they frequently do.Sound and picture quality are both very good for DVD

Just as good as the previous seasons. Woody makes his debut and it is impressive how they managed to replace the great character of Coach with another brilliant character who plays similar role but is quite different.Picture quality is acceptable but the lack of extras is disappointing.

Cheers is one of the best American TV comedy series of all time anywhere in the World. You cannot fail to love it and it is my intention to collect the entire series. It spawned 'Frasier' voted No.1 and fame for Kelsey Grammer and his well-crafted, supporting cast. An instant hit!

Cheers is set in a Boston bar, centered around the staff, with ageing bachelor Sam Malone (Ted Danson)and beautiful, pretentious and over-educated barmaid Diane (Shelley Long). With very witty dialogue and no swearing, all the Cheers series featuring Shelley Long, a natural and subtle comedian, are good entertainment that can be watched many times over.