Where everyone knows your name.
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In 1982, television viewers went to a Boston bar for a drink. Audiences were thrilled to get to know and love the bar’s regulars. Viewers tuned in each week to see Sam and Diane’s messy relationship, Carla’s sarcastic quips, Cliff’s idle chatter and Norm’s dry humor.
Cheers ran for 11 seasons and after the series ended, bar patron and psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane got his own spin-off. Frasier was also very successful and ran for 11 seasons.
Thanks to Paramount+’s 2023 reboot of Frasier, Kelsey Grammer will have the honor of playing the same sitcom character for 40 years!
It’s been an incredible journey, and if you want to start it from the beginning, Popverse is here to help. From Cheers to Frasier, this guide tells you everything you need to know to watch the hit NBC sitcoms!
How to watch Cheers and Frasier in release and chronological order
Ready to grab a drink with Norm and Cliff? The great thing about watching Cheers and Frasier is that the release order is the same as the chronological order. All you have to do is start with the first episode of the first season and keep watching. Of course, you might be confused about where The Tortellis fits in and which of Frasier’s shows came first. Don’t worry, just follow this handy order and you’ll be good to go!
Other curiosities at Cheers
The cast of Cheers has filmed segments for other television specials. Most of these are short segments, rarely longer than a few minutes. They are largely unrelated to the show and probably shouldn’t be considered canon. Since they are short and not part of an ongoing television show, we’ve omitted them from the main sequence. However, a guide to Cheers and Frasier wouldn’t be complete without mentioning these oddities.
- Super Bowl XVII – Pregame Segment (1983) – The Cheers gang prepares to watch the Super Bowl, much to Diane’s chagrin. This post can be seen on YouTube.
- Uncle Sam Malone (1983) – An educational short film commissioned by the Treasury Department. The bar-goers of Cheers discuss the benefits of U.S. savings bonds. This special was never broadcast on television or released on DVD. It was only broadcast during special savings bond promotions. Curious viewers can watch the short film online.
- 1986 World Series pregame segment (1986) – NBC sportscaster Bob Costas conducts a mock interview with Sam Malone. The segment ends with Carla giving Costas her number. This post can be seen on YouTube.
- Mickey’s 60th Birthday (1988) – A television show celebrating Mickey Mouse’s birthday. At one point, Mickey Mouse, who suffers from amnesia, comes to the Cheers theater, where he develops a relationship with Rebecca. This makes Sam jealous. The special is available on YouTube..
- Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary Celebration (1989) – The Cheers gang shares their fondest memories of Disneyland. This post can be seen on YouTube.
- The Earth Day Special (1990) – Cheers bar patrons discuss ways to help the environment. This post can be seen on YouTube.
Will Sam and Diane get together on Cheers?
Sam and Diane get together, but they don’t stay together. If you’re looking for the episode of Cheers where they first get together, it’s the season one finale, “Showdown Part 2.” The couple has an on-off relationship until Diane leaves the show in the season five finale, “I Do, Adieu.”
Diane returns in the series finale, where she and Sam nearly elope. However, they both realize that they are not meant for each other. Cheers ends with Sam and Diane breaking up again, but this time on good terms.
What are the best Frasier episodes of Cheers?
Are you a Frasier fan who has never seen Cheers? If you are interested in Dr. Crane’s backstory, I would recommend watching Cheers. Frasier doesn’t join the cast until season 3, but most of the series is very entertaining and worth watching.
However, if you’re short on time (or Cheers isn’t your thing), here’s a playlist of the most important Frasier episodes on Cheers.
- Cheers Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2 “Rebound Parts 1 and 2” – Frasier’s first appearance.
- Cheers, Season 3, Episode 8, “Diane Meets Mom” – Frasier’s mother Hester Crane comes to Cheers and threatens Diane.
- Cheers, Season 3, Episode 25, “Save Me” – Frasier proposes to Diane in Italy.
- Cheers, Season 4, Episode 1, “Birth, Death, Love and Rice” – Frasier returns to Cheers and reveals that Diane jilted him at the altar.
- Cheers, Season 4, Episode 15, “The Triangle” – Sam and Diane try to help Frasier regain his confidence.
- Cheers, Season 4, Episode 17, “Second Time Around” – Frasier has a disastrous first date with Dr. Lilith Sternin.
- Cheers, Season 5, Episode 4, “Abnormal Psychology” – Sam and Diane play matchmakers between Frasier and Lilith.
- Cheers, Season 5, Episode 20, “Dinner at Eight-ish” – Old romantic secrets come to light when Frasier, Lilith, Sam and Diane throw a disastrous dinner party.
- Cheers, Season 6, Episode 5, “The Crane Mutiny” – Frasier and Lilith get engaged.
- Cheers, Season 6, Episode 17 “To All the Girls I’ve Loved” – Frasier gets cold feet as he prepares for his wedding to Lilith.
- Cheers, Season 7, Episode 14 “No Joke” – Frasier and Lilith consider becoming parents. The episode ends with Lilith revealing that she is pregnant.
- Cheers Season 8 Episode 6 “The Stork Brings a Crane” – Lilith gives birth to Frederick Crane
- Cheers, Season 9, Episode 24, “Rat Girl” – Frasier tries to help Lilith cope with the death of her lab rat.
- Cheers, Season 10, Episode 16 “One Hugs, One Doesn’t” – The gang meets Frasier’s first wife, a children’s entertainer named Nanny G.
- Cheers, Season 10, Episode 20, “Smotherly Love” – Frasier tries to deal with Lilith’s overprotective mother.
- Cheers, Season 11, Episode 6, “Teaching with the Enemy” – Lilith tells Frasier that she is leaving him for another man.
- Cheers, Season 11, Episode 7, “The Girl in the Plastic Bubble” – Frasier threatens to jump off the roof of Cheers if Lilith leaves him.
- Cheers, Season 11, Episode 12 “Sunday Dinner” – Frasier tries to find a partner again. It doesn’t go well.
- Cheers, Season 11, Episode 16, “Is There a Doctor at the Howe?” – Frasier and Rebecca almost get together, but their romantic tryst is interrupted by Lilith’s return.
- Cheers, Season 11, Episode 17 “The Bar Manager, the Psychiatrist, His Wife, and Her Lover” – Frasier and Lilith decide to give their marriage another chance.
Should I include Wings in my Cheers/Frasier watch order?
Wings is not a spin-off of Cheers, but is set in the same fictional universe. Several characters from Cheers made guest appearances on Wings. The show was created by Peter Casey, David Lee and David Angell, three producers who had previously worked on Cheers. The trio also helped create Frasier in 1993.
What I’m saying is, if you liked Cheers and Frasier, you’ll probably love Wings, too.
If you have the extra time, I’d recommend adding Wings to your Cheers/Frasier viewing order, but if you just want to watch the crossover episodes, here’s a playlist…
- Wings Season 2 “The Story of Joe” – Norm and Cliff visit Nantucket for a fishing trip.
- Wings Season 3 “Planes, Trains and Cranes” – Frasier and Lilith come to Nantucket for a seminar. This guest appearance earned Kelsey Grammer an Emmy nomination and inspired him to ask Casey, Lee and Angell to create a show for him. In other words, this episode led to the show Frasier.
- Wings Season 4 “I Love Brian” – Rebecca Howe shows up and tries to sneak into a rock star’s hotel room.
Why isn’t Niles in the Frasier reboot?
You may have noticed that a Crane brother is missing from the 2023 Paramount+ streaming series. Although David Hyde Pierce was asked to reprise his role as Dr. Niles Crane, the actor declined. Pierce had stated that he was more interested in other projectsand didn’t feel like the show needed him.
Although Niles is not a character in the Frasier reboot, he has been mentioned several times. Niles and Daphne’s son David is part of the main cast. Other characters have pointed to phone conversations with Niles that indicate that he and Daphne are doing well in Seattle.
At the time of this writing, there are no plans for Niles’ appearance in the series. but Grammer and the producers are open to the idea.
What other series take place in the same universe as “Cheers” and “Frasier”?
The Cheers/Frasier universe is bigger than you think. Here’s a quick look at some of the other shows that Cheers and Frasier are connected to.
- St. Elsewhere – In a 1985 episode titled “Cheers,” Norm, Cliff, and Carla appear. However, later episodes of the series refer to Cheers as a fictional show. The final episode of St. Elsewhere reveals that the show takes place in a child’s imagination. This raises a lot of questions about canon and shared television universes, so interpret that however you will.
- The Simpsons – In the 1994 episode “Fear of Flying,” there is a segment where Homer Simpson wanders into Cheers. Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, Woody Harrelson, George Wendt, and John Ratzenberger reprise their roles as Sam, Carla, Woody, Norm, and Cliff, respectively. Interestingly, Frasier is featured, but Kelsey Grammer did not record any lines. It should be noted that Grammer lends his voice to recurring Simpsons villain Sideshow Bob. It goes without saying, but this should not be considered canon.
- Caroline in the City – Niles Crane and Daphne Moon appear in the 1995 episode “Caroline and the Evil Back”.
- John Larroquette Show – The title character calls into Frasier’s show in the 1995 episode “More Changes”.
It should be noted that delving too deeply into the concept of the Cheers/Frasier universe leads to discrepancies. For example, Caroline in the City also had a crossover with Friends. By that logic, wouldn’t that mean that Friends takes place in the same universe as Cheers? Not quite, because the character Joey watches Cheers in an episode of Friends.
Just sit back and enjoy the show, and don’t worry too much about how the canon works in a shared television universe.
Where can I watch Cheers and Frasier?
Paramount+ is the place where everyone knows your name. Well, maybe they don’t know your name there, but the streaming service has every episode of Cheers and both versions of Frasier. If you include Wings in your TV order, the streaming service has the complete series, too.
The only thing missing is the tortellis, but that’s not a huge loss. If you’re a completist and want to watch the tortellis, the entire series has been uploaded to YouTube.
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