Cheers was one of the top sitcoms of the
1980s and remains one of the most beloved shows in television history. Anchored by a
stellar cast and incredible writing, the show followed the 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 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, 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, 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’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 breakup with Diane. But regardless of
the intentions, you never quite know if audiences will take to a newly introduced character.
Fortunately for Kelsey, Frasier was a hit. At the end of the season, he and Diane are supposed
to get married. But when season 4 started, it was 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 was 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
captivating 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 into 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
with 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 about her. Only,
instead of perhaps less positive things as he said about Shelley, he had only amazing things
to say. He 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. He even spoke about a time when he was in 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 take 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!
