Ted Danson Movies

Season five of Cheers opened with a resolution to the cliffhanger established at the end of season four, with Cheers' owner Sam Malone (Ted Danson) finally proposing to mercurial waitress Diane Chambers (Shelley Long). This proposal, and several more like it, would be rejected throughout the season, although, in the end, the couple would decide to march down the aisle. The recurring character of psychologist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) was promoted to series-regular status, where he would remain until the 11th, and final, season. Perhaps to alleviate Frasier's loss of Diane to Sam, he was finally given a "steady" of his own: Prim, severe fellow-psychologist Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth), a character introduced as a one-shot during season four. Romance also entered the life of the perennially luckless single mom Carla (Rhea Perlman) in the form of Eddie LeBec (Jay Thomas), a goalie for the Boston Celtics hockey team. By mid-season, Carla and Eddie were man and wife; it was a foredoomed alliance, but, happily, the couple was unaware of this at the time. Regarding, Sam and Diane, it appeared by the end of the fifth season that there would be no more hesitation or second thoughts, and that they would indeed tie the matrimonial knot. This was the cue for the re-entry of Professor Sumner Sloane (Michael McGuire), who, on the eve of the wedding, implored Diane to accompany him on a six-month sabbatical so that they could collaborate on a novel Diane had started years earlier. Despite her assurances that she would soon return to Boston, Sam knew all too well -- as did the audience -- that he had lost Diane forever, even though a phony season-ender, in which the wedding went on as scheduled, had been filmed before a live audience to throw industry gossip-mongers off the track. Their on-camera relationship notwithstanding, it was hardly a secret that there was little love lost between series stars Ted Danson and Shelley Long. For whatever reason, Long was not exactly close to any of her other co-stars, and was anxious to leave the series and explore other professional avenues. Thus, viewers were fully aware that the series' fifth season would be Long's swan song, and, accordingly, they were fairly confident that the much-anticipated wedding of Sam and Diane would not take place. Ending season five as America's third most popular TV series, Cheers also picked two more Emmys: One was awarded to John Cleese for his guest appearance in the episode "Simon Says," and the other was bestowed upon the series' sound-mixing team (Michael Ballin, Robert Douglass, Douglas Gray, and Thomas J. Huth) for the third consecutive year. Finally, it was during this season that Cheers yielded its first spin-off sitcom, the short-lived The Tortellis, in which Dan Hedaya and Jean Kasem reprised their roles as Carla's disreputable ex-husband Nick Tortelli and his annoying spouse Loretta. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jonathan Kellerman's Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning novel When the Bough Breaks was evocatively adapted for the TV screen in 1986. Ted Danson plays a clinical psychologist, brought in to tend to an emotionally withdrawn little girl (Rachel Ticotin). There's a possibility that the child may have witnessed an unsolved double murder. As Danson and the girl draw closer, he becomes enmeshed in a homicidal conspiracy sparked by a clique of wealthy, well-connected men. Ted Danson also coproduced When the Bough Breaks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a weakly-limned story that starts off on one foot and then quickly jumps to another, Margot Kidder plays Margo, a stripper out looking for her long-lost father (Burt Lancaster) in a remote area of Mexico. After she arrives, Eugene (Ted Danson), an American settled in Mexico for the duration, offers her some help in her mission. Although Margo and her father eventually find each other, their reunion fades into the distance as Eugene and Margo chase after some stolen money. Along the way, Margo is propositioned by wealthy Norman Kane (Joseph Hacker) to perform for one of his pool parties -- further stripping the plot of credibility. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

There was good news and bad news for Cheers during its third season. In the former category, the series continued to climb upward in the ratings (thanks largely to the goodwill engendered by NBC's most popular Thursday-night series The Cosby Show), sharing 12th place with ABC's Hotel. The sitcom also took home two more Emmys -- Outstanding Supporting Actress (the second such award for Rhea Perlman) and Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects (Douglas Gray, Michael Balin, and Thomas J. Huth for the episode entitled "The Executive's Executioner") -- in addition to ten other nominations. In the "bad news" category, the cast and crew were forced to bid farewell to one of the series' most beloved regulars, who died all too soon. Picking up where season two left off, the romance between Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) was kaput thanks to a foolish argument. Recovering alcoholic Sam crawled back into the bottle and Diane briefly had herself committed to a mental institution, where she was placed under the care of imperious, insufferable Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer, inaugurating a role which he would play for the next two decades in two different series). Once Sam had come to terms with the loss of Diane and had sobered up, he had to deal with the fact that Diane and Frasier were now lovers. By season's end, the couple had embarked upon a working vacation to Europe, where Frasier finally popped the question -- but would the notoriously mercurial Diane accept his proposal? And back at Cheers in Boston, the still-unmarried Carla (Perlman) was pregnant yet again (for the sixth time). Amidst all this comic intrigue, the ineffable Coach (Nicholas Colasanto), Cheers' venerable bartender, emerged as the sole spokesman for calm and reason. Alas, actor Colasanto was suffering from cancer, and died February 12, 1985, shortly after completing work on the episode entitled "The Executive's Executioner" (for which the actor received a posthumous Emmy nomination). Rather than have the character die, as well, the producers went through an elaborate charade during the season's climactic episodes, explaining away Coach's absences with a multitude of lame excuses, or having him briefly show up via outtakes from earlier episodes. Perhaps this was done to avoid an excess of melancholy, or simply to keep the audience's attention on the Sam-Diane-Frasier triangle which determined the outcome of the third-season finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just as everyone had anticipated throughout season one of Cheers, season two opened with Boston bar owner Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and waitress Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) declaring their mutual passion. But romance does not always translate into love, and, after a turbulent 22 episodes, Sam and Diane had broken up over a silly triviality -- or had they? In other developments, Cheers' other waitress, acerbic single mother Carla (Rhea Perlman), again gave birth (her fifth child), and had to endure the wedding of her slime ball ex-husband Nick Tortelli (Dan Hedaya) to the equally odious Loretta (Jean Kasem). And one of Cheers' best customers, trivia-happy postman Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger), heretofore only a recurring character, was now billed among the series' regular stars. While the show had still not cracked the Top 25 in the ratings, it was far more popular than its ABC competition (the now-forgotten It's Not Easy) and gradually catching up to its Thursday-night CBS rival Simon and Simon. Once again, the series took home a shelf-full of Emmy awards -- for Outstanding Comedy Series (second year in a row), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Perlman), Outstanding Film Editing (Andrew Chulack), and Outstanding Writing (David Angell, who like Chulack, won for the episode entitled "Old Flames") -- in addition to eight other nominations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Seldom has a television sitcom opened with such assurance as Cheers. Within the very first episode, the basic setting was firmly established, the characters clearly drawn, and the interrelationships fully defined. Although there would be plenty of "fleshing out" over the next 11 seasons, Cheers knew exactly where it was going from its beginning. Sam Malone (Ted Danson), former star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a recovering alcoholic, was the owner and main bartender of the nearly-century-old Boston watering hole Cheers. Assisting Sam behind the counter was Ernie "Coach" Pantusso (Nicholas Colasanto), a retired baseball coach and manager with a veritable fountain of colorful anecdotes and sage advice and Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman), acerbic waitress and single mother (she had recently been divorced from the slimy Nick Tortelli, who would not appear on camera until the show's second season). Cheers' regular patrons included Norm Peterson (George Wendt), a perennially underemployed accountant and full-scale worry wart who was forever grousing about his marriage to the never-seen Vera; and, less frequently than Norm during the first season, trivia-spouting, know-it-all postal worker Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger). Other recurring patrons filled in the background, with the notable exception of local scam artist Harry "The Hat" Gittes, played by Harry Anderson as something of a dry run for his starring stint on another sitcom, Night Court. The one square peg in the round hole known as Cheers was Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), an attractive, intellectual graduate student who came into the bar early in the first episode to await the arrival of her boss and fiancé, Professor Sumner Sloan (Michael McGuire). Upon realizing that Sloan had jilted her, the now-unemployed Diane, with no discernible practical skills, was forced to accept a job as a Cheers waitress. This delighted Sam, an inveterate womanizer who regarded Diane as a hot prospect, but was greeted with less than enthusiasm by Carla, who never had a good word to say about anyone. Gradually, Sam came to resent the well-meaning but inherently annoying Diane as much as Carla, but viewers knew that this constantly combative couple were secretly attracted to one another -- even if they would not declare that attraction until the very last episode of season One. Although Cheers' audience was relatively small during its first year, this was more symptomatic of the sorry state of NBC's sitcom lineup in 1982 than any lack of quality. Indeed, only two NBC series even made the Top 25 during that season, and neither was a comedy. Nonetheless, those who did tune in Cheers instead of its chief competition, CBS's Simon and Simon, were enthusiastic in their support, and the series was warmly embraced by the TV industry as a whole. Upon completing its freshman season, Cheers walked away with five Emmy awards: Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Directing (James Burrows for the season finale); Outstanding Lead Actress (Long); Outstanding Writing (Glen and Les Charles for the opener); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences (James Castle and Bruce Bryant); and eight total nominations, including one for the series' now-classic theme song ("Where Everybody Knows Your Name," by Judy Hart-Angelo and Gary Portnoy). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A decidedly pre-Cheers Ted Danson delivers a hilarious guest performance as Vincenzo, an extremely flamboyant -- and extraordinarily expensive -- New York hairdresser. Shelling out 200 hard-earned dollars for a treatment from Vincenzo, Elaine (Marilu Henner) is shocked by the hideous results, which make her look like an electrified mop. Even so, Elaine is too timid to demand her money back, so it falls to her fellow cabbies to come to her rescue. Alas, the imperious Vincenzo refuses to undo his damage -- resulting in a surprising and rather messy act of gallantry from Louie (Danny DeVito). ~ All Movie Guide

Mercedes McCambridge guest stars as blind, elderly Agatha Kimble, longtime friend of Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck). Hired by Agatha to pay off the blackmailer who is victimizing her niece (and Magnum's former girlfriend) Amy Crane (Andrea Marcovicci), Magnum quickly becomes embroiled in a murder scheme. No sooner has this fact sunk in than Magnum realizes that there is far, far more to the case than anyone could have imagined. Tom Selleck and guest star Ted Danson, here cast as adversaries, would later reteam in the hit movie comedies Three Men and a Baby and Three Men and a Little Lady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A spy convinces a computer genius to work for him, placing the genius in position to confront the most dangerous criminal in the world. (AKA Once Upon A Spy) ~ All Movie Guide

This critically-acclaimed film chronicles nineteen years in the life of a divorcee (played by Lee Remick), from the repressive 1950s through the liberated 1980s. Women's Room earned three Emmy nominations: one for Best Drama Special, and one each for costars Patty Duke Astin and Colleen Dewhurst. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Joseph Wambaugh's The Onion Field is based on an actual 1963 case. L.A. plainclothesmen Karl Hattinger (John Savage) and Ian Campbell (Ted Danson) routinely investigate a pair of suspicious types, Greg Powell (James Woods) and Jimmy Smith (Franklin Seales). Unexpectedly, Powell pulls a gun on the cops, then forces them into a deserted onion field, where he kills Campbell in cold blood. Hattinger manages to escape, and through his eyewitness account, Powell and Smith are arrested. But that is not that. Thanks to their knowledge and manipulation of the quicksilver legal system, Powell and Smith manage to evade prosecution for years. Meanwhile, Hattinger goes through hell on earth, tortured with guilt over the fact that he lived while Campbell died so ignominiously. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide