Andy Ackerman Movies

As Cheers entered its eighth season, viewers began to wonder if the long-awaited romance between Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) would ever blossom. Certainly Rebecca had not backed down from her determination to marry into wealth, as witnessed by her torrid relationship with Trump-like billionaire corporate raider Robin Colcord (Roger Rees). Perhaps hoping to prove his value in Rebecca's eyes, Sam spent most of season eight trying to buy back Cheers -- only to realize this goal in a most surprising fashion. In other developments, psychiatrists Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) became parents with the birth of baby Frederick. Not long afterward, the much-married Carla (Rhea Perlman) became a widow when her hockey-star husband Eddie LeBec died in a freak accident; Carla's grief quickly turned to rage when she discovered that, not only had Eddie been unfaithful to her, but he'd had another wife in another town all along. Meanwhile, the romance between guileless bartender Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson) and wealthy Kelly Gaines (Jackie Swanson) continued along its bumpy but generally satisfying path. The season came to a riotous conclusion when Rebecca's boyfriend Robin was arrested for illegal insider training -- with Sam turning Colcord in out of fear that Rebecca would be implicated. Out of gratitude, the corporation that owned Cheers gave the bar to Sam as a present, leading Rebecca to conclude that Sam had blown the whistle on Robin out of greed. But before Rebecca could renounce Sam once and for all, the couple found themselves locked in a very amorous embrace on the couch in Sam's office -- at which point the seventh season reached its cliffhanger ending. Cheers returned to third place in the ratings during the 1989-90 season, beaten out only by The Cosby Show and the sophomore season of Roseanne. Three Emmys were bestowed upon the series: Ted Danson finally copped a statuette as Outstanding Lead Actor in a comedy; Bebe Neuwirth (not yet a an "official" regular) won as Outstanding Supporting Actress; and the series' sound-mixing team (Robert Crosby, Thomas J. Huth, Sam Black, and Robert Douglass) walked away with its fourth award. Finally, although Cheers spawned no spin-offs this season, it can be said to have godfathered a similar ensemble sitcom assembled by two former Cheersstaffers: Wings, which began a long and healthy run in April 1990, and in the Thursday-night time slot following its "parent" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) arranges a gala celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of Cheers, replete with celebrity guests and 1889 prices. The festivities are brought to an abrupt halt when Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) goes into labor with baby Frederick. Real-life Boston mayor Raymond L. Flynn appears as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Norm (George Wendt) is unable to convince his adoring secretary Doris (Cynthia Stevenson) that he isn't interested in her -- not even when he fires the woman. Hoping to take advantage of Doris' passion, Cliff (John Ratzenberger) manages to get himself in deep doo-doo. Elsewhere, Woody's (Woody Harrelson) lucky streak continues -- and what's the "surprise" hidden in the executive desk that Robin gave Rebecca (Kirstie Alley)? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season nine of Cheers picked up where the eighth had left off, with Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) poised to consummate their newfound romance on the couch in Sam's office. "Interruptus" came in the form of Rebecca's billionaire boyfriend Robin Colcord (Roger Rees), now on the lam from the law for illegal stock trading. Gradually, Sam came to realize that his relationship with Rebecca was not to be -- although upon agreeing to marry the newly-released Robin, Rebecca developed an acute case of cold feet at the very last minute, leaving her technically free for a unique "business arrangement" dreamed up by Sam. Elsewhere, Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson) continued juggling careers as a bartender and actor, and also persisted in his romantic relationship with wealthy Kelly Gaines (Jackie Swanson), despite the interference of Kelly's amorous French acquaintance Henri (Anthony Cistaro). Sam Malone likewise had a new nemesis in the form of the imperious John Hill (Keene Curtis), landlord of the building housing Cheers and the owner of the posh restaurant Melville's, which occupied the building's second floor. After babysitting for new parents Frasier and Lilith Crane (Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth), a profoundly affected Sam decided that he, too, would like to be a father. It so happened that he had also selected the perfect mother for his child: Rebecca. And on this discordant note, season nine came to a close. This was the year that Cheers finally graduated to number one in the ratings, enjoying a 21.3 share. It also earned four more Emmys -- Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Direction (James Burrows), Outstanding Lead Actress (Kirstie Alley), and Outstanding Supporting Actress (the second such honor for Bebe Neuwirth) -- not to mention nominations in nine other categories. And finally, this was the year that former series regular Shelley Long returned -- albeit briefly, and at a considerable distance from her former co-stars -- during an NBC special celebrating Cheers' 200th episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Woody (Woody Harrelson) looks forward to meeting the wealthy family of his girl friend Kelly (Jackie Swanson) with fear and trepidation. As expected, the relatives think the very worst of Woody -- all except Kelly's mother (Melendy Britt), who is very, very friendly to her prospective son-in-law. Meanwhile, the gang at Cheers looks on as urban cowboy Cliff (John Ratzenberger) tries to "conquer" a mechanical bull. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) invites Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Sam (Ted Danson) along when she goes on a TV talk show to promote her new book, "Good Boys/Bad Boys." At first, Sam is offended when Lilith offers him as a prime example of "Bad Boy." But when the show's female guests and audience members respond positively to Sam, Frasier is miffed that Lilith regards him as merely "Good." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a replay of the Donald Trump-Marla Maples imbroglio, a former girlfriend of imprisoned millionaire Robin Colcord publicly declares that he's still in love with her. Robin's most recent amour, Rebecca (Kirstie Alley), pretends not to care, but is secretly plotting a spectacular revenge. And how about Carla's (Rhea Perlman) dormant love life? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) is in full-scale denial over the cancellation of her marriage to Robin Colcord -- even though she is the one who canceled it. Intending to run away from her memories, Rebecca hightails it to San Diego -- and with Woody's wallet. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer), meanwhile, regales the Cheers gang by translating the works of Charles Dickens into Bostonian vernacular. Originally slated to air January 31, 1991, this episode was bumped forward one week by network coverage of the Persian Gulf War. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sam (Ted Danson) is unprepared for the adventure awaiting him when he agrees to babysit for the son of Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth). Meanwhile, Woody (Woody Harrelson) frets and fusses when wide-eyed Kelly (Jackie Swanson) goes to work at Cheers as part of a school project. Twin children Christopher and Kevin Graves make their first joint appearance as little Frederick Crane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Joe (Tim Daly) insists that he does not want the gang to throw him a birthday party. Evidently everyone takes this insistence as gospel, but Joe still suspects that they intend to spring a surprise on him. When Fay (Rebecca Schull) asks him to remain in the terminal after hours to await a crated shipment of airplane seats, Joe convinces himself that everyone intends to jump out of that selfsame crate and shower him with presents. As it turns out, a surprise has indeed been planned -- albeit for the wrong night! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The business rivalry between Joe (Tim Daly) and Roy (David Schramm) spills over into the political arena when both men compete for the same town-council seat. The situation gets even stickier when the local newspaper refuses to endorse either Joe or Roy, choosing instead to back Joe's campaign manager Fay (Rebecca Schull). As it turns out, the newspaper's editorial staff has been "bought off" by a surfeit of home-baked goodies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While the gang sympathizes with Helen's anger over her breakup with Joe (Tim Daly), they are worried that she'll never overcome her wrath, and that could be injurious to her mental health. At the urging of her friends, Helen (Crystal Bernard) agrees to undergo group therapy. No one is happier over this turn of events than Joe's brother Brian (Steven Weber), who is willing to provide "testimony" against his brother. The situation comes to a head when Helen finds herself commiserating with a group of senior citizens. And on a less uplifting note, Helen's jeep strikes again! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide