Andy Ackerman Movies

The marriage between the usually laid-back Lowell (Thomas Haden Church) and his bride Bunny (a pre-ER Laura Innes) is imperiled by Lowell's jealousy. Assuming that Lowell's suspicions are unfounded and irrational, Brian (Steven Weber) generously offers to act as mediator and discuss the situation with Bunny. Imagine Brian's surprise when Bunny suddenly comes on to both him and his brother Joe (Tim Daly)...and imagine further the fireworks when Lowell finds out! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Outraged over her discovery of the romance between Joe (Tim Daly) and Gail (Gretchen German), Helen (Crystal Bernard) has vented her wrath by driving her jeep into Joe's office, thoroughly smashing up the place. When she refuses to pay for the damages, Joe takes Helen to small claims court. Unfortunately, Joe can't find anyone willing to take his side in the matter -- nor even deliver the subpoena to Helen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season three of Wings begins as Joe (Tim Daly) hears from Helen (Crystal Bernard) ten months after she left Sandpiper Air in Nantucket to follow her dreams in New York City. Inasmuch as she has been forced to work as a waitress in a strip joint, Helen is somewhat relieved at the prospect of renewing her relationship with Joe. Unfortunately, Joe has neglected to inform Helen that he has passed the ten-month hiatus by inaugurating a romance with a young lady named Gail (Gretchen German, in her first series appearance). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With the activities at the terminal temporarily curtailed by a heavy fog, the gang agrees to participate in a full slate of fun-and-games devised by Fay (Rebecca Schull). At one point, Brian (Steven Weber) performs his celebrated hypnosis act, unexpectedly extracting the "deepest, darkest secret" from the subconscious of rival airline owner Roy (David Schramm). Before long, everyone is scrambling to recover a buried cache of 250,000 dollars in stolen money. The title of this episode derives from its original premise, in which one of the characters was to have confessed to a murder! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Brian (Steven Weber) tricks Joe (Tim Daly) into joining him for a golf weekend which is actually part of a advertising pitch to sell condos. Unaware of Brian's deception, Roy (David Schramm) insists upon coming along for the ride. The threesome ends up bunking with Lowell (Thomas Haden Church) in a single room, while being mercilessly bombarded with the "advantages" of the time-share plan -- and worst of all, no one can venture outside because of the miserable weather! ~ 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

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