Heide Perlman Movies

In flashback, a terrified Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) tells Niles (David Hyde Pierce) that he may have committed a crime. It all begins when Roz (Peri Gilpin) fields a call from a listener who suffers from kleptomania. The ensuing chain of events leads to Frasier's elderly neighbor, Opal (Estelle Parsons), a purloined box, and a truly surprising surprise party. Bernadette Birkit, the wife of Kelsey Grammer's former Cheers co-star George Wendt, appears as Janelle, while another well-known performer delivers the series' very last "guest" phone call. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Daphne (Jane Leeves) is convinced that Frasier's reception to unveil a painting will be as big a disaster as most of his parties. Thus, she suggests to Niles (David Hyde Pierce) that they hold the festivities at their home. As the evening progresses, Daphne proves (much to her dismay) that she can be just as big a social screw-up as any other member of the Crane family. The only person who manages to avoid the chaos is the guest of honor artist Mike Shaw (Harve Presnell) -- who, like Daphne's mother Gertrude (Millicent Martin), would rather watch a televised boxing match than put up with the artistic elite. ~ Rovi

The cast of Frasier meets most of the cast of Cheers in this landmark episode. Arriving in Boston to deliver a speech at a conference, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) is reunited with his old drinking buddy Cliff (John Ratzenberger) -- who thinks that Frasier is in town to attend his retirement party. Later on, Frasier's dad, Martin (John Mahoney), bonds with the loquacious Norm (George Wendt); Daphne (Jane Leeves) becomes captivated by Cliff's long-winded stories; and Carla (Rhea Perlman) helps Niles (David Hyde Pierce) get even with Frasier for embarrassing him in public. This episode was written by Rhea Perlman's sister Heide Perlman and features a cameo appearance by the ladies' father Philip Perlman. ~ Rovi

Now that Woody (Woody Harrelson) has been elected city councilman, Carla (Rhea Perlman) offers to tend bar at Cheers. What follows is a long night of drunken revelations thanks to Carla's mystery mixture of strong stimulants. When the sun comes up, Carla knows that she's slept with someone at the bar -- but can't remember who. This is the episode in which ubiquitous supporting player Paul Willson finally takes center stage. "It's Lonely on the Top" was the last Cheers episode produced, but not the last to be shown. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Up for an award at the annual Postman's Ball, Cliff (John Ratzenberger) naturally wants to bring a date along to bask in his glory. Covering his bets, he asks both Carla (Rhea Perlman) and Diane (Shelley Long) to go with him to the ball. When both ladies accept, a nonplussed Cliff begs Sam (Ted Danson) to figure a way out of his dilemma with a minimum of hurt feelings and physical violence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Worried that bartender Woody (Woody Harrelson) has no romance in his life, the Cheers gang arranges for Woody's former girlfriend Beth (Amanda Wyss) to come to Boston. Alas, Beth's presence prods Woody back into some bad old habits -- chief among them a disturbing tendency to make a pig of himself at the food trough. Meanwhile, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) works off his bar bill as the pub's janitor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As in earlier years, the action in the first episode of Cheers' fourth season was driven by the plot lines left dangling during the previous one. Having ended their romance in Europe, Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) and Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) returned separately to Boston. Diane entered a local convent to pay penance for the "debauchery" she indulged in overseas, while Frasier repaired to Cheers to cry in his beer. Eventually, Diane gave up the cloistered life to return to her waitressing job at Cheers, prompting owner/bartender Sam Malone (Ted Danson) to renew his efforts to rekindle his own romance with her. Just when it seemed that couple was an "item" again, along came attractive Boston councilwoman Janice Eldridge (Kate Mulgrew), who deftly managed to wrap Sam around her little finger. This precipitated the series' three-part fourth season finale, in which Sam and Diane angrily broke off their relationship yet again. But there was a last-minute twist for those who stuck around until the episode's fade-out. As for the other regulars, accountant Norm Peterson (George Wendt) continued his search for a new job and kvetching about his never-seen wife Vera, and postman Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) persisted in spouting useless information to anyone who would listen. Abrasive Cheers waitress Carla (Rhea Perlman), now with six children to support, redoubled her efforts to find a new husband -- and to fend off her slimy ex, Nick Tortelli (Dan Hedaya). With the death of series regular Nicholas Colasanto in February 1985, Cheers was in need of a capable bartender to replace the beloved Coach (whose own demise was finally acknowledged). The man needed was the man found: Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson), a gangly naif from Indiana who came into Cheers to meet Coach, with whom he had carried on a correspondence course in bartending. Woody was hired by Sam on the spot. Another future Cheers regular showed up briefly during the February 6, 1986, episode "Second Time Around." As originally conceived, uptight, patronizing, female psychologist Lilith Sternin was supposed to have been a one-shot character, merely another of the many women whom Frasier unsuccessfully tried to date after his split with Diane. But audience response was so positive to Bebe Neuwirth's portrayal of Lilith that the producers decided to bring her back on a recurring basis during the 1986-87 season. Up from 12th to fifth place in the ratings, Cheers not only continued to please the crowd, but also garnered more Emmy awards for its already-burgeoning collection. That year, Emmys were bestowed upon Rhea Perlman for the third time as Outstanding Supporting Actress and the series' sound-mixing crew (Michael Ballin, Robert Douglass, Douglas Gray, and Thomas J. Huth) for the second time. The series also earned nine nominations in other categories. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In Cheers' fourth-season opener, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) is still smarting from the humiliation of being deserted by his fiancée Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) in Europe. Returning to Cheers, Frasier begs Sam Malone (Ted Danson) not to try to contact Diane, who after several months of debauchery on the continent is now paying penance in a Boston convent. On another front, Sam hires a new bartender to replace the late and beloved Coach: country bumpkin Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson, in his first series appearance), Coach's former pen pal. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dan Hedaya returns as Nick Tortelli, the slimeball ex-husband of Carla (Rhea Perlman). When Nick demands that he receive custody of his oldest son, the usually combative Carla meekly acquiesces. The Cheers gang decides that it is high time to teach Nick that his word is not law. In another development, ex-lovers Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long) return to one of their former romantic haunts. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

It has become impossible for Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long) to have a moment to themselves. It seems that Coach (Nicholas Colasanto), with nothing else to do, has been tagging along with the couple on their evenings out. Hoping to divest themselves of their third wheel in as gentle a way as possible, Sam and Diane try to fix Coach up with a date. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

No, Carla isn't getting fat; she's five months pregnant. Since everybody at Cheers knows that Carla has been divorced far longer than five months, she must come up with the name of the father. The man so ordained is Marshall Lipton (Mark King), a prominent MIT professor -- and a man whom Diane (Shelley Long) knows for sure is not the one who put Carla in the family way. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After so many bums and slimeballs in her life, Carla (Rhea Perlman) cannot believe that a nice, gentlemanly fellow like Hank Zenzola (Don Amendolia) could truly be in love with her. Sensing that Hank must have a "fatal flaw," Carla is inclined to reject him. Finally, however, she acquiesces to his charms, and even decides to go "all the way" with him, little realizing that she might literally love Hank to death. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi