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Cheers season 7

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Cheers
Season 7
Region 1 DVD
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseOctober 27, 1988 (1988-10-27) –
May 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 6
Next →
Season 8
List of episodes

The seventh season of Cheers, an award-winning American television sitcom, originally aired on NBC in the United States between October 27, 1988 and May 4, 1989. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles under production team Charles Burrows Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Television.

Background

This season premiered on October 27, 1988, after a long period of reruns, indirectly led by the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.[1] At the time of the premiere, Night Court moved to Wednesdays, prompting the new series Dear John to fill in that spot. Besides Cheers and Dear John, other series in the Thursday night lineup for the 1988–89 season were The Cosby Show, A Different World, and L.A. Law.[2]

Cast and characters

  • Ted Danson as Sam Malone, a bartender and ex-baseball player. He still womanizes with every beautiful woman but fails to impress some, including classier women.
  • Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe, a corporate bar owner and manager. After her former puppy love Evan Drake departed to Japan in the previous season, Rebecca fantasizes that her newest rich suitor will take over the Lillian Corporation. Whenever it does not occur, she instead often makes unsuccessful nonromantic attempts to impress her superiors in order to be promoted. Moreover, she completes duties (i.e. odd jobs) for her superiors, like organizing parties and pet setting.
  • Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli, a waitress and mother of eight children, including five from a previous marriage. Carla is currently married to Eddie LeBec, who begins touring in ice shows outside Massachusetts, putting a strain on their marriage.
  • John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin, a postal carrier. He starts an on-and-off relationship with a trainee postal worker, Maggie O'Keefe.
  • Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd, a bartender. He starts dating Kelly Gaines (Jackie Swanson), the daughter of one of the heads of the Lillian Corporation, Mr. Gaines (Richard Doyle).
  • Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist, now married to Lilith. He is expecting a child.
  • George Wendt as Norm Peterson, a semi-employed accountant and painter. He also becomes a house decorator, especially for the Cranes.
Recurring characters
  • Bebe Neuwirth as Lilith Sternin, a psychiatrist now married to Frasier. She becomes pregnant with Frasier's child.
  • Jay Thomas as Eddie LeBec, a retired hockey player and husband of Carla. He currently works as an ice show performer, which puts a strain on their marriage.[3] Thomas reprises the role of Eddie in two episodes this season.

Episodes

See also: List of Cheers episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		Title [4]Directed by [4]Written by [4]Original air date [4]Rating/share
1471"How to Recede in Business"James BurrowsDavid LloydOctober 27, 1988 (1988-10-27)24.4 / 38[rat7 1]
1482"Swear to God"James BurrowsTom ReederNovember 3, 1988 (1988-11-03)21.8 / 33[rat7 2]
1493"Executive Sweet"James BurrowsPhoef SuttonNovember 10, 1988 (1988-11-10)23.5 / 35[rat7 3]
1504"One Happy Chappy in a Snappy Serape"James BurrowsCheri Eichen and Bill SteinkellnerNovember 17, 1988 (1988-11-17)21.4 / 31[rat7 4]
1515"Those Lips, Those Ice"James BurrowsPeter Casey and David LeeNovember 24, 1988 (1988-11-24)17.3 / 31[rat7 5]
1526"Norm, Is That You?"James BurrowsCheri Eichen and Bill SteinkellnerDecember 8, 1988 (1988-12-08)23.7 / 37[rat7 6]
1537"How to Win Friends and Electrocute People"James BurrowsPhoef SuttonDecember 15, 1988 (1988-12-15)23.7 / 37[rat7 7]
1548"Jumping Jerks"James BurrowsKen Levine and David IsaacsDecember 22, 1988 (1988-12-22)20.6 / 34[rat7 8]
1559"Send in the Crane"James BurrowsDavid LloydJanuary 5, 1989 (1989-01-05)25.1 / 37[rat7 9]
15610"Bar Wars II: The Woodman Strikes Back"James BurrowsKen Levine and David IsaacsJanuary 12, 1989 (1989-01-12)25.4 / 38[rat7 10]
15711"Adventures in Housesitting"James BurrowsPatricia Niedzialek and Cecile AlchJanuary 19, 1989 (1989-01-19)22.7 / 34[rat7 11]
15812"Please Mr. Postman"James BurrowsBrian Pollack and Mert RichFebruary 2, 1989 (1989-02-02)24.7 / 37[rat7 12]
15913"Golden Boyd"James BurrowsCheri Eichen and Bill SteinkellnerFebruary 6, 1989 (1989-02-06)17.3 / 25[rat7 13]
16014"I Kid You Not"James BurrowsTeleplay: Rod Burton
Story: Rick Beren		February 16, 1989 (1989-02-16)22.8 / 35[rat7 14]
16115"Don't Paint Your Chickens"James BurrowsKen Levine and David IsaacsFebruary 23, 1989 (1989-02-23)23.3 / 35[rat7 15]
16216"The Cranemakers"Andy AckermanPhoef SuttonMarch 2, 1989 (1989-03-02)24.3 / 37[rat7 16]
16317"Hot Rocks"James BurrowsKen Levine and David IsaacsMarch 16, 1989 (1989-03-16)22.7 / 36[rat7 17]
16418"What's Up, Doc?"James BurrowsBrian Pollack and Mert RichMarch 30, 1989 (1989-03-30)24.3 / 37[rat7 18]
16519"The Gift of the Woodi"James BurrowsPhoef SuttonApril 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)22.2 / 36[rat7 19]
16620"Call Me Irresponsible"James BurrowsDan O'Shannon and Tom AndersonApril 13, 1989 (1989-04-13)22.3 / 36[rat7 20]
16721"Sisterly Love"James BurrowsDavid LloydApril 27, 1989 (1989-04-27)20.8 / 34[rat7 21]
16822"The Visiting Lecher"James BurrowsDavid LloydMay 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)20.8 / 33[rat7 22]

Production

Writers and producers David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee left the series in March 1989 for an upcoming production company, which became Grub Street Productions.[5][6]

Reception

This season landed in fourth place with an average 22.5 rating and 35 share as of April 20, 1989.[7] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the character of Rebecca Howe as "annoying", and expressed pleasure at rumors that Joan Severance (originally set to play Susan Howe, a role eventually portrayed by Marcia Cross) could replace Kirstie Alley, contending that Shelley Long's departure in the fifth season was still affecting the series.[8] Another syndicate columnist Joe Stein found the sixth and seventh seasons "good [yet] somewhat watered down", and found Rebecca not as "compelling" as her predecessor Diane.[5] Conversely, Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle praised this season, including the cast ensemble and their performances, but still missed departed characters Coach and Diane.[9]

Todd Fuller of Sitcoms Online called this season "strong".[10] David Johnson of DVD Verdict rated the story 90 percent and the acting 95 percent, praising its episodic approach and departure from story arcs, like Sam and Diane's relationship or Rebecca's failed attempts to win Evan Drake last season. He praised Alley as "a solid comic force" for her "over-the-top portrayal of neurosis".[11] Jeffrey Robinson of DVD Talk gave this season three and a half stars out of five and gave a replay value of four, calling it "good" and its episodes "fun and amusing".[12] Current Film called this season a "strong roll" with "fine performances".[13]

The scene of Woody Boyd singing "Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly..." (also called "The Kelly Song"[14]) at Kelly Gaines's birthday party from the episode "The Gift of the Woodi" has been discussed in the media. Andy Greene of Rolling Stone magazine called it memorable to Cheers fans. Greene also mentioned that the song was later performed by The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon when Kelly Ripa was entering the set as Fallon's guest.[15] David Hofstede, in his book 5000 Episodes and No Commercials, called the scene one of "great moments" of the series.[16]

Accolades

In the 41st Primetime Emmy Awards (1989), this season won three Emmys: Outstanding Comedy Series of 1988–1989, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Woody Harrelson), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Rhea Perlman).[17] In the 3rd Annual American Comedy Awards, Perlman was awarded as the Funniest Supporting Actress for her character Carla Tortelli.[18]

DVD Release

Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season
Set Details[12]
Release Dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
November 15, 2005 May 18, 2009 April 27, 2009

Notes

  1. ^ Stein, Joe (October 24, 1988). "Prime-time battles finally begin in earnest this week". Evening Tribune. San Diego. p. C-4.
  2. ^ "Night Court tops Nielsens in Thursday time slot". The Daily Union. Junction City, Kansas. December 14, 1988. p. 12.
  3. ^ Raftery, Brian (October 2012). "The Best TV Show That's Ever Been". GQ.
  4. ^ a b c d Bjorklund, pp. 375–389
  5. ^ a b Stein, Joe (March 3, 1989). "Defections to Hurt Cheers: 3 Writers, Producers to Leave". The Press-Courier. Copley News Service. p. 10.
  6. ^ "Obituaries: David Angell". The Telegraph. 13 September 2011.
  7. ^ Feder, Robert (April 20, 1989). "NBC, ABC and CBS keep losing viewers". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 61. Record no. CHI349816.
  8. ^ <surname illegible>, Gary (March 23, 1989). "Kirstie Alley may lose Cheers lead to 'another woman'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 21.
  9. ^ Caen, Herb (March 23, 1989). "A Star Is Born". San Francisco Chronicle. p. B1. Record no. 569588.
  10. ^ Fuller, Todd (November 9, 2005). "Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season". Sitcoms Online.
  11. ^ Johnson, David (November 15, 2005). "Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season". DVD Verdict.
  12. ^ a b Robinson, Jeffrey (November 15, 2005). "Cheers - The Complete Seventh Season". DVD Talk.
  13. ^ "Cheers: Season 7". Current Film.
  14. ^ "Cheers". Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. 2011. p. 182. Retrieved June 18, 2016 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ Greene, Andy (November 20, 2014). "Flashback: Woody Sings 'The Kelly Song' on Cheers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  16. ^ Hofstede, David (2006). 5000 Episodes and No Commercials: The Ultimate Guide to TV Shows on DVD 2007: What to Watch, What to Buy. New York City: Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 57. ISBN 978-0823084562. Retrieved June 18, 2016 – via Amazon.com.
  17. ^ Bjorklund, p. 461.
  18. ^ "American director's 1st film wins top prize at Cannes". Milwaukee Sentinel. May 24, 1989. pt. 1, pg. 3.

References

Ratings notes

Unless otherwise, the main source of Nielsen ratings is the newspaper Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. According to that main source, ratings of 1988-89 were based on 90.4 million households that have at least one television.

  1. ^ "Top 10: Oct. 24–30, 1988". November 2, 1988. p. 21.
  2. ^ "Top 10: Oct. 31–Nov. 6, 1988". November 9, 1988. p. 19.
  3. ^ "Top 10: Nov. 7–13, 1988". November 16, 1988. p. 33.
  4. ^ "The Ratings (Nov. 14–20, 1988)". The Dallas Morning News. November 24, 1988. p. 21C.
  5. ^ "The Ratings (Nov. 21–27, 1988)". The Dallas Morning News. December 2, 1988. p. 12C.
  6. ^ "Top 10: Dec. 5–11, 1988". December 14, 1988. p. 27.
  7. ^ "Top 10: Dec. 12–18, 1988". December 21, 1988. p. 25.
  8. ^ "Top 10: Dec. 19–25, 1988". December 29, 1988. p. 15.
  9. ^ "Top 10: Jan 2–8, 1989". January 11, 1989. p. 27.
  10. ^ "Top 10: Jan. 9–15, 1989". January 18, 1989. p. 24.
  11. ^ "Top 10: Jan 16–22, 1989". January 25, 1989. p. 19.
  12. ^ "Top 10: Jan. 30–Feb. 5, 1989". February 8, 1989. p. 27.
  13. ^ "Using this chart (Feb. 6–12, 1989)". USA Today. February 15, 1989. p. 3D.
  14. ^ "Using this chart (Feb. 13–19, 1989)". USA Today. February 22, 1989. p. 3D. Record no. 170085.
  15. ^ "Top 10: Feb. 20–26, 1989". March 2, 1989. p. 15.
  16. ^ "Top 10: Feb. 27–Mar. 5, 1989". March 8, 1989. p. 21.
  17. ^ "Using this chart (March 13–19, 1989)". USA Today. March 22, 1989. p. 3D.
  18. ^ "Top 10: Mar. 27–Apr. 2, 1989". April 5, 1989. p. 21.
  19. ^ "Top 10: April 3–9, 1989". April 12, 1989. p. 28.
  20. ^ "Top 10: April 10–16, 1989". April 19, 1989. p. 21.
  21. ^ "Top 10: April 24–30, 1989". May 3, 1989. p. 19.
  22. ^ "Top 10: May 1–7, 1989". May 10, 1989. p. 19.
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