Television series

Cheers

Name: Cheers
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1982
Cast: Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer

Cheers is the sitcom that taught television how to hang out. Nine seasons of barflies bantering over beer, built on the slow-burn romantic tension between a boozy ex-jock bartender and a snob who talks like she swallowed a thesaurus. It's warm, quick-witted, and endlessly rewatchable — less about plot than about people you'd genuinely want to sit next to. Perfect for anyone who wants comfort food with a sharp tongue.

TVMaze rating

8.0

If you liked this

Frasier1993

The spinoff that somehow outdid its parent — Kelsey Grammer's fussy psychiatrist gets his own Seattle apartment and an even richer ensemble of neurotics. Same DNA, sharper edges, just as many belly laughs.

But It trades the pub warmth for high-culture jokes and apartment-sitcom rhythms — a different, posher animal.

Taxi1978

James Burrows co-created both shows, and you can feel it — a garage full of misfits trading barbs between fares, with the same gift for turning a punchline into a gut-punch.

But Older, scratchier production values, and the tone swings darker and stranger than Cheers ever did.

Wings1990

From the same writing team, set at a tiny New England airport instead of a bar — the same ensemble rhythms, sibling rivalry standing in for will-they-won't-they.

But Never reached the same cultural heights, and the setting's a little more clenched than Cheers's easy sprawl.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Diner1982

Same hangout-therapy structure Cheers ran for nine seasons, compressed into one film — proof the idea works even without 275 episodes to breathe.

Barry Levinson's film, released the same year Cheers premiered, answers the same question — what happens when people just talk at a counter for two hours. Endlessly quotable, deeply felt.

But No ongoing story, no romance-of-the-week — it's a single night's conversation, then it's over.

Friends1994

Swap the bar stools for a coffee-shop couch and you've got the next generation's hangout comedy, right down to the will-they-won't-they at its center.

But Glossier, younger, and far less interested in the daily grind of actual work than Cheers is.

Night Court1984no page yet

Same era, same NBC hallway of oddballs, just moved from a bar to a courtroom after dark — absurd, silly, and stuffed with running gags.

But Broader and goofier, with less of Cheers's grounded, real-world barroom melancholy.

How I Met Your Mother2005

A group of friends narrate their lives from a booth in their local bar — the setting's a direct descendant, and the romantic engine runs on similar fuel.

But More sitcom gimmickry and flashback structure than Cheers's steady barroom realism.

Parks and Recreation2009

Different workplace, same generous heart — a small-town ensemble who annoy and adore each other in equal measure, anchored by people who actually like their jobs.

But Single-camera mockumentary style, no studio audience, and a sunnier disposition than Cheers's barroom cynicism.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia2005

Same premise — friends who run a bar — turned savagely, gleefully wrong. Everyone here is the worst version of a Cheers regular.

But Deliberately vile where Cheers is warm; if you want comfort, this is the opposite.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia poster

NewsRadio1995

A tightly wound office ensemble with the same rapid-fire, character-driven banter and a similarly deep bench of weirdos who genuinely like each other.

But Radio station instead of bar means a faster, more chaotic energy — less time to just sit and simmer.

Duffy's Tavern1954no page yet

Cheers didn't invent the bar-as-community idea — this did, on radio and then live TV, decades earlier. Same bones, none of the polish.

A relic from the birth of the sitcom — the original bar-set ensemble comedy, decades before Sam Malone poured a drink, with a wisecracking bartender and a gallery of regulars trading one-liners.

But Crude, dated production, cardboard sets, and jokes built for a very different, much less patient audience.