After the stunning opening to season 5 for both Cheers Weekly and the show itself...we now have the fallout episode. Diane is focused on changing Sam's mind, Sam is focused on any other woman but Diane, and our hosts are concluding very different ratings for this episode, "The Cape Cad". And bonus points for correctly guessing how many kittens Norm has in his sports jacket at the end of the night! (Review starts - 11:54)
The bar is open and ready for Season Five!! Cheers Weekly is back baby with a super-sized episode covering where our hosts have been this summer, exploring who Sam was proposing to at the end of Season Four and how close Frasier came to committing a felony. And since it's the season premiere, we have a Happy Hour Special...George's fantastic interview with Joseph and Kate Darowski, authors of the new book "Cheers: A Cultural History". This show requires your preferred bottle of wine or your favorite six-pack...so grab some hors d'oeuvres and enjoy "The Proposal". (Review starts - 42:16)
It's celebration time as we are at the Season 4 finale!!!! We have cliffhangers (who is Sam proposing to on the phone at the end?), we have a stellar debate on the best TV characters of all-time (Randy is correct, no sense fighting it), we have the ethics of eavesdropping (and if apologize are required) and, best of all, we have the Cheers Weekly exclusive Bottle-Service Award for the best episode of the season! So pop open some Cristal, join Norm at the bar and enjoy "Strange Bedfellows Part 3"! (Review starts - 19:04)
Part 2 of the three-part season four finale continues the love triangle between Sam, Janet and Diane with yet another iconic office fight. But the hosts of Cheers Weekly are the model of precision and unity as they focus on the new Deadwood movie, the legendary status of Top Gun and how effective the guest appearance by Senator Gary Hart turned out. Convince the Senator to buy you a beer, talk to Norm so he doesn't have to go home and enjoy "Strange Bedfellows, Part 2". (Review starts - 12:04)
We have guest stars galore this week including Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager, Orange Is The New Black), Max Wright (Alf, Norm), David Paymer (The Good Wife, The Commish), and Mike Hagerty (The George Carlin Show, Friends). We have the vaunted David Angell back at the writer's helm. We have the classic campaign slogan "Wim with Jim". And we have George doing pretty good and nothing beefing Randy....so all is right with the world again at Cheers Weekly! And even more importantly, after a few tough episodes of season 4, the train is back on the tracks!. But is it all the way back to its legendary status? Tune in and find out in with "Strange Bedfellows, Part 1". (Review starts - 11:35)
Just as a skunky keg of beer can leave a bad aftertaste, so does this week's episode, "Relief Bartender", for our hosts. George and Randy examine where and how this last part of season 4 has gone off-the-rails a bit. Is it due to the length of the season (the longest to-date)? Or maybe the lack of B-plots? Or is it something more structural? Does our beloved Cheers gang have enough time to reclaim the high road for this season with only three episodes remaining? Tune in and find out! (Review starts - 13:10)
The Cheers gang finally goes too far with excluding Diane from their activities and they must find a way to make it up to her - a way that includes...the opera! Other insights we garner from this week's episode: the depth of Randy's anger toward Netflix regarding a recent cancellation, when is the proper time to break the fourth wall during a movie scene and George answers the burning question regarding if there really was an episode of Happy Days that involved a strip club. So grab a balcony seat while popping open a Pabst and enjoy "Diane Chambers Day"! (Review starts - 10:00)
Although both Randy and George are a bit under-the-weather this week, Cheers Weekly marches on! Randy is grumpy regarding the Top 500 songs of the 80s channel on SirrusXM as well as about this episode in general while George carries much more optimism regarding life, entertainment and the introduction and usage of Jack Dalton. Elsewhere, Sam and Diane come to some interesting conclusions while facing certain death while Woody loses his arm-wrestling crown. Grab a stool, order up an Old Fashioned and enjoy "Fear Is My Co-Pilot". (Review starts - 13:45)
It's what we all have been waiting for...the reunion of the Boston Boppers! And with it comes the return of Nick and Loretta! Will they mend fences enough to take the dance title? Will Sam find a van to test Loretta's theory? Will Randy ever watch a subtitled film again? And will George claim superior dance moves to Sam Malone? Come find all these answers as well as the first Cheers appearance of "Unchained Melody" in "Save The Last Dance For Me". (Review starts - 14:52)
A special treat from Cheers Weekly this episode as George provides a "live" look-in at the Fifth Annual Clean Shorts Film Festival including helping uncover a possible conspiracy to steal an Oscar linked to The Godfather. Meanwhile, back at the bar, Cliff may have finally gone over the edge with his love of vegetables while Sam faces an existential crisis regarding getting old. Plus, bonus points to those that can recognize the former Mrs. David Hasselhoff's guest turn. Put down the racketball racket and enjoy "Dark Imaginings"! (Review starts - 21:34)
Moral dilemmas abound at Cheers Weekly! Which top 20 TV show from the last two decades does Randy watch next? Does George watch March MADness or March MATness? Does Carla let Vito date her daughter? Do Diane's eyes give away her true intentions in Frasier's European trip slides? And does Norm rat out a fellow employee in order to earn a promotion? Grab an orange soda, turn on the slide projector and enjoy "The Peterson Principle". (Review starts - 15:51)
It is a milestone edition of Cheers Weekly!! Why you ask? Good question! What if I told you that this is the first Cheers episode NOT directed by legendary director James Burrows? What if I told you that you will witness the debut of a future series regular who would go on to win an Emmy AND a Tony? What if I told you our guest star for this week is a future movie star who will also take your money at the poker table? And what if I told you that Ma Clavin's pretzels also make wonderful doorstops? All of that as well as an added bonus - another Frazier wedding!! Order up something bubbly, listen to Woody play the piano, and enjoy "Second Time Around"! (Review starts - 11:51)
Coming off the annual Oscars celebration, Cheers Weekly is in a reflective mode. How much artistic license should a biopic like Bohemian Rhapsody be given? How does one properly separate an artist from their creation, especially if the artist is discovered to be a morally questionable and even criminal? And most importantly, what is the proper attire for which to attend the annual Postman of the Year gala at the HoJo? Put on your favorite powder blue tuxedo, play me some bars from Misty and enjoy "Cliffie's Big Score"! (Review starts - 17:52)
Deep thoughts...brought to you by Cheers Weekly. We have an intense trilateral therapy session between Frasier, Sam and Diane. We have Randy and George discussing the proper role for The Cosby Show post criminal conviction of its lead actor. We an extended discourse on which are superior: elite network TV shows or elite cable TV shows. And we even have an Aristotle shout-out for good measure. All-in-all, pour yourself a 20-year-old Scotch and ponder "The Triangle"! (Review starts - 17:02)
Cheers Weekly focuses on one specific aspect of the human condition for this episode....conflict. Randy's conflict is with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and their inability to put on an entertaining Oscars show! Our bar gang's conflict is with a mysterious customer who causes them to turn on each other. And George's conflict is with how to properly end this week's episode. Come for the commentary, stay for the beer but you MUST listen to the last three minutes of comedy gold. Put a tune on the jukebox and enjoy "Suspicion"! (Review starts - 13:36)
How much would you pay for an authentic, game-worn Sam Malone Red Sox jersey? (FWIW - George and Randy would both pay a LOT) To what depths will Norm go to win the dairy farm account? And who exactly were those two guys giving updates on the day's events on PBS for many years? All of those questioned are answered as well as a special guest appearance by Mr. Bobo...sort of. Grab a seat while you wait for your table at Melville's and enjoy "Take My Shirt...Please"! (Review starts - 15:25)
Given this is the week of the big game in football, it is quite fitting that our episode revolves around sports gambling and its guru of prognostication, Woody Boyd. But Sam gets involved on the side of good...and everything turns bad. In addition, George and Randy discuss the role of sex and violence in top-tier TV shows as well as some good words on authenticity in friendships. Both likely due to the role of the song "Home On The Range"...which we thank Coach for. Order up a scotch and soda and enjoy "Fools and Their Money". (Review starts - 11:11)
Diane is back in school and the subject of her paper on sexual deviancy is none other than Mr. Sam Malone. Meanwhile Cliff is trying to make his squash a D-list celebrity and Woody takes on the Queen of Sports Trivia, Carla. Sex...squash...sports trivia! Now that's quite an evening! Belly up to the bar and enjoy "Dan Juan Is Hell". (Review starts - 10:07)
It's Cliff Clavin week here at Cheers Weekly! In our regular segment of "Cliff Clavin Trivia: Speaking Of...", George gets to put his The Americans expertise to the test. In our episode, we get to physically meet one-half of the DNA contribution to Cliff Clavin, his until-now absent father. And as a bonus, we get to learn about real estate fraud and just how good this month's edition of Art Forum really was. Grab a Beefeater Martini and enjoy "The Bar Stoolie". (Review starts - 13:15)
From Cheers Weekly to our loyal listeners...Happy New Year!!! And in the spirit of that new year, we have an iconic episode. Forget the National Championship Game in college football. Ignore the routine NFL playoffs. The NHL, NBA and MMA are not even on the radar. We have the sporting event for the ages...it is Cheers vs. Gary's Olde Towne Tavern!! Grab a patty melt, put on your favorite pair of bowling shoes and enjoy "From Beer to Eternity"! (Review starts - 14:28)
Would you be my? Could you be my? Won't you "Love...Thy Neighbor"? In a special holiday episode of Cheers Weekly, we receive two special gifts at the bar. First, a Saved By The Bell alum stops by the bar to help solve a burning mystery involving adulterers, jackals and fornicators. Are you Team Vera or Team Norm? The second gift is a Festivus miracle...a visit from THE Fred Dryer! (But unfortunately in voice only). Pop the champagne, look up the definition of a love bunny and enjoy this eighth episode of Season 4! (Review starts - 11:51)
Have we entered the twilight zone? Carla is taking out personal ads to find a man?!?!? Episode titles that mimic future MC Hammer songs?!?!?! Mimes!!!!! It's zany...it's crazy...but is it up to normal Cheers standards? Or are we heading down the dreaded Elvis episodes road. Grab some Bailey's and find out as Randy and George debate "2 Good To Be 4 Real". (Review starts - 7:32)
The holiday season is in full swing here at Cheers Weekly and presents abound! The large gift under the tree with a nice bow on it is George's report from the Whistler Film Festival including a fantastic interview with Mr. Movie Guy in Victoria, Jason Whyte. Randy is helping out with stocking stuffers include a review of the nine movies he consumed over the break, nicely categorized. But the gleaming house on the block with all the cool lights is our episode this week that involves Hemingway, lobster salad, the Guinness Book of World Records and Sam Malone naked as a jaybird. Grab some eggnog, gather the family and enjoy "I Will Gladly Pay You Tuesday"! (Review starts - 30:35)
It's a Halloween episode for Cheers this week as the scares and laughs are as plentiful as a fall harvest or the number words Cliff can make up in order to win a game of Boggle. Diane faces down a major fear in the person of convicted felon Andy Andy, as well as her major weakness, Sam in a velvet smoking jacket. And just as a haunted house has many highs and lows, George focuses in on the roller coaster ride that is indie filmmaking. Grab some hot cider, wear your favorite costume and enjoy "Diane's Nightmare". (Review starts - 12:12)
In what may be the first instance of paid product placement in an episode title, Cheers Weekly presents the fourth episode of Season 4, "The Groom Wore Clearasil". Carla's son isn't seeing things straight, Diane isn't interviewing great and Cliff just isn't all there. And if any of our loyal listeners happen to be a huge fan of House of Cards, you have been warned, as Randy rants on the series' final season while also describing how to make good money during election season. George rights the ship a bit with his take on the show, Collateral, while chastising Randy for his failure to sample The Romanoffs. And then to top it all off, we have an utterly shocking surprise for our ratings challenge this week. You have been warned! (Review starts - 15:40)