WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.160 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we are doing 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:05.019 something a little bit different. Yeah, very 00:00:05.019 --> 00:00:07.740 different actually. Usually we look at a specific 00:00:07.740 --> 00:00:11.039 book or maybe a scientific paper, but today we 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:13.589 are looking at a cultural artifact. Right. A 00:00:13.589 --> 00:00:16.089 piece of television history. Exactly. We are 00:00:16.089 --> 00:00:20.570 setting the coordinates for late 1988, specifically 00:00:20.570 --> 00:00:24.730 to a basement bar in Boston where everybody knows 00:00:24.730 --> 00:00:27.350 your name. I love that bar. Right. But we aren't 00:00:27.350 --> 00:00:30.030 just popping in for a quick beer. We are dissecting 00:00:30.030 --> 00:00:33.070 season seven of the legendary sitcom Cheers. 00:00:33.229 --> 00:00:35.409 And honestly, if you were a television executive 00:00:35.409 --> 00:00:38.469 in late 1988, you were probably sweating bullets. 00:00:38.710 --> 00:00:40.729 Oh, absolutely. Because this wasn't just another 00:00:40.729 --> 00:00:43.090 season of a hit show. basically a battlefield. 00:00:43.369 --> 00:00:45.929 It really was. You look at the context and it's 00:00:45.929 --> 00:00:47.829 just chaotic. We were talking about a season 00:00:47.829 --> 00:00:50.390 that didn't even premiere until October 27. Which 00:00:50.390 --> 00:00:52.909 is wildly late. Right. Usually the fall season 00:00:52.909 --> 00:00:55.929 kicks off in September like clockwork. But in 00:00:55.929 --> 00:00:59.350 1988, televisions across America were just stuck 00:00:59.350 --> 00:01:02.630 in this rerun purgatory. Because of the 1988 00:01:02.630 --> 00:01:05.730 Writers Guild of America strike. And this is 00:01:05.730 --> 00:01:07.849 a massive piece of context that we have to wrap 00:01:07.849 --> 00:01:10.090 our heads around before we even get to the jokes. 00:01:10.189 --> 00:01:12.129 For sure. The whole industry had just ground 00:01:12.129 --> 00:01:15.969 to a halt. The strike lasted 22 weeks. Over five 00:01:15.969 --> 00:01:19.109 months. Yeah, that is the longest strike in the 00:01:19.109 --> 00:01:22.049 Guild's history up to that point. So when Cheers 00:01:22.049 --> 00:01:24.870 finally came back for Season 7, the audience 00:01:24.870 --> 00:01:27.349 was definitely starving for content, but the 00:01:27.349 --> 00:01:30.930 network was... Terrified. Terrified because momentum 00:01:30.930 --> 00:01:33.670 is everything in TV, right? You take a five -month 00:01:33.670 --> 00:01:35.890 break and, you know, people might find something 00:01:35.890 --> 00:01:37.890 else to do on a Thursday night. Exactly. They 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:40.530 break the habit. Right. Plus, Cheers was getting 00:01:40.530 --> 00:01:43.390 quote -unquote old by 1988 standards. It had 00:01:43.390 --> 00:01:45.609 been on the air for six years. Shelley Long had 00:01:45.609 --> 00:01:47.890 left the previous season. The new car smell was 00:01:47.890 --> 00:01:50.290 totally gone. Yeah, the seven -year itch isn't 00:01:50.290 --> 00:01:52.629 just a movie title. It's a legitimate phenomenon 00:01:52.629 --> 00:01:56.090 in television life cycles. By year seven, writers 00:01:56.090 --> 00:01:58.950 usually run out of ideas, actors get bored, and 00:01:58.950 --> 00:02:00.890 audiences start drifting toward the shiny new 00:02:00.890 --> 00:02:02.950 thing. And look at the competition they had. 00:02:03.049 --> 00:02:06.489 NBC had this must -see TV juggernaut, but the 00:02:06.489 --> 00:02:08.909 lineup was shifting. Right. You had the Cosby 00:02:08.909 --> 00:02:11.169 show and a different world leading into Cheers. 00:02:11.509 --> 00:02:13.909 But Night Court had been moved to Wednesdays. 00:02:13.909 --> 00:02:16.509 Oh, wow. I forgot about that. Yeah. And in its 00:02:16.509 --> 00:02:18.770 place, they slotted in the new arrival, Dear 00:02:18.770 --> 00:02:21.789 John. Dear John. Now there is a deep cut. That 00:02:21.789 --> 00:02:24.169 was Judd Hirsch, right? That's the one. So Cheers 00:02:24.169 --> 00:02:26.590 was the anchor. It had to hold the line for the 00:02:26.590 --> 00:02:28.969 whole night. So the mission of this deep dive 00:02:28.969 --> 00:02:32.469 today is to figure out how they didn't just survive 00:02:32.469 --> 00:02:35.960 this turbulence, but how they thrived. We're 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:38.759 looking at how season seven cemented the rebooted 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:41.639 era of Cheers. Because this is where the show 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:44.860 stops mourning Diane Chambers and fully embraces 00:02:44.860 --> 00:02:47.620 the absolute neurosis of Kirstie Alley's Rebecca 00:02:47.620 --> 00:02:50.240 Howell. And it's also where the ensemble really 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:52.560 takes over. I think that's the key takeaway I 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:54.139 got from reading through all these episode guides 00:02:54.139 --> 00:02:56.879 and critical essays. Oh, 100%. In the early years, 00:02:56.919 --> 00:02:59.099 you could argue the show was basically the Sam 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:01.259 and Diane story featuring some guys at a bar. 00:03:01.689 --> 00:03:04.229 But by season seven, it is a true ensemble piece. 00:03:04.449 --> 00:03:07.430 You have Frasier and Lilith becoming comedy heavyweights. 00:03:07.490 --> 00:03:10.750 Woody dealing with class warfare. And Cliff, 00:03:10.770 --> 00:03:13.150 well, Cliff electrocuting himself. We will definitely 00:03:13.150 --> 00:03:15.469 get to the electrocution later. But you're right. 00:03:15.530 --> 00:03:18.169 This season is the bridge. It connects the classic 00:03:18.169 --> 00:03:22.090 era to the final era. And it all hinges on one 00:03:22.090 --> 00:03:25.490 character. Rebecca Howe. Let's unpack Rebecca, 00:03:25.770 --> 00:03:28.610 because looking back at season six, her introduction 00:03:28.610 --> 00:03:32.150 was very specific. She was the anti -Diane. Exactly. 00:03:32.169 --> 00:03:34.250 She was a businesswoman. She wore those power 00:03:34.250 --> 00:03:36.129 suits with shoulder pads that could take out 00:03:36.129 --> 00:03:38.430 a linebacker. They were massive. She was cool. 00:03:38.530 --> 00:03:41.270 She was collected. And she rejected Sam, not 00:03:41.270 --> 00:03:42.990 because she was above him intellectually like 00:03:42.990 --> 00:03:45.509 Diane did, but just because he was an employee. 00:03:45.770 --> 00:03:47.830 Right. She was the ice queen. That was the archetype 00:03:47.830 --> 00:03:50.229 they were going for. But here's the problem with 00:03:50.229 --> 00:03:52.409 an ice queen in a sitcom. It gets boring fast. 00:03:52.669 --> 00:03:56.400 So fast. A competent, successful person who enters 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:59.460 a room, gives orders, and leaves. That's not 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:02.180 funny. That's just a boss. So season seven is 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:05.099 basically the writers taking a sledgehammer to 00:04:05.099 --> 00:04:08.319 that Ice Queen facade. It is a total deconstruction. 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:10.699 And it's brilliant. Critics at the time noticed 00:04:10.699 --> 00:04:13.139 it immediately. Even though some critics still 00:04:13.139 --> 00:04:15.520 thought she wasn't as compelling as Diane, others 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:18.379 specifically praised Kirstie Alley as this solid 00:04:18.379 --> 00:04:22.100 comic force. Because of that over -the -top portrayal 00:04:22.100 --> 00:04:25.019 of neurosis. She goes from being the person in 00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:28.819 control to the person who is desperately, sweatingly, 00:04:28.819 --> 00:04:31.660 panickedly pretending to be in control. And nothing 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:34.019 illustrates that better than her obsession with 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:35.699 the corporate ladder. The Lillian Corporation. 00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:38.839 Yes. In season six, the corporation was just 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.079 her employer. In season seven, it's her religion. 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:45.060 She is chasing approval from these faceless executives 00:04:45.060 --> 00:04:48.860 with a fervor that is almost pathological. It 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:51.899 creates this fantastic engine for stories. She 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:54.199 isn't motivated by romance. She's motivated by 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:57.189 a promotion. Take the executive suite saga. This 00:04:57.189 --> 00:04:59.629 is episodes three and four. It's a two -parter, 00:04:59.670 --> 00:05:01.889 which signals that the writers knew they had 00:05:01.889 --> 00:05:03.790 something big here. This is the Martin Thiel 00:05:03.790 --> 00:05:06.389 arc, and it is painful to watch in the best way 00:05:06.389 --> 00:05:09.509 possible. So painful. Rebecca finds out there 00:05:09.509 --> 00:05:11.829 is a new executive vice president, Martin Thiel. 00:05:12.189 --> 00:05:15.110 She has never met him, but she is already intimidated. 00:05:15.490 --> 00:05:17.449 She's prepping her speeches, fixing her hair, 00:05:17.509 --> 00:05:19.449 trying to look perfect. And then she gets stuck 00:05:19.449 --> 00:05:22.069 in an elevator with a young guy. He's short, 00:05:22.149 --> 00:05:23.810 he looks about 19 years old, and he's hitting 00:05:23.810 --> 00:05:26.180 on her. So she does what any highly professional 00:05:26.180 --> 00:05:28.519 corporate climber would do. She dismisses him. 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:31.079 She treats him like a total gnat. Because in 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:33.899 her mind, power looks like an old white guy in 00:05:33.899 --> 00:05:37.319 a suit. It doesn't look like this kid. But then 00:05:37.319 --> 00:05:40.579 the doors open and... The kid is Martin Thiel. 00:05:40.779 --> 00:05:43.379 The nepotism hire. The look on Kirstie Alley's 00:05:43.379 --> 00:05:45.939 face when that realization hits is pure gold. 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:48.959 But this is where the neurosis kicks in. Right, 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.259 because a normal person might apologize. A normal 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:53.560 person might make a joke of it. But Rebecca how? 00:05:54.029 --> 00:05:56.730 She invents a complex lie that she is in a serious 00:05:56.730 --> 00:05:59.589 relationship with the bartender Sam Malone. Just 00:05:59.589 --> 00:06:01.589 to make herself unavailable so Teal doesn't fire 00:06:01.589 --> 00:06:03.870 her or hit on her again. It's the classic sitcom 00:06:03.870 --> 00:06:06.649 lie that spirals way out of control, but the 00:06:06.649 --> 00:06:09.829 stakes feel so high for her. She is so terrified 00:06:09.829 --> 00:06:12.589 of losing her status that she agrees to let Sam 00:06:12.589 --> 00:06:15.110 play her boyfriend. And Martin Teal, being the 00:06:15.110 --> 00:06:18.230 petty tyrant he is, rehires her as the manager, 00:06:18.410 --> 00:06:21.740 but demotes Sam back to bartender. It shifts 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:24.500 the power dynamic in the bar instantly. But the 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:27.060 escalation is what defines this season. Rebecca 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:29.060 can't just tell the truth. She digs the hole 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:31.439 deeper and deeper. It gets to the point where 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:33.899 Martin Thiel actually proposes marriage. And 00:06:33.899 --> 00:06:36.480 she accepts. Well, she doesn't say no. She faints. 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:39.000 She literally loses consciousness rather than 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:42.060 deal with the confrontation. That is the definition 00:06:42.060 --> 00:06:44.540 of the season seven Rebecca. Avoidance through 00:06:44.540 --> 00:06:46.779 physical collapse. And it leads to that insane 00:06:46.779 --> 00:06:49.949 climax where she's in the wedding dress. ready 00:06:49.949 --> 00:06:52.730 to fly to Cancun with this man -child she completely 00:06:52.730 --> 00:06:55.790 despises just to keep the corporate dream alive. 00:06:56.089 --> 00:06:58.769 Sam has to essentially stage a rescue mission. 00:06:58.990 --> 00:07:02.310 It's farce, pure and simple. But it works because 00:07:02.310 --> 00:07:04.269 we believe her desperation. We saw it in the 00:07:04.269 --> 00:07:06.790 premiere, too. How to recede in business. Oh, 00:07:06.810 --> 00:07:08.709 yeah, she gets fired by another VP, Greg Stone. 00:07:08.930 --> 00:07:10.970 And she claws her way back in, but the terms 00:07:10.970 --> 00:07:12.990 are humiliating. She has to work as a waitress 00:07:12.990 --> 00:07:15.910 under Carla. Under Carla. That is the seventh 00:07:15.910 --> 00:07:18.629 circle of hell for Rebecca. Carla hates her. 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:21.540 Carla wants to destroy her. But Rebecca takes 00:07:21.540 --> 00:07:25.560 the job. Yeah. And why? This is the detail that 00:07:25.560 --> 00:07:27.879 I just love. It's not because she needs to pay 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:30.660 rent. No, it's because she ordered a red Mercedes 00:07:30.660 --> 00:07:33.750 -Benz. That is such a telling character detail. 00:07:33.949 --> 00:07:36.430 She is willing to be humiliated serving beer 00:07:36.430 --> 00:07:38.970 to Norm and Cliff, getting yelled at by Carla, 00:07:39.110 --> 00:07:41.649 just as she can drive a car that projects the 00:07:41.649 --> 00:07:44.310 image of success. It's the fake it till you make 00:07:44.310 --> 00:07:46.850 it mentality taken to a pathological extreme. 00:07:47.170 --> 00:07:49.649 There's one scene though that I think tops even 00:07:49.649 --> 00:07:52.310 the wedding dress fainting. It's in episode 15, 00:07:52.490 --> 00:07:54.509 Don't Paint Your Chickens. Oh, I know exactly 00:07:54.509 --> 00:07:56.290 where you're going. The window washer scene. 00:07:56.470 --> 00:08:00.100 The physical comedy here is... Maybe the best 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:02.100 Kirstie Alley ever did on the show. The setup 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:05.519 is that she's trying to impress another executive, 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:08.120 Mr. Anawalt. She's pitched him on using Norm 00:08:08.120 --> 00:08:10.939 as a corporate painter. Which is already a shaky 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:13.480 premise. Very shaky. Right. But the deal falls 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:16.360 through. Norm is outside on the window washing 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:18.959 scaffolding. And he holds up a giant sign that 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:21.920 says NOJOB. He's trying to tell her the bad news 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.180 from outside. But Anawalt is in the office with 00:08:24.180 --> 00:08:26.339 Rebecca. So Rebecca has to block the window. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:28.860 But she can't just close the blinds because that 00:08:28.860 --> 00:08:31.680 would be suspicious. So she uses her body. She's 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:34.019 spreading her arms. She's moving her head to 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:37.299 block specific letters. It's this frantic, ridiculous 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:40.500 dance. And the dialogue makes it perfect. She 00:08:40.500 --> 00:08:42.940 is shouting at Anna while demanding respect, 00:08:43.059 --> 00:08:45.860 telling him he doesn't appreciate her talent. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:47.840 All while looking like a mime having a seizure. 00:08:48.269 --> 00:08:50.190 And the irony is Anna Walt loves it. He thinks 00:08:50.190 --> 00:08:51.889 she's showing courage. He's about to promote 00:08:51.889 --> 00:08:54.570 her. He's impressed by her fire. And then the 00:08:54.570 --> 00:08:57.549 FBI busts in. Insider trading. Anna Walt gets 00:08:57.549 --> 00:08:59.330 hauled away in handcuffs right in front of her. 00:08:59.450 --> 00:09:02.009 It's the cosmic joke of season seven. Every time 00:09:02.009 --> 00:09:04.269 Rebecca gets close to the sun, the sun turns 00:09:04.269 --> 00:09:06.649 out to be a heat lamp and it burns out. The universe 00:09:06.649 --> 00:09:09.950 absolutely refuses to let her succeed, which 00:09:09.950 --> 00:09:12.070 is what keeps her trapped in the bar. Which brings 00:09:12.070 --> 00:09:14.769 us to the other major shift, the Sam and Rebecca 00:09:14.769 --> 00:09:17.860 dynamic. In the early years with Diane. It was 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:19.940 intellectual warfare. It was the taming of the 00:09:19.940 --> 00:09:22.379 shrew. But with Rebecca, especially in season 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:25.779 seven, it becomes something sleazier, but also 00:09:25.779 --> 00:09:28.500 maybe more grounded. It's about leverage. It's 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:31.039 definitely not poetry. Take Hot Rocks, episode 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:35.159 17. The plot is absurd. Admiral William J. Crow, 00:09:35.259 --> 00:09:37.240 the actual chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 00:09:37.379 --> 00:09:40.340 visits the bar. Which, by the way, is a massive 00:09:40.340 --> 00:09:42.460 testament to the show's power. They got the sitting 00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:45.059 chairman to do a cameo. And after he leaves, 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:48.039 Rebecca's $32 ,000 diamond earrings are missing. 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:51.340 And her immediate leap of logic is, the chairman 00:09:51.340 --> 00:09:53.740 of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stole my jewelry. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:57.179 Paranoia. Again, the neurosis. She completely 00:09:57.179 --> 00:10:00.659 spirals. But Sam, Sam keeps a cool head. He looks 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:02.879 around and he spots the earrings. They fell into 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:05.100 a glass of water on the table. Now a good friend 00:10:05.100 --> 00:10:08.200 would say, hey, here they are. A romantic partner 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:11.019 might say, oh, thank God you're safe. Sam alone. 00:10:11.259 --> 00:10:14.139 Sam alone sees an opportunity. He realizes that 00:10:14.139 --> 00:10:16.759 if she finds them, she will be flooded with relief 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.720 and endorphins. So he stages the scene. He literally 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:22.679 lies down on the table, posing like a centerfold 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:24.639 next to the water glass, waiting for her to spot 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:26.519 them so he can capitalize on the moment. It's 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:29.379 predatory, but it's played for laughs. It highlights 00:10:29.379 --> 00:10:31.659 that their relationship is a game of tat and 00:10:31.659 --> 00:10:34.080 rouse. But then at the end of that episode, they 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:36.259 drop the facade for a second. The test kiss. 00:10:36.789 --> 00:10:38.529 Right. They decide to see if there's actually 00:10:38.529 --> 00:10:41.309 anything there. They kiss. They pull apart. Sam 00:10:41.309 --> 00:10:45.210 says, nah. Rebecca says, nah. But then when Sam 00:10:45.210 --> 00:10:48.909 walks away, Rebecca whispers, maybe. And Sam 00:10:48.909 --> 00:10:52.129 hears it. He pops back in with a ha. It ruined 00:10:52.129 --> 00:10:54.529 the moment, but it saved the tension. It told 00:10:54.529 --> 00:10:57.789 the audience, we know you know. We're getting 00:10:57.789 --> 00:11:00.330 there. But not yet. It kept the engine running 00:11:00.330 --> 00:11:03.759 without stalling it. Exactly. But while Sam and 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:05.980 Rebecca were playing these mind games, the rest 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:08.299 of the cast was doing some heavy lifting. We 00:11:08.299 --> 00:11:10.759 called this deep dive the rise of the ensemble 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:13.419 for a reason. And I think the MVP candidates 00:11:13.419 --> 00:11:16.460 for season seven have to be Frasier and Lewis. 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.399 Without a doubt. If you want to see the birth 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:20.820 of the show Frasier, you watch Cheers season 00:11:20.820 --> 00:11:23.159 seven. This is the year where the writers realized 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:25.840 that the domestic life of two uptight psychiatrists 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:28.279 is an endless font of comedy. We have to talk 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:31.330 about the crane makers. Episode 16. I will go 00:11:31.330 --> 00:11:33.269 on record saying this might be the funniest 22 00:11:33.269 --> 00:11:35.090 minutes of the entire season. It's a masterpiece. 00:11:35.409 --> 00:11:38.190 The premise is so simple, yet so perfect for 00:11:38.190 --> 00:11:40.789 them. Fraser writes an article on the emotional 00:11:40.789 --> 00:11:43.429 alienation of the modern man or something similar, 00:11:43.590 --> 00:11:45.850 and he convinces himself that he and Lilith have 00:11:45.850 --> 00:11:49.429 become too soft. Too urban. So they decide to 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:51.649 return to nature. They are going to live off 00:11:51.649 --> 00:11:54.529 the land. In a cabin in Maine. No electricity. 00:11:55.389 --> 00:11:58.389 No running water. Just two people who have never 00:11:58.389 --> 00:12:00.850 held a tool in their lives trying to survive. 00:12:01.190 --> 00:12:03.389 The visual of Frasier Crane in his expensive 00:12:03.389 --> 00:12:05.850 flannel that looks brand new, trying to start 00:12:05.850 --> 00:12:08.529 a fire by banging two rocks together, is etched 00:12:08.529 --> 00:12:10.409 into my brain forever. He's getting increasingly 00:12:10.409 --> 00:12:13.090 frustrated. His voice is rising to that shouty 00:12:13.090 --> 00:12:16.649 baritone. And Lilith. Baby Newworth. is incredible 00:12:16.649 --> 00:12:19.710 here she is sitting in the corner freezing starving 00:12:19.710 --> 00:12:22.809 and what is she doing to comfort herself she's 00:12:22.809 --> 00:12:25.409 reading a zagat guide yes she's reading a restaurant 00:12:25.409 --> 00:12:28.370 review aloud the duck was succulent with a hint 00:12:28.370 --> 00:12:32.129 of orange glaze it's pure masochism it highlights 00:12:32.129 --> 00:12:34.429 the fundamental irony of their characters perfectly 00:12:34.429 --> 00:12:37.389 they analyze human behavior for a living but 00:12:37.389 --> 00:12:39.490 they have zero understanding of their own basic 00:12:39.490 --> 00:12:42.110 needs they think they can just decide to be rustic 00:12:42.110 --> 00:12:45.639 but they are creatures of comfort And the resolution 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:47.639 is perfect. They don't just give up, they flee. 00:12:47.740 --> 00:12:50.539 They burst back into tears. Cheers later in the 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:52.740 episode, disheveled, covered in soot, looking 00:12:52.740 --> 00:12:55.340 like they just survived war. And they order the 00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:58.120 most expensive processed food available. It solidifies 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:00.879 their identity. They are the other. They don't 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:02.759 fit in the bar, but they definitely don't fit 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:06.120 in the woods. They exist in this bubble of pretension 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:08.759 that only they can inhabit. And then, of course, 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:11.100 there's the pregnancy. I kid you not. Episode 00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:15.649 14. Lilith reveals she's pregnant. Which adds 00:13:15.649 --> 00:13:18.889 real stakes to their whole dynamic. The scene 00:13:18.889 --> 00:13:20.789 where they try to practice parenting with Carla's 00:13:20.789 --> 00:13:24.409 son Ludlow is a disaster. Ludlow is a smart kid. 00:13:24.730 --> 00:13:27.549 Very manipulative. He gives Frasier a hot foot. 00:13:27.750 --> 00:13:29.950 He lights his shoelaces on fire. While they're 00:13:29.950 --> 00:13:32.129 at the opera. It shows that for all their book 00:13:32.129 --> 00:13:34.429 smarts, they're completely unprepared for the 00:13:34.429 --> 00:13:36.970 chaos of a child. It's a great setup for the 00:13:36.970 --> 00:13:39.879 whole Frederick arc. Also, there's Norm. Is that 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:42.879 you? Episode 6? Where Frasier and Lilith fire 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:45.299 their decorator and Norm takes over. Showing 00:13:45.299 --> 00:13:47.220 again how their high class world is constantly 00:13:47.220 --> 00:13:49.759 colliding with the blue collar bar world. Exactly. 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:52.700 Moving down the bar though, we have Woody. Season 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:55.279 7 was huge for Woody Boyd because it introduced 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:57.620 Kelly Gaines. Played by Jackie Swanson. This 00:13:57.620 --> 00:13:59.700 is a brilliant tactical move by the writers. 00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:03.259 Woody is the innocent form boy. How do you generate 00:14:03.259 --> 00:14:06.360 conflict for a guy who has absolutely no malice? 00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:08.019 You put him in a world he doesn't understand. 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:11.080 You put him in high society. Kelly is the daughter 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:13.019 of one of the heads of the Lillian Corporation. 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:16.320 She is wealthy beyond comprehension. But she's 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.120 also, well, she's not the sharpest knife in the 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:20.500 drawer either. She's Woody's intellectual match 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:22.600 just from a completely different tax bracket. 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:25.000 But the conflict comes from the class difference. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:28.600 It's this Romeo and Juliet angle, but with way 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:32.120 more laughs. We have to discuss the gift of the 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:36.039 Woody, episode 19. It tackles this head on. It's 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:38.740 Kelly's birthday. Woody wants to get her a gift. 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:40.279 But then he sees what her friends are giving 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:44.320 her. Diamond necklaces. Sports cars. And Woody 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:46.200 has a bartender salary. He can't compete with 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.740 that. So Frasier, in his infinite and usually 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:51.539 wrong wisdom, tells Woody to give her something 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:54.720 priceless. A gift from the heart. A song. The 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:56.820 Kelly song. If you are listening to this and 00:14:56.820 --> 00:14:58.919 you haven't heard this song, you are missing 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:02.000 a piece of television history. Woody gets up 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:03.980 at this fancy party. He's wearing his tuxedo. 00:15:04.100 --> 00:15:06.730 He sits at the piano. and he begins to sing, 00:15:06.870 --> 00:15:09.169 Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly. He 00:15:09.169 --> 00:15:12.049 just says her name over and over again with different 00:15:12.049 --> 00:15:15.549 inflections. K -E -L -L -Y. Why? Because you're 00:15:15.549 --> 00:15:18.529 Kelly. It is excruciatingly simple. The guests, 00:15:18.570 --> 00:15:20.950 these huge snobs, are staring at him like he's 00:15:20.950 --> 00:15:23.509 an alien. There is a character named Nash, the 00:15:23.509 --> 00:15:26.730 quintessential rich jerk, who is just ready to 00:15:26.730 --> 00:15:29.529 tear him apart. But the twist is, Kelly loves 00:15:29.529 --> 00:15:31.909 it. Because she's simple too. She thinks it's 00:15:31.909 --> 00:15:34.620 beautiful. But Woody, Woody feels the shame. 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:36.860 He sees the reaction of the room. And this is 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:38.980 where the show gives Woody so much dignity. He 00:15:38.980 --> 00:15:40.919 doesn't want to be the court jester. He realizes, 00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:43.740 I can't afford this world. He goes out and spends 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:46.779 every dime he has on an expensive pendant, putting 00:15:46.779 --> 00:15:49.779 himself in massive debt just to feel equal to 00:15:49.779 --> 00:15:52.399 her peers. It's funny, but it's also genuinely 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:55.370 heartbreaking. It grounded Woody. He wasn't just 00:15:55.370 --> 00:15:57.889 a cartoon character. He was a guy who knew he 00:15:57.889 --> 00:15:59.990 was out of his depth, but loved this girl enough 00:15:59.990 --> 00:16:02.950 to drown for her. That balance of heart and absurdity 00:16:02.950 --> 00:16:05.590 is what Cheers did so well. Woody also had a 00:16:05.590 --> 00:16:08.549 big moment in Bar Wars 2, episode 10. The prank 00:16:08.549 --> 00:16:11.950 war against Gary's Old Town Tavern. Woody gets 00:16:11.950 --> 00:16:14.629 hung upside down outside Cheers. The ultimate 00:16:14.629 --> 00:16:17.210 gotcha moment where the Cheers gang tricks Gary 00:16:17.210 --> 00:16:19.690 into thinking he won only to reveal the judge 00:16:19.690 --> 00:16:23.120 was Carla's neighbor. Classic ensemble work. 00:16:23.299 --> 00:16:26.100 And speaking of absurdity, Cliff Clavin. Cliff 00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:28.740 had a very strange year. Strange is putting it 00:16:28.740 --> 00:16:31.000 mildly. The writers really decided to push the 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:32.899 envelope with him. Let's talk about the shock 00:16:32.899 --> 00:16:35.360 therapy episode, How to Win Friends and Electrocute 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:38.899 People. Episode 7. Cliff finally realizes, or 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:41.679 is told forcefully, that nobody likes his little 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:44.639 -known facts. He's annoying. So he tries a behavioral 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:46.539 modification technique. Which is straight up 00:16:46.539 --> 00:16:48.519 laboratory psychology. He gives a shock button 00:16:48.519 --> 00:16:50.620 to a therapist. Every time Cliff acts like a 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:52.799 know -it -all, the therapist zaps him. It's dark. 00:16:52.899 --> 00:16:55.139 It's basically torturing a patron in a bar. But 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:57.399 the comedy comes from the escalation. The therapist 00:16:57.399 --> 00:17:00.100 leaves the clicker. And eventually, the remote 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:02.620 control for the shocks ends up in the hands of 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:05.599 the bar patrons. Carla gets it. Carla gets it. 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:08.440 And you can imagine exactly how that goes. Cliff 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:10.640 is just getting buzzed left and right. But then 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:14.380 in a moment of pure hubris, Cliff tries to prove 00:17:14.380 --> 00:17:16.819 he's cured and he ends up shocking himself. It's 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:19.839 slapstick, but it underlines that Cliff's personality 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:22.759 is immutable. You can electrocute him, but he's 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:24.500 still going to tell you about the migration patterns 00:17:24.500 --> 00:17:27.599 of the buffalo. He also had a romance this season. 00:17:27.880 --> 00:17:31.079 A doomed one, but a romance. Maggie O 'Keefe. 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:34.509 The trainee postal worker? This was in Please 00:17:34.509 --> 00:17:37.269 Mr. Postman, episode 12. They are in a motel 00:17:37.269 --> 00:17:39.990 room. It's scandalous for Cliff. But they are 00:17:39.990 --> 00:17:42.890 there because postal regulations. Supposedly. 00:17:42.970 --> 00:17:45.630 Cliff invents these ridiculous rules. But the 00:17:45.630 --> 00:17:47.549 farce kicks in when they have to explain why 00:17:47.549 --> 00:17:49.750 the postal truck is parked outside the motel. 00:17:49.789 --> 00:17:51.609 Cliff tells the police or the neighbors that 00:17:51.609 --> 00:17:54.069 the truck was hijacked. By thugs. By armed thugs. 00:17:54.150 --> 00:17:56.650 It spirals out of control. Maggie gets fired 00:17:56.650 --> 00:17:59.190 and she decides to move to Canada to work for 00:17:59.190 --> 00:18:01.309 Canada Post. And she asks Cliff to go with her. 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:04.619 This is the Casablanca moment for Cliff Flavin. 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:07.220 He could leave. He could start a totally new 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:09.279 life with a woman who actually gets him. But 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:12.039 he looks around the bar, and the guys start singing. 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:14.519 The Ballad of the Green Berets. Which is such 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:17.799 a weird, specific choice. But it stirs something 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:21.319 in Cliff's patriotic, male -carrying heart. He 00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:24.240 realizes he can't leave his post. He can't leave 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.490 Boston. It's tragic. He chooses the male and 00:18:27.490 --> 00:18:31.190 the bar over love. It reinforces that these people 00:18:31.190 --> 00:18:33.549 are stuck. They are barnacles on the hole of 00:18:33.549 --> 00:18:35.730 cheers. Now, we've talked a lot about the characters 00:18:35.730 --> 00:18:37.990 on screen, but we really have to pivot to what 00:18:37.990 --> 00:18:39.849 was happening behind the cameras. Because while 00:18:39.849 --> 00:18:41.430 the audience was laughing at the shock therapy, 00:18:41.509 --> 00:18:43.069 the writing room was basically going through 00:18:43.069 --> 00:18:46.910 a divorce. This is the creative exodus. And if 00:18:46.910 --> 00:18:49.950 you are a fan of 90s television, these names 00:18:49.950 --> 00:18:53.309 are absolute titans. David Angel, Peter Casey. 00:18:54.009 --> 00:18:56.470 David Lee. The holy trinity of sitcom writing. 00:18:56.609 --> 00:18:58.549 They'd been with Cheers for years. They were 00:18:58.549 --> 00:19:00.430 instrumental in shaping the voice of the show. 00:19:00.630 --> 00:19:03.809 But in March 1989, right as season seven was 00:19:03.809 --> 00:19:06.190 wrapping up, they left. Why did they leave? To 00:19:06.190 --> 00:19:08.109 form their own production company, Grub Street 00:19:08.109 --> 00:19:11.190 Productions. Grub Street, named after the street 00:19:11.190 --> 00:19:13.569 in London famously associated with impoverished 00:19:13.569 --> 00:19:16.589 hack writers. Very self -deprecating. But their 00:19:16.589 --> 00:19:19.789 output was anything but hack work. They went 00:19:19.789 --> 00:19:22.609 on to create Wings, which ran for eight seasons 00:19:22.609 --> 00:19:25.470 on NBC. And then a few years later, they took 00:19:25.470 --> 00:19:27.930 the character of Frasier Crane and created Frasier. 00:19:27.950 --> 00:19:30.789 So when we watch season seven of Cheers, specifically 00:19:30.789 --> 00:19:32.730 episodes like The Crane Makers, we aren't just 00:19:32.730 --> 00:19:34.990 watching Cheers. We are watching the pilot testing 00:19:34.990 --> 00:19:38.250 for Frasier. 100%. Yeah. The DNA is identical. 00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:42.200 The mix of highbrow dialogue with lowbrow slapstick. 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:45.039 The social humiliation of the intellectual. That 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:47.500 is the Angel Casey Lee signature right there. 00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:49.640 When they left, they took a very specific flavor 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:51.920 with them. Cheers continued to be great, of course, 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:53.940 but the voice shifted slightly in season eight. 00:19:54.019 --> 00:19:56.299 It became a bit broader, maybe a bit wackier. 00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:59.200 Season seven is the last time you have that perfect 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:01.900 blend of the Charles Brothers' original vision 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:05.079 and the Grub Street wit. It's a massive turning 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:07.599 point in TV history. Now, speaking of history, 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:10.359 let's look at the what ifs. Because the casting 00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:12.299 files for season seven are fascinating. Oh, they 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:14.599 are so juicy. Let's talk about Rebecca's sister. 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:18.039 Episode 21, Sisterly Love. We know the sister 00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:20.779 Susan is played by Marcia Cross. She's great. 00:20:20.940 --> 00:20:23.119 She plays the perfect sister who drives Rebecca 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:25.440 crazy. But she wasn't the first choice. The role 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:27.500 was originally cast with Joan Severance. And 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:29.480 the plot, the plot was completely different. 00:20:29.619 --> 00:20:31.940 The original script had Sam Malone proposing 00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:36.420 to Susan. proposing marriage to a woman he just 00:20:36.420 --> 00:20:39.039 met. That was the idea. He would be so smitten 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:41.759 that he'd impulsively propose. That sounds wrong. 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:45.000 So wrong for the character. It felt wrong to 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:47.240 the producers, too. They realized that Marriage 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:49.720 Sam was not a character the audience wanted to 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:52.660 see yet. It felt desperate in a bad way. Plus, 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:54.759 Joan Severance had scheduling conflicts, so she 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:57.289 had to drop out anyway. So they scrapped the 00:20:57.289 --> 00:20:59.769 proposal plot entirely. And what did they replace 00:20:59.769 --> 00:21:02.069 it with? A staged murder prank. Which is infinitely 00:21:02.069 --> 00:21:05.190 better. It is. Rebecca and Sam gaslight Susan 00:21:05.190 --> 00:21:07.769 into thinking Rebecca has killed Sam. It fits 00:21:07.769 --> 00:21:09.470 the tone of the season so much better. Yeah. 00:21:09.569 --> 00:21:12.670 Dark, farcical, neurotic. Way better than a sappy 00:21:12.670 --> 00:21:14.829 romance. There was another big miss too, right? 00:21:14.890 --> 00:21:18.450 The season finale. The visiting lecher. We talked 00:21:18.450 --> 00:21:21.089 about the closet scene earlier with Rebecca hiding 00:21:21.089 --> 00:21:23.509 from Dr. Lawrence Crandall. The lecherous doctor. 00:21:24.109 --> 00:21:26.470 That was a new character, but the role was originally 00:21:26.470 --> 00:21:29.329 written for John Cleese. Basil Fawlty himself. 00:21:29.589 --> 00:21:32.369 He had won an Emmy for playing Dr. Simon Finch 00:21:32.369 --> 00:21:35.430 Royce in season five. The marriage counselor 00:21:35.430 --> 00:21:38.029 who told Sam and Diane they should never see 00:21:38.029 --> 00:21:40.450 each other again. Which was excellent advice, 00:21:40.490 --> 00:21:42.930 by the way. It really was. The writers wanted 00:21:42.930 --> 00:21:45.630 to bring him back. Imagine John Cleese in that 00:21:45.630 --> 00:21:48.109 closet scene. The physical comedy would have 00:21:48.109 --> 00:21:50.829 been nuclear. But Cleese was unavailable. So 00:21:50.829 --> 00:21:52.950 they created Dr. Crandall instead. It worked 00:21:52.950 --> 00:21:55.269 out, but it's one of those ghosts of the season 00:21:55.269 --> 00:21:57.089 that makes you wonder what could have been. I 00:21:57.089 --> 00:21:58.670 love those little behind -the -scenes nuggets. 00:21:59.069 --> 00:22:00.970 Speaking of nuggets, let's do our rapid -fire 00:22:00.970 --> 00:22:02.950 trivia section. These are the things you can 00:22:02.950 --> 00:22:05.750 drop at a party to sound smart. First up, The 00:22:05.750 --> 00:22:07.869 Mystery of the Righteous Brothers. This one drives 00:22:07.869 --> 00:22:12.210 DVD owners completely crazy. In episode 12, Please 00:22:12.210 --> 00:22:15.690 Mr. Postman Sam tries to seduce Rebecca. He finds 00:22:15.690 --> 00:22:17.690 out her favorite song from high school. And he 00:22:17.690 --> 00:22:20.630 plays it. In the original broadcast in 1988, 00:22:20.970 --> 00:22:23.410 what was the song? You've Lost That Love and 00:22:23.410 --> 00:22:26.869 Feelin'. Classic. Top Gun vibes. Exactly. But 00:22:26.869 --> 00:22:29.190 if you buy the DVDs or stream it on Paramount 00:22:29.190 --> 00:22:33.150 Plus today, you hear unchained melody. Why the 00:22:33.150 --> 00:22:35.970 change? Music rights are a nightmare. Licensing 00:22:35.970 --> 00:22:38.509 You've Lost That Love and Feelin' for perpetuity 00:22:38.509 --> 00:22:41.369 was just too expensive, so they swapped it. But 00:22:41.369 --> 00:22:44.309 here is the film theory part. It totally changes 00:22:44.309 --> 00:22:46.480 the scene. How so? You've Lost That Love and 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:48.460 Feeling is a song about a relationship dying. 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:51.359 It's a bit aggressive. Sam playing that is a 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:54.480 power move. Unchained Melody is pure, unadulterated 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:57.900 romance. Oh, my love, my darling. Exactly. When 00:22:57.900 --> 00:23:00.440 Sam plays that, it makes him seem genuinely romantic. 00:23:00.660 --> 00:23:03.180 It softens the scene. It makes Rebecca's resistance 00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:06.000 seem harder. That is wild. A copyright lawyer 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:08.579 basically changed the character motivation. Next 00:23:08.579 --> 00:23:11.779 nugget. the mouse mickey mouse i still can't 00:23:11.779 --> 00:23:13.160 believe this happened it was a special event 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:16.099 called mickey's 60th birthday it was a tv movie 00:23:16.099 --> 00:23:18.640 where mickey goes missing nbc being the network 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:21.099 integrated it into their shows so mickey mouse 00:23:21.099 --> 00:23:23.700 in the suit the actual costume character from 00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:26.180 disneyland walks into cheers and he's not just 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:29.240 a background extra he has a whole plot He's amnesiac. 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:31.859 He doesn't know who he is. He's broke. He orders 00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:34.680 two root beer floats. And Sam Malone tries to 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:37.559 pimp out Mickey Mouse. Stop it. He really does. 00:23:37.660 --> 00:23:39.960 He knows Rebecca loves, well, maybe not Mickey 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:42.000 specifically, but he thinks it'll work. He gets 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:44.140 Mickey to sing happy birthday to Rebecca. And 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:47.359 does it work? Rebecca breaks down crying. She 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:50.339 starts sobbing about being old and alone. And 00:23:50.339 --> 00:23:52.630 then she takes the mouse out to dinner. It is 00:23:52.630 --> 00:23:55.410 the most surreal intersection of corporate synergy 00:23:55.410 --> 00:23:58.089 and character depression I have ever heard of. 00:23:58.150 --> 00:24:01.849 It just shows you how big Cheers was. Disney 00:24:01.849 --> 00:24:03.829 didn't send Mickey to the Golden Girls. They 00:24:03.829 --> 00:24:07.390 sent him to the bar. Last nugget. Skydiving. 00:24:08.009 --> 00:24:10.509 Jumping Jerks, Episode 8. The peer pressure episode. 00:24:10.930 --> 00:24:14.529 Woody Cliff and Norm agree to go skydiving. They 00:24:14.529 --> 00:24:16.450 get up in the plane. They look out the door. 00:24:16.769 --> 00:24:20.079 And they realize. We are insane. So they don't 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:22.039 jump. They stay in the plane. But when they get 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:24.319 back to the bar, they lie. They act like heroes. 00:24:24.579 --> 00:24:26.940 Until Rebecca finds out. And this is where Rebecca's 00:24:26.940 --> 00:24:29.339 specific brand of crazy comes in. She doesn't 00:24:29.339 --> 00:24:31.359 just call them out. She forces them to go back 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:33.880 up. She brings a camera. She wants proof. The 00:24:33.880 --> 00:24:35.980 shot of the guys in the plane the second time, 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:39.900 absolutely paralyzed with fear, is iconic. But 00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:42.119 why does Rebecca care? She says she wants a man 00:24:42.119 --> 00:24:45.259 who never fears danger. She's projecting. She 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:47.599 wants a hero because she feels so weak herself. 00:24:47.900 --> 00:24:50.740 But the irony is, the only person in the bar 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:53.960 who actually engaged in risky behavior constantly 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:57.589 was Sam. It always circles back to Sam. Always. 00:24:58.049 --> 00:25:00.750 So we've dissected the plots, the people, and 00:25:00.750 --> 00:25:02.970 the production. But we have to ask the big question, 00:25:03.109 --> 00:25:05.690 did it work? At the time, did the gamble pay 00:25:05.690 --> 00:25:08.109 off? If you look at the Nielsen ratings, it was 00:25:08.109 --> 00:25:12.710 a massive smash. Despite the delay, season seven 00:25:12.710 --> 00:25:16.109 ended up as the fourth most watched show on television. 00:25:16.710 --> 00:25:19.670 It had a 22 .5 rating. That means nearly a quarter 00:25:19.670 --> 00:25:22.089 of all TV households were watching. That is Super 00:25:22.089 --> 00:25:25.259 Bowl numbers today. It kept NBC's Thursday night 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:27.759 dominance alive, but the critics were a little 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:29.619 more skeptical. They missed Diane, didn't they? 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:32.339 They did. Joe Stein, a prominent columnist, wrote 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:34.319 that the season felt watered down. He felt the 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:36.700 spark was gone. The Pittsburgh Post -Gazette 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:38.680 called Rebecca annoying. They didn't get the 00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:40.940 joke yet. Exactly. They thought the annoyance 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:43.039 was a flaw in the writing, not a choice in the 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:45.779 character. But over time, the appreciation grew 00:25:45.779 --> 00:25:49.720 significantly. DVD Verdict did a retrospective 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:53.519 and gave the season a 90 % score. They recognized 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:56.119 that moving away from the Sam and Diane black 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:59.019 hole allowed the rest of the universe to breathe. 00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:01.700 And the industry voters agreed. They certainly 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:04.240 did. Season seven won the Emmy for Outstanding 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:06.700 Comedy Series. It beat the Wonder Years. It beat 00:26:06.700 --> 00:26:09.339 the Golden Girls. Plus, Woody Harrelson and Rhea 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:12.000 Perlman both won Emmys for Supporting Actor and 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:14.700 Actress. That is a statement. That is the industry 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:19.240 saying. We see what you did. You reinvented the 00:26:19.240 --> 00:26:21.480 wheel while the car was moving. It validated 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:24.299 the ensemble approach. It validated Kirstie Alley. 00:26:24.359 --> 00:26:26.920 It proved the show wasn't just a fluke. So as 00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:28.880 we wrap up, let's try to summarize the legacy 00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:31.440 of this specific season. I view Season 7 as the 00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:34.059 stabilization season. Season 6 was the shock 00:26:34.059 --> 00:26:36.720 of the new, with Rebecca arriving. Season 7 is 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:38.940 where the concrete dried. It established the 00:26:38.940 --> 00:26:41.240 rules for the rest of the series run. Rebecca 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:43.940 is a mess. The ensemble carries the B plots. 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:47.200 The tone is broader. And it's the incubator. 00:26:47.299 --> 00:26:49.500 That's the most important part for me. Without 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:52.480 season seven, without Angel, Casey, and Lee experimenting 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:55.339 with the cranes, without that specific friction 00:26:55.339 --> 00:26:58.640 between high culture and low culture, we might 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:00.779 never have gotten Frasier. And Frasier went on 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:03.640 to win more Emmys than Cheers. In a way, season 00:27:03.640 --> 00:27:07.079 seven of Cheers is the grandfather of 20 years 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:11.059 of NBC comedy dominance. It's the keystone. Remove 00:27:11.059 --> 00:27:14.430 it. and the arch collapses. I think we have successfully 00:27:14.430 --> 00:27:17.529 unpacked the neurotic strike -delayed Emmy -winning 00:27:17.529 --> 00:27:20.769 chaos of 1988. I think so, too. Whether you are 00:27:20.769 --> 00:27:23.230 currently hiding from your boss in a closet trying 00:27:23.230 --> 00:27:25.430 to impress a rich girl with a terrible song, 00:27:25.589 --> 00:27:28.390 or just trying to start a fire with two rocks, 00:27:28.690 --> 00:27:31.109 remember, everyone starts somewhere, and these 00:27:31.109 --> 00:27:33.349 characters definitely paved the way for modern 00:27:33.349 --> 00:27:35.430 television. Thanks for listening. We'll catch 00:27:35.430 --> 00:27:36.309 you on the next Deep Dive.