The eighth season of ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'', an American television sitcom, originally aired on NBC in the United States between September 21, 1989, and May 3, 1990. The show was created by director

James Burrows James Edward Burrows (born December 30, 1940), sometimes known as Jim "Jimmy" Burrows, is an American television director who has been working in television since the 1970s.Stated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' Burrows has direct ...

and writers

Glen and Les Charles Glen Gerald Charles (born February 18, 1943) and Les Charles (born March 25, 1948) are American screenwriters and television producers, best known for ''Taxi'' and '' Cheers''. Early life and careers The Charles brothers attended University o ...

under production team Charles Burrows Charles Productions, in association with

Paramount Television The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its name ...

. At the 1990

42nd Primetime Emmy Awards The 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 16, 1990. The ceremony was broadcast on Fox from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. Two networks, The Family Channel and The Disney Channel, received their first m ...

, this season won three Emmys:

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The award is presented to the best performance by a lead actor in a television comedy series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy ...

( Ted Danson), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (

Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth ( ; born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. On television, she played Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife, on both the TV sitcom ''Cheers'' (in a starring role) and its spin-off ''F ...

), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or Special. It also won the Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (

Kirstie Alley Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 ...

) at the 1991 48th Golden Globe Awards.

Background

This season premiered on September 21, 1989, and aired on Thursdays at 9:00 pm Eastern / 8:00 pm Central. Besides ''Cheers'', other series in NBC's Thursday night lineup for the 1989–90 season were '' The Cosby Show'', '' A Different World'', '' Dear John'' and ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

''. In January 1990, ''Dear John'' was shifted to Wednesdays, and the newer sitcom '' Grand'' took its spot.

Cast and characters

* Ted Danson as Sam Malone, a womanizing bartender and ex-baseball player. While he still pursues many women, he fails to impress especially classier ones. He continues his efforts to buy back Cheers, which he sold to its current owner, the Lillian Corporation, in the sixth season. *

Rebecca Howe Rebecca Howe is a fictional character of the American television sitcom ''Cheers'', portrayed by Kirstie Alley and created by Glen and Les Charles. Rebecca appeared in 147 episodes of ''Cheers'' between 1987 and 1993 and in one episode of ''Wi ...

, a corporate bar owner and manager. Since her debut in the sixth season, she has struggled to be noticed by her superiors at the Lillian Corporation. This season, she has been dating an English multimillionaire, Robin Colcord. He owns her company's competitor and plans to take over Lillian Corporation. * Rhea Perlman as

Carla Tortelli Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec, commonly known as Carla Tortelli, is a fictional character in the American television show '' Cheers'', portrayed by Rhea Perlman. Outwardly, at least, Carla is a mean-spiri ...

, a waitress and mother of eight children, including five from her first marriage. Her current husband, Eddie LeBec, dies in an accident while saving someone. She then learns that he committed bigamy by marrying another woman who is pregnant with twins, while he was still married to Carla. * John Ratzenberger as

Cliff Clavin Clifford C. Clavin, Jr. (born 1947 or 1949) is a fictional character on the American television show '' Cheers'' played by John Ratzenberger. A postal worker, he is the bar's know-it-all and was a contestant on the game show ''Jeopardy!'' Cliff ...

, a postal carrier and loquacious, barfly know-it-all. * Woody Harrelson as

Woody Boyd Woodrow Tiberius Boyd is a character on the American television show ''Cheers'', portrayed by Woody Harrelson. Woody came to Cheers at the beginning of the fourth season of ''Cheers'' in 1985 in the episode "Birth, Death, Love and Rice". Woody ...

, a dim bartender. He dates a less-than-bright rich woman named Kelly Gaines, whose family disapproves of him. * Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist now married to Lilith. Their son Frederick is born during this season. * George Wendt as Norm Peterson, an accountant and a house painter. Recurring characters *

Lilith Sternin Lilith Sternin (formerly Sternin-Crane) is a fictional character on the American television sitcoms ''Cheers'' and ''Frasier'', portrayed by Bebe Neuwirth. The character first appears as a date for Frasier Crane, though mutual hostility and disc ...

, a psychiatrist now married to Frasier. She gives birth to their son Frederick. * Roger Rees as Robin Colcord, an English multimillionaire. He dates his love interest Rebecca, who works for his competitor Lillian Corporation, and a couple other women simultaneously. He uses her to take over his competitor but then realizes that he loves her very much. *

Jackie Swanson Jackie Swanson (born June 25, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for her role on the American sitcom ''Cheers'' as Kelly Gaines the rich, simple love interest of Woody Boyd and as Amanda Hunsaker in the first Lethal Weapon movie. ...

as Kelly Gaines, a less-than-bright rich woman. She dates bartender Woody despite her family's disapproval. Swanson reprises her role as Kelly in three episodes this season.

Episodes

Specials

Production

In November 1989, actor Roger Rees told news agency Knight-Ridder Wire about Robin Colcord, the character whom Rees portrayed:

They needed a fillip, to give them a boost, someone to drive Sam
alone ALONE is a charity organization in Ireland which was set-up to highlight the issues facing older people living alone. Founded in 1977 by Willie Bermingham, the charity seeks to help elderly people living on their own who may feel isolated and lone ...
crazy. Robin's there to be dashing, sexy, irritating. He's not as charming and nice as he appears to be at first sight. He's sort of the villain of the piece. He's a megalomaniac millionaire. He's got an airline and a helicopter fleet. It's very much Donald Trump.

In January 1990, actor Rees said that he had not based "the character on anyone", despite "speculation that Colcord was a British version of Trump", wrote Phil Kloer of Cox News Service.

Critical reception

Ken Tucker of '' Entertainment Weekly'' graded the season an A−, calling it "still awfully funny". He praised the supporting characters but criticizing the development of Sam Malone and

. Jeffrey Robinson of ''DVDTalk'' rated the season's content three-and-a-half stars out of five and its replay value four out of five.

Accolades

At the

(1990), this season won three Emmys:

( Ted Danson), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (

), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or Special. Before his eighth nomination and Emmy win, Danson had seven consecutive Emmy nominations for the role of Sam Malone, and a nomination for his leading role in a 1984 television film '' Something About Amelia''. Danson also won a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) at the 47th (1990) and

48th Golden Globe Awards The 48th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1990, were held on January 19, 1991, at the Beverly Hilton. The nominations were announced on December 27, 1990. Winners and nominees Film The following ...

(1991). The 1990 season also won the Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (

) at the 48th Golden Globe Awards (1991).

DVD release

References

General references

Ratings sources

According to many newspapers, including the main source '' USA Today'', the 1989–90

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

are based on 92.1 million households that have at least one television. {{GoldenGlobeTVComedy 1990–2009 8 1989 American television seasons 1990 American television seasons