When you hear the word cheers, you might start to hear the theme song from the iconic NBC sitcom playing in your ear. Cheers was a place where “everybody knows your name.” Each week on Thursday nights, millions tuned in to watch the hijinks of a bunch of beer-drinking Bostonians. The downstairs bar was a favorite for characters Norm Peterson, Cliff Clavin, Frasier Crane, and Lilith Sternin. George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, and Bebe Neuwirth brought the beloved characters to life. Cheers’ biggest character Ted Danson‘s Sam Malone.
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During a recent podcast episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Ted said Cheers nearly went on without him. He explained the story to co-hosts Woody Harrelson and Harrison Ford.
NBC Apparently Had No Interest in Ted Danson for ‘Cheers’
Ted Danson said NBC didn’t want him on Cheers.
“I got blacklisted for ‘Cheers’ from NBC,” Ted recalled. “I mean, A memo to everybody: ‘Don’t hire him.’”
The network evidently blamed him for an ill-fated detective drama set in California that didn’t take off the way producers hoped.
“We were supposed to be father-daughter detectives in San Francisco, and it just didn’t work,” Ted said. “It sucked, and he blamed me for that, and literally, there was a memo.”
Fans loved seeing the men together and sharing stories.
“THIS!!! This right here, is probably the most iconic interview I can remember seeing. All 3 icons, all at ease with each other, and Harrison is very loose and genuinely having a ball. What a joy this was. Thank you to all three gentlemen for this,” someone wrote in the YouTube comments.
Cheers without Ted Danson simply wouldn’t have been the same. Thankfully, someone had a change of heart.
This story’s featured image is by Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
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