Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 03:11, 16 August 2012

Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, also known as Sam and Diane, are fictional characters in the American television series Cheers. Sam Malone, a working class and retired athlete turned bartender, was portrayed by Ted Danson, and Diane Chambers, a college graduate and cocktail waitress, was portrayed by Shelley Long. Danson remained on Cheers for the entire run of the series. Long was part of the regular cast from the 1982 series premiere "Give Me a Ring Sometime" to the fifth season finale "I Do, Adieu" (1987); she made one special return appearance in the 1993 series finale "One for the Road."

In the first five seasons, Sam and Diane both flirt with each other and condemn each other as social class opposites. They repeatedly consummate their relationship and then break up. When they're not together, Sam has flings with many women, while Diane has relationships with men who fit her upper-class ideals, such as Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). Each of the first four season finales ends with a cliffhanger. In "I Do, Adieu" (1987), they attempt to marry, but then agree to call off the wedding as Diane leaves Cheers and Sam behind for a writing career. In the series finale, Sam and Diane are reunited after six years of separation, become engaged again, and finally break up again because they realize that they are never meant for each other.

The pairing of Sam and Diane has been "the most discussed since Romeo and Juliet", but it has also produced mixed reactions. Some people condemned the relationship for alienating viewers by dominating the show and taking away the original premise of Cheers. Some others criticized the pairing as mismatched and felt that Sam and Diane do not deserve each other. Some others praised the pairing as if it were the core of the show. Some others praised Sam and Diane as one of the top favorites. Some others have compared Sam and Diane to other couples of later shows, such as Moonlighting and Friends, for sexual tension and will-they-won't-they situations.

Creation and casting

The creators Glen and Les Charles and James Burrows originally planned Sam and Diane to be an ex-athlete and an executive businesswoman involved in a "love-hate" relationship. The concept evolved into a "pretentious, college-student relationship with Sam," an ex-baseball player. After Shelley Long's departure, the original concept was revisited, with Long's replacement, Kirstie Alley, as Rebecca Howe.

Before Cheers premiered in September 1982, the creators tested three actors and three actresses for their respective male and female roles: William Devane and Lisa Eichhorn, Fred Dryer and Julia Duffy, and Ted Danson and Shelley Long. Originally, Sam Malone was "a former wide receiver for the New England Patriots," and Fred Dryer was initially considered for that role because he was a football player. However, NBC executives praised test scenes between Ted Danson and Shelley Long, so the creators chose this pair instead. Therefore, Sam transformed into a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

We tried all kinds of combinations. Casting is vital, especially in this show where there's sexual dynamics tension between the two main characters. That hasn't been tried in a sitcom before.

— Glen Charles, United Press International, July 11, 1982

• Other contenders
• Lisa Eichhorn
• Julia Duffy
• Fred Dryer

Writing development

The creators, Glen and Les Charles and James Burrows, perceived a trend of romantic movies that starred Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn as an inspiration of Sam and Diane. Nevertheless, they intended Cheers to be a comedy about a comedy itself set in the Boston bar, but, as Burrows claimed, the "Sam and Diane" romance predominated the show for five years. As he hypothesized, the couple would have make the bar more of a minor role and more irrelevant if Shelley Long had not left the show as Diane Chambers in 1987. Over the years, with an exception of Shelley Long's last regular episode "I Do, Adieu" (1987) and the series finale "One for the Road", every season finale that primarily focuses on Sam and Diane ends with a cliffhanger. With Long leaving Cheers, producers made plans to revamp the show without losing its initial premise, and then they credited Long's departure for saving the series from cancellation. As Les Charles observed, Sam was a "straight man" to Diane; after Long's departure, he became more "carefree" and a "goof-off" in later seasons.

Relationship

Season 1: 1982–1983

Sam and Diane had nothing in common beyond a mutual physical attraction, which he spent the first season trying to exploit, while she kept him at bay with witty put-downs.

In January 1983, as Shelley Long observed, "the core" of Cheers are Sam and Diane because of the "chemistry" and the resistance toward each other, yet the producers felt that the relationship must consummate at the right time. Even the creators stated that Long and Danson "were easier to write for and had more potential than ."

In the series premiere, "Give Me a Ring Sometime" (1982), Diane Chambers, a college student, comes to Cheers and meets Sam Malone, a recovering alcoholic and a womanizer, for the first time. While she waits for her fiancé Sumner, Diane realizes that Sumner is not coming back to her, and that she is jobless and penniless, with nothing else left in her life. Sam offers Diane a job as a cocktail waitress, and she accepts.

During the whole season, Sam and Diane are involved in numerous scenes of flirtation and rejection, yet their relationship never consummates. In the book Primetime Propaganda, an author Ben Shapiro represented Sam and Diane as each other's opposites who clash each other over class and then resolve their differences. Shapiro called Sam Malone a "lower-class conservative" and "a dog, a feminist caricature of men." He called Diane an "elitist liberal" of a "high culture" and "the conscience of the show and solid feminist", who outsmarts Sam over morality. Diane's taunting toward Sam and his class " the first inkling of the yuppie conundrum that would haunt liberals throughout the 1980s."

In "Sam's Women" (1982), Diane mocks Sam's preference for less-than-bright women and then assures that Sam would not win a "smart woman" after his unsuccessful dates with every one. However, Sam compares her eyes to the "sky is blue" story, and then Diane is nearly touched by the tale, which she then denies. In "Sam at Eleven" (1982), when Sam's post-career interview was cut short, Diane wants to cheer him up. Then Sam attempts to kiss Diane, but she flips him onto the pool table and chides him for that. Nevertheless, she is reluctantly curious about the kiss and, to make up for that, wants to hear more about his baseball stories, which he continues telling at the end. In "Diane's Perfect Date" (1983), after their disastrous dates, Sam and Diane realize that they may be perfect for each other.

In "No Contest" (1983), Sam registers Diane into the Miss Barmaid Contest, which she considers sexist and degrading to women. She finds out and becomes angry about this, so she plans to ruin the contest by a feminist action. However, she accepts prizes that she won, including two tickets to Bermuda with a gentleman other than Sam, which "" her. In "Someone Single, Someone Blue" (1983), Diane attempts to marry Sam for her fortune under her father's expiring will, but Sam becomes distracted by another woman. Then they argue, but Diane's mother stops the wedding, which foils an inheritance plan. (Nevertheless, the chauffeur still has money left to support Diane's mother.)

In "Showdown, Part One" (1983), the penultimate episode of the season, Sam's successful, handsome, educated brother Derek, unseen and voiced by George Ball, arrives into the bar and then cheers the crowd. Sam has been envious about his brother's success, but Diane considers him handsome as any other man. However, Sam gives blessings to Diane and Derek, who start dating each other. In Part Two, the season finale, Diane becomes torn between successful Derek and "bubblegum" Sam. Later, Sam and Diane admit their feelings for each other and no greater comparison to their own, respectively, jealousy and feelings for Derek. At the end, after arguments and negative remarks, Sam and Diane finally make passionate kiss in the bar office.

Season 2: 1983–1984

After they became a they, it wasn't as if all the problems had been solved. These are two very different characters, each with a spunk but as mismatched as baseball spikes and dress pumps.

During the whole season, the relationship of Sam and Diane is consummated but then becomes dysfunctional. Sam and Diane love each other but maintain their initial antagonistic relationship style toward each other. Their pride and jealousy are often the cause of conflict, and their characteristic bickering continues, though more often than not, their love for each other overcomes any issues, such as breaking up and ending up together again.

Major conflicts arise toward the end of the second season. In "Fortune and Men's Weight" (1984), Diane admits to Sam that she spent a platonic evening with a fellow student who shares her common interests, and feels guilty for not telling him. In "Snow Job" (1984), Sam plans to have a weekend of debauchery with his friends on a ski weekend, and he hides it from Diane. Diane finds out about it from Carla and takes advantage of his lies teach Sam a lesson.

In the two-part season finale, "I'll Be Seeing You" (1984), Philip Semenko (Christopher Lloyd), an arrogant, eccentric painter, whom Sam wants to commission for a portrait of Diane, comes to the bar, and Sam strongly dislikes him. Diane praises Semenko's talent and begs Sam to do the same, but Sam orders her not to sit for him. However, convinced that Sam will appreciate the final work despite his reaction to the artist, Diane has Semenko paint the portrait, while Sam hires a lesser artist produce a botched portrait of Diane. When she brings in the wrapped portrait by Semenko into the bar, Sam and Diane begin to argue until she declares that she is through with all of the fighting. Finally, Sam and Diane break up without an intent to be together again. Then, at the cliffhanger, Sam unwraps Semenko's portrait and says "Wow!"

Season 3: 1984–1985

Before the third season premiere, in summer 1984, Frasier Crane was announced to be Diane's love interest and Sam's intellectual rival. Moreover, Frasier was supposed to be duped by Diane within a few episodes and to never be seen again, but Kelsey Grammer's performance of this role was well-received, so his role was extended for the whole season. Meanwhile, Shelley Long was still married to stockbroker Bruce Tyson and pregnant with his child, and the storyline of Diane Chambers's out-of-wedlock pregnancy was speculated, as the father of her child would have been either Sam or Frasier. Eventually, however, the producers deemed the pregnancy plan as undesirable and abandoned it. Instead, Diane was written as childless.

In the two-part season premiere "Rebound" (1984), within several months after her final breakup with Sam, Diane meets psychiastrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) in a psychiatric hospital and begins to date him for a while. Meanwhile, spurred by the collapse of his romance with Diane, Sam relapses into alcoholism. When she leaves the sanitarium, Diane finds out about Sam from her friend Coach (Nicholas Colasanto). With the help of Diane and Frasier, Sam regains his sobriety. Then, when she refuses to be a waitress again, Coach convinces Diane that Sam will relapse again. Then Coach convinces Sam that she will lose her mind if she leaves Cheers again, and then Coach convinces Frasier that Sam and Diane long for each other if she doesn't work there. Ultimately, Diane returns to Cheers as a waitress.

In "I Call Your Name" (1984), as Frasier admits to Sam, Diane calls out Sam's name during Frasier's lovemaking with her. Diane finds out and becomes furious at Frasier for telling Sam about this, but then Frasier and Diane make up, though her attraction to Sam is still quite evident. In "Diane's Allergy" (1984), Diane moves into Frasier's apartment and becomes allergic. She believes to be allergic to Frasier's female puppy Pavlov, whom he gives to Sam, who calls the puppy "Diane". However, Diane still has allergies, and the apartment is under renovation to lessen the allergies. Later, he regrets giving up "Diane" and begs Sam to bring "Diane" back and declares that he loves "Diane", which Diane interprets his confessions as his love for her.

In "A Ditch in Time" (1984), Diane confesses to Sam that she told many stories about her relationship with Sam, whom she refers to as "Ralph" to everyone at a psychiatric ward. In one story, Sam gave her steak knives on Christmas, and Diane knitted a scarf for him, but they did not like each other's gifts. In another, Diane cooked a seven-course cuisine for Sam's birthday, but he ate a burger anyway. In another, as seen in an episode "Snow Job" (1984) from the prior season, Sam made up a funeral story to conceal from Diane his womanizing plans with his friends on the weekend. In another, Diane wanted a first date right after their first night together in "Power Play" (1983), but Sam went to watch a football game instead. After hearing all examples, Sam apologizes and admits that he failed to be a "very good boyfriend", but tells her he never tried harder with any other woman and the good times with her were some of the best of his life.

In "The Heart Is the Lonely Snipe Hunter" (1985), Diane feels sorry for Frasier, whose job at the psychiatric ward is stressful to him, and wants the boys, including the "ringleader" Sam, to invite him. Although they find him dull and boring, the boys invite him anyway. She discovers that the boys purposely abandon him, while Frasier snipe hunts alone. Therefore, she chides them for that and then convinces them to find heart and then find Frasier. Then Frasier comes back apparently proud and happy to be part of the gang, which worries Diane. However, at the end of the episode, as Frasier tells Diane, much to her relief, he already acknowledged that the game was fabricated and then plans to abandon them in another snipe hunting game. (What actually happens afterwards is unclear after his plans are mentioned, as no other Cheers episodes continued the episode's story.)

Later in "Cheerio, Cheers" (1985), as Sam is told, Diane plans to leave Boston again for London with Frasier. At night in the bar, Sam and Diane try to make love again after their passionate embrace, but then they realize that they are not sure what else to do in their own future together. Before she leaves, Sam advises her to call him if she wants to try again with him. At the end, Diane arrives in London with Frasier and then calls Sam at the bar to tell him. Despite her obvious misgivings about her relationship with Frasier, and Sam's pain at her choice, she stays in Europe with Frasier.

In a few more episodes before the season finale "Rescue Me" (1985), Diane still keeps contacting Sam. In the season finale, Frasier proposes to Diane in Italy, and she accepts and Diane tells Sam about it on the phone. Suddenly, Sam daydreams himself stopping the wedding in Italy. Back in reality, Carla assures Sam that he is still a babehound, regardless about how he feels about Diane. However, with the help of Cliff Clavin's (John Ratzenberger) travel reservation, Sam goes to Italy to stop Diane from marrying Frasier. Meanwhile, in Italy, Diane tries to call Sam but hears "This is Sam," which is part of an answering machine joke message, and then hangs up before hearing the complete recorded greeting. Then Frasier and Diane are set to be married.

Season 4: 1985–1986

In the season premiere, "Birth, Death, Love, and Rice" (1985), Sam is too late to stop the wedding. Several months later, Frasier is discovered to have been abandoned by Diane at the altar. Diane ends up at the convent for committing promiscuity thereafter but is rescued by Sam, who gives her an old job back. During the whole season, Sam and Diane attempt to be just friends again, fighting their attraction to each other, while Frasier spends his time drinking beer and wallowing his loss over Diane in the bar.

In "The Triangle" (1986), Sam and Diane feel bad about Frasier's deterioration, so they plan to help him regain his self-confidence by making Sam feign symptoms. Frasier concludes that Sam is still in "love" with Diane and advises him to confess "it" to her. Therefore, for Frasier's sake, Sam and Diane try to be in "love" but end up arguing again, and then Sam furiously admits to Frasier that their "love" for each other is fabricated to help Frasier sober up and boost his self-esteem. Frasier angrily tells both of them that they still love each other but deny and loathe their feelings for each other all the time. Finally, he declares himself not to be part of it and walks away from the triangle.

In "Fear Is My Co-Pilot", Sam and Diane are caught in a life or death situation as the pilot of their small plane (an adventurous ex of Diane's) seems to have died. They confess their love for each other and their regret at not having gotten married and having "little Sams and Dianes". When it is revealed that their pilot is not in fact dead and they survive the ordeal, the agree to never mention their conversation again, though it's clear neither will forget it.

In "Diane Chambers Day", Diane feels left out by the gang, including Sam, for not doing and appreciating their activities. Therefore, as Frasier suggests, Sam and the gang take her out to an opera, where everyone, including Diane herself, falls asleep during the performance. Later at the bar, Diane and Sam end up rekindling their romance alone, while she assumes that the opera was Sam's idea. However, as they are leaving to go make love, Sam admits that the opera was Frasier's idea. Diane is touched by this revelation and declares herself more attracted to him than ever. Although Sam still wants to have sex, Diane kindly tells him that it is too soon to consummate their special relationship. In "Relief Bartender", Sam has a fling with another woman, which makes Diane jealous.

In the three-part season finale "Strange Bedfellows" (1986), Sam dates an intellectual politician, Janet Eldridge (Kate Mulgrew), whom Diane opposes politically. When Sam and Janet start and then continue dating, Diane accuses Janet for using Sam for re-election, not loving him, and planning to dump him, even after Janet claims that Sam makes this relationship exciting. After the election is over, Janet and Sam are still together, much to Diane's dismay. One night in the bar, Diane overhears Janet ask Sam to fire Diane, but Diane resigns the next day. At Janet's press conference in the bar, Diane questions Sam and Janet's future together, which results in a water gun fight between Sam and Diane, which humiliates Janet. Finally, Janet breaks up with Sam because Janet feels that he is still in love with Diane. At the end, Sam dials the phone number and then proposes to the unseen character.

Season 5: 1986–1987

Sam and Diane were the center of 'Cheers' as a partnership, and now the partnership is gone. There will be huge comparisons made.

Shelley Long decided to leave the series as Diane Chambers for her movie career and family, which would conclude the relationship story, even though she and Ted " done some really terrific work at Cheers". In February 1987, the creators decided to find a female lead replacement without a blonde hair and any other resemblance to Shelley Long, while Ted Danson signed a contract for the next season (1987–1988).

In the season premiere "The Proposal" (1986), the unseen character is revealed to be Diane Chambers. Although she is thrilled, she tells Sam that a phone proposal is not how she envisioned getting engaged. Sam agrees and invites her for a night of romance out on a yacht. On the boat, Sam proposes again, but Diane rejects him, thinking that Sam is proposing on the rebound from Janet. Diane wants to marry Sam, but Sam is furious with her for turning him down. Regardless, Diane comes back to work at the bar and waits for Sam to come around to asking her to marry him again. Meanwhile, they continue dating other people. In "Chambers vs. Malone" (1987), after Sam proposes again and Diane rejects him, Sam chases Diane up the street causing her to fall and injure herself. Diane charges Sam with assault leading to a trial. In the courtroom, at the judge's behest, Sam proposes to Diane again, and she finally accepts. In "A House Is Not a Home", Sam and Diane buy a house together.

In the season finale "I Do, Adieu" (1987), Diane's ex-fiancé, Sumner Sloan, who dumped her in the series pilot, returns to Cheers, and informs Diane that he sent one of her unfinished manuscripts to his colleague, who praised it and gave it to the publishers. Although she gets excited, Sumner warns her that simultaneously doing marriage and career is impossible and that choosing marriage over career would put her talents to waste. Later, Sam and Diane want to be married immediately at the bar. At the wedding, Diane gets a phone call that the publisher wants her work, but she has to finish it immediately. Although she wants to be married to Sam, he convinces Diane to go finish the book and delay the wedding, so that she has no regrets about giving up her dream of being a great writer. At their last scene together, Diane tells Sam that she will be back to him for six months, but Sam doubts it. She leaves Boston behind to pursue her writing career.

Series finale: 1993

In 1993, whether Sam should be with either Rebecca Howe or Diane Chambers was debated. According to the April 1–4, 1993, telephone survey of 1,011 people by the Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press (now Pew Research Center), Sam Malone was voted a favorite of 26 percent, and Diane Chambers was a favorite of 4 percent. To whom he should marry, 21 percent voted Diane Chambers, 19 percent voted Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), whom Sam kept flirting and by whom Sam was rejected repeatedly since Diane left Boston, 48 percent voted neither, and 12 percent had "no opinion" on this matter. According to the 1993 article from People magazine, a newspaper columnist Mike Royko chose Diane to be with Sam. A novelist Jackie Collins picked Rebecca. A celebrated personality Zsa Zsa Gabor chose both as Sam's potentials. Tennis player Martina Navratilova found Sam too good for either of them. A novelist-archaeologist Clive Cussler perceived Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman) as "Sam's best bet."

In the series finale, "One for the Road," after six years of separation, Sam watches Diane win the Outstanding Writing award at the televised CableACE Award for her cable television movie. Then Sam sends a telegram to thank her for success. Diane receives it and then calls him by the phone number of the bar. At the phone conversation, they told each other that they have spouses and children. The next day, Sam and Diane introduce each other's "spouses" at the bar, including Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley). At Meville's restaurant, actual lovers of Sam's and Diane's "spouse" enter the scene and then take their "spouses" away.

Now alone at the table, Sam and Diane admit to each other that their own families are non-existent. Diane confesses her reason for not coming back to Sam after six months of her departure in 1987: her novel was not actualized but became a television movie, and she did not want to come back to Cheers as a failure. Then Sam and Diane admit that they are never meant to be together because they are totally opposites, in spite their good times together. As Diane prepares to leave Boston again, Sam stops her and then begs her to make love to him for old times' sake. Then they flirt and then kiss at the table.

Then, the next day, they are engaged again and then plan to move in to Los Angeles together. However, as the airplane is leaving Boston, they have second thoughts about their relationship with the help from announcers who give rhetorical questions about their relationship. Then the plane becomes delayed, so Sam and Diane end it once more. Sam returns to Boston, and Diane returns to Los Angeles.

Reception

Analysis

Bret Watson from Entertainment Weekly addressed bartender Sam's flirtation on waitress Diane as a political incorrectness of "sexual harassment" at 1990s standards. At the 2009 Comic-Con, Johnny Galecki, the actor of the television sitcom The Big Bang Theory, commented that "not all couples meet, get together, and marry" and examplified Sam and Diane as "a non-traditional relationship awkward breakup stories." In 2011, Beth Brindle from HowStuffWorks called their relationship "completely unrealistic". Marisa Connolly from Georgetown University called Sam and Diane "a pair of frustrated lovers." Julia Ward from The Huffington Post considers their relationship one of "inevitable, yet doomed romances." Walter Podrazik, the co-author of Watching TV, considers the couple, Sam and Diane, the central focus of Cheers until Shelley Long left in 1987.

Negative

James Burrows: The three of us have been with Sam and Diane a long time, and we're a little tired of their shenanigans.

Les Charles: A little bored and amazed America was so passionate about them.

The relationship of Sam and Diane has received mixed reviews. Some critics observed, once the relationship was consummated, that the sexual tension evaporated, that numerous relationships of Sam and Diane may have dominated the series and then alienated viewers and critics alike, and that amount of stories of this relationship had been exhausted. Cheers won an Emmy in 1984 for Outstanding Comedy Series, but, because it was perceived to be dominated by Sam and Diane during the second season (1983–1984), Fred Rothenberg from the Associated Press felt that the show did not deserve to win an award. Some other people, as reported, thought the same thing for the show.

Rick Sherwood, a television critic, remarked that continuing or abandoning the "love-hate" theme "that characterized the first season" in later seasons lessened his interest on Cheers, especially if re-invented in the third season (1984–1985). Even the love triangle storyline of Sam, Diane, and Frasier Crane, introduced as her psychiatric boyfriend and Sam's rival, did not increase Sherwood's interests on the television series. Nevertheless, Sherwood was relieved that he enjoyed the show again in the fourth season (1985–1986), yet he negated a love affair of Sam and Diane for losing its "excitement of the chase".

In 2009, Dave & Dave from WQED-TV condemned the couple for taking away the show's humor, but they were relieved to find humor from Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin. In 2010, Erich Kuersten from Bright Lights Film Journal criticizes this couple for agonizing viewers by dragging out their "will they or won't they" relationship for too many seasons. In 2010, Sharon Knolle from Huffington Post placed them fourth in the top 10 "Worst TV Couples Ever", remarked their lack of chemistry and "bad romances" once they got together, and was relieved that they did not end up married at the end.

In 2012, Steve Silverman from the Screen Junkies website considered Diane "too needy and insecure for anyone, , to have a legitimate relationship with." In the same year, Robert Galvin from the Mail Tribune newspaper criticized the relationship for its lack of "common sense".

Praise

On the other hand, relationship between Sam and Diane has received positive reviews. Gabe Lett in his book, Let's Get Together: Building Community in the Church, called the relationship of Sam and Diane full of "childish love banter and tumultuous romance" yet intriguing. Critics from The A.V. Club consider the relationship of Sam and Diane "fun" and not a ruination of Cheers. One critic from CraveOnline credits Sam and Diane to make Cheers one of "the Best TV Romance Shows" as of January 28, 2011. Noel Murray from The A.V. Club called them one of " TV Romances For The Ages." Jessica Piha and Jean Goon from MSN favor the pair as one of top favorite couples on television. Bill Simmons, a writer previously for ESPN praised their sexual tension but disdained their engagement as the "jumping the shark" moment. Their relationship was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time.

In 1993 from TV Times, a television listing magazine of Los Angeles Times, George Wendt, who played Norm Peterson, declared "the first two or three years" of stories of Sam and Diane as his favorite of Cheers. Meanwhile, in Sacramento bars, some bar patrons were not satisfied with the series finale and felt that Sam and Diane should have been together at the end. In 2002, one critic of The Boston Globe considered Sam and Diane one of "TV's classic couples." In 2004, they were ranked by cable channel Bravo No. 50 of "Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters" of all-time. In 2007, IGN placed Sam and Diane No. 1 of the IGN's Top 10 Favorite TV Couples. In 2008, the blog Mostly Modern Media called their relationship a type of "can’t live with, can’t live without" and "wonderfully complex." Xfinity considers them one of "the 50 Greatest TV Characters" of all-time, their relationship "one of TV's greatest on-and-off love-hate relationships," and their kiss one of "Top 20 TV Kisses" of all-time.

Entertainment Weekly has reviewed Sam and Diane over time. In 2004, Gillian Flynn considered the couple one of her favorite couples from sitcoms. In 2012, Mandi Bierly and Henning Fog called them one of "30 Best 'Will They/Won't They?' TV Couples" in history.

In 2010, writers gave praise to Sam and Diane. David Hofstede from The Huffington Post placed their kisses on the 7th place of the "10 Best Smooches in Television". Meanwhile, Jane Boursaw from The Huffington Post and Amy K. Bredemeyer from The Talking Box blog called the wedding of Sam and Diane one of their favorite "weddings that happen". Meanwhile, Oliver Miller from The Huffington Post wanted the couple to be together but found their breakups heartaching, especially one breakup from the series finale.

Influence

Comparison to other couples

Josh Bell from About.com called Sam and Diane "the template for countless future sitcom couples with sexual tension". Diana E. Lundin from Los Angeles Daily News and Fred Rothenberg from The Associated Press considered Sam and Diane the next Rhoda (Valerie Harper) and Joe (David Groh) from the 1970s television show Rhoda, with respect to the decline of the show and of the relationship itself, especially after marriage and divorce. Critic from the Big Shiny Robot website and Cynthia Greenwood from The Complete Idiot's Guide... book considered them the next Beatrice and Benedick from the Shakespearean play Much Ado About Nothing, filled with tension and insults that conceal each other's feelings for each other.

Producers of Moonlighting called David and Maddie of Moonlighting the next "Sam and Diane" for sexual tension. Reviewers from universities dubbed the relationship a gay male character Will (Eric McCormack) and a straight female character Grace (Debra Messing) from Will & Grace as a blend of this Cheers couple and Felix and Oscar from The Odd Couple. Entertainment Weekly called Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) the "modern-day Sam and Diane". Amber Humphrey from the Film School Rejects website placed a romantic chemistry of two characters from the short-lived show Flash Forward, portrayed by Ben Foster and Jewel Staite, on the same level with Sam and Diane's.

According to the 2009 book, All Access, Brian Robbins from Entertainment Weekly dubbed Sonny (Demi Lovato) and Chad (Sterling Knight) from Sonny with a Chance as the next "Sam and Diane". In the 2011 book, The Philosophy of Charlie Kaufman, David LaRocca compares Sam and Diane to Ned (Thomas Haden Church) and Stacey (Debra Messing) from Ned & Stacey, whose romantic story is against practicing the "delayed romance strategy". In the 2012 Huffington Post article, Laura Prepon compares them to Chelsea (Laura Prepon) and Rick (Jake McDorman) of Are You There, Chelsea?

Media, such as the USA Today and Rocky Mountain News, distinguished between two "Sam and Diane" pairs: the bartender Malone and the barmaid Chambers from Cheers, and two newsanchors Donaldson and Sawyer from the television news program, Primetime Live. Robert Bianco from The Pittsburgh Press remarked that these newsanchors were doing the "inevitable Cheers playful banter" to each other without "downplay" it. Michael Hill from The Baltimore Evening Sun found similarities between both pairs "remarkable".

On the other hand, Sam and Diane are contrasted to other pairs. To Bill Harris from Canadian Online Explorer, putting the investigation pair, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni), of the crime drama Law & Order: SVU, into romance, despite presumed chemistry between them, would affect the show, as Sam and Diane did to Cheers. Bill Lawrence, creator of Scrubs, assured: J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke), despite romantic chemistry and storylines together, are not the will-they-won't-they couple, Sam and Diane, and Cheers is not Scrubs.

Popular culture

In the novel When Angels Fail to Fly, a female character of compares them to David and Maddie of Moonlighting for sexual tension, and the first-person narrator mentions their arguments "about something stupid". In the episode of Community, Sam and Diane are satirized.

Bibliography

• Bierly, Mandi, and Henning Fog. "30 Best 'Will They/Won't They?' TV Couples." Entertainment Weekly 8 May 2012. Web. 11 May 2012.
• Carter, Bill (9 May 1993). "TELEVISION; Why 'Cheers' Proved So Intoxicating". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 Feb. 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
• Harmetz, Alijean (23 Sep. 1987). "Changes on tap at `Cheers'". The Ledger. Lakeland, FL. p. 1C+. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
• Shapiro, Ben (2011). Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV. New York: Broadside–HarperCollins. Retrieved 04 Feb. 2012. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

References

1. Ross, Jeremy (September 17, 1992). "A Toast to Cheers on its anniversary." Observer-Reporter : C1. Google News. June 9, 2012.
2. ^ Saunders, Dusty (31 July 1987). "Many changes in store for 'Cheers'". The Vindicator. p. 12.
3. ^ "Crowd at 'Cheers' toasts new season with new boss". The Register-Guard. TV Week. p. 13.
4. ^ Baker, Kathryn (5 September 1987). "Long's departure has 'Cheers' cast on edge". Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina).
5. "Ted Danson, On Life (And 'Death') After 'Cheers'". NPR. 17 September 2009.
6. ^ Meade, Peter (29 April 1984). "We'll Cry In Our Beers As Sam, Diane Split". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. p. 14. Editions of April 27–29, 1984, are bundled in the webpage. Article is located at page 85 in Google.
7. Balk, Quentin; Falk, Ben (2005). Television's Strangest Moments: Extraordinary but true tales from the history of television. London: Robson–Chrysalis. p. 166. ISBN 1-86105-874-8.
8. Carter, Bill (9 May 1993). "Why 'Cheers' Proved So Intoxicating". The New York Times. p. 6.
9. Scott, Vernon. "Series Producers Working Now to Get `Cheers'." Telegraph Herald 11 July 1982: 20. Google News. Web. 31 May 2012 .
10. Rosenberg, Howard (June 5, 1991). "Cliffhangers leave him hanging". Los Angeles Times. p. F1. Retrieved April 4, 2012, at Proquest. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help) (registration required)
11. ^ Harmetz, Alijean (23 September 1987). "Changes on tap at 'Cheers'". The Ledger. p. 1C+.
12. ^ Boone, Mike (2 May 1984). "Cheers! Sam and Diane's breakup is a TV event worth drinking to". The Gazette. p. E12.
13. Meade, Peter (14 January 1983). "Shelley Long cheers up". Rome News-Tribune. p. 20.
14. Shapiro 2011, pp. 122–123.
15. Shapiro, Primetime Propaganda, p. 123.
16. Shapiro, Primetime Propaganda, pp. 123–124.
17. ^ Bykofsky, Stuart D. (29 April 1984). "Sam and Diane end their 'cheery' affair". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Canada. p. E4.
18. "Splitting Up Takes Nights For Sam, Diane Of 'Cheers'". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio: The Associated Press. May 3, 1984. p. P6.
19. "Nothing to cheer about". Wilmington Morning Star. August 18, 1984. p. 2C.
20. ^ Levine, Ken (June 6, 2008). "One more question..." ...by Ken Levine. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012, by Webcite. Retrieved July 19, 2012, at Blogspot. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |archivedate= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
21. Beck, Marilyn (31 August 1984). "Cheers plots will feature unwed mothers". Star-Phoenix. p. A16.
22. Shister, Gail (January 16, 1985). "Shelley Long's pregnancy will keep her off Cheers". Beaver County Times. p. C9.
23. "Serve it yourself, Sam: Diane on her way out from Cheers". The Gazette. 17 December 1986.
24. ^ Harmetz, Alijean (23 September 1987). "Writers scramble to change Cheers". The Ledger. p. 5C.
25. Kelley, Adam. "Sam Asks Diane For Her Hand." Entertainment Weekly 19 September 1997. Web. 9 May 2012.
26. Mills, Kim I (2 May 1993). "TV viewers glad Sam stayed single". The Sunday Gazette. p. A3. The margin of error in the survey was ±3, according to the polls.
27. Leefler, Pete (2 May 1993). "Show Piles Up Viewer Cheers". The Morning Call. p. A01. (subscription required)
28. Lipton, Michael A. (May 24, 1993). "Lights Out at Sam's Place". People.
29. Watson, Bret (22 April 1994). "The politically incorrect TV series". Entertainment Weekly. In 1994, standards in 1994 were "today's standards".
30. Yang,, A. (20 September 2009). "Comic-Con: The Big Bang Theory". Poptimal.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
31. Brindle, Beth. "10 Completely Unrealistic TV Relationships—7: Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, Cheers." HowStuffWorks, 2011. Web. April 3, 2012.
32. ^ Connolly, Marisa (2003). "Homosexuality on Television: The Heterosexualization of 'Will & Grace' in Print Media" (PDF). Journal of Communication, Culture & Technology. 3: 16–17.
33. Ward, Julia (4 May 2007). "Ugly Betty: Secretaries Day". Huffington Post.
34. Wiser, Paige (2 March 2011). "Charlie Sheen's gnarly future". Chicago Sun-Times.
35. ^ Lundin, Diana E. (1 March 1991). "Ending sexual tension can be death for sitcoms". Spokane Chronicle. p. D5.
36. ^ Rothenberg, Fred (13 October 1983). "Love won't spoil Sam and Diane on 'Cheers'". Anchorage Daily News. p. E11.
37. "Cheers". Emmys.com. 2011..
38. Rothenberg, Fred (21 September 1984). "William Daniels, 'St. Elsewhere' get critic's vote". The Beaver County Times (Mid-County ed.). p. A15.
39. Weiskind, Ron. "Picking this year's Emmys harder than it looks". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. W27.
40. Sherwood, Rick (October 25, 1984). "Today in preview: 'Cheers' loses punch". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 23..
41. ^ Sherwood, Rick (31 October 1985). "'Cheers' is back in fine, funny form". The Gainesville Sun. p. 9A.
42. R, Dave. "10 posts in 10 days – the best Sitcom of all time." WQED-TV 21 March 2009. Web. May 21, 2012.
43. Kuersten, Erich (2010). "Someone to Fight Over Me: Feminism, S&M, and the Daemonic in 'Twilight'". Bright Lights Film Journal. 68.
44. Knolle, Sharon (7 January 2010). "Worst TV Couples Ever (Looking at You, Sam and Diane)". The Huffington Post.
45. Silverman, Steve (31 January 2012). "6 TV Girlfriends Who Will Make You Reconsider Dating". Screen Junkies.
46. Galvin, Robert. "Your move, 'Castle'." Mail Tribune May 4, 2012. Web. May 21, 2012.
47. Lett, Gabe (2008). Let's Get Together: Building Community in the Church. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing & Enterprises. p. 17. ISBN 1-60247-893-7.
48. Handlen, Zack; Murray, Noel; Pierce, Leonard; VanDerWerff, Todd; Zulkey, Claire (7 September 2009). "Gettin' Horizontal with Maddie: 22 TV series not ruined when two characters hooked up". The A.V. Club.
49. "The Best TV Romance Shows". CraveOnline. 28 January 2011.
50. Murray, Noel (8 February 2006). "Inventory: 10 TV Romances For The Ages". The A.V. Club.
51. Piha, Jessica. "TV'S Top Couples." MSN Entertainment, 2012: 10. Web. 02 April 2012.
52. Goon, Jean. "Top 15 favourite TV couples: Sam and Diane from ‘Cheers’." MSN Entertainment Malaysia, 16 October 2011: 3. Web. 02 April 2012.
53. Simmons, Bill (February 21, 2002). "Page 2: Dear Sports Guy..." ESPN. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
54. "Couples Pictures, Cheers Photos - Photo Gallery: The Best TV Couples of All Time". TV Guide. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
55. King, Susan (16 May 1993). "A Last Round for 'Cheers': The Cast Toasts the End with Fond Memories". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
56. "Capital Bar Patrons Toast TV's 'Cheers'." Sacramento Bee 21 May 1993: B1. Web. 03 April 2012. (subscription required)
57. Gilbert, Matthew (17 November 2002). "More Than `Friends'. Forget the Naysayers. With Its Unique Wit and Style, 'Will & Grace' Remains One of TV's Elite Comedies". The Boston Globe (3rd ed.). p. N1.
58. "The 100 Greatest TV Characters". Bravo. 2004.
59. "Kelsey's Launches Ad Campaign with Cheers TV Theme Song". Canada NewsWire. 3 February 2008.
60. Goldman, Eric; Zoromski, Brian; Iverson, Dan (13 February 2007). "IGN's Top 10 Favorite TV Couples". IGN TV. p. 2.
61. Dure, Beau (18 May 2008). "TV couples: Jim and Pam are not Sam and Diane". Mostly Modern Media.
62. "The 50 Greatest TV Characters". Xfinity. 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
63. "Top 20 TV Kisses". Xfinity. 2012.
64. Flynn, Gillian (26 November 2004). "TV For Two". Entertainment Weekly.
65. Bierly and Fog 2012, slide 17.
66. Hofstede, David (10 February 2010). "Greatest TV Kisses: 10 Best Smooches in Television." Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
67. Boursaw, Jane. "Five TV Weddings That Didn't Happen." Huffington Post 30 April 2010. Web. 04 April 2012.
68. Bredemeyer, Amy K. "10 Best TV Weddings that Didn't Happen." The Talking Box 05 May 2010. Web. 04 April 2012.
69. Miller, Oliver (February 12, 2010). "TV Break-Ups: 10 Devastating TV Couple Splits". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
70. Bell, Josh. "10 Great Sitcom Romances." About.com, 2012. Web. 02 April 2012.
71. "Joss Whedon's Vacation Becomes Much Ado About Nothing". Big Shiny Robot. 2011.
72. Greenwood, Cynthia (2008). "Much Ado About Nothing". The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare's Plays. Penguin Group.
73. Rosenberg, Howard (20 May 1986). "'Moonlighting' exits with gleam in its eye". Anchorage Daily News (Metro ed.). p. E3.
74. Battles, Katherine; Wendy, Hilton-Morrow (2002). "Gay Characters in Conventional Spaces: Will and Grace and the Situation Comedy Genre" (PDF). Critical Studies in Media Communication. 19 (1). California State University, Northridge: 93.
75. Bierly and Fog 2012, slide 24 .
76. Humphrey, Amber (May 30, 2012). "5 TV Shows That Aren't On DVD – And Should Be". Film School Rejects. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
77. All Access Totally Unauthorized! Sterling Knight. Scholastic Inc. 2009. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-545-19685-7. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
78. ^ LaRocca, David (2011). The Philosophy of Charlie Kaufman. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-8131-3391-1.
79. Furlong, Maggie (11 January 2012). "'Are You There, Chelsea?' Star Laura Prepon Compares New NBC Show To 'Cheers'". The Huffington Post.
80. Roush, Matt. "On TV; Loose Ends." USA Today 13 September 1990: D5. Web. 12 May 2012 . (subscription required)
81. Saunders, Dusty. "Tiff Irrelevant to 'Primetime' Show Has Improved Steadily." Rocky Mountain News 4 August 1991. Web. 12 May 2012 .
82. Bianco, Robert. "Donaldson, Sawyer could take act on the road." The Pittsburgh Press 21 July 1989: D9. Google News. Web. 12 May 2012 .
83. Hill, Michael. "'Sam and Diane' better name for ABC show." The Baltimore Evening Sun. Rpt. in Boca Raton News 22 July 1989: 9C. Google News. Web. 12 May 2012 .
84. Harris, Bill (20 February 2007). "Liplock not in plans for SVU". Canoe.ca. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help).
85. "NBC's Thursday comedies: 'Earl,' '30 Rock,' 'The Office,' 'Scrubs'." Test Pattern. MSNBC 17 July 2007. Web. 02 April 2012.
86. Topel, Fred. "Bill Lawrence on Scrubs." CanMag 22 August 2007. Web. 02 April 2012.
87. Datskovsky, Miriam. "Resuscitation: A Q&A with the Creator of Scrubs." The Daily Beast 05 January 2009: 2. Web. 02 April 2012.
88. Schlarbaum, John (2011). When Angels Fail to Fly. eBookIt.com. ISBN 978-1-4566-0547-6.

Further reading

• Ariano, Tara, and Sarah D. Bunting. Television without Pity: 752 Things We Love to Hate (and Hate to Love) About TV. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2006. Print. ISBN 978-1-59474-117-3.
• Bjorklund, Dennis A. Toasting Cheers: An Episode Guide, 1982–1993. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co, 1997. Google Books. Web. February 9, 2012.
• Hein, John. Jump the Shark: When Good Things Go Bad. TV ed. New York: Plume, 2003. Print. ISBN 0-452-28410-4.
• Holston, Noel (February 9, 1986). "Sexual Tension Teases Stars and Viewers". Chicago Tribune TV Week. p. C4. Retrieved June 9, 2012. (subscription required)
• Kogan, Rick (20 February 1990). "Cupid finds tricky targets on TV". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 5C. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
• Pall, Ellen (28 January 1990). "In Sitcoms, Cupid Is Often Only a Tease". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
• Scodari, Christine. "Possession, Attraction, and the Thrill of the Chase: Gendered Myth-making in Film and Television Comedy of the Sexes." Critical Studies in Mass Communication 12.1 (1995): 23–29. Print. doi:10.1080/15295039509366917
• "The Cast of Cheers." Entertainment Weekly October 26, 1990. Web. April 2, 2012.
• "A Star is Born... Gets Diapered and Goes Right to Work." TV Viewer: Your Switch-On Guide. New Sunday Times June 9, 1985: 2. Google News. Web. February 21, 2012.

v t e Cheers
Seasons	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Episodes	"Give Me a Ring Sometime" "Coach's Daughter" "The Boys in the Bar" "Showdown" "Thanksgiving Orphans" "I Do, Adieu" "Home Is the Sailor" "The Gift of the Woodi" "What Is... Cliff Clavin?" "Woody Interruptus" "One for the Road"
Characters	Sam Malone Diane Chambers Coach Ernie Pantusso Carla Tortelli Norm Peterson Cliff Clavin Frasier Crane Woody Boyd Lilith Sternin Rebecca Howe
Spin-offs and related series	The Tortellis Wings Frasier revival series Cheers (Spanish TV series)
Other	Awards "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" Sam and Diane Cheers Beacon Hill "Fear of Flying" (The Simpsons)
Category

• Cheers characters
• Fictional duos
• Fictional characters introduced in 1982