"Cheers" started it's run in 1982 as a romantic comedy set in Boston bar, and finished in 1993 as a show about the bar itself, with comedy coming from just about every angle. Fittingly, "One For the Road" - the final episode of Cheers - encompasses both eras.
"Will they or won't they?" Sam Malone (played by Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) rekindle one of popular culture's most memorable - and most mismatched - romances over the course of this 90+ minute episode.
Although "Cheers" stayed funny throughout its 11 seasons, it changed greatly after Shelley Long's 1987 departure - and "One For the Road" reflects that. Mixing the insanity (for lack of a better word) of Kirstie Alley's Rebecca Howe - and of later "Cheers" - with the earnest character studies of its early years, "One for the Road" shifts tone several times. Ultimately, it concludes in the same manner as the series began - as a character study - in one of TV's most memorable final scenes.
Overall, "One For the Road" is an unwieldy episode of "Cheers" - probably because NBC wanted more scenes so it could sell more Super Bowl-priced ads, but also because of the show's quirky history... It's not the funniest episode, but it's smart, urbane, and insightful - and like most episodes of "Cheers," the more you know the characters, the more it will likely resonate. 10/10
"Will they or won't they?" Sam Malone (played by Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) rekindle one of popular culture's most memorable - and most mismatched - romances over the course of this 90+ minute episode.
Although "Cheers" stayed funny throughout its 11 seasons, it changed greatly after Shelley Long's 1987 departure - and "One For the Road" reflects that. Mixing the insanity (for lack of a better word) of Kirstie Alley's Rebecca Howe - and of later "Cheers" - with the earnest character studies of its early years, "One for the Road" shifts tone several times. Ultimately, it concludes in the same manner as the series began - as a character study - in one of TV's most memorable final scenes.
Overall, "One For the Road" is an unwieldy episode of "Cheers" - probably because NBC wanted more scenes so it could sell more Super Bowl-priced ads, but also because of the show's quirky history... It's not the funniest episode, but it's smart, urbane, and insightful - and like most episodes of "Cheers," the more you know the characters, the more it will likely resonate. 10/10