Several Cheers characters made an appearance on the spin-off series Frasier. Running for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004, the NBC sitcom featured a string of memorable guests factoring in the Cranes’ day-to-day lives. Some of them are familiar faces, being Frasier Cranes’ (Kelsey Grammer) old friends from his time practicing psychiatry in Boston.
Originally debuting as an additional cast member in Cheers season 3 premiere, Frasier is Diane Chambers’ (Shelley Long) rebound boyfriend following her breakup with former baseball-star-turned-bar-owner Sam Malone (Ted Danson). The character was initially brought in as a guest star, but thanks to his chemistry with the rest of the cast, he eventually became a show regular, even after Diane left her waitressing gig at the eponymous pub. The fans’ positive reception to Frasier made him the perfect character to lead a spin-off series following Cheers‘ finale in 1993.
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The Cheers spin-off features the lead character returning to Seattle to begin a new life as a radio psychiatrist, as well as reunite with his family. In light of news that a Frasier revival is on its way, now is a good time to look back on all of Frasier’s old friends from Cheers who paid him a visit on the West Coast.
Sam Malone
As the playboy bar owner of Cheers, Sam couldn’t be any more different than Frasier. The Cheers‘ protagonist is depicted as shallow and relaxed but also loyal and fun-loving. Initially, Frasier and Sam didn’t get along. Aside from their obvious differences, there is friction between them rooted in Sam’s bitterness about the Harvard-trained psychiatrist being his former girlfriend’s new lover. The tables are turned when Diane breaks up with Frasier and rekindles her romance with Sam. Frasier ultimately gets over his issues and becomes such good friends with Sam that he keeps returning to the bar even after Diane leaves.
Given their unusual but genuine friendship, it doesn’t take long for Sam to visit Frasier in Seattle. In Frasier season 2, episode 16 titled “The Show Where Sam Shows Up,” the pub owner catches his friend up on what their Boston-based friends have been up to since he left the city. Of course, the 80s sitcom character is introduced to the whole Crane family, which makes for some hilarious moments. What appears to be a straightforward visit gets a head-spinning twist, however, when Sam breaks things off with his fiancée, Shiela (Téa Leoni) for cheating on him with another man — who happens to be Frasier.
Diane Chambers
Frasier first comes to Cheers via his short-lived romantic relationship with Diane. They meet while she’s enrolled in a mental institution following her first break-up with Sam in season 2 of the original show. When she returns to Cheers in the season 3 premiere, she introduces Frasier to the rest of the bar people as her new high-society boyfriend. On paper, the couple is perfect for each other as they have similar interests and expensive taste, but that’s not enough to sustain their affair as Diane ultimately goes back to Sam. Frasier continued to hang around Cheers even after Diane relocates to Los Angeles.
Being both on the West Coast after Frasier moves back to Seattle, Diane makes an appearance in Frasier season 3, episode 14 titled “The Show Where Diane Comes Back.” Like Sam, Diane’s visit is unplanned and catches Frasier by surprise. Diane is in town to oversee the production of a play she wrote. Motivated by Niles’ (David Hyde Pierce) advice, Frasier decides to finally confront Diane — who left him at the altar — with how badly she treated him during their relationship in the hopes of getting closure. However, his plans don’t go accordingly when Diane’s play runs into all sorts of trouble and he feels the need to get involved. Long appeared two more times in Frasier, albeit only in dream sequences.
Woody Boyd
Following Coach’s death, mirroring actor Nicholas Colossanto’s demise in real life, Cheers brought a new bartender to replace him: Woody Boyd. Portrayed by Woody Harrelson, he initially visits Cheers to meet Coach, who’s his pen pal. A country boy from Indiana, Woody, like Coach, can be dense and slow to catch up. Nevertheless, he’s a good worker and a great friend to all including Frasier, making him a great addition to the sitcom.
Woody appears in Frasier season 6, episode 13, entitled “The Show Where Woody Shows Up,” again to Frasier’s delight. They spend days hanging out together; each of them updating the other how their lives have changed since Frasier left Boston. After a while, however, Frasier realizes that they’ve changed too much in the years they’ve been apart, and is annoyed more than pleased with Woody’s presence. In the end, they bid each other goodbye on good terms, happy with the memories they’ve shared back in Boston as chronicled in Cheers.
Carla, Norm, and Cliff
When Frasier first starts visiting Cheers, he becomes the butt of many jokes for bar regulars like Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) and Norm Peterson (George Wendt), as well as waitress Carla (Rhea Pearlman) due to his quirkiness and odd sense of humor. While they never stopped making fun of him, he eventually becomes a part of the group and develops a sense of kinship with them over time. Like regular visitors of Cheers, the bar becomes a place of refuge for Frasier where he meets and has fun with his friends after a day’s work.
Frasier reunites with some of his old bar pals in Frasier season 9, episode 21, entitled “Cheerful Goodbyes.” Unlike previous Cheers guests in the offshoot, however, it’s Frasier who travels back to Boston during the said outing when he’s invited to the city to give a speech. In the airport, he runs into Cliff and learns that he’s retiring and is moving to Florida. For old times’ sake, the mailman invites Frasier to his retirement party where he reunites with Carla and Norm, as well as Paul (Paul Wilson), Phil (Philip Perlman), and Walt (Raye Birk).
Lilith Sternin
After his almost-wedding with Diane, Frasier finds love again in Lilith Sternin played by Bebe Neuwirth in Cheers. A fellow psychiatrist, Lilith is known for being uptight and cold demeanor, although she loosens up every once in a while. The couple ties the knot and shares a son, Frederick, together. Unfortunately, their marriage doesn’t last long as they run through a series of issues during their relationship. They eventually divorce with Lilith getting custody of their young kid, while his father is awarded visitation rights.
Lilith is the only Cheers original character who appears multiple times on Frasier. Her first appearance in the spin-off is in season 1, episode 16, “The Show Where Lilith Comes Back” and her last is in season 11, episode 9 ”Guns N’ Neuroses.” Overall, she guest-stars in the series 12 times, appearing every year except for season 3 and season 6. During the character’s final appearance in Frasier, she and her ex-husband peacefully spend the night together — only to part ways in the morning.
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Fans are looking forward to reuniting with the Cranes through the in-development Frasier revival. Plot details about the upcoming project are still unknown, but whatever is in it, viewers of Cheers are hoping to once again see some of these familiar faces on the small screen via the series.