Why NBC Didn't Cancel Cheers When The Show Was Dead Last In The Ratings
Though the bar-set comedy became one of NBC's biggest hits, it didn't start out that way.
NBC opted not to cancel the hit sitcom Cheers during its first year despite it being ranked at the bottom of all shows on the air. The series, set in Boston, won 28 Emmy awards throughout its run. Creator James Burrows joked that the show was ranked 75th out of 70 series in its first season in 1982, but in reality, it finished 74th out of 96 shows.
If NBC had not had anything to replace Cheers with, the show would have been dropped after Season 1. However, the network decided to keep the series, and by Season 2, it had climbed to 34th in the ratings. Cheers joined other successful NBC shows like Family Ties, The Cosby Show, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues on Thursday nights.
The series finale attracted an estimated 93 million viewers, making it the biggest audience for any TV episode at the time. Cheers' finale was seen by more people than the M*A*S*H finale, which aired a decade earlier. The show's success led to spin-offs such as Frasier and The Tortellis, although the latter only lasted one season.
In contrast, Wings, while not a direct descendant of Cheers, featured many of the same characters and ran for eight successful seasons.
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