Cheers aired for 11 seasons on NBC, and there has been a renewed debate about Sam and Diane’s ending on the series – should the pair have ended up together?
Ken Levine spoke about the debate over the end of the series on his blog earlier this week, and he revealed his thoughts about the decision to not have Sam and Diane, who were played by Shelley Long and Ted Danson, walk off into the sunset together. He said the following:
“The final episode was conceived and written by Glen & Les Charles. I remember discussions in the room about how to resolve the Sam & Diane relationship and if memory serves, there was never any intention of getting them together at the end. And I must say, I agreed with that decision then and still do. Sam & Diane were so different. Their relationship (for comic and dramatic purposes) was fraught with conflict. Most of our time was spent devising new, funny, and fresh complications for them. Projecting forward, I believe they would driven each other insane had they gone off hand-in-hand – each with the best intentions, but ending with restraining orders.”
Did you want to see Sam and Diane end up together at the end of Cheers? Tell us what you think.
They should have ended up together in the end. I feel that it was trite to bring Diane and Sam back to meet up just to play off that they were happy without having ended up together. Just as the anti-Vera façade was revealed in season 2, I believe, where we learn Norm is actually faithful and loving to his wife, the writer’s could have brilliantly, at the end, revealed that Sam put on a Jock persona to relate to the regular folks at Cheers. There were instances throughout the series, in which there were parallel comparisons to Diane, where… Read more »
To me Cheers is still the best sitcom ever written and all of the cast were absolutely stellar. When the show started to be shown here in the UK on channel 4 in February 1983 i became hooked right from the first episode as were most of my college friends at the time. From the warm friendly setting of the bar, to the mixture of lovable “misfits” who made up the bar regulars from Norm to Cliff, Carla, Sam ,Diane & of course “Coach” , to the witty and sarcastic banter exchanged between them which i found kind of unique… Read more »
Yes. I’m watching the Cheers again for the 3rd time. If you watch their trajectory in the fourth and fifth season they were developing more of a bond that went beyond their electricity. Sam loved her. Putting them together would have made sense unlike what the writing team that was in a different context at that point thought. People who get together aren’t all mirror images of each other after all. The whole writing vs. being together conflict didn’t seem very real anyway. Sam and Diane could have matured a little more by the last season of Cheers which would… Read more »
Yes they should have gotten together. Why bring her on the finale just to let us all down again? We already went through their ups and downs over and over. Would it have killed them to finally let them be together since clearly through the progression of Season 10-11 Sam was ready to settle down? I’m still annoyed at the shows finale. It was like going through the season 5 finale all over again.
I concur wholeheartedly. A better ending would have revealed Sam to have put on a jock façade (like that of Norm’s pretending he didn’t love his wife) in which Sam was a secret intellectual and hence when he truly loved Diane.
Cheers with Sam and Diane ended up together should have ended with a happy ending.
Hell no! She’s was snooty and uptight and he was never going to be able to live up to her fantasy man.
Also, what the what is all the revivals of retro programs that really have no relevance in today’s television? Are there no more original thoughts/ideas?
Yes, I did.
No…couples not like them don’t or get crap writing. There’s been plenty “tv couples” for y’all, while some people have to only see the couples they like through fanfiction, because that stupid industry hate on them.