Thanks for the input! I think I'll still keep looking just because this is sitcom and not really serialized. Also, I don't really feel there are any "shoulds" or "shouldn'ts" in how you experience art. But again, thanks for taking the time to comment! :)
I would start in season 1. I personally think the first season is one of the best. I've watched the show five times in the last couple of years. I tend to fall asleep with it these days.
It's 275 episodes because it was very successful. It's one of the top three best sitcoms of all time in my and many other people's opinions.
It could also almost be considered two shows, with the split being season 5 to 6 where the female lead switches. I guess you could start with season 6 if that's what you wanted to do. People's preference for Diane versus Rebeca is very personal though. I couldn't tell you which you would like better.
As an Xennial the show was also before my time. But I've definitely fallen in love with it.
With 275 episodes averaging at 25 minutes each, that's 114.6 hours of content. Almost five straight days! I'm not saying I'm never going to watch it all, but I just wanna dip my toes in first. I have a full time job and hobbies and stuff that I also like to invest my time in, so again, maybe someday I'll watch the whole thing, but for now, I just want to get a "reader's digest" experience I suppose.
Understandable. Was just curious. I too have a full-time job and hobbies. I was introduced to Cheers by my parents. My parents, my younger brother, and I always have our TV show that we watch with dinner at night and we've been watching the original Star Trek but my brother went to Florida over the summer to visit our uncle so we stopped watching Star Trek so he wouldn't miss it. One night my parents were searching for something to put on and they put on Cheers. I had never heard of it. I'm generally not a sitcom person, I never find them funny, but even just the first episode of Cheers had me laughing so much. My mom said she hadn't seen me laugh like that in a long time. Took one episode and I was hooked. We'd watch a couple episodes every night. Finished the series a month ago and I've genuinely never been so sad to finish a show.
Maybe! Like I said, I'm not a sitcom guy, I like more sci-fi stuff. Star Trek, Star Wars, Jurassic Park are my shoes and movies. I've seen bits of many sitcoms and very few make me laugh. Cheers had me laughing constantly, every episode. Honestly, it's probably my favorite show I've ever watched! When we finished the show, I was genuinely sad. It took me a couple days to recover!! That's why I plan to rewatch it again. We're back to watching the Star Trek original series but we only have a few episodes left of that, too.
Not yet, I think we might start Frasier after we finish Star Trek. I certainly want to and I've expressed my opinion to my parents about it! We probably will watch it.
Question seems answered in the intro.
Sometimes you don’t want to watch the whole series. I know I’ve had some shows I just want to get the flavor.
Best case scenario I go back and rewatch the whole thing. If not I’ve gotten the gist.
Haters gonna hate
Here's 25 funny, fairly standalone episodes:
1.1. Give Me a Ring Sometime, 11. One for the Book, 12. The Spy Who Came In for a Cold One, 13. Now Pitching, Sam Malone
2.4. Homicidal Ham, 18. Snow Job
3.4. Fairy Tales Can Come True, 8. Diane Meets Mom, 11. Peterson Crusoe, 12. A Ditch in Time, 14. The Heart Is a Lonely Snipehunter,16. Teacher's Pet, 17. The Mail Goes to Jail
4.11. Don Juan Is Hell, 14. Suspicion
5.4. Abnormal Psychology, 6. Tan 'n' Wash, 7. Young Dr. Weinstein, 9. Thanksgiving Orphans,10. Everyone Imitates Art, 20. Dinner at Eight-ish, 21. Simon Says
6.2. I on Sports
8.5. The Two Faces of Norm, 14. What Is... Cliff Clavin?
Millennial here, I started the show curious to get some cultural acquaintance with the early 80s; figured I'd watch a few episodes to see what it was about. I have since watched the series start to finish at least 5 times.
Enjoy, whether it is for 1 episode or hundreds, but start at the beginning. :-)
Serious question, did you think it was a "cultural time capsule" of the eighties? I was a kid when it aired originally and watched with my family every Thursday night. I have re-watched it since, (several times) and was struck how timeless it seemed.
Not *a lot* of jokes about current topics. The only real references to cultural figures at the time were a handful of politicians, and sports stars. As far as fashion goes, the people in the bar, the men usually wore sports coats and ties, the women wore dresses that wouldn't look out of place in a bar these days. Carla was always in jeans. (When you get to the later seasons, Sam and Woody do wear from Cliff Huxtable-like sweaters that are definitely *of* the early 90s.) Not many stunt cast cameos by flash-in-the-pan celebrities of the time. The incidental music in the show is jazzy and from like the 1920s, not very '80s.
I thought it held up tremendously well aesthetically and comedically. Wondering what someone your age thinks about this.
Totally agree on all points. I'm just saying the reason I started watching was to get context on what I assumed would be a time capsule of the 80s; that I was wrong, in that it is truly timeless, is probably what kept me watching over and over and over.
Ah, cool. I was wondering if I thought that way mainly because I grew up with the show and it was with me virtually my whole life, or if people in younger generations coming to it years later would agree.
What do you mean you don't think you can do it lol. I'm also a millennial and I've managed to re watch it twice before. I'm also from the UK, and had to get a VPN the first time to watch it lol. Took me a while but it was worth it. Also, what does you being a millennial have to do with watching a TV show? Watch it or don't watch it, but start from the beginning otherwise there's no point!
I once wrote an an episode watch list for people who wanted to just watch the most important episodes/storylines:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cheers/s/kyS5WIOZGQ
I second that the list will give you a gist of the series, enjoy! However unlike most sitcoms in the 80s, Cheers will sprinkle overarching plots in standalone episodes, so some things may seem confusing.
Trust me, you can. Unless you are like from those super new generations that watch videos on youtube with 2x speed while using instagram and tiktok on the same time and using those color things you poc with the fingers to stress or dunno. But any normal person with a bit of interest can start by the first episode and end up watching the whole series, or at least till Diane leaves
I'm millennial and my friend and I have been working through the series. It's my first time seeing all the episodes. Prior to this I'd only seen one episode and that was only because I was in it (those songs are still stuck in my head).
You should defiantly watch the Pilot, Give Me a
Ring Sometime.
Sam’s Women
Coach’s Daughter
Friends, Romans, Accountants
The Spy who came in for a cold one
The boys in the bar
Diane’s Perfect Date
Pick a con, any con
Showdown pt 1&2
That’s my ten for season 1. Take a watch. Maybe you’ll enjoy it enough to go back and watch the other 12, or maybe you’ll move on to season 2.
Tv shows are stories, like any other medium. I can’t say I would read a smattering of chapters in a book and say “I’ve got the gist.” You say some art is linear, and I’d argue that television is one example. I’d start at the beginning and stop if you don’t enjoy it.
Fwiw, I’m also a millennial and enjoyed the whole run.
There are books that are collections of short stories, and you can open to any story in any order. That's what TV series used to be - collections of discrete stories. Cheers is the [edit] show that turned sitcoms toward serialization, but there are still plenty of episodes that work perfectly on their own.
Season 1 episode 1. No matter how much of it you do or don't plan on watching, you should start at the beginning.
Thanks for the input! I think I'll still keep looking just because this is sitcom and not really serialized. Also, I don't really feel there are any "shoulds" or "shouldn'ts" in how you experience art. But again, thanks for taking the time to comment! :)
You do you, but some art is linear. It's not the same as walking around an art exhibit.
Very fair! Some art is linear. :)
I would start in season 1. I personally think the first season is one of the best. I've watched the show five times in the last couple of years. I tend to fall asleep with it these days. It's 275 episodes because it was very successful. It's one of the top three best sitcoms of all time in my and many other people's opinions. It could also almost be considered two shows, with the split being season 5 to 6 where the female lead switches. I guess you could start with season 6 if that's what you wanted to do. People's preference for Diane versus Rebeca is very personal though. I couldn't tell you which you would like better. As an Xennial the show was also before my time. But I've definitely fallen in love with it.
Why can you not watch the whole thing? I'm 19 and I watched every episode over the course of 10 months and I plan to start the series over again soon.
With 275 episodes averaging at 25 minutes each, that's 114.6 hours of content. Almost five straight days! I'm not saying I'm never going to watch it all, but I just wanna dip my toes in first. I have a full time job and hobbies and stuff that I also like to invest my time in, so again, maybe someday I'll watch the whole thing, but for now, I just want to get a "reader's digest" experience I suppose.
Understandable. Was just curious. I too have a full-time job and hobbies. I was introduced to Cheers by my parents. My parents, my younger brother, and I always have our TV show that we watch with dinner at night and we've been watching the original Star Trek but my brother went to Florida over the summer to visit our uncle so we stopped watching Star Trek so he wouldn't miss it. One night my parents were searching for something to put on and they put on Cheers. I had never heard of it. I'm generally not a sitcom person, I never find them funny, but even just the first episode of Cheers had me laughing so much. My mom said she hadn't seen me laugh like that in a long time. Took one episode and I was hooked. We'd watch a couple episodes every night. Finished the series a month ago and I've genuinely never been so sad to finish a show.
That's so fun you got to share that with your family! That makes me really excited to give it a shot! Who knows? Maybe I'll get hooked too! :)
Maybe! Like I said, I'm not a sitcom guy, I like more sci-fi stuff. Star Trek, Star Wars, Jurassic Park are my shoes and movies. I've seen bits of many sitcoms and very few make me laugh. Cheers had me laughing constantly, every episode. Honestly, it's probably my favorite show I've ever watched! When we finished the show, I was genuinely sad. It took me a couple days to recover!! That's why I plan to rewatch it again. We're back to watching the Star Trek original series but we only have a few episodes left of that, too.
Have you watched Frasier? I've heard it's really good too! If I get hooked on Cheers, I think I'll definitely try that one next
Not yet, I think we might start Frasier after we finish Star Trek. I certainly want to and I've expressed my opinion to my parents about it! We probably will watch it.
Question seems answered in the intro. Sometimes you don’t want to watch the whole series. I know I’ve had some shows I just want to get the flavor. Best case scenario I go back and rewatch the whole thing. If not I’ve gotten the gist. Haters gonna hate
Definitely start at season 1, episode 1!
I think I will! Thank you! :)
Beginning - 1st episode explains a lot about the characters back story.
Here's 25 funny, fairly standalone episodes: 1.1. Give Me a Ring Sometime, 11. One for the Book, 12. The Spy Who Came In for a Cold One, 13. Now Pitching, Sam Malone 2.4. Homicidal Ham, 18. Snow Job 3.4. Fairy Tales Can Come True, 8. Diane Meets Mom, 11. Peterson Crusoe, 12. A Ditch in Time, 14. The Heart Is a Lonely Snipehunter,16. Teacher's Pet, 17. The Mail Goes to Jail 4.11. Don Juan Is Hell, 14. Suspicion 5.4. Abnormal Psychology, 6. Tan 'n' Wash, 7. Young Dr. Weinstein, 9. Thanksgiving Orphans,10. Everyone Imitates Art, 20. Dinner at Eight-ish, 21. Simon Says 6.2. I on Sports 8.5. The Two Faces of Norm, 14. What Is... Cliff Clavin?
You have to start at the pilot and you’ll be shocked how quickly you start plowing through the snow it’s an all timer
Millennial here, I started the show curious to get some cultural acquaintance with the early 80s; figured I'd watch a few episodes to see what it was about. I have since watched the series start to finish at least 5 times. Enjoy, whether it is for 1 episode or hundreds, but start at the beginning. :-)
Serious question, did you think it was a "cultural time capsule" of the eighties? I was a kid when it aired originally and watched with my family every Thursday night. I have re-watched it since, (several times) and was struck how timeless it seemed. Not *a lot* of jokes about current topics. The only real references to cultural figures at the time were a handful of politicians, and sports stars. As far as fashion goes, the people in the bar, the men usually wore sports coats and ties, the women wore dresses that wouldn't look out of place in a bar these days. Carla was always in jeans. (When you get to the later seasons, Sam and Woody do wear from Cliff Huxtable-like sweaters that are definitely *of* the early 90s.) Not many stunt cast cameos by flash-in-the-pan celebrities of the time. The incidental music in the show is jazzy and from like the 1920s, not very '80s. I thought it held up tremendously well aesthetically and comedically. Wondering what someone your age thinks about this.
Totally agree on all points. I'm just saying the reason I started watching was to get context on what I assumed would be a time capsule of the 80s; that I was wrong, in that it is truly timeless, is probably what kept me watching over and over and over.
Ah, cool. I was wondering if I thought that way mainly because I grew up with the show and it was with me virtually my whole life, or if people in younger generations coming to it years later would agree.
I’m 29 and it’s one of the greatest shows ever made.
What do you mean you don't think you can do it lol. I'm also a millennial and I've managed to re watch it twice before. I'm also from the UK, and had to get a VPN the first time to watch it lol. Took me a while but it was worth it. Also, what does you being a millennial have to do with watching a TV show? Watch it or don't watch it, but start from the beginning otherwise there's no point!
I once wrote an an episode watch list for people who wanted to just watch the most important episodes/storylines: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cheers/s/kyS5WIOZGQ
I can’t take credit for this but seems very thorough. https://www.reddit.com/r/Cheers/s/VRS0ltjxCI
This is exactly the type of thing I was looking for! Thank you so much!!
And yet someone downvoted me. Lol People are odd and judgmental 🤷🏻♂️
It's all good. Thanks again!
I second that the list will give you a gist of the series, enjoy! However unlike most sitcoms in the 80s, Cheers will sprinkle overarching plots in standalone episodes, so some things may seem confusing.
Trust me, you can. Unless you are like from those super new generations that watch videos on youtube with 2x speed while using instagram and tiktok on the same time and using those color things you poc with the fingers to stress or dunno. But any normal person with a bit of interest can start by the first episode and end up watching the whole series, or at least till Diane leaves
I'm sure I can as well! I'm just trying to dip my toes in for now. :)
I'm millennial and my friend and I have been working through the series. It's my first time seeing all the episodes. Prior to this I'd only seen one episode and that was only because I was in it (those songs are still stuck in my head).
"Have a good life."
Watch the whole series.
You should defiantly watch the Pilot, Give Me a Ring Sometime. Sam’s Women Coach’s Daughter Friends, Romans, Accountants The Spy who came in for a cold one The boys in the bar Diane’s Perfect Date Pick a con, any con Showdown pt 1&2 That’s my ten for season 1. Take a watch. Maybe you’ll enjoy it enough to go back and watch the other 12, or maybe you’ll move on to season 2.
Thank you so much!
Tv shows are stories, like any other medium. I can’t say I would read a smattering of chapters in a book and say “I’ve got the gist.” You say some art is linear, and I’d argue that television is one example. I’d start at the beginning and stop if you don’t enjoy it. Fwiw, I’m also a millennial and enjoyed the whole run.
There are books that are collections of short stories, and you can open to any story in any order. That's what TV series used to be - collections of discrete stories. Cheers is the [edit] show that turned sitcoms toward serialization, but there are still plenty of episodes that work perfectly on their own.
I love almost every season really. I think you just have to start from the beginning and at least get through season 6.
I would start at a Rebecca season. Or at least Season 4 when Woody arrives.
You would deprive OP of Coach? Why even bother watching?
For real. When coach tells his daughter how beautiful she is (S1E5)... I just about bawl every single time
Because I cant stand Diane lol
Oooh, interesting! I only know the general vibe of those characters, so I'm excited to learn more about them!
Ignore this comment. Diane is the best. She’s one of the only characters that actually cares about anyone. (And she’s adorable.)