200th Episode Special

WELL, this was certainly a surprise to us! As long as we've been fans of the Show, we'd never heard of such an episode! Of course this was during that period when we had to work the afternoon shift and saw CHEERS only sporadically or if, per chance, either the Missus or the Children happened to have taped it. That was practically never.

QUITE by chance this particular episode aired at midnight last over our local super oldies station, WWME TV, Channel 23 in Chicago. It was one of the more pleasant surprises of this young year; as well as a most unique sort of a half-hour TV episode, particularly for a "cheater" episode.

"CHEERS: 200th Anniversary Special"(Charles-Burrows-Charles Prod./Paramount Television/NBC TV,1982-93)features a filmed gathering of just about every actor and actress who was ever a regular in the cast was present; with archival footage of Nicholas Colosanto as 'Coach'. Interviews and some of the best moments of each of the characters' best on screen moments make up the bulk of the half-hour presentation..

THE MASTER OF CEREMONIES of the on-stage proceedings was John McLaughlin, well known of THE McLAUGHLIN GROUP (Oliver Productions/Chicago Production Centre/WTTW National Productions, 1982-????). The well aimed, disciplined and very dry delivery of Mr. McLaughlin offers a stark contrast to the well disciplined madness that emanates from any and all of the CHEERS 200+ editions. This qualified the former Catholic Priest (a Jesuit) to be the best choice for the Special Episode.

THE proceedings were done on stage, the actors seated and replying to the dry McLaughlin wit and dead-pan delivery. A packed audience was there to watch the apparently off the cuff remarks of the Actors, Actresses as well as the Creative-Production-Directorial Team of Glen Charles, James Burrows and Les Charles, whose interviews were not part of the final show; obviously having been cut out of the show from a sense of necessity.

WHICH leads us up to our only complaints about this particular CHEERS Episode; those being 1, that there was a studio audience and we weren't part of it, and it only lasted that measly old 30 minutes, including all commercials, opening, closing, etc. There surely could have been easily extended to an hour or more.

HEY, all you Bright Boys & Big Shots over at Paramount Television, how about a Director's Cut of this episode; only done without any editor's leaving of any cuts on the editing room floor?

POODLE SCHNITZ!!

Rather than just a boring flashback episode this episode is more of a celebration of the fact that the show had reached two episodes.

Taking the format of a panel discussion with the cast (including Shelley Long) and the creative powers that be it's an interesting enough episode, with some nice clips from previous episodes being shown.

It's a bit short, with not everybody getting much of a look in to say their piece in this edited version, but it's all good fun, and a nice celebration.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this retrospective. It's just that when you have a show that is so over the top funny, a few clips and a couple comments won't do it justice. Most of the selections have become pressed in our memories. I have to say I choke up every time I see the bit where the Coach is talking to his daughter. It was certainly nice to put faces to the names that appear week after week. I wish Phoef Sutton would have had something to say.