 | |
List Price: $29.98 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 6166
Released: May 20, 2003 |
| Our Price: $17.49 |
| Used Price: $14.48 |
|
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
The adventures of the owners, operators and patrons of the cozy Boston bar called Cheers.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: CHEERS
Title: SEASON 1
Street Release Date: 05/20/2003
Domestic
Genre: TELEVISION
Description of Cheers - The Complete First Season:
The definition of comfort television is this: You want to go where everybody knows your name. And you're always glad you came. Long one of DVD's most wanted, Cheers is at last open for business in this four-disc set that contains all 22 episodes of the first, and best, season of one of the defining series of the 1980s. Cheers inherited the mantle from Taxi as television's best ensemble-driven workplace comedy. It can be instructive to return to a long-running series' more humble beginnings. While Cheers got drunk on farce in its later seasons, it began life as a much more grounded human comedy. In these inaugural episodes, the action does not stray from the Boston bar owned by Sam Malone, a washed-up baseball player three years sober. The straws that stir the drink are the lineup of MVPs: Nick Colasanto as addled Coach; Rhea Perlman, the Thelma Ritter of her generation, as surly and fertile waitress Carla; George Wendt as quintessential barfly Norm; and John Ratzenberger as Cliff, the bar know-it-all ready with "little-known facts" (and blessedly far from the pathetic blowhard his character would evolve into).
Spiking this concoction is the palpable chemistry between Ted Danson's Sam and Shelley Long's Diane Chambers, fledgling waitress and self-described "student of life." The battle lines are drawn in the episode "Sam's Women": He's the "dim ex-baseball player" and she, "the post graduate." But, as Carla so indelicately puts it, they can't "put their glands on hold." In the first blush of lust, they were primetime's most potent mismatched couple until Moonlighting's David and Maddie bantered entendres. Here are little remembered facts: Sam was initially "an astute judge of human character." Guest stars Fred Dryer ("Sam at Eleven") and Julia Duffy ("Any Friend of Diane's") were among those considered for the roles of Sam and Diane. A pre-"Night Court" Harry Anderson stole his scenes in his recurring role as flim-flam man Harry ("Pick a Con...Any Con"). The lack of a commentary track is a disappointment, as are the extras that wouldn't fill a shot glass. Still, Cheers patrons can expect plenty of happy hours with this set. --Donald Liebenson
Cheers - The Complete First Season Reviews:
Cheer for Cheers! 
2008-07-28 - What can I say--the entire first season of Cheers, starting from the pilot episode. All the original players. In a day of reality tv garbage and shock-type tv, it's so refreshing to have these old shows to watch--just good writing, good acting, and pure laughs.
Excellent!
2008-06-03 - I agree with the excellent writing and acting reviews given in this section. But what I would also like to add is that the DVD picture quality is superb! These DVDs are a pleasure to watch.
Best comedy writing on TV
2007-07-17 - I have always felt that the Cheers writers during the first few seasons put together the funniest and most poignant sit-coms I have ever seen on TV. The first season showed consistently high quality in the writing. From the opening episode when Diane first comes into Cheers and winds up with a job, to the final episodes when Sam finally deals with his life-long jealousy of his brother, the timing is consistently excellent and the cast shows a real chemistry. The episode involving Sam's lucky bottlecap and how he licked his drinking problem will bring tears to your eyes. The episode in which Sam hires a murderer to date Diane is also here and funny as ever. These DVDs present the complete episodes, not the truncated versions now seen in syndication, so you will see footage, especially before the opening credits, that has not been seen on TV since the originals were presented. The secondary characters, especially Norm and Coach, flesh out the depth of the Cheers experience, and present priceless opportunities for hilarious one-liners. For Cheers fans, this is the real thing.
The first season of Cheers is a classic.
2007-05-12 - Cheers is one of the best written series of all time. The first season is great. My wife and I loved every episode.
Excellent
2007-01-16 - Cheers is my husbands all time favorite sitcom. We have 2 small girls and they both love watching the show as well. Yelling "Norm" is their favorite part. The season has many shows that we couldn't believe were in the first season of Cheers. Anyone that likes the show will love Season 1.
