1982 Sitcom Nearly Canceled After Low Ratings Became One of TV's Greatest Shows

Ted Danson spent eleven seasons behind the bar where "everybody knows your name."

However, according to the beloved actor, Cheers got off to such a slow start that it nearly derailed its success.

"What I always find fascinating, and this is the case with a lot of shows that I think end up becoming monster hits, was that out of the gate, Cheers was not something that was considered a hit at all," Jesse Tyler Ferguson said during a February episode of his podcast "Dinner's On Me" with guest Danson.

The Good Place star explained, "Critics loved us. Everyone around us, Paramount, the writers, everybody was so positive. Don't pay attention, just keep doing it, kind of feedback, which was lovely. But we were dead last one week in the ratings."

He added, "They later said, 'Oh no, no, we weren't brilliant programmers. We had nothing to replace Cheers with, or we would have.'"

The show went on to become a smash hit, spawning successful spinoff series like Frasier.

After its 1982 premiere, the series slowly picked up viewership, eventually landing a cult following.

Danson - who starred alongside George Wendt, Rhea Perlman, Woodie Harrelson, Kirstie Alley, and Kelsey Grammer, to name a few - would go on to earn two Emmy Awards for his role as Sam Malone.

In total, Cheers earned six Golden Globe Awards and 28 Primetime Emmy Awards. The cast reunited at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards in January 2024 for a special tribute. In 2023, Variety ranked Cheers as the No. 11 greatest TV show of all time.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 9:52 PM.