What Happened on the ‘Cheers’ Finale? Did Sam and Diane Get Back Together?
Cheers dominated the TV landscape throughout the ’80s, becoming a Top 10 show for eight of its 11 seasons (even scoring the # 1 spot for Season 9). The series minted stars, including Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Shelley Long, Kirstie Alley, and Kelsey Grammer (who still plays his Cheers character, Dr. Frasier Crane, to this day).
You likely spent plenty of time bellying up to the TV bar alongside Sam, Cliff, Norm, and Diane. You were probably even among the estimated 93 million viewers who tuned in to the show’s series finale on May 20, 1993. But do you actually remember how Cheers ended?
NBC/Everett Collection
Cheers was hardly a ratings juggernaut when it first debuted on Sept. 30, 1982, coming close to cancellation after just one season. However, the show quickly found its footing and rebounded in a big way. The key to Cheer’s success was its relatability. Whether you were a frequent bar-hopper or had never set foot inside a pub in your life, you could still undoubtedly relate to one of the show’s expertly-played characters, whether it be confident ex-jock Sam Malone (played with effortless charm by Danson), know-it-all Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger), stressed-out single mom Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman) or everyman Norm “Norm!” Peterson (George Wendt).
It was the place where “everybody knows your name,” and for nearly 11 years, Cheers became the ultimate gathering place for TV audiences on Thursday night, allowing us to relax, blow off steam, and maybe even enjoy a frosty beverage while we watched the legendary bar’s regulars do the same.
Why Did Cheers Get Canceled?
Paramount Television/courtesy Everett Collection
While Cheers included a sizable, ever-changing cast of characters (some regulars stuck from since day one, while others cycled in and out over the years), the show’s glue was always Danson’s Sam Malone — not only because he owned the fictional bar in question, but because his charismatic-yet-fragile charm and friendliness were the link to the rest of the cast. He, like the bar, was a focal point of their world, and his departure would cripple the show.
So when Danson decided it was time to move on from Cheers, there was never much question as to whether the show would continue. While legend has it that other options were considered (including allowing Woody Harrelson’s “Woody Boyd” character to buy the bar and take center stage on the show, an offer that he refused), the end result was inevitable. Instead of keeping the lights on to watch the show’s quality and ratings take an inevitable dip post-Danson, it was time to end things on their terms.
What Happened in the Final Episode of Cheers?
Paul Drinkwater/TV Guide/NBC/courtesy Everett Collection
Cheers wrapped up in a major way with “One for the Road,” a massive 98-minute event (now broken up into three episodes) that aired in approximately 42 million households, making it the second-highest rated series finale ever (behind M*A*S*H). To put those numbers in perspective, NBC estimated that nearly 40% of the United States was watching the finale during its original broadcast.
With plenty of time to plan a proper finale, season 11 closer “One for the Road” offered major turning points for many of the show’s main characters, as well as one huge return: Diane Chambers (played by Shelley Long), whose “will they/won’t they” relationship with Sam helped elevate Cheers into a genuine hit.
Having left Sam for a six-month book tour six years earlier (and never returning as promised), Diane was back in town to accept an award. As always, the angst between the two sparked a rekindled electricity (even after both Sam and Diane tried to initially fool the other with fake husbands/wives), leading to a lightning-fast decision to renew their relationship and get married.
Paramount Television/courtesy Everett Collection.
While Sam and Diane’s reunion is clearly the main event of this episode, there are plenty of other things going on among the rest of the cast, as well. With Frasier’s help, Woody (Woody Harrelson) accepted a position as City Councilman, offering a job to down-on-his-luck patron Norm as one of his first acts. Rebecca Howe (played by the late Kirstie Alley) finally drops her quest to marry rich by accepting a proposal from her blue-collar boyfriend Don Santry (played by a guest-starring Tom Berenger). Cliff lands a promotion with the postal service after bribing his supervisor with gifts.
A delay in Sam and Diane’s flight proves to be the pause they need to realize they simply aren’t meant to be together. Diane returns home to Los Angeles, while Sam returns to his home: Cheers. After celebrating his return with the friends whom we’ve watched laugh, cry and drink together for years (and some seriously funny self-reflections), everyone heads home except Norm.
Eventually Norm tells Sam that he knew he would return to Boston for his “one true love.” Sam is puzzled, as Norm smiles and says, “You’ll always come back to her.”
Looking around the bar where he’d shared so many important memories and laughs, Sam finally understood Norm’s words, realizing that he’d already found the love he’d been searching for all along,
“I’m the luckiest son of a bitch on earth,” he smiles before closing up shop for the night. For millions of viewers, Cheers was now closed for good, but for Sam and the crew, tomorrow was another day.
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March 2023
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