Actor Ted Danson has revealed that the end of the hit sitcom Cheers was overshadowed by his personal life falling apart.
He admitted he barely registered the show was concluding.
Danson starred as Sam Malone for all 11 seasons and 273 episodes.
During the final season, he was in the midst of a high-profile divorce from his second wife, Cassandra Coates, following an affair with actress Whoopi Goldberg.
“People say, ‘What was it like? What did you do when she was over?’
I said, ‘I had f***ed up my life so much that I didn’t even realize Cheers was over,’” Danson said on his podcast.
Seeking to rebuild, he pursued self-improvement. “I wanted to stop being a liar,” he said.
“I wanted to be emotionally mature. I wanted to change.”
A mentor provided guidance described as “a whole different kind of therapy spirituality kind of thing.”
Reflecting on the transition, Danson noted that his personal choices made moving on easier.
“The transition was easy because I blew my personal life up so badly,” he said.
Producers decided to end the series after Danson chose to leave to test his acting range.
“I was changing for the better and working really hard at that, so I thought, ‘Might as well jump completely off the cliff,’” he said.
He added: “And [there was] a little bit of ...
‘If I don't leave now, I may not know if I could do anything else, and I want to see if I can do any other stuff.’”
Casting Chemistry with Shelley Long
Danson also credited his casting success to screen chemistry with co-star Shelley Long, who played Diane Chambers. “Shelley and I kept being paired over and over again.
And I do think a big reason why I got Cheers was cause I was paired with Shelley.
100 percent,” he said.
He noted her performance style was distinct from the start. “Cause she was like a full-blown character out of the game.”
Despite their eventual chemistry, Danson initially doubted her fit for the role.
“I thought she would be the worst choice for this part,” he said, quickly adding, “Cause I'm an idiot.”
Their contrasting acting styles sometimes made it hard to be in the same room.
“Our styles of acting, our styles of being were so different that it was almost sometimes hard for me to be in the same room with her,” Danson said.
Still, they cared for each other deeply, and the dynamic was “f***ing magic.”
After Cheers, Danson starred in Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Place, and Netflix's Man on the Inside.
