Shelley Long (Cheers) - Where Are They Now Australia

[@playhousecentral5847]

Shelley, if you read this, you are very appreciated as a person.

[@stuartmorley6992]

Thar was when tv was worth watching - such a brilliant series greatly missed.

[@thewayneflyinghigh9128]

Better than keeping up with the kardashians.

[@chuckclough153]

As a fan of the show and especially of Shelley's performances as Diane, it was hard to see her go, but I kept watching. Hearing her talk about it here, it does make sense now from a creative standpoint for her. And the show would never has lasted 11 seasons w/o that major shift.

[@slownoman]

One of the best shows in TV history, in every way: cast, writing, humor, pathos....

[@chicagoboy59]

Cheers was one of my favorite shows of all time. Shelley helped make it a classic .It just wasn't the same without her . I wish her all the best

[@travisgrant5608]

Not the same yes, but better. She was a VERY difficult person to get along with. She was not well liked by the cast and crew.

[@shanefolan]

@@travisgrant5608 were you there?

[@Oceanmachine27]

In my opinion, Shelly was the best actor on the show. Her timing was absolutely razor-sharp and she handled every line perfectly. She could go from 0 to 60 and then back again in a moment. Huge respect for her making the show as funny as it was.

[@CvilleAndBeyond]

It was my favorite show and I found it difficult to watch after Shelley left. In my mind, Sam and Diane are still together.

[@ralph7545]

Completely agree.

[@lnl3237]

Absolutely no disrespect to Kirstie Alley, who gave the show new legs and whose personality was probably a better fit for the "cast culture," but oh, how I missed Diane/Shelley Long. She gave Sam a three dimensional quality that seemed to be lacking after she left. Have such a soft spot for Ms. Long; she took a lot of heat for leaving, but it was the right decision for her personally, her character and the show. She was a serious actress doing comedy; a five year story arc was enough. I discount the series finale as the end of Sam and Diane-Diane's reappearance seemed forced and contrived. I'll stick with "I Do and Adieu" as the perfect punctuation mark to their rocky and raucous romance. It ended so sweetly and poignantly.

[@Davidthorough]

She seems like a real sweetheart!

[@PatrickMcCarthy13]

I'm still in love with her

[@Markus_Andrew]

I love Coach! Woody was great too, but the old episodes with Coach in them are my faves.

[@PhoenixMinistry]

Troop Beverly Hills is one of my favorite movies of all time! Surprised and saddened they didn’t mention it here!! I love Shelley!

[@granang]

her voice still as sweet as before... really love her although she is almost the same age with my grandmother... huhu

[@abcabc22100]

she was / is simply pretty, intelligent, and too nice for this world. I hope she is well somewhere nice.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Each and every season of Cheers is brilliant in its own way.

[@isiahjohnson8286]

She's still beautiful.

[@tubenachos]

Damn she still looks good

[@vincestyles1030]

When she left cheers a lot of the magic left with her. In the finale to see Sam & Diane back together was amazing after all the years that past they definitely have that magic. Diane Chambers was the best roll she did although the money pit was great with Tom Hanks.

[@mikearchibald744]

The Money Pit was probably the highlight. But you can almost count on one hand the number of actors, let alone actresses who keep getting starring roles in movies. The guys from Dallas pointed out that in Hollywood you NEVER leave a hit show or you won't get hired again, and she did have a tough time getting back on television. But her character really was getting stale, I didn't really watch the show much after the first three years because its hard to keep that momentum going. Friends managed it but they had six starring characters on it.

[@jedijones]

@@mikearchibald744 I think Diane's last season was the best season of the series, along with the first.

[@bilkomax]

I have just watched the first 2 series on DVD , its been a long time since i seen any of them . I was too young to appreciate all the nuances of the Diane character at the time but enjoyed her wit , now that im older i couldnt believe how nuts about her i was watching them again . Cant wait to re-watch the other 3 seasons she is in

[@Toadspring]

bilkomax this is how I feel! When I was a kid I liked Diane and I hated when she left. But watching the show again 35 years later I think she is the highlight of the series. Shelley was amazing as Diane

[@shanefolan]

Her 1st 3 seasons [especially the 1st two] is where Diane really shines and where Long makes her mark as a tv legend. The last 2 seasons [namely season 5] the writing isn't as sharp for her and many say she becomes unlikable and out of character in season 5.

[@Toadspring]

The first two seasons of cheers are my favorite but I think Shelley Long was great in all five seasons

[@mikearchibald744]

I've sort of avoided season five for just that reason. They say Frasier got all the funny intellectual lines and she began to be a parody of herself, so that and rumours about internal politics makes it no surprise that she wanted to leave. By then it had sadly become the 'Sam' show, and not the 'Sam and dianne' show or even just the 'Dianne' show. In hindsight, they did that show where they showed them really old together, they could do a netflix show of that and I suspect it would be very popular. They both almost look like that characterization now:)

[@ahsansiddiqui4263]

where's the bathroom? right next to my bedroom. classic line

[@philstatham4762]

Wheres 'your' bathroom

[@zapfanzapfan]

She has the most musical laugh.

[@EllenLover]

i always remember her in The money pit with Tom Hanks.... one of the best comedies ever made:)

[@jenntip]

Oh my gosh...Yes! Troop Beverly Hills was another fav ♥

[@danephillips]

Strange That money was a complete flop

[@kyriakospentheides]

@@danephillips Yeah, vastly underrated.

[@eightiesaddictone9063]

Shelley and Ted made Cheers. Never the same after she left. Never.

[@cluman1]

Thks is a tough one. In my opinion, Cheers might have avoided jumping the shark with Shelly leaving. I wish there's an alternate universe so I can see what the Shelly episodes would have looked like. Cheers for me was the start of smart, sophisticated comedy. I was a teenager when the show aired and I can remember having discussions with my friends on how smart and funny the show was. I see a lot of Seinfeld comparisons when discussing which show is better and Seinfeld did leave its mark but for me, Cheers is slightly ahead when it comes to quality writing.

[@mikearchibald744]

Ditto. Cheers was the ORIGINAL show about 'nothing'. Seinfeld actually had way more plot than Cheers ever did. But its a tough character to keep from becoming one dimensional, I really only watched those first couple of years, but I think she said she was getting upset because Kelsey Grammar was essentially her character as a man and getting most of the jokes. I thought it more close to The Simpsons, Sam Simon was a writer on Cheers and worked the first years on Simpsons and what he said of both is that they were essentially 'radio shows' brought to television. You could literally not even SEE the show but listen to it and they were almost as good (originally in the case of Simpsons). The other crossover of course was Kelsey Grammar who got the gig as Sideshow Bob because he used to sing at work and Simon asked him if he could do Cole Port and thereby got that job. I'm rewatching the first seasons and weirdly enough its those first seasons where it was LAST in the ratings that it was clearly the best, which really must bug a producer. Just establishing the first episode is better than almost anything on television, it actually would have made a good stage play if they couldn't get it done as a series, which I think was a plot point on Frasier when Dianne guest starred but by that point was a ditzy caricature of her former self (which was probably funner to play, but kind of a let down). I've read that a lot of young girls watched because she was almost the only main character who was funny, pretty, and intelligent.

[@jedijones]

@@mikearchibald744 I don't think Cheers was about nothing. I think Three's Company was the show about nothing from that era that compares closest to Seinfeld. It had wild physical comedy, like Kramer brought to Seinfeld. And neither Seinfeld nor Three's Company ever asked you to care about the characters or take their lives seriously. Cheers became quite dramatic at times, and did succumb fully to "heartfelt" episodes occasionally, like the one with Coach's daughter.

[@mkshffr4936]

She aged very gracefully.

[@rewreaver]

I still wish they would have had her on more in the last season, because I enjoyed Shelley Long more then Kirstie Alley as the girl Sam was after. I wish they would have somehow had them get back together and stay together.

[@samebar]

Cliffy's by far the funniest. His characterization is amazing...the macho self assuredness that is so transparent (even when he's delivering it) needs impeccable timing and intonation for it to work. At no point is he threatening, which isn't always easy to pull off as some of his lines are intimidating and he is always boisterous, often blustering and self righteous. A very multi-layered character made to look effortless by Ratzenberger's delivery.

[@Star_Sn1per]

I love her with all my heart

[@amparocabedo3895]

Me hacia mucho reir. Es un encanto de mujer!!

[@samebar]

Good point and a credit to the writers for their insight but it does make me glad to see the back of the character. The changes in my view of the Dianne character illustrate the effects of my experiences on mine, so your observation struck an immediate chord. Even Sit-coms can be enlightening. Dialogue from movie The Silent Flute, "Buddha sat next to a wall and walked away enlightened", "Do you compare yourself to Buddha?!", "No, only to the wall"

[@Spriteishere]

She has aged so well, graceful and classy. I admire her and I always have. I've been watching Cheers since I was a little girl and have just started re-watching it and it's amazing how wonderfully she did. I always liked Diane better than Rebecca. I didn't like Rebecca's Status seeking but it was still a great show.

[@AliciaMooVProducts]

Awesome thanks I didn't remember this one

[@juliachild834]

Diane helped make that show magical. Kirstie Alley is too obvious, she made it much more of a broad comedy without those little unexpected things that kept happening when Shelley Long was there. Its like in the African Queen when Hepburn and Bogart are cast against type, something interesting happens. When a type gets cast to play its type, it's just another sitcom. But Shelley Long in the middle of those jaded people made something special.

[@shanefolan]

The early years it was a sharp sophisticated comedy, later years it evolved into more slapstick frat house comedy. Agreed Alley couldn't compare to Long, she was unoriginal.

[@jedijones]

@@shanefolan Alley became a useless character in the series pretty quickly. They really didn't need her in the last few years. They probably should've dumped her and brought on a new romantic interest for Sam after a couple years without Diane had passed. Probably a dumb bimbo type to contrast with what Diane was.

[@philipmyers8890]

Can't help but love her!

[@screwyootube1]

Damn, Shelley has aged quite well! She looks better in this interview than she did when she came back for the very last episode!

[@barabarasevents]

Love it ... Happy Birthday My friend.... :) Hearts.....

[@raymonddobos8896]

That was a beautiful scene you did Shelley,gotta have a bar owner like Sam...wow

[@MarvinFalz]

I missed the spark between Sam and Diane, when Shelley Long left the show. Rebecca had her funny moments, but the love story of Sam and Rebecca was flat. Miss Long made Diane intense and showed her likeable sides as well as her dislikable.

[@tomjones8610]

Agreed. The show was never the same. And the writing got very tired and lazy the last few seasons - I'm sure they were all struggling to keep the laughs going.

[@hd-xc2lz]

@@tomjones8610 Also think the writers made a mistake emphasizing Rebecca's "ambition" to marry a wealthy man.

[@shanefolan]

@@tomjones8610 Usually happens with all series- Friends was the same, last few seasons became so tired and lazy in its later years and the humour just seemed to fall flat on its face as the episodes became increasingly unfunny and bland. Desperate Housewives too-it's like they put the work in to the early seasons and st up a strong foundation as they know the loyal fan base will hold on to the end.

[@tomjones8610]

@@shanefolan I have to somewhat disagree as I think they did a better job keeping Friends alive in those last few seasons than they did Cheers or DH. There were some classic Friends moments in those last seasons - for example, the Blind Date episode, Joey on Pyramid, Chandler blowing his job interview over the word 'duties' that he thought was 'doodies'...you know, 'pooh'...

[@shanefolan]

@@tomjones8610 Yea but it wasn't consistent any longer, if you watch the 1st say 5 years where each ep was well done and good but the last two- three seasons were not as near as good nor as funny and had lost the quality of its early years. The gags such as the shark porn just wasn't funny, chandler was no longer as funny and became too soppy, the joey-Rachael plot seemed forced, Joey and Monica became caricatures, the Ross/Rachael will they/won't they saga was starting to run its course...Don't get me wrong, still ok but it didn't compare to its earlier years.And even the finale wasn't funny-the gags seemed forced.

[@Yobachi2007]

@scudder99 She's not an idiot for leaving, it's not like she was there a short time and ran before the show broke. Sometimes enough is enough, and when you're done with something, you're just done. And Selfish? Do you choose what job you stay at and the course of your life based on your customers? It's not her duty to live her life for you, get your own life. Who cares if she's nothing in the industry now, she already won 20 years ago.

[@marisleuk]

thank you

[@huskvarsm]

wow sorry to hear of her troubles but she has obviously overcome them and boy is she beautiful.

[@THECLARENCES]

The Clarences love & support Shelley!

[@ramenandgyoza702]

Love Diane Chambers!

[@THECLARENCES]

Totally agree with you, brenda12364. "Cheers" after Shelley is unwatchable and not very good. xoxo The Clarences

[@Ariamaluum]

I liked in Outrageous Fortune. Funny movie.

[@thewayneflyinghigh9128]

I think that movie is overrated

[@peterd.6579]

Nine years of ballet, a**hole!

[@thewayneflyinghigh9128]

Davan Mani i still think the film Outrageous Fortune is still overrated, and I never liked the Brady bunch films or tv show.

[@The-Battle-Brother]

@@thewayneflyinghigh9128 Six months have passed since your last comment, so how do you feel about Outrageous Fortune now? Do you like it now? 😁

[@BrendanMcClelland]

Shelley Long looks 100% better than Paris Hilton.

[@BobsTank]

Seriously, interview lady? The highlight of her career was playing Carol Brady? A so-so movie redo of a tepid sit-com from my childhood? Shelly Long's greatest movie role, in my opinion, was Belinda Keaton in the Ron Howard directed movie, 'Night Shift'. I just watched it again after all these years and fell in love with Shelly all over again.

[@yospuynik]

she was good in nightshift 1982

[@maxcohen13]

The writing was obviously the major factor in the show, and it was great from the beginning to the end. The relationship between Sam and Diane was fine, but it was sort of a blessing that she left because it opened up new avenues for writing that I think worked really well. I don't think it's fair to turn this into a "Roth or Hagar" situation. Kirstie Alley was very funny on that show.

[@JMarsh02639]

Good point! Roth/Hagar, IMO, sounded like two different bands -- whereas "Cheers" incorporated elements from the early, Shelley Long era, (while dropping its 'love roller coaster' focus.) IMO, Both eras of "Cheers" were wonderful - witty, smart, and (by today's standards) non-P.C.! Great acting by both Long and Alley, too.

[@metricdeep8856]

Ah....I was right way back then........She still looks good. Cheers!

[@samebar]

I would've mentioned Roz in my last post but no room. I saw S3E24 & it was obvious from day 1 that Frazier hadn't seen his father in years. I'd watched the Frasier's so many times over for years & now I'm onto Cheers, purposely not watching Frasier at all so I can come back to it one day & have it not so fresh in my memory. Two great series...quite different from each other in many ways, despite the Frasier Crane connection...different writers & character sets...both great in their own ways.

[@MarvinFalz]

Thank you! I was going by the romantic cliche too, as if love was necessarily what you've already said. Love's the opposite, letting go of selfishness. I feel similar towards D, she's often so annoying, overly moral, always has to meddle in other's affairs. Ironically this is her greatest plus. Big kudos btw to Ms. Long for her portrayal of D. The bigger mystery to me is Lilith. This character's demonized especially in Frasier e.g when Daphne reacts with psychic headache. Yet more likable than D

[@BrendanMcClelland]

I hear ya. Diane really did add to the show. Rebecca just wasn't the same since we didn't need another bitter razor mouthed woman. That's was Carla's part. Even though for Carla I enjoyed her and she added to the show as well.

[@MarvinFalz]

Roz is awesome. Her honesty isn't brutal, she teases rather than willfully hurt like Carla. Roz isn't a hater. There are many episodes where her only purpose is to shoot lousily written one-liners at Cliff and Diane. But episodes that focus on her are great. I love Nick, Loretta and John Hill episodes. Loretta says "No" to Nick and he responds "That sounded negative to me". Priceless line. John Hill dominates Sam all the way and lets him go crazy and wins the bet at which time Sam goes crazy. =D

[@joevictor53]

@MrSistasista That too but she's said several times in interviews that the main reason was for her daughter

[@MarvinFalz]

Yeah! I remember Sy, Beer and Pretzels that's our game, C-H-E-R-S, I also remember P. Gilpin as reporter during Woody's campaign. Speaking of rewriting Hester, I just watched the Frasier episode You Can Go Home Again (S3E24) in which Frasier recollects his first visit at Martin's home after he'd moved to Seattle. Frasier tells him that "lately things got a little hectic, and I haven't been able to come home as often" to which Martin replies "I noticed how busy you got after your mother died".

[@bilkomax]

I will look out for that . I have not see many of her film roles but under no circumstances am i having the Brady Bunch being the pinnacle of it . I liked her best in Outrageous Fortune or The Money Pit . So long since i have seen them cant remember which . She was in good in another one with Gabriel Byrne aswell

[@samebar]

Actually in Cheers Frazier's dad was a deceased scientist, it was only in Frazier that they gave him a living blue collar father...sorry to keep contradicting you. Neither Frazier nor Lilith are from old money, they do however seemed to be rooted in the middle class. Frazier's admiration for Sam is more from the male icon mold, relating to his conquest of a large number of women, enviable to most men.

[@Girlie88edu]

@oldorchard1000 it is true- but she was still an asset to the show. :)

[@samebar]

U're right, Frasier does explain the research scientist lie with,"U were dead, what did it matter?" but mentioned his 'dead scientist father at a spread of intervals in Cheers. In Frasier their mother died while they were kids, hence Hesther appearing in Frasier's dreams & Martin's home movie as a young woman & not the stately woman who appears in Cheers. However a rewrite was necessary 2 make the pieces fit & they took a stab at explaining away the glaring discontinuities.Remember Sy Flembeck?

[@MarvinFalz]

Truth. So I won't spoil your experience I will only say that I watch both series regularly for years now and that both of them have replaced Married with Children as my fav sitcom. This is partly due to that Cheers got even better after a major cast member had left the show and that not even 11 seasons of the Norm! running gag got old as opposed to all of MwC's self references. MwC was funny and clever for the first 4 to 6 seasons, after that the quality crash landed.

[@shanefolan]

''after cheers shelley had a hit and miss movie career'' ...they show three films of which were released before she'd left cheers....'

[@rewreaver]

@rrdrums1952 I didn't think she was that bad, but I was referring to I wanted more Shelley Long. I'm hoping for a reunion where Sam and Diane are at Cheers together yet :)

[@BBQFanNo1]

Of all the cast gone from the show the most difficult for me was when the Coach actor died. No disrespect to Woody Harrelson as an actor but I never really warmed up to his character on Cheers the remainder of the series like I did with the Coach actor.

[@MarvinFalz]

Cheers brought us so many awesome Cliff moments. He's memorable and outshines many in performance. What you said: very multilayered character. Very versatile acting. Cliffy's just not as handsome, relaxed, easy and charming as Sam. He's also creepy, insane of sorts and due to his boisterousness, blustering, self righteousness, his strange stories that go on and on and on and his know-it-all mentality unpopular among the bar patrons. I guess that's why he's condemned to be a side character.

[@stev1963hit]

@rewreaver Snap! I've been waiting for that for 18 long years!

[@jasongibson3496]

I love Cheers and I love the Golden Girls. Cheers lasted to long on network tv. The Golden Girls left network tv when it was supposed to.

[@shanefolan]

Alot of big successful tv shows outstay their welcome sadly-friends and lost are other examples of tv shows that declined greatly in quality in their later years,at the end of the day I suppose we have to remember it is a business and when a business[tv show] is doing well why cancel it when it is lining so many pockets? I suppose declining quality with long running serials is inevitable as maintaining quality can be very hard.Sadder is when top tv shows decline very early on after strong starts-examples are Homeland, Prison Break and 6 feet under, all outstanding in their 1st 2 seasons but went into a decline in their 3rd seasons that they never recovered from imho. Possibly the only tv show that never declined in quality, did not outstay its welcome and maintained excellence the entire way through is Breaking Bad.

[@Draeber]

she was SO cute.

[@EdwardoMarbella-c1r]

She's still beautiful

[@geoffreyfox9801]

I love all the Cheers episodes! The actors and writers were absolutely wonderful. Those characters became "real" to TV viewers. The writers and producers overcame two obstacles when they lost Coach and Diane. The character of Woody Boyd was a terrific asset. The producers were smart enough not to try to create another Diane Chambers. They created a new character for Kirstie Alley. Kirstie was wonderful. She gave Cheers a second wind and full tank of gas and it kept running. The acting and writing continued to be stellar until the end.

[@dolphingurls8204]

Shes still so pretty

[@MarvinFalz]

A realistic romantic maybe. I agree with your analysis of Sam and Rebecca. They also understand that love is crucial for raising a child and decide to let their dreams go for the child's sake. When I was writing my first comment I wasn't aware that there was no love story between them. I should've written that the chemistry between Sam and Diane was more intense than the chemistry between S. and R. This might also be attributed to the aging of Ted Danson and Kirstie Alley's imo lesser sex appeal

[@shanefolan]

Irony is the title is 'where are they now' yet addresses that question for like 5 seconds and we don't actually find out where she is at now today or what projects she is doing currently. The focus was mostly on cheers and its cast members which was largely irrelevant to what they were supposed to be addressing. Ideally it should have showed her at home and talking about recent projects and how she spends her life now. Instead of that the last project they mentioned was from the mid 90s.

[@jimgallagher2979]

She left for the same reason Gleason only did one season of The Honeymooners. She didn't want it to keep repeating itself over and over and lose the freshness and originality. Gleason didn't think he could improve on it and neither did she. Sometimes people leave a relationship for the same reason.

[@shanefolan]

@jedijones for me cheers was stale the minute long departed,her and sam made the show,it just didnt work without 1

[@BeckettSong]

This got me thinking about an alternate reality where David Schwimmer leaves the cast of FRIENDS for the duration of the fifth season and comes back in time for the sixth season. Ross Geller's new wife Emily Waltham-Geller decides to forgive him and moves to the U.S.A. and he unfortunately agrees to never see Rachel again until the first episode of the 6th season. I can't imagine what the show would've been like if Schwimmer left permanently like Miss Long.

[@MarvinFalz]

No problem, I tend to forget details. To me the explanation given in Frasier is canon, Frasier was angry at his dad, so he told the bar he was dead - and told them for whatever reason he was a scientist. Come to think of it, his mother who appeared in Cheers doesn't fit the description of her in Frasier either. I can't imagine that Hesther would use a gun to scare Diane away. She would use her knowledge of him and her psychological insights in him to trick him if she'd deem an open talk useless.

[@7.0SLO]

i wonder these same things...i think i've developed what will probably be a lifelong infatuation of shelley long in cheers lol

[@MarvinFalz]

The chemistry between S and D is so strong they just can't let go of each other though they very well know they're the worst couple ever. That is - actually - that was what I missed in the S and R relationship. Now I find their friendship more attractive. They go thru some rough times too, but they pull together and help each other out. Hm, I must rephrase, the story of S and R is a love story and the story of S and D is a hate story. All S and D have is sex attraction, obsession, dependency.

[@BBQFanNo1]

The series after Shelley Long left became like Happy Days after Ron Howard and Donny Most left and All In The Family after Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers left. Chico and the Man after Freddie Prinze died. Shelley Long's "Diane Chambers" character was the only thing good left worth watching Cheers for after the Coach actor died. To me the series should have ended after Shelley Long left with a storyline that Cheers bar has been sold to new owners.

[@MarvinFalz]

They're fascinated cause he's successful. I love Rebecca cause she's immune to him and on top of that she plays Sam off against himself. She's the better influence on Sam. To my knowledge it's not explicitly told in the show but I reckon that Rebecca helps Sam to realize that his DJism will ultimately lead to loneliness. She wards him off, humiliates him, both realize having a baby without love is selfish and cruel, they become friends and they get that friendship is more worth than domination.

[@jedijones]

Well at least she did achieve her goal of going out on top and not letting her character get stale. Cheers definitely did get stale in its last couple years. Remember, Seinfeld also ended his show after 8 full seasons and no one really begrudges him that. Maybe Shelley could have stayed and kept the quality up for 2 or 3 more years but that's probably about all she might have missed out on. From a purely financial perspective though, her decision remains a legendary misstep in Hollywood.

[@samslick9000]

Cheers was never the same without Diane

[@stephenlyle3346]

samslick90 no it was better

[@MarvinFalz]

When Sam shows up in Seattle he tells Martin that he was told Martin was dead and a scientist. Frasier explains he and his father had a fight on the phone and Martin hung up on him, so he told everyone in the bar the false story. Okay, I can swallow that. The mom that was alive in Cheers but dead in Frasier, I can also take, though it's blatantly wrong and impossible to retcon. I agree, Frasier and Sam are both Don Juan's on different levels. Sam is the ultimate DJ. Frasier seeks inner relation

[@BadIdeaBearCub]

"Brady Bunch the highlight of her career"? You must be kidding. I liked all of the movies I saw with her in it. Also I heard that some of the big blockbusters of Bet Midler and Whoopie Goldberg were originally written for her.

[@audreysim1]

I can't see where else Sam and Diane could have gone if she hadn't left. In season 1 we had the build up between them - season 2 we had the affair - season 3 we had Frasier - season 4 we had a sort of build up again and season 5 we had them engaged. What else could have happened. I don't think letting them marry would have worked but what else could have happened with them? Any ideas?

[@1dbhsa]

They could have easily played up marital issues and triumphs like any other sitcom about marriages like the king of queens, everybody loves Raymond, Phil and Claire from Modern family, etc. That would have been different for that time period. Not to mention some funny episodes could have come from the two having a child and their different parenting styles. There are lots of shows that have actually done this kind of thing after they put the characters together and made it work. However, the writers didn’t think they could do anymore with the characters after their initial joining on season one. Shelley states that she didn’t want to keep doing the same thing with the character. That would have been exhausting for all involved. Well the audience wanted to watch their journey progress not standstill. Which it still did because they never got together. The shoe just so happen to have a major distraction with the rest of cast there making it an ensemble type of show.

[@crypter27]

Coach was the only one who liked her!

[@Vidiwell100]

WOW, she's still pretty! The best movie I think she did was Caveman with Ringo Starr. She was beautiful in that and funny as the girl who was alsways overlooked, that is until the end when she finally got her man.

[@DRthistle]

She was supposedly difficult to work with. I think she earned the right to make a few requests and if she didn't hang out with the others between takes it probably had a lot to do with remaining in character..maybe not so easy to jump in and out of roles that you take seriously.

[@samebar]

She likes men's men, bad boys and sports for sure. Cliffy's 'martian' is priceless alright...Norm speaks it too.

[@joevictor53]

I agree. But one thing. I don't think any of them had an affair. They broke up because of the painting argument

[@samebar]

Roz is 1 of my fav's & u're right about the Carla ep's in which they go a little more in2 her character-much better & more positive...'The dream' ep. where her mother wants her 2 name Gino, 'Benito Mussolini' is a good 1 2. She's kind of an evil elf in some ep's like when she urges Sammy 2 bed mother & daughter. There's a certain point where she shows concern that he's having an attack of conscience & he takes her under his wing & says,"Fear not little one" conjuring the Devil-Elf image.

[@MarvinFalz]

Your explanations make sense to me. Surely he maintains an idealized image to make him feel part of the herd around Sam who's the only one of them who actually lives, no, who actually is Don Juan. One might consider the other males in the bar as wannabe's or failed Don Juan's except for innocent Woody. That's why they're living vicariously through Sam. Norm and Paul are even lower than that. When Sam wasn't around, they were living vicariously through Phil who just bought a new pair of pants.

[@gignetheninj]

Her character was brilliant. Diane was a loon in the funniest way.

[@photographerjonathan]

I loved her on Cheers, but I always thought she deserved the stupid award for leaving the show, along with Wayne Rogers who left mash because he thought he could be a bigger star on his own, and Shelly was the same, and also had no Career worth talking about after Cheers, when you are an actor who is lucky enough to be part of something special and successful, you don't walk away from it, you find ways to make it fresh

[@4seeableTV]

+photographerjonathan Well, except for Ted Danson and Kelsey Grammer (who simply continued to play Frasier), no one else who went the full series are known for anything else either. Just because she wanted to do different things, it doesn't matter if she wasn't a big success in those. In case you missed the narrative of the clip, she had a lot of crap going on in her life.

[@shanefolan]

+CrazyWedz the crap going on her life was long after cheers ended, and yes even those who stayed the fill series would have fared better financially and got more offers during their time on the show so photo has a good point, it was a poor career decision for her to walk away from such a big hit. Actors who make it in a big show should make the most of it when they can and certainly not quit as too often when the show ends so do their high profile careers. Long actually said in 87 she wanted to leave as she had secured a disney movie contract and her film career was what she wanted.

[@shanefolan]

''Well, except for Ted Danson and Kelsey Grammer (who simply continued to play Frasier), no one else who went the full series are known for anything else either.'' you are forgetting woody harreson who has fared 2nd best after kelsey grammar when the show ended and today he is doing the best out of them all since kelsey grammar's career has died down.

[@angrymobsters1599]

It was a 50/50 decision. People tend to forget that as soon as she left the show after 1986 the show before that struggled in ratings and was one of the least watched shows for multiple seasons in the beginning. Who knew that after she left the show was going to kick off to being one of the biggest hit shows in television at the time. She took the risk of pursuing her film career, cause she didn't think cheers would have worked out. It's a human mistake

[@RandomPlayIist]

@@angrymobsters1599 Wait a minute, the show only struggled in the ratings the first year. The second year it started to rise and almost cracked the top 30. From the 3rd season on, Cheers was a bona fide hit. The show was top five in the ratings when Long was still on the show and considered smash success before she even left.

[@ramaraksha01]

She WAS Cheers - when she was on there was magic to the show, it was a classic Kirstie was a better comic actress but the show was no longer a classic, it became a very good comedy show - good writing and the audience they had built up by then & of course Ted Danson, carried the show onwards

[@vassa1972]

she looks better now

[@xxxxxx-tq4mw]

a four letter word to describe her starts with the capital "C"

[@CaptainSpalding72]

The tragedy of Sam and Diane is neither accepted each other for who they were. Yes Diane was a pompous ass and Sam was a dumb jock. They could never get past it and move forward.

[@MarvinFalz]

Oh, then thank you for correcting me on what low-life means. Don't know the origin family of Lilith, all I know is that her mother is very commanding and hostile. But I know Frasier's family, his mother sophisticated, his father not, but both are / were relaxed and open to people. Frasier's in between, one side wants to be high society, the other side pulls him back. It's probably no coincidence that Frasier and Sam become friends: bound by bad experiences with Diane and Sam resembles Martin.

[@ryno1509]

There’s something different in her speech she sounds short tongued

[@jeffreybeaumont5499]

Her tongue's a rarity, at 2.5 inches long. You have a problem with that?

[@crispypigskin8578]

Cinda Bishop That a curious response

[@sarahholland2600]

People sound like that when getting used to new teeth veneers.