5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Complete Shelly Long era, July 1, 2005
This review is from: Cheers - Five Season Pack: The Complete First Five Seasons (DVD)
Cheers needs no introduction to anyone, such is it's status as a classic, seminal eighties sitcom. This box set neatly wraps up the entire Shelly Long era - my favourite and I believe the highest quality era for the show. The reason owes to the original concept of Cheers which was to place an overeducated, unemployable, attractive snob with an undereducated, ex-alcaholic, ex ball player and let the sparks fly. The result was one of the funniest and most loved of the small screen romances. Diane's character allowed the shows writers literally years of opportunities to put down the cerebrally challenged Sam and likewise for his stunningly prolific womanising to drive her batty. The chemistry was red hot and fascinating to watch, and offset by a superbly witty collection of support characters - Norm Peterson (the man who sat on the same bar stool for 13 years), Cliff Claven (postal employee know it all), the soon to have his own smash hit show Frasier, Coach, Woody and many others.
Looking at these eps again they are really timeless, and some of them, particularly key eps in Sam and Diane's relationship leave you laughing uncontrollably and sometimes stunned by the power of these characters to move you.
I bought each of these season's individually and just couldn't stop - every season leaves you on such a cliff hanger. This box set offers great value if you are a real Cheers fan. This could arguably be the most consistently brilliantly written and acted sitcom of all time and will always have a place in my heart.
There are a few special features on each disc collection - they are reasonably sparse but the first and second seasons have some nice interviews (especially with Ted Danson). Some of it is nice and thoughtful but there's nothing all that meaty. The transfers are generally very good indeed. Very, very occassionally there is an episode where the master tape has been damaged (from memory this has only been noticable once, not bad in over a hundred episodes; non-professionals might even struggle to notice it). On the whole, the transfers are superb - I've never seen the eps look so clean. Enjoy!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oen of the Greatest TV show of all time, a classic "10", October 16, 2006
This review is from: Cheers - Five Season Pack: The Complete First Five Seasons (DVD)
Cheers is perhaps the greatest TV show ever created, and one of the top shows in the 1980s (they don't make em like they used to).
the script was fantastically written, and the acting superb.
It's a shame what happened to Shelley Long(Diane Chambers) after she left the show; for although her character is probably at least 20% like her, it's still top notch acting.
The laughters and jokes abound, and the annoying Cliff Claven character, being the butt of every Carla Tortelli LeBec whim was classic. The chemistry between the characters is moving and amazing.
No couple on TV can replace/come close to the Diane Chambers/Sam Malone combo. Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) annoyed me at first when she came on, but once I reviewed season 5-7 again; she's all right. She's no Diane, I guess I don't like self-effacing, neurotic and power-hungry characters like Rebecca. She's a loser, and it changed the whole "warm" dynamic of the Cheers atmosphere.
However, adding the characters of Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson); and Dr. Fraser Crane(Kelsey Grammar) and Dr. Sternin(Bebe Neuwirth) made up for more what Rebecca's character lacked. The Cranes were an absolutely hilarious couple, and Woody and Kelly combo made me laugh as well. I look forward to re-watching Bebe's performances, they keep topping the previous ones!
In this show, the characters change, become better, and grow...and so does the acting. Unlike many so-called "funny shows" of the 90s. The characters are wholesome, REAL people. Watching them makes you feel sorry for them, happy, glad, sad, and wish them well all at once.
The theme song is an all time unforgettable one. What a brilliant tune and lyrics!
This show is a worthy keeper on DVD. Unfortunately...
the DVD collection is less than thrilling. No subtitles are terrible (it's hard to understand what some of the actors are saying, particularly, John Ratzenburger as Cliff Claven); the quality is grainy, and the extras are pretty lame. I expected more cast interviews, and more director interviews....oh well.
Otherwise, it's well worth it!
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