'Cheers' could have been set in Philly
While Cheers, all of which is streaming on Netflix, is perhaps the greatest sitcom of all time, how much better would it have been if Sam "Mayday" Malone was a Phillie instead of a Red Sox?
This is a must-listen for TV nerds of all stripes: Legendary television direction James Burrows is this week's main guest on the Bullseye with Jesse Thorn podcast. Burrows has had a hand in some of the most popular sitcoms for the last 40 years, including Will & Grace, Frasier and The Big Bang Theory.
But his most important contribution to television is perhaps co-creating Cheers. On the podcast, he talks about the origin of the landmark sitcom, saying that it was supposed to be set in a bar in Barstow, Calif., so celebrities could stop by as if they are on their way from LA to Vegas.
Burrows says that he and co-creators Glen and Les Charles decided they preferred sports bars and thought about locations that were "rabid cities for their team." While Cheers ended up in Boston, Burrows said Philly was a contender to set the venerable drinking hole. Alas, he gave no reason for the decision to move it to Boston.
Burrows goes on to compare Taxi, in which he directed 75 episodes, to Cheers. While everyone wanted to leave the taxi dispatch, "Cheers was a place people wanted to come in to."
While Cheers, all of which is streaming on Netflix, is perhaps the greatest sitcom of all time, how much better would it have been if Sam "Mayday" Malone was a Phillie instead of a Red Sox?
Listen below: