DVD Review: Cheers: The Ninth Season

Writers: Multiple
Director: Multiple
Cast: Ted Danson, Rhea Pearlman, Woody Harrelson, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Kirstie Alley, Bebe Neuwirth
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: April 29, 2008

I was just a baby when Cheers first premiered on television. I grew up with the show because practically everyone on the planet watched it. Who didn’t want to go to the bar where everyone knew your name? Whether the episodes were first shown or whether they were in rerun, I’ve seen practically the entire series of Cheers, but it has just been so long since I’ve seen any episodes. I didn’t realize what I was missing. I didn’t realize what television was missing by no longer having Cheers on the air.

Like the shows it played predecessor to, Seinfield, Fraiser and other 90s sitcoms, Cheers embodied the kind of humor that you no longer find on television. The end of these shows forever changed the way American television portrayed sitcoms and all we (fans of these shows) have is our DVD Box Sets to comfort and cajole us, as we try to find a bit of comedy in a world where reality television reigns supreme.

Release Information:
It’s surprising to know that Cheers was almost cancelled after its first season. The show, which aired for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993 first aired on NBC on September 30, 1982. The show has won 28 Emmy awards and has been nominated 117 times for awards over its 11 years of broadcast. It also enjoyed being on the top of the rating for 8 out of 11 of its seasons. Not bad for a show that ranked in last place during its 1982 run.

This review is of Cheers: The Complete Ninth Season, which aired from September 1990 until May 1991. There are 26 episodes included in this five-disc set. Well, technically, it is the 25 episodes that aired during the Ninth Season as well as a 200th episode one hour special. There were 275 Cheers episodes in total. Paramount and CBS, who own the rights to Cheers are planning on releasing Cheers: The Ninth Season on April 29, 2008. This DVD Box Set can be pre-ordered at Amazon for just under $30.

The Cheers: The Ninth Season Plot
The ending of the eighth season had an explosive finale that probably left fans, at the time, disgruntled. While I know I watched Cheers I can’t say I remember, in depth, what exactly the reaction was on a per season basis. I don’t even really remember all of the episodes, just snippets here and there. At the end of the last season, Sam (Ted Danson) and Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) have finally had sex and right as her billionaire boyfriend (well former billionaire), Robin, returns from leaving the country to face a jail charge for embezzling his millions. He wants Rebecca to wait for him and she does, much to Sam’s chagrin.

The first episode has the whole bar guessing whether Sam and Rebecca did it or not. After Sam doesn’t brag about it, Carla (Rhea Pearlman) is convinced they didn’t because Sam would brag. She also convinces Woody (Woody Harrelson), Norm (George Wendt), Dr. Fraiser Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger), the latter three being regular customers and friends of Sam’s, that he hasn’t done it either. So, when Sam decides to tell them the truth, they no longer believe him.

This series has come a long way from the show where Sam Malone owned his quaint Boston bar, Cheers. As a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, Cheers is somewhat of a sports bar though it really is just a place where the regulars and workers (Sam, Rebecca, Carla and Woody) hang out. In this season, Sam has finally got the bar back (he’d lost it to corporate management) and he’s ready to take back his turf.

There are 26 episodes included in this Five Disc Set. The episodes are split across the discs in the following way:

DISC ONE

#9.1 – “Love Is a Really, Really Perfectly Okay Thing”
#9.2 – “Cheers Fouls Out”
#9.3 – “ Rebecca Redux”
#9.4 – “ Where Nobody Knows Your Name”
#9.5 – “ Ma Always Liked You Best”
#9.6 – “ Grease”

DISC TWO

#9.7 – “ Breaking In Is Hard To Do”
Special – “ 200th Celebration: One Hour Special”
#9.8 – “ Bad Neighbor Sam”
#9.9 – “ Veggie Boyd”
#9.10 – “ Norm And Cliff’s Excellent Adventure”

DISC THREE

#9.11 – “ Woody Interruptus”
#9.12 – “ Honor Thy Mother”
#9.13 – “ Achilles Hill”
#9.14 – “ Days Of Wine And Neuroses”
#9.15 – “ Wedding Bell Blues”

DISC FOUR

#9.16 – “ I’m Getting My Act Together And Sticking It In Your Face”
#9.17 – “ Sam Time Next Year”
#9.18 – “ Crash Of The Titans”
#9.19 – “ It’s A Wonderful Wife”
#9.20 – “ Cheers Has Chili”

DISC FIVE

#9.21 – “ Carla Loves Clavin”
#9.22 – “ Pitch It Again, Sam”
#9.23 – “ Rat Girl”
#9.24 – “ Home Malone”
#9.25 – “ Uncle Sam Wants You”

There were so many great episodes in this season. Some have said the show was losing steam by this point, but ratings and my own opinion say there were still some pretty funny moments included in the 25 episodes of Season Nine. If I had to pick my top three favorite episodes from this set, I’d choose “Where Nobody Knows Your Name”, “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Rebecca Redux”.

“Where Nobody Knows Your Name” has Robin in jail and the news that he has returned for a mystery woman, to serve his jail sentence has Rebecca all jittery. She doesn’t want anyone to know she’s the woman. When Robin’s ex, French consulate Jean-Marie admits she’s the woman, she becomes wildly famous, much to Rebecca’s dismay. She ends up having Sam talk to Robin to ensure he still loves her. In the meantime, it’s a scorching Indian summer and Carla is in heat. She has conceived all of her children in this kind of weather so she locks herself in the back room of the bar until the ending of the heat wave.

“Wedding Bell Blues” has Rebecca forgetting that the night before she has admitted she doesn’t love Robin. She plans to call the wedding off. She was drunk and now that she’s sober, she doesn’t remember a thing. Sam sets out to jog her of her memory and Fraiser is excited about the wedding because he thinks he gets to sing at it. That is, until Robin invites a Righteous Brother in his place. Finally, in “Rebecca Redux”, Sam is looking for someone to help manage the bar. He is going to ask Rebecca, but she claims to already have an amazing job. In truth, she makes a measly few bucks working at the car show and doing experiments that singe her skin, with car products. Sam, in the meantime, hires Earl, a guy that everybody seems to love. When Sam finds out Rebecca’s job isn’t so great, he must decide whether to hire her and make everyone in the bar mad at him or keep Earl since everyone loves him.

The acting for Cheers is top notch. All of the primary stars of the show have gone on to do many amazing things from voicing roles for Pixar movies to starring in other successful TV shows and movies. Kelsey Grammer had a spinoff hit with Fraiser, where he played the same character he does on Cheers. Woody Harrelson, Kirstie Alley, Rhea Pearlman, George Wendt and Ted Danson have all had successful movie careers. All of these actors are successful because of the show, but also because they have talent. They really don’t make sitcoms like this anymore. That’s why having the DVDs of shows like Cheers is pretty much a requirement.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Despite being displayed in standard full frames at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, the Cheers: The Complete Ninth Season, episodes are actually in pretty good shape. Having first aired in the early 90s, there wasn’t much done in the way of enhancements. While there is the occasional moment of dirt and/or grain the quality is pretty much standard for this kind of TV release. It could have been improved, but you can definitely see everything clearly.

The audio for the Cheers: The Complete Ninth Season DVD came through clearly. It wasn’t as spectacular as a dynamic track for a movie would be, but it was a well suited track for a television show. The best part is that I didn’t have to toggle with the volume when watching the episodes in this box set. I hate when I have to do that. The sound is English Dolby Digital Stereo. It features Closed Captioning but no subtitles. It’s not as good as it could have been, but for what it is, it works.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Unfortunately, there are no bonus features. You’d think that Paramount would have gone the extra mile, but according to past “poor” DVD sales I guess they didn’t want to take their chances on another flop. Still, fans expect bonuses and having no bonuses really sucks.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Cheers has become a classic television show from the era in which I grew up. It’s hard for me to see all of the television shows from the 80s becoming oldies but goodies, classics or whatever you want to call them. Still, the fact that shows like this used to have such longevity speaks volumes for their quality. TV today doesn’t hold a candle to what used to be on, especially when it comes to the dying sitcom. I highly recommend purchasing Cheers: The Complete Ninth Season and all of the seasons for this series. Help to preserve good television while you can.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Cheers, The Complete Ninth Season, DVD Review, TV Show, Box Set, Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, Woody Harrelson, Rhea Pearlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenger, Kelsey Grammer

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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
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Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.