The first five years of the NBC comedy Cheers were all about Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long). They got together, then broke up, then got back together and were engaged to be married. But, when Long decided to leave the show, it was the end of Sam and Diane, until the series finale in season 11, that is.
Cheers creators Glen and Les Charles and James Burrows, producer Rob Long and writer Ken Levine spoke to Variety about the Cheers finale in 2018 for its 25th anniversary. They explained why Sam and Diane did not get back together, even though Long reprised her role one last time.
Getting Shelley Long back as Diane for the ‘Cheers’ finale
After leaving Cheers, Shelley Long made movies like Outrageous Fortune, Troop Beverly Hills and The Brady Bunch Movie. In 1993, they weren’t sure she would be open to returning.
“It was a dream to have Diane come back,” Rob Long told Variety. “To have the show end the right way, you kind of needed to get some closure on that relationship. I think it was one of those things where people thought, ‘Well, the only thing we can do is ask [Shelley Long]. You can’t get a ‘yes’ until you ask a question.’ But she was an incredible trooper about it.”
Back in 1993, Long said NBC announced her return before her deal was final.
“There was no resistance,” Glen Charles said. “She was happy to come back.”
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What happens to Sam and Diane in ‘Cheers’?
When Shelley long left Cheers, they said Diane was going to spend six months in a writing program. Sam knew she would stick with writing though. The finale explained why she never so much as called, and after a brief rekindling, Sam decided to stay in Boston at Cheers.
“Of course, there’s the debate that’s still raging as to whether or not Sam and Diane should’ve gotten together at the end or not,” Levine said. “I know there were a lot of people that were disappointed and were just kind of hoping for that fairytale ending of Sam and Diane riding off into the sunset happily ever after, but the decision was ultimately made for them to be apart, and I have to say that I agree with that decision.”
For Burrows, there was never a debate.
“They were not the right person for one another,” Burrows said. “We knew that. That’s what made them great.”
Diane’s return made the finale
For the creators of Cheers, it was enough to have Diane back to conclude Sam and Diane’s story once and for all.
“When Shelley graciously agreed to come back and do that final episode, it just automatically gave that last episode some suspense and some gravity,” Levine said.
Rob Long added, “It was one of those things where the audience really wanted to see these two people together. Not necessarily get together at the end, but they just wanted to see them together one more time on TV.”
