Here's to Cheers

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I watched a lot of TV as a kid. When I think back on how many hours of my young life were spent in front of the squawk box, I am baffled. Now, like so many others, I don't even own a TV. Perhaps it is due to the unbearable nature of commercials, but maybe it is because there just isn't the same kind of programming like we had back in "the good 'ol days". If Cheers was still on today, I may just buy myself a bigscreen.

I have to say, I seriously, unabashedly LOVE Cheers. Perhaps I seem a bit overemotional about a TV show, but I think I have a good deal of sentimental attachment to the thing, considering it practically raised me. My brother and I would watch Cheers so often that we invented  a game called "Cheers Trivia" in which we would quiz each other on obscure facts from the show. Yea, we watched it a lot.

But, I'm not here to tout the never-ending list of reasons why one should deem Cheers one of the best shows of the 1980s. I am here to talk about the fashionable side of the little bar in Boston.

The style of the Cheers cast was relatively simple. After all, Sam, Diane, Carla and Woody were just regular people, working in a regular bar, living out the hilarity of everyday life. I wouldn't call any of these characters a "style icon", but they all had their charm nonetheless.

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Let's start with Sam. The ladies man. The secretly sensitive tough guy. The heart of Cheers,  if you will. Sam Malone (Ted Danson) is supposed to be cool and suave, therefore he must be stylish. He has a certain sportiness to his style (being a retired pitcher), but often goes beyond the baseball jackets and plaid shirts into the realm of the 80s sweater.
I highly recommend checking out this amazing collection of Sam Malone sweaters that give Bill Cosby a run for his money.

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Then there's Diane (Shelley Long), the first of the female "love interest" characters. Her style is mostly prim and stuffy with a lot of carry-over from the 70s. High collars and pastels often rule Diane's wardrobe.

Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) on the other hand, comes later in the series and as a driven career woman is clearly more of a fashion-forward female. She is all about the broad-shouldered blazers with a big brunette mane to top it off.

My favourite, though, has to be Carla (Rea Pearlman). She is spunky and sporty and just plain great. Carla's style is casual. She works too hard to get all fancy. But, her tapered jeans, plaid shirts and mass of curls would probably be coveted by some of the most fashionable young-uns today.

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I admit that I never really thought about the stylish side of Cheers while watching it. I was too distracted by the impeccable acting, the endearing characters and the sometimes heart-warming, always entertaining story lines that still keep me laughing all these 20 years later.

So, here's to Cheers for it's fashion, it's funny and for keeping me company during all those 80s afternoons.