Cheers was the greatest sitcom ever written.
There, I've said it.
I was going to qualify that statement with an "In my opinion..." or an "arguably", but it's my blog, so why can't I state opinions as fact? Everybody else is doing it!
The heart of Cheers was Norm Peterson. In a bar where "everybody knows your name", he was the exemplar. Everyone knew Norm...
And Norm had an answer for every question...
As one of only three characters to appear in all 275 episodes of Cheers, actor George Wendt is a legend. Appropriately, he and his character get name-dropped in a few songs, mostly by rappers, but there was only one tune I wanted to play in tribute today. Here's the original recording, by Gary Portnoy...
Rest in peace, Norm... and George. I hope there's a good bar to prop up in TV heaven.
ROL!
ReplyDeleteYou might be right about the greatest sitcom.
ReplyDelete"What'll you have, Normie?"
ReplyDelete"Well, I'm in a gambling mood, Sammy. I'll take a glass of whatever comes out of that tap."
"Looks like beer, Norm."
"Call me Mister Lucky."
Rest easy, Mr. Lucky.
JM
The obituaries and tributes over these past few days are a reminder that Cheers was probably the greatest of the long-running sitcoms and that Norm was one of the best-written and most easily identifiable characters of them all.
ReplyDeleteWe all know or at least knew a Norm. They may not have been a barfly - it could have been someone from work, or at the football matches or wherever you spend time in any sort of crowd. But there's always a Norm in the vicinity.
RIP George. You never failed to make me smile.