‘Cheers’ Stage Show Being Developed By CBS

Let’s all buy a round for Norm: Sitcom classic Cheers is being developed into a live theater version by CBS, with shows – under the straightforward name Cheers Live on Stage – expected to debut in 2016. The production will “showcase classic moments” from the series, Radio Times reports (via A.V. Club), though the company hasn’t confirmed if any original cast members will be involved. 

The original Cheers premiered in 1982 and ran for 11 seasons on NBC, overcoming low ratings in its first season to become one of the decade’s most popular programs. Ted Danson starred as Sam, playboy bartender at the titular Boston bar; the well-rounded supporting cast included Woody Harrelson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, Kirstie Alley, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger and Kelsey Grammer. The series bowed out in 1993 after racking up 27 Emmy Awards. Frasier, an acclaimed spinoff starring Grammer as a radio psychiatrist, began that same year, running for 11 seasons until 2004. 

CBS is also planning stage revivals for Seventies family sitcom The Brady Bunch and Corduroy (the latter assumedly an adaptation of the early 2000s children’s series about a cartoon bear). 

It’s hard to speculate too much about what a theatrical Cheers might entail since CBS hasn’t revealed full details. But it’s clear that people love that show: In March, Cheers topped Rolling Stone readers’ 10 Best TV Shows of the 1980s poll; last month, the series finale made our list as one of the best to ever air.