"Showdown" is the two-part first-season finale of the American television sitcom ''
Cheers'', written by
Glen and Les Charles
Glen Gerald Charles (born February 18, 1943) and Les Charles (born March 25, 1948) are American screenwriters and television producers, best known for ''Taxi'' and '' Cheers''.
Early life and careers
The Charles brothers attended University o ...
and directed by
James Burrows. It originally aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
(as separate Parts One and Two, respectively) on March 24 and 31, 1983. In the
''Cheers'' pilot, college-educated
Diane Chambers
Diane Chambers is a fictional character in the American television situation comedy show ''Cheers'', portrayed by Shelley Long and created by Glen and Les Charles. After her fiancé Sumner Sloan abandons her in the Cheers bar in the pilot episo ...
was neglected by her previous lover and then hired as a waitress by bartender
Sam Malone
Samuel "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character on the American television show ''Cheers'', portrayed by Ted Danson and created by Glen and Les Charles. The protagonist of the series, Sam, a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox basebal ...
. Since then, they flirted and resisted each other throughout the season. In this two-part episode Sam's more-successful brother Derek becomes Diane's love interest, leaving Diane torn between Derek and Sam. In the end, Sam and Diane passionately embrace in the office.
The original airings initially scored low
Nielsen ratings, but subsequent airings have enjoyed improved ratings. Its reruns aired three days before the show won five Emmy Awards out of thirteen nominations (including
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is presented to the best directing of a television comedy series.
Winners and nominations 1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Total awards by netw ...
for this episode) in the
1983 Primetime Emmy Awards
The 35th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 25, 1983. The ceremony was broadcast on NBC, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California. It is remembered for the vulgar language during the ceremony, much of it from Joan Rive ...
, and one week before the second-season premiere. Critical highlights of this episode are an
unseen appearance by Derek Malone and
Sam and Diane
Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, collectively known as Sam and Diane, are fictional characters in the American situation comedy television series ''Cheers''. Sam Malone is a working-class, retired baseball player-turned-bartender played by Ted Da ...
's
cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...
kiss.
Plot
Part one
Bartender
Sam Malone
Samuel "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character on the American television show ''Cheers'', portrayed by Ted Danson and created by Glen and Les Charles. The protagonist of the series, Sam, a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox basebal ...
(
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. ...
) has been jealous of his brother Derek, who is more successful, better-educated, multi-talented and handsome, for years, and discovers that he is arriving in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
on his private jet. Meanwhile, co-bartender
Coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
(
Nicholas Colasanto
Nicholas Colasanto (January 19, 1924 – February 12, 1985) was an American actor and television director who is best known for his role as "Coach" Ernie Pantusso in the American television sitcom ''Cheers''. He served in the United States Nav ...
) is offered a coaching job in
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
requiring fluency in Spanish. Derek (an
unseen character
An unseen character in theatre, comics, film, or television, or silent character in radio or literature, is a character that is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and w ...
voiced by George Ball) arrives unexpectedly at the bar and entertains the patrons with his talents, which include singing, playing a
pool table
A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which cue sports are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables (whether for carom billiards, pool, pyramid or snooker) provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that ...
,
tap dancing
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...
and telling stories. Derek offers a job to regular patron
Norm
Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually industrial wastes or by-products enriched with radioactive elements found in the envi ...
(
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt Jr. (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom '' Cheers'' (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Em ...
), teaches Coach Spanish (increasing his chances of being hired) and impresses waitress
Diane (
Shelley Long
Shelley Lee Long (born August 23, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Long portrayed Diane Chambers on the hit sitcom '' Cheers'' and received five Emmy nominations, winning in 1983 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Se ...
) with their common interests. Diane and Derek pair off (which bothers Sam). During his date with Debbie (
Deborah Shelton
Deborah Dale Shelton (born November 21, 1948) is an American actress, beauty queen, and songwriter who was Miss USA and appeared on ''Dallas'' for three seasons and a special guest return in 2013.
Pageants
In 1970, Shelton competed in the Miss V ...
), Sam hears Derek's private jet, where he carries Diane along.
Part two
A week later, Norm is fired from his own job (where the corporation has committed
tax fraud
Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...
) for "
akinga long lunch". (Norm dubs himself the only "honest man" in the corporation, which he considers the reason for his termination.) Coach hears on the phone that he did not get the coaching job (which was already given to someone else), putting his efforts to learn Spanish to waste. Sam forgets another fiancée Cindy's (Peggy Kubena) name. Diane arrives at the bar after her trip with Derek, confessing to Coach that she is torn between her ideal mate Derek (who is committed to her) and her "bubblegum" Sam. Coach insists that Sam cannot express his feelings for her well. When Diane tells Sam she and Derek will be leaving immediately on another trip, Sam fires her.
After saying goodbye to everyone in the bar, Diane returns to the office and accidentally hits Sam's nose when she opens the door. Because of that, she is convinced that Sam was coming out of the office to say something to her. They argue, admit their feelings for each other, and come into the terms that their relationship with Derek is nothing compared to their potential relationship together. Sam and Diane embrace, but then Diane rejects his advances, i.e. attempts to kiss her. They insult each other and, at the end, kiss passionately.
Production
The two-part season finale was written by
Glen and Les Charles
Glen Gerald Charles (born February 18, 1943) and Les Charles (born March 25, 1948) are American screenwriters and television producers, best known for ''Taxi'' and '' Cheers''.
Early life and careers
The Charles brothers attended University o ...
and directed by
James Burrows.
[Bjorklund, pp. 294–295.] Before it aired, the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
network announced that it renewed ''Cheers'' for a second season on March 13, 1983.
The show was filmed at the Stage 25 lot of
Paramount Studios
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, rather than at a local pub.
[ ]ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
: . Paul Vaughn and
Alan Koss are credited for their background appearances in both parts.
[ ]Lois de Banzie
Lois de Banzie (4 May 1930 – 3 April 2021) was a Scottish-born American stage, film, and television actress.
Career Theatre
De Banzie may be best known for her Drama Desk Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated performance in Paul Osborn's p ...
and Helen Page Camp portray Carla's customers, who annoy her by randomly changing their orders until they choose "two boilermaker
A boilermaker is a tradesperson who fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.Bureau of Labor Statistics, US De ...
s: Wild Turkey
The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally d ...
hiskeyand Bud
In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spec ...
eer
EER may refer to:
* East of England Regiment, a British Army Reserve unit
* Effective exchange rate
* Energy efficiency rating in the Australian Capital Territory
* Energy efficiency ratio, of a cooling device
* Engineering education research
* En ...
.
Ratings
Part One of the episode originally aired on NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
at 9:30 pm on March 24, 1983, opposite CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's ''Simon & Simon
''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...
'' and ABC's '' It Takes Two''. It was rated 51st out of 67 nationally broadcast programs, with a 13.6 Nielsen rating
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
. In Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
, it aired on April 7 at 8:30 pm AKT
Protein kinase B (PKB), also known as Akt, is the collective name of a set of three serine/threonine-specific protein kinases that play key roles in multiple cellular processes such as glucose metabolism, apoptosis, cell proliferation, tran ...
. It reran September 15, 1983 in the same time slot (opposite CBS's rerun of ''Simon & Simon'' and an ABC football game), and was rated 28th of 66 nationally broadcast programs with a 15.9 rating and a 25 share.
Part Two originally aired on March 31, 1983 at 9:30 pm, opposite CBS's ''Simon & Simon'' and ABC's ''It Takes Two''; it was rated 36th of 69 programs, with a 14.7 rating. In Alaska, it aired on April 14 at 8:30 pm AKT. It reran in the same time slot September 22, 1983 opposite CBS's rerun of ''Simon & Simon'' and the two-hour premiere of ABC's ''Trauma Center
A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma center may also refer to an emergen ...
'', a week before the second-season premiere ("Power Play") and three days before the Primetime Emmy Awards. The episode was rated 23rd of 57 programs, with a 15.7 rating and a 24 share.
Reception
In April 1983, a reviewer from United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...
found the office scene between Sam and Diane
Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, collectively known as Sam and Diane, are fictional characters in the American situation comedy television series ''Cheers''. Sam Malone is a working-class, retired baseball player-turned-bartender played by Ted Da ...
"hilarious". In September 1983, television critic Rick Sherwood found the "sibling rivalry
Sibling rivalry is a type of competition or animosity among siblings, whether blood-related or not.
Siblings generally spend more time together during childhood than they do with parents. The sibling bond is often complicated and is influenced ...
" plot "nothing new", but praised it as "fresh" and sophisticated.[ Rick Sherwood's article appears in other newspapers, according to Google search results.] Part One of this episode earned graphic designers James Castle and Brucy Bryant an award for Outstanding Individual Achievement of Graphic Design and Title Sequences at the 1983 Primetime Emmy Awards
The 35th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 25, 1983. The ceremony was broadcast on NBC, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California. It is remembered for the vulgar language during the ceremony, much of it from Joan Rive ...
.[ At the same ceremony, Part Two of the episode earned James Burrows an Emmy for ]Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is presented to the best directing of a television comedy series.
Winners and nominations 1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Total awards by netw ...
. Burrows and his crew also won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in 1984.
Freelance writer Robert David Sullivan in his 2012 blog post ranked Part Two of this episode No. 96 of his top 100 all-time favorite episodes. Sullivan highlighted the cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...
kiss as a "landmark" in the increasing sitcom use of cliffhangers, but dismissed the sibling storyline as a cheap ploy to bring Sam and Diane
Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, collectively known as Sam and Diane, are fictional characters in the American situation comedy television series ''Cheers''. Sam Malone is a working-class, retired baseball player-turned-bartender played by Ted Da ...
together. Lisa M. Dresner in her 2007 book ''The Female Investigator in Literature, Film, and Popular Culture'' also considered unseen character
An unseen character in theatre, comics, film, or television, or silent character in radio or literature, is a character that is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and w ...
Derek Malone a writer's tool to bring the couple together. David Hofstede in his 2006 directory ''5000 Episodes and No Commercials'' called Sam and Diane's first kiss at the end as one of ''Cheers'' greatest moments. February 2012 reviews of the season finale on ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' website were positive. Noel Murray praised the episode's four-act structure (two in each part) and its subplots. Ryan McGee cited the concealed appearance of Derek Malone, Sam and Diane's first kiss and their volatile confrontation. ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'' and Amy Amatangelo of MSN Entertainment in, respectively, 2005 and 2013 called Sam and Diane's first kiss one of their own top-ten kisses. Alan Howell of ''WhatCulture!'' in April 2013 ranked Sam and Diane's first kiss third on his list of " iveGreatest Sitcom Kisses Of All Time".
In 2009, TV Guide ranked "Showdown" #29 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes. Joseph J. and Kate Darowski in their 2019 book rated Part 1 three out of four stars and Part 2 all four mainly for the Sam-and-Diane moment. In June 2019, '' Vox'' critic Emily St. James noted that Part 2's ending inspired onscreen romances and an increase of cliffhangers in later sitcoms.
In popular culture
Alan Sepinwall of ''The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...
'' said that, in an episode from the third season of '' How I Met Your Mother'', "Everything Must Go", the taxicab ride scene of regular character Barney Stinson
Barnabus Stinson is a fictional character portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris and created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series '' How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014).
One of the show's main characters, Barney is known ...
(Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
) and recurring character Abby ( Britney Spears) features a homage to Sam and Diane's office scene from this episode, which includes lines, like "Are you as turned-on right now as I am?" and "More!"
References
*
Notes
External links
*
*
{{EmmyAward ComedyDirector 1976–2000
1983 American television episodes
Cheers episodes
Television episodes directed by James Burrows
Emmy Award-winning episodes