On September 30, 1982, Cheers debuted on NBC hoping that it would be an instant hit. It wasn’t. The sitcom debuted in 74th place – out of 77 shows. But the show continued to plod along with the ratings slowly growing. By the second season, the show moved up to 34th place. The show starred Ted Danson as former baseball pitcher/turned bar owner, Sam Malone. His head bartender was Coach, who was described as being “borderline senile”, was played by older actor Nicholas Colasanto. During filming on the third season, Colasanto was very ill and wasn’t well enough to appear in many of the episodes. Sadly, he passed away in 1995.
During the premier of the fourth season of Cheers, a young and unknown actor jumped in to replace Coach. Woody Harrelson played dimwit Woody Boyd and a new friendship was born between Danson and Harrelson. Oh, and that year, the show went ranked in 5th place. Cheers ran for 11 seasons ending on May 20, 1993.
This year, Danson and Harrelson are teaming up once again, but this time, for the podcast, Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (Sometimes).
“Woody and I have wanted to do this podcast because life took us in different directions since we got to meet on Cheers and that was … wow …nearly 30 years ago,” Danson says on the trailer for the show which debuts on SiriusXM on June 12, 2024. “We finally get to spend some time together plus we get to introduce each other to the friends we’ve made since Cheers. Some of them the most interesting people in the world. It’s always a great time when Woody drops in.”
Each week, Ted and (when he can find him) Woody will sit down with a special guest to dig beyond the career highlights and into the stuff of life that makes us who we are. Team Coco, who produces the new show says that while listeners can expect some fond reminiscences of their time on Cheers, the podcast show will “mostly serve as a freewheeling exchange of laughter and wisdom as the charismatic duo reconnect both with each other and with the talented friends they’ve made throughout their incredible careers.” Those brought on for these conversations include Eric Andre, Will Arnett, Kristen Bell, Laura Dern, Jane Fonda, Simu Liu, Megan Mullally, Conan O’Brien, Nick Offerman, Martin Short, Mary Steenburgen and more. The show will also feature original music is by Woody Harrelson, Antony Genn, Mary Steenburgen, and John Osborne.
“Though I’ve always dreaded small talk at a cocktail party, I’ve found that it is a genuine privilege to sit down with someone for a deep, uninterrupted conversation. With this podcast, we’ll do just that,” said Ted Danson. “And that I get to do it with Woody, my dear friend of many decades, is the cherry on top of the sundae. Each week, we’ll reflect on our own friendship and careers, and get to the core of the special guests who join us. I can’t wait for you to listen.”
“The best part about doing this podcast is that it’s given me an excuse to hang out with Ted,” said Woody Harrelson. “Sure, we’ll talk with interesting guests, and sure we’ll share some laughs along the way, but the biggest win will be rekindling our romance, I mean friendship, after all this time. And I’m glad listeners will be able to join us for that.”
After they locked up the Boston bar for the last time, Danson and Harrelson went their separate ways with Danson trying out other sitcoms like Becker and The Good Place and even a little more serious work like CSI. By contrast, Harrelson moved to movies playing a variety of roles from Natural Born Killers to The Hunger Games.
“Throughout their storied careers, Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson have shown the world that their skill sets extend well beyond any one medium,” said Adam Sachs, Senior Vice President of Podcast Content at SiriusXM. “With the launch of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, fans will get to experience a whole new side of these incredible talents through candid, insightful, and always funny conversations with some of today’s most interesting and accomplished people. We couldn’t be any more excited to welcome them to the SiriusXM family and look forward to sharing what they have in store.”
New episodes of Where Everybody Knows Your Name will be available every Wednesday beginning June 12 on the SiriusXM app as well as all major podcast listening platforms.
Main Image: NBC
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