Online ratings top the list, the answer to boring TV is the rise of slow media
Author: Jonathan Klotz | Published
Sitcoms, once the most popular genre on television, have declined to CBS levels. DMV is the only new collection launching in fall 2025. Thankfully, there are decades worth of shows available for fans old and new to keep watching, including one of the most unlikely kid favorites today: cheers.
The Boston-based sitcom was the most-watched show of the ’80s, launching a career 32 years after 93 million people watched the show’s finale, winning awards, breaking records and becoming a social media sensation.
A place where everyone knows your name
A big part of modern appeal cheers The premise is simple: This is a bar where everyone knows your name. Today, it’s not the will-they-won’t-they-won’t-they-won’t-they-that-finds-audiences-but-the-dry-humor of Cliff (John Ratzenberger), a postman with an encyclopedic knowledge of every subject, and Norm (George Winter), a sometimes-hired alcoholic. From rookie bartender Woody (Woody Harrelson) to nervous psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), and even guest stars who showed up at the bar as the show’s popularity soared, these two fit in perfectly with the other characters.
For example, night court Harry Anderson reprises his role as “Hat” Harry, a charming con man who bets Cliff that he can drink a glass of wine without moving his hat. Cliff accepts his bet, but loses quickly when Harry pretends to drink from under the bar, whereupon Cliff takes off his hat himself and Harry drinks the drink.
When Cliff attempted the same trick, Harry knocked the ball over while Cliff was under the crossbar. George Wendt, who effortlessly conceals his laughter, plays Norm on screen, who greets Harry by saying, “Here’s the $10 I owe you in about five minutes.”
Another more subtly popular video features a man returning to Cheers after 20 years away in Alaska, marveling at the changes in the place and commenting on the differences from the stairs to the floor tiles and paneling “behind the spec.” big bang theory Never before had I attempted to tell such a subtle and smooth joke.
Cheers and the rise of slow media
While the cold opening and bar jokes drew widespread attention on social media, cheers It’s part of a new trend that’s become popular over the last year, called “slow media.” This is not a pejorative term; Instead, it refers to the series’ slow pace and low stakes.
when cheers’ The most important conflict comes from Sam’s romantic relationship, which is decidedly low-stakes. Kara (Rhea Perlman) fears she might accidentally kill her fiancé after learning of his heart condition, providing the show’s closest life-or-death moment.
The characters do grow and evolve over time, but not to the point of being unrecognizable, which makes any episode playable for new fans cheersdepending on whether they see Diane (Kirstie Alley), Rebecca, Coach (Nicholas Colasanto) or Woody. Each episode maintains the same rhythm and rhythm, with a few exceptions such as when Cliff continues Danger! Or when everyone goes bowling, and oddly enough, Norm is also welcomed at the bowling alley bar. In a world without sitcoms, everything cheers That’s certainly true, even for those who didn’t grow up with the instantly recognizable theme song.
if there is a disadvantage cheersthat is, topical humor rooted in the politics and pop culture of the 1980s. They included appearances by Senator John Kelly and then-Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn, whom audiences would forget four decades later.
cheers is one of the last shows you’d think would do well in the world of 60-second vertical video, yet it’s found new life thanks to timeless characters, tense joke writing, and impeccable comedic timing from an all-star cast. In a world where every show is trying to create a viral moment, “Slow Media” has an undeniable appeal and a complete lack of new sitcoms, even Abbott Elementary School Now in its fifth season, these old classics are a lasting legacy of great television from the past.
this also helps cheers Stream for free on Pluto TV and watch on Disney+ and Paramount+.
