A Brief Reminiscence on “Cheers” and the Era of DVDs

Like many of you, I learned of George Wendt’s passing yesterday. A sad coincidence considering the series finale of “Cheers” aired 32 years ago on the same date. I felt compelled to write about it because “Cheers” is one of my favorite shows, and Norm is easily my favorite character in the cast.

And that’s a pretty stellar cast. It’s a show with beautifully complete characters, and one of the best-written pieces of entertainment ever created. The pacing and the style were throwbacks to an earlier era of screwball comedies, and it was all put together with the kind of love of craft that is impossible to miss in the finished product. One of the impressions I’m always left with after watching is that “Cheers” was made by a talented group of people who cared deeply about the show.

“Cheers” has been with me for most of my life. It was one of the shows I watched with my parents growing up, during its original broadcast run. When I moved to Austin in the early 2000s and experienced a lonely stretch away from friends and family, I revisited the series on DVD. I’d pour myself a beer, put a disc in the player, and for a couple of hours it was almost like I was hanging out with old friends.

Which reminds me: I miss the heyday of physical media. I get that streaming is convenient, offering even more options, which is why I subscribe to a couple of streaming services. But streaming also offers frustrations, like clunky UX and shows leaving one platform for another. Usually one to which you are not subscribed.

Back in the early 2000s I didn’t want to pay for cable TV. Still don’t, now that I think about it. But I could walk into my choice of several big-box stores and browse shelves of DVDs, and an entire season of the shows I grew up watching usually cost around $20. Sometimes I’d get lucky and catch a sale when they’d be even cheaper.

This was when I caught up with a lot of those programs from my earlier years. “Magnum P.I.” was in heavy rotation, as were “The Rockford Files,” “CHiPs,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and “Miami Vice.” Of the shows I was buying, “Cheers” was the only sitcom.

I’m watching “Cheers” again now, and this time I’ll admit that I was too lazy to dig out my DVDs. It’s on one of my streaming subscriptions, and it sure is nice not to have to change discs. But I’ll keep them around just the same.