does anyone know why she left cheers?
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Haverchuck_Is_King — 18 years ago(November 07, 2007 12:03 AM)
I love Cheers, but to be honest, they really weren't doing much with her character. In fact, the whole Sam and Diane thing was repetitive. How many times did they get together, then break up? By leaving the show, she gave them an opportunity to go in a new direction, and probably prolonged the series another couple of years.
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ChocolatePoo_of_Doom — 18 years ago(January 23, 2008 01:05 AM)
as previous posted, she had no chemistry with the other actors.
I saw the TRUE Hollywood story: Cheers and they said they didn't get along, which is why they brought Kirstey Alley in
The piano keys are black and white but they sound like a million colors in your mind -
TrentinaNE — 18 years ago(January 26, 2008 05:49 AM)
She may not have had "chemistry" with the other actors in the sense of getting along with them as friends, but the character she created had tremendous chemistry with all the other characters. And in the early years of the show, before the writers made Diane increasingly arch and annoying, Long was phenomenal at slipping naturally and affectingly between comedy and pathos. A particular scene that comes to mind is in S1's "Let Me Count the Ways," in which Diane's family cat had died and no one in the bar understood her emotional reaction. It's a scene at the end, in Sam's office, where Sam has started to be more emotionally supportive, hugs Diane, and then tries to capitalize on the moment sexually. A fight ensues, they yell at each other, and as Diane is about to storm out, Sam calls her back and virtually shouts: "Diane, I'm sorry about your cat." She makes the transition from stormy anger to grateful tears in an astonishingly smooth, believable and nuanced way. Damn, she was good.
George Wendt acknowledges this in the S1 DVD extras I believe he said that no other woman in TV at the time had the comedic acting abilities of Shelley Long. -
hodie — 16 years ago(January 02, 2010 10:56 AM)
I remember back when she left and there were all sorts of stories about her and the rest of the cast not getting along.
Too bad. Her Diane never got old for me. One of my favorite Cheers episodes was when Diane sent in an audition tape for Boston Ballet.
They were a great ensemble on Cheers, but they lost something when Diane left.
Honour thy parents. They were hip to the groove too once you know. -
jprocter-1 — 16 years ago(August 17, 2009 04:02 PM)
According to an episode of The Golden Girls, Sophia was tired of her, so she put a curse on her that made her want to leave. I love Sophia, and I said thank you many times after I heard her say that. I cannot stand Shelley Long, and I think she is a ditzy blonde. Cheers was better off without her. Thank you, Sophia, for getting rid of her. I was tired of Shelley and her stuck-up and conceited personality as well.
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harlowfan — 16 years ago(September 08, 2009 07:00 PM)
According to an episode of The Golden Girls, Sophia was tired of her, so she put a curse on her that made her want to leave. I love Sophia, and I said thank you many times after I heard her say that. I cannot stand Shelley Long, and I think she is a ditzy blonde. Cheers was better off without her. Thank you, Sophia, for getting rid of her. I was tired of Shelley and her stuck-up and conceited personality as well.
Haha! That's awesome. Gotta love the Golden Girls. ;-D -
daisyap — 16 years ago(September 09, 2009 08:03 AM)
According to her Wikipedia page Ted Danson said there was tension between them but only on a work level not a personal level because they had different acting modes. I've read a bunch of stuff about it and I believe it was a combination of wanting to spend time with her new baby daughter and not really fitting in with the other people. She got a bit too much like her character and thought she was above others.
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harlowfan — 16 years ago(September 10, 2009 12:02 AM)
According to her Wikipedia page Ted Danson said there was tension between them but only on a work level not a personal level because they had different acting modes. I've read a bunch of stuff about it and I believe it was a combination of wanting to spend time with her new baby daughter and not really fitting in with the other people. She got a bit too much like her character and111c thought she was above others.
I can see where that could happen easily. Some actors really need to stay in character the whole time they're on set, and then there are others who can click in and out of their character very easily when the director says "cut." Maybe Shelley is strictly the former. Or maybe she just unconsciously assimilated the character of Diane more and more. I mean. when you're on set all day for how many years playing an annoying character, well lol.