Anyone who has seen Cheers can likely attest to Ted Danson and Shelley Long’s undeniable on-screen chemistry.
Drawing on their characters’ extensive differences in both personalities and backgrounds, both Danson and Long managed to truly sell the “will they, won’t they?” romance of Sam and Diane’s relationship on the hit NBC comedy series.
As fantastic as their relationship was in front of the camera, Danson previously admitted he was uncertain about Long’s casting during the early days of the show.
During a 2024 episode of SmartLesswith Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, Danson explained some of the behind-the-scenes difficulties he had working with Long, something he admitted only helped sell their on-screen romance.
“I think I got Cheers because of Shelley Long because she just really nailed that part right out of the gate,” Danson said. “She was amazing. And we got teamed up together when we auditioned — we auditioned as couples.”
“You and Shelley had the most incredible sitcom chemistry. Really magic,” observed Arnett. “I mean, Ted, you guys must have felt that. That must be one of those things that was instant.”
“I am always always the worst,” Danson answered. “My first reaction to Shelley while we were auditioning was, ‘Oh, no. No. That’s a bad, bad idea.’”
“I don’t know, we were so different,” The Good Place actor added after the three hosts expressed shock at Danson’s answer. “Our styles, our approach, our everything is really different, which is why I think it worked because it was like this fair fight.”
“It was hard for us sometimes to be in the room together,” Danson continued. “But when we started working, it was just fantastic because you’d smack her and she’d smack you back harder. She was just brilliant.”
Ultimately, in spite of the show’s critical success, Long ended up leaving the series during the season 5 finale of the show, returning only in a guest star capacity during the series finale, “One for the Road.”
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