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Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.
IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: April 6, 1947
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Certain shows are popular enough, and well-regarded enough, that legends start to crop up around their fabled productions. Jack was supposed to die in the Lost pilot; ditto Carol Hathaway on ER. Breaking Bad was based on the premise of Mr. Chips becoming Tony Montana. The idea for Alias was “What if Felicity were a secret agent?”
For Cheers, one of the most celebrated TV series of the last 30 years, one oft-repeated story about the show’s development is about how Cliff Clavin came to be. Cliff, the pontificating mailman who became a breakout character for the show, was not a character in the show’s original incarnation. The story goes that when John Ratzenberger went to audition for the role of Norm, he got the sense that he wasn’t going to get it, so he pitched the creators on the idea of a “bar know-it-all,” the kind of guy who would spout theories and statistics and explanations — true or not (mostly not) — and generally hold court from his barstool on any number of topics. Cut to the the pilot, and there was Cliff, ready to enter into television history.
Cliff’s best moments are among the best, funniest moments of the show. One obvious highlight that often gets brought up is Cliff’s Jeopardy scene. Forever after, any time three disparate people are ever mentioned in succession has invited the same punchline.
But it was those bar-side explanations that really brought the Cliff character home for audiences. Cheers was at its best when it was building a world around its characters, and that kind of shooting-the-shit gasbaggery helped create the universe of the show.
Happiest of birthdays, John Ratzenberger! May you celebrate it with three people who have heretofore never been in your kitchen.
