Ted Danson has addressed Shelley Long’s decision to snub the recent Cheers reunion.
Fans of the sitcom were sent into a spin as most of the cast reunited on stage at the ’s earlier this month, with Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger and George Wendt also getting in on the action.
Shelley, who starred as Diane Chambers in the first five seasons, , and has not publicly given a reason for her no-show, but was later seen out in LA.
Woody Harrelson was also forced to miss out on the fun due to work commitments, as he was starring in a play in at the time.
Unpacking the absences in a new interview, Ted described the mini meet-up as ‘really fun’, before teasing plans for a proper reunion.
‘I’m sorry Shelley [wasn’t there] and Woody was off doing a play in London – which I saw, and he was amazing,’ the Sam Malone actor told . ‘But it was lovely.’
‘Well, it’s interesting… I’ve seen them recently, everybody, pretty much everybody,’ he added of his fellow castmates, but poured cold water on any suggestions of getting the gang back together for a reboot.
He suggested that it wouldn’t be feasible to have a ‘bunch of older folks’ who weren’t all on the same page.
Cheers first hit our screens in 1982 and introduced viewers to the regular customers – and staff – of a bar in Boston.
Ted played former athlete turned bar owner Sam, with his on-off relationship with Diane (Shelley) becoming a major focus.
She famously bowed out at the end of season five, and Kirstie Alley joined the fold as Rebecca Howe in the following series.
Shelley, who has gone on to appear in the Brady Bunch Movie and Modern Family, briefly reprised her role in the original run of the Frasier spin-off, landing an Emmy nomination for her stint.
Following the first season of the Frasier revival – which was released on Paramount+ last year – Kelsey teased that Diane could grace our screens in an upcoming episode.
During an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson show, the Simpsons favorite shed light on a possible second series.
Speaking to the host, he confirmed that he ‘would like to see Diane come back’, to ‘put something to bed’ in their on-screen relationship.’
‘When I first got the role, the key to Frasier for me was that he loved her with his whole heart, that he loved with all of his being,’ he added. ‘And that actually defined who he is.
‘He’s been that way ever since. He just goes in wholeheartedly with everything — and that’s what makes him funny.’
Bring it on!
