The End of an Era: Revisiting Cheers Season 5’s Iconic Cold Opens
As Shelley Long bid farewell to Cheers, the show delivered some of its most memorable cold opens, compact, clever, and culturally timeless.
NBC’s Cheers was already a sitcom powerhouse by the time Season 5 premiered in September 1986. Produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions and Paramount Television, the show centered around the Boston bar where everybody knew your name. But Season 5 wasn’t just another run, it marked a turning point, both emotionally and comedically, for the iconic series.
The newly resurfaced Cheers Season 5 Cold Opens Compilation celebrates the short, punchy scenes that kicked off each episode. These cold opens became a beloved trademark of the show, often delivering standalone gags or sharply written banter that set the tone before the opening credits. The video offers fans a condensed trip down memory lane, showcasing the chemistry and rhythm that made the series unforgettable.
Season 5 premiered with “The Proposal” on September 25, 1986, revealing Sam’s now-famous marriage proposal to Diane. That episode alone earned a 30.0 rating/46 share and placed third in the weekly Nielsen ratings. But the true pivot came at the end of the season, when Shelley Long (Diane Chambers) departed the main cast to pursue her film and writing ambitions, ending one of sitcom television’s most defining “will-they-or-won’t-they” arcs.
These episodes weren’t just ratings juggernauts, they were critically acclaimed. “Thanksgiving Orphans” (Episode 9) ranked seventh on TV Guide’s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time,” while IGN hailed it as the fourth-best Cheers episode ever. Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier Crane also became a regular this season, adding layers of neurotic charm that would later anchor his own spin-off.
Season 5’s cold opens captured the show’s signature blend of sharp wit and character-driven humor. Whether it was Norm’s perfectly timed entrance or Woody’s innocent observations, these moments distilled the series’ appeal into 60 seconds or less. It’s no wonder fans still revisit them nearly four decades later.
For longtime viewers and new audiences alike, this collection is more than nostalgic, it’s a crash course in sitcom timing. With the departure of Shelley Long marking the end of an era, these clips feel even more significant, representing the last of Cheers’ original dynamic before it evolved in later seasons.
