Movies - TV
Basing Cheers On A Real Bar Caused Some Pretty Major Problems
By DANIELLE RYAN
When co-creators Glen and Les Charles and James Burrows needed set inspiration while developing "Cheers," they visited various bars in Boston, Massachusetts.
They visited the Bull & Finch on a hotel concierge's suggestion. The brothers loved the bar so much that they copied it, with a few minor changes to accommodate a live audience.
The bar was so well recreated in the scripts that at Shelley Long's audition, she told the producers that it reminded her of a Boston bar she knew — the Bull & Finch.
Journalist Georgia Dullea interviewed regulars at the Bull & Finch years after the premiere of "Cheers" to see how they felt about the show's impact on their neighborhood bar.
Unfortunately, they weren't too happy with the tribute. They longed for a time when they didn't have to deal with out-of-towners while just trying to get a beer.
That had to be pretty upsetting, though not as frustrating as the Bull & Finch succumbing to the popularity, and changing the name to "Cheers."