In the pantheon of ensemble situation comedies, Cheers holds a special place. With its memorable characters and cozy titular setting, Cheers created a world audiences wanted to come back to again and again over the course of its eleven seasons. But what if it was all built on a lie? What if Sam Malone, Coach, and Cliff Clavin were just cheap facsimiles of someone else’s original idea? Well, that’s exactly the claim being levied in a compelling article in Boston Magazine, which explores the ways Cheers bore an uncanny similarity to a lesser known Boston sitcom called Park St. Under.
According to Boston, this theory is nothing new. It’s been litigated numerous times since Cheers hit the airwaves in early-80s but has yet to reach a satisfying conclusion. Even so, the evidence sort of speaks for itself: Park St. Under premiered in 1979, three years before Cheers, and centers around an underground Boston bar owned and operated by an ex-Red Sox player. Filling out the rest of cast is a “dark-haired employee with attitude; a world-weary civil servant working for the local government; an absent-minded old-timer offering comic relief; and yes, even a local psychiatrist.” The similarities are suspect to say the least.
