show focused on drinking. It tended to focus on
pure comedy and to avoid social issues of the time,
even though most of the characters were working
class. Those serious moments that did crop up were
quickly dismissed with one-liners.
Impact Through a combination of a quirky ensem-
ble of characters, story lines that exploited romantic
tensions, and witty dialogue, and by eschewing the
political correctness of the time,Cheersbecame one
of the 1980’s most watched and industry-awarded sit-
uation comedies.
Subsequent Events The show’s last episode aired
on May 20, 1993, making it NBC’s longest-running
series at the time. The episode also received the
second-best Nielsen rating of all time for an episodic
program. Over its run, the series was nominated for
117 Emmys and had 28 wins. After its demise, Kelsey
Grammer went on to star in a spin-off sitcom,Frasier
(1993-2004), which achieved equal success, domi-
nating the Emmy Awards during much of the 1990’s.
Further Reading
Thompson, Robert.Television’s Second Golden Age:
From “Hill Street Blues” to “ER.”Syracuse: Syracuse
University Press, 1997.
Waldren, Vince.Classic Sitcoms: A Celebration of the Best
in Prime-Time Comedy.Los Angeles: Silman-James
Press, 1997.
James J. Heiney
See also Cable television;Cosby Show, The;De-
signing Women;Facts of Life, The;Family Ties;Married...
with Children;MAS*Hseries finale;Moonlighting;
Sitcoms; Television;Wonder Years, The.
Cher
Identification American singer, songwriter, and
actor
Born May 20, 1946; El Centro, California
Cher yl Sarkisian LaPiere found success as a recording star
and star of a television variety show, but during the 1980’s
she proved to the film industr y that she could act as well. It
was during this same period she learned how to deal with
dyslexia.
Cher realized her lifelong dream to be an actress
when she was cast in the Off-Broadway production of
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
(pr. 1981) and later co-starred in the 1982 movie ver-
sion. Critics savaged the play, but they were less caus-
tic in their evaluations of Cher’s performance than
they were in reviewing the other stars. Cher’s recep-
tion in the film adaptation was much more favor-
able, and she was nominated for a Golden Globe
award. The movie industry was introduced to her tal-
ents as a serious actress when she portrayed Karen
Silkwood’s lesbian coworker in the dramaSilkwood
(1983). She was again nominated for a Golden
Globe, and this time she won. InMask(1985), for
which she won the Cannes Film Festival’s award for
best actress, Cher played the biker mom of a young
boy with a facial skull deformity. During 1987, three
of her films were released: the comedyThe Witches of198 Cher The Eighties in America
Cher poses with Academy Award winner Don Ameche at the 1986
awards ceremony. Her Mohawk-inspired outfit by designer Bob
Mackie was discussed as much as the awards themselves.(AP/
Wide World Photos)