CHEERS [TV SERIES] - DVD review

The suds get a little soapier in season nine of "Cheers," the little neighborhood bar in Boston where everybody knows your name . . . and the DVD packaging for the popular sitcom gets slimmer.

This season, Sam Malone (Ted Danson) gets his bar back after the billionaire CEO of the corporation that was running it ran afoul of the law and had to skip town. But Robin Colcord (Roger Rees) decides to face the music, and that sets up a strange triangle between Sam, Robin, and the former manager of Cheers, Rebecca (Kirstie Alley). This season, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer), Carla (Rhea Perlman), Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger), Norm Peterson (George Wendt), and Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson) return for more after-work witticisms in 26 episodes that mostly follow the arc of Rebecca's wavering heart. But there are plenty of side trips. The feud with Gary's Olde Town Tavern continues, Cliff's rein as trivia king gets challenged, Sam and Rebecca feud with the arrogant new owner of Melville's directly upstairs, and Carla has to be nice to Cliff . . . for at least one episode, when the mailman she loves to hate is one of the judges for the Miss Boston Barmaid contest.

"Cheers" was one of those sitcoms that had all the right ingredients from the very beginning, and never really strayed from that formula. Every season is a testimony to the lovable and talented ensemble cast, James Burrow's wonderful creative spirit and direction, and writing that never seemed to get stale. Watching it again, it's hard not to be struck as well by all the playful innuendo. Insults also abound, but it's all in good fun.

Here's how the 26 episodes play out:

1) "Love is a Really, Really, Perfectly Okay Thing." Billionaire Robin Colcord (Roger Rees) catches Sam and Rebecca in a compromising position, and Sam follows her lead to lie about it . . . even at the risk of ruining his reputation as a sex machine.

2) "Cheers Fouls Out." Boston Celtic Kevin McHale guest stars in this episode about another contest between Gary's Olde Town Tavern and cheers. Joel Pollis appears in his recurring role as Gary.

3) "Rebecca Redux." Sam feels sorry for Rebecca, who found a job hawking products at the auto show, and hires her back as the manager for Cheers, despite the regulars' fondness for new manager Earl (Bryan Clark).

4) "Where Nobody Knows Your Name." One of Robin's previous lovers grabs headlines when she tells the media she's the billionaire's current girlfriend, much to Rebecca's chagrin.

5) "Ma Always Liked You Best." Frances Sternhagen returns as Mother Clavin in this episode that has Cliff denying Mom a place to stay and Woody taking her in. Suddenly, it's a sibling rivalry between Woody and Cliffy.

6) "Grease." Norm turns activist when he hears his beloved Hungry Heifer restaurant is closing, only to discover that owner Sid (guest star Sheldon Leonard) isn't exactly happy to have the help.

7) "Breaking In is Hard to Do." Carla tries to help Rebecca figure out how she can get a conjugal visit to see Robin in prison.

8) "200th Celebration: One-Hour Special." Commentator John McLaughlin moderates a walk down memory lane with the cast, featuring clips and recollections. Shelley Long returns for this one, and director James Burrows is prominently featured.

9) "Bad Neighbor Sam." Sam gets into a feud with John (Keene Curtis), the snobbish new owner of the Melville's restaurant upstairs from Cheers.

10) "Veggie-Boyd." Funny episode has Woody getting his big acting break in a veggie-drink commercial and Cliff being upstaged by trivia napkins at the bar.

11) "Norm and Cliff's Excellent Adventure." Norm and Cliff get Sam and Frasier fighting, while Woody becomes addicted to the home shopping network channel.

12) "Woody Interruptus." Woody's old flame Kelly (Jackie Swanson) returns from France with a new know-it-all French boyfriend who drives Woody nuts. Meanwhile, Cliff decides to have his head cryogenically frozen before he dies.

13) "Honor Thy Mother." On her deathbed, Carla's mother insists that her fertile daughter name one of her kids Benito Mussolini.

14) "Achilles Hill." Sam gets it into his head that dating John Hill's daughter will end their feud. Meanwhile, Carla is convinced the bar's foosball table is possessed.

15) "Days of Wine and Neuroses." Robin finally proposes to Rebecca, Karaoke calls to Frasier, and Rebecca has second thoughts about the whole thing.

16) "Wedding Bell Blues." On her wedding morning, Rebecca wrestles with her doubts . . . and Sam. Meanwhile, Frasier gets one-upped by a former Righteous Brother (Bobby Hatfield).

17) "I'm Getting My Act Together and Sticking It in Your Face." Rebecca tries to come to terms with being a runaway bride, while her jilted ends up translating Dickens with Frasier.

18) "Sam Time Next Year." Michael Dukakis has a cameo in this Valentine's Day episode that finds Sam following a 20-year ritual with Lauren (Barbara Feldon).

19) "Crash of the Titans." Rebecca tries sucking up to John Hill to try to get his lease.

20) "It's a Wonderful Wife." When Vera gets a job at Melville's, Norm starts looking for another bar to call home.

21) "Cheers Has Chili." Sam goes ballistic when Rebecca wants to serve Woody's chili in the poolroom.

22) "Carla Loves Clavin." Cliff is a judge for the Miss Boston Barmaid competition, and it tortures Carla to be nice to him.

23) "Pitch it Again, Sam." A blast from Sam's baseball past tries to get Sam to stage a comeback, but Sam's not buying it.

24) "Rat Girl." Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) loses a lab rat while Paul (Paul Willson) ends up being suddenly popular in Cheers.

25) "Home Malone." Sam babysits for Frasier and Lilith, Kelly goes to work at Cheers for school research, and Woody worries about the whole thing.

26) "Uncle Sam Wants You." Sam gets attached to Frasier's son, and is surprised to find out that he has a biological clock . . . and it's ticking. Kevin and Christopher Graves appear as Frederick Crane.

Video:
This season of "Cheers" looks especially sharp. Previous seasons were housed in bulky folding cases with slipcase, but you have to give Paramount credit for making the shift to a thinner case, even though there were just three seasons left to produce. The episodes are contained on five single-sided discs that are housed in a standard-width DVD case with two pages that hold discs in the middle. There are no printed materials, and as with previous seasons there are also no episode descriptions to jog fans' memories. But with higher quality video and a case that takes up less space on crowded shelves, Season 9 ought to be a hit with viewers. Colors are rich looking, and black levels are strong enough to make for a nice amount of detail.

Audio:
"Cheers" is presented in English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, and the sound has less of the hollowness that was part of the soundtracks from earlier seasons. It's still a little heavy on the bass tones, but that's the way this show was apparently tracked.

Extras:
There are no extras.

Bottom Line:
Once again, a visit to "Cheers" proves that classic comedies still hold their entertainment value, no matter how many years later you watch them. Season 9 may get a little soapy with Rebecca's on-and-off wedding, but the regulars at Cheers had a comeback for everything. And that kept viewers coming back.