It was one of the most successful sitcoms in US history, famously set in the bar where ‘everybody knows your name’.
But now more than three decades after Cheers served its final beer, UK viewers look set to get their own version of the comedy.
It has emerged that a leading TV company is offering British broadcasters a UK version of the show, which ran for 275 episodes on NBC in America.
The producer has been given the go-ahead to develop the show for British viewers by distributor CBS Studios, which will be set in a British pub.
According to a report by industry website Deadline, British production company Big Talk Studios, which made Rev for BBC2, has signed up writer Simon Nye, known for his work on Men Behaving Badly, to take part in the project.
What’ll you have? Cheers will be remade for UK audiences – and set in a British pub
The original series ran for 275 episodes on NBC and made stars out of the cast. Top row: John Ratzenberger, Roger Rees, Woody Harrelson; Middle row: Rhea Perlman, Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, George Wendt; Front row: Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth
Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye has been signed up to take part in the project
‘Huge challenge’: Kenton Allen, chief executive of Big Talk, said he wanted to create ‘something fresh’ from the original
Cheers, regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms, starred Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Kirstie Alley and Kelsey Grammer, airing for 11 seasons.
Danson played womanising bar owner Sam Malone, while Alley played Rebecca Howe, who becomes manager of the bar.
Grammer’s character Frasier Crane would go on to be given his own hit sitcom series, while Harrelson, who played barman Woody went on to a successful Hollywood career starring in films like Natural Born Killers.
Cheers, set in a Boston bar, came to an end in 1993.
Speaking to Deadline, Kenton Allen, the chief executive of Big Talk, described it as a ‘huge honour’ to be allowed to adapt the comedy.
He said it would set be a ‘huge challenge’ to make sure it was right.
Mr Allen added: ‘The attitudes of Cheers in the ’80s are very different to the attitudes of today, so there’s a massive amount of work to be done around taking inspiration from the original characters but creating something fresh.’
He said: ‘The British pub is an endangered species, so there’s an answer for the ‘Why now?’ about it.’
Numerous UK comedies such as The Office and Ghosts, have been adapted for the US market.
It is regarded as less common for British broadcasters to take hit US shows and remake them for a domestic audience.
This has included The Brighton Belles on ITV, a reworking of The Golden Girls.
Co-stars Ted Danson and Kirstie Alley, who died in December 2022
Kelsey Grammer’s character Frasier Crane would go on to be given his own hit sitcom series
In the UK sitcoms are perceived as having less importance to broadcasters than they used to, with TV boss seemingly more interested in expensive dramas in the streaming age.
Channel 4 has been the UK home for the US version Cheers for many years. But it is unclear at this point if they will be among the bidders for a British made version.
It already airs Cheers spin-off Frasier regularly.
Cheers first aired on NBC in September 1982 and after 275 episodes came to an end in 1993.
Cheers, regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms, starred Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson , Kirstie Alley and Kelsey Grammer , airing for 11 seasons
Among the show’s other stars were Shelley Long, who played barmaid Diane Chambers, who had a turbulent romance with Malone in the sitcom, while Rhea Pearlman played Carla Tortelli, a feisty, wisecracking waitress.
John Ratzenberger played mail worker Cliff Clavin, while George Wendt played Norm Peterson.
Big Talk is behind the new BBC comedy crime drama Ludwig, starring David Mitchell.
