In this eleventh and final season, the gang at Cheers is up to its typical antics, starting with Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) falling for the incredibly-rich Mr. Gaines (Richard Doyle), who is the father of Woody's (Woody Harrelson) bride, Kelly (Jackie Swanson). We also see the return of the formerly filthy rich Robin Colcord (Roger Rees), who lost his fortune (and Rebecca's love) in a prior season of Cheers. In the end, however, Rebecca finally opts (or possibly settles) for love instead of money when she marries a plumber (Tom Berenger) that came to fix the beer tap at the bar.
Another life-changing event that Cheers: The Final Season brings is - are you ready for this - that Norm (George Wendt) gets a job! This isn't just any job, however, but his Dream Job working as a beer tester at a local brewery. Cliffy's (John Ratzenberger) big moment comes when he is suspected of killing his beloved mother (Frances Sternhagen), only to be realized that he actually put her in a retirement home. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) also go through change as their marriage breaks up when Lilith has an affair that leads to her going underground into a research facility.
Another notable change comes when Carla (Rhea Perlman) becomes the lead bartender after Woody becomes a City Councilman. After a night of her own special drinks, Carla wakes up to remember that she slept with one of the guys at the bar, which ends up being Paul's (Paul Wilson) big life-changing moment. The owner of Cheers, Sam Malone (Ted Danson), also goes through a life-changing moment when he ends up at Sex-oholics Anonymous after he realizes that he is not marriage material. The bar itself even went through a major change in Cheers: The Final Season as well when Rebecca burns it down with a half-lit cigarette butt.
The thing that I loved most about this final season is that the show brought back a lot of recurring characters, including those mentioned above. In addition, Gary (Joel Polis) from Gary's Old Towne Tavern makes an appearance in Bar Wars VII: The Naked Prey, and Harry "The Hat" (Harry Anderson) stops by to help the gang at Cheers finally win one when Gary destroys his own establishment. Cliff's near-wife Maggie (Annie Golden) also shows up pregnant after a stint in Canada and tries to rope Cliff into marriage. Most notably, however, was that Cheers: The Final Season brought the return of Diane Chambers (Shelley Long). With her return, sparks again begin to fly between she and Sam, while Frasier once again rants about how Diane walked out on him. It was great to see, for one final time, the chemistry between Ted Danson and Shelley Long that gave Cheers its start and drove the eleven-year run.
While Cheers: The Final Season brought many laughs, it also made me almost cry. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the video quality on this DVD conversion. While 99% of the show looked great, there were some unforgiving quality losses during certain scenes. The worst part was that most of these low-contrast, blown out scenes came in the final episode. I'm not sure if the original footage was damaged or if there was a mistake in the remastering process, but it does take away from the enjoyment of watching these episodes a bit. Still, whether you're a fan of the series or are just looking for a great way to put a smile on your face, Cheers: The Final Season is a brilliant way to do it. For one last time, you can "go where everybody knows your name."
