Ted Danson says he was once blacklisted from being cast on Cheers: ‘It sucked’

Danson ultimately ended up leading the hit NBC sitcom, which ran from 1982 to 1993, as bar owner Sam Malone.

By Sharareh Drury

May 13, 2026 4:18 p.m. ET

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Ted Danson at SAG-AFTRA event in 2025. Credit:

Michael Loccisano/Getty

- Ted Danson says he almost wasn't cast on NBC's long-running hit sitcom *Cheers *because he upset a top network executive.

- Danson played Sam Malone on the series, a former Boston Red Sox player who owned the bar Cheers.

- *Cheers *ran from 1982 to 1993.

*Cheers** *almost *didn't* know Ted Danson's name.

On Wednesday's episode of *Where Everybody Knows Your Name*, the Emmy-winning actor shared with co-host Woody Harrelson and guest Harrison Ford that he was initially blacklisted from being cast on the iconic NBC sitcom.**

"I got blacklisted for *Cheers* from NBC. I mean, a memo to everybody: 'Don't hire him,'" Danson said on the podcast.

Ted Danson as Sam Malone on 'Cheers'.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

When Ford asked who Danson had possibly offended, the *Becker* actor said he allegedly upset the head of the network. While Danson said he couldn't remember the name of the executive, *Cheers *first aired in 1982, and Brandon Tartikoff was head of the entertainment division of NBC from 1981 to 1991.

"I had been in a pilot with his favorite ingenue, who was supposed to play my daughter, and when we were cast it made sense," Danson explained. "But then she developed into a young girl and we were supposed to be father-daughter detectives in San Francisco, and it just didn't work because of aging processes, and it sucked."

Danson added that the executive "blamed" him for the pilot not working, and after that, a memo was sent out stating that the actor should not be hired.

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Woody Harrelson, Ted Danson, and Harrison Ford on 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name'.

Team Coco/YouTube

Nevertheless, Danson wound up being cast as Sam Malone on the sitcom, which ran from 1982 to 1993, playing a charismatic former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who owned the Cheers bar.

Danson starred in the series with Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, and eventually Kirstie Alley, who played waitresses Diane Chambers, Carla Tortelli, and Rebecca Howe, respectively; Nicholas Colasanto and Woody Harrelson, who played bartenders Coach Ernie Pantusso and Woody Boyd, respectively; plus George Wendt and John Ratzenberger as regulars Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin, respectively.

On a recent episode of another podcast, *Dinner’s On Me*, Danson reflected on *Cheers*' legacy and discussed the show's early struggles to remain on the air.

"Critics loved us. Everyone around us… the writers, everybody was so positive. 'Don’t pay attention, just keep doing it' kind of feedback, which was lovely," Danson recalled on the episode of *Dinner's On Me*, which aired in February.

Despite any positive feedback, in the early days of the series, the show wound up "dead last" in the ratings and was only saved from cancellation because NBC had no replacement on its schedule. *Cheers *would go on to land 28 Primetime Emmy Awards, and its finale was one of the most-watched TV episodes of the 1990s.

Watch the full episode of *Where Everybody Knows Your Name* above.

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Source: “EW Ted”