Why Shelley Long Quit Cheers So Early In The Hit Sitcom's Run

The mid-'80s were the glory days of sitcoms, especially NBC's 'Must See TV' Thursday nights. And right in the middle of that powerhouse lineup was "Cheers," featuring one of the all-time great will they/won't they relationships: Sam and Diane. Their relationship, including their much-anticipated first kiss, provided constant comedy fuel for the show, driving it into the top five in the ratings. So it was more than a little surprising that one half of that super couple decided to walk away — but that's exactly what Shelley Long did.

Long's decision to leave after the show's fifth season not only stunned "Cheers" fans, but NBC executives as well. "Our jaws dropped when we found out she was leaving," executive producer David Lee told GQ. "From a writing standpoint, you would look at [Sam and Diane's] scenes and go, 'That's the glue that's holding everything together.'" But in a statement she gave the Montreal Gazette at the time, Long said she had good reasons. "We have done some really terrific work at 'Cheers,'" Long said. "But I've decided to give priority to my family and to my newly established film production company."

It's a decision that Long has begrudgingly had to defend ever since. In a 1995 interview with Take2MarkTV she said she has no regrets. "I've been annoyed by the comments and the constant question of 'Do you ever regret?'" she said. "I've said it over and over again ... I love [my family] and I like being with them and I sincerely wanted more time with them."

The fallout from Shelley Long deciding to leave "Cheers" sent shockwaves throughout the show, as she's often ranked as the best "Cheers" character. "There was a lot of concern that Shelley leaving would cause the show's downfall," producer Ken Levine said in the same GQ article. "So everyone's livelihood was at stake. It's funny, there were actors who said that she drove them nuts, yet they were also mad that she was leaving."

To prepare for Long's exit, the first thing writers had to do was figure out how to keep it a secret. So in one of the earliest cases of television misdirection, two endings to Season 5 were filmed. The first version where Sam and Diane were married was filmed in front of the live audience. The second one, with Diane leaving to pursue her career as a writer, was filmed after.

Despite fears that "Cheers" would never recover from Long's departure, the truth turned out to be quite the opposite. Kirstie Alley was brought in as a replacement that ended up allowing other characters and plotlines to be explored, and the ratings remained high throughout the next six seasons. In fact, the only time "Cheers" ended the year as the top-rated show was the 1990-1991 season, well after Long left. Long did return for the series finale, but by then it ended up coming across as underwhelming.