Cheers vs Frasier: Which One Is Better?

Did anyone think back in 1982 that future generations would debate whether Cheers was the greatest sitcom ever or its spin-off? Nobody could have predicted the main series and Frasier would be so incredibly popular, and here we are in 2019 still watching these shows.

In the long list of sitcom history, these two series would easily place at the top, but there remains the question over which show would top the other. While we believe both are incredible in their own right, let’s settle this debate for those who aren’t sure which show to watch first. For that reason, here’s the battle of Cheers vs. Frasier.

10 Feel-Good Camaraderie: Cheers

The biggest reason why Cheers was such a hit back in the day was because viewers could tune in to forget about their problems and the only stop for that was Sam Malone’s bar. It had all kinds of camaraderie-filled times between the characters, where light moments took away from the seriousness of life.

You can look at the antics that the gang were up to and want the same kind of atmosphere in your life. And even if you can’t, then there’s always the next episode of Cheers waiting for you to feel your troubles go away.

9 Emotional Moments: Frasier

Since Cheers was a show you watched to forget about your problems, there weren’t as many emotional times than you’d find on Frasier. You can’t overlook the power behind them either, since these were the times that reminded you about the importance of family.

These instances ranged from being heartbreaking to heartwarming, and the message behind having your family with you at the hardest of times was one that Frasier excelled at. Mixing emotions with comedy isn’t an easy feat, especially one that fans would appreciate watching.

8 Finale: Cheers

Both shows had eleven seasons worth of episodes, but it was the finale of Cheers that still hits us in the feels. After all, it brought about the realization that you could have achieved your one true love all along without knowing it. 

There’s also the life lessons that this show’s finale doled out, where unusually wise sentiments left the characters that have real meaning attached to them. Plus, the fact that Diane and Sam didn’t stay together marked a mature turn in the sitcom landscape, which had previously always gone for the generic happy ending. Frasier‘s cliffhanger was well done, but it didn’t stick to the mind as Cheers‘s finale has.

7 Variety: Frasier

Since Cheers had the viewer remain in the bar for the most part, the action and the jokes were mainly restricted in this setting. Frasier had the benefit of taking its stories far and wide, and it had splendid variety in this department.

We watched Frasier find out about his conflicts when he had the internal discussion with the most significant women in his life, we saw Niles deal with his divorce, and we saw Martin face the prospect of ageing. This was coupled with physical humor in the form of Bulldog, or Martin’s actual dog annoying Frasier. There was a lot to go around on this show in its forms of comedy and sentiment.

6 Evergreen Quality: Cheers

If you want to kick back and watch an episode that is light on the subject and big on the entertainment, then Cheers is the easy option. Plus, Cheers has a much higher syndication rate around the world, as people from different countries all share the love of watching some feel-good moments happening around in the bar. 

Frasier requires some level of emotional involvement from the viewer, which wouldn’t make the fan as committal in repeated viewings, not when all one wants for a breezy time is to watch a show that doesn’t invest too much in storylines.

5 Character Quality: Frasier

While Cheers had a huge cast of supporting characters and one-shot characters that were entertaining, the main angles still always involved only Sam, Rebecca, and Diane. This meant that the other characters were generally stuck with one quality, such as Carla’s antagonizing personality or Woody being dim.

Frasier diversified its characters by making them such that you wouldn’t even need Frasier himself to make an episode interesting. All of Martin, Niles, and Daphne had enough qualities that they could be seen in different scenarios and retain their likability and funny factor.

4 Jokes: Tied

This is something that really is based on an individual person’s interests, since both Cheers and Frasier have remarkably distinct forms of comedy. Over on the former, the jokes were always more foolery in nature, with later seasons focusing on the bromance between most characters (something carried onto future shows as well) and the jokes being easy to get.

Frasier chose to be distinct in this arena, where the comedy would be in the form of banter than simple chuckles. It was in separate areas as well, such as Martin being the more open and jovial funny character, while Niles and Frasier’s comedic aspect came from them being prissy and even at times bumbling. You can’t claim one show was funnier than the other.

3 Theme Song: Cheers

Yes, songs in sitcoms are significantly important as they sets the context of the show. It only takes listening to the theme of Cheers to lure someone away over to watch it, since the melody reminds of you of good times to be had.

Frasier’s theme was hilarious and witty, but it just doesn’t capture in an instant the way Cheers does. The latter’s quality is such that it can bring a smile to your face just by thinking about it, and one can even apply it to their real life since having friends makes you feel wanted the same way people felt at Cheers.

2 The Series That Left Us Wanting More: Frasier

Honestly, Cheers felt like it had achieved everything it could years before its finale as the show’s formula had basically been repeated each season. It never became boring, but we did have our fill when it was over.

Frasier’s finale is such that it can still be picked up in present day. There’s already talk of a revival, and we’d love to see an adult Freddie taking care of Frasier the same way the latter had with Martin. We can also see an older Daphne and Niles and their son grown up; then there’s Roz’s daughter too. Basically, a whole world of opportunity remains and we’d be excited to see further.

1 Winner: Cheers

Sure, the two shows were going even stevens so far in this list, but we still have to hand it to Cheers for making us feel just so darn good about ourselves with each episode. It’s like comfort food in the form of entertainment that makes it impossible not to feel your heart warm every time you turn it on.

Plus, the fact that we can watch a show that’s almost forty years old and have it not feel dated at all speaks of Cheers’s quality. And it’s not like you can’t have Frasier over on Cheers too, right? All in all, one really does want to go where everybody knows your name.

About The Author

Saim Cheeda
(1351 Articles Published)

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He’s been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.

http://3statesapart.com

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