UK company reportedly looking to serve up British version of ‘Cheers’
Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank
Thirty years after Ted Danson‘s Sam Malone declared, “Sorry, we’re closed,” to end the 11-season classic sitcom Cheers, a U.K. company is reportedly interested in serving up an English version.
That’s the news from Deadline, which reports that the U.K. company Big Talk has tapped Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye to develop a new version of the show that was based at that Boston bar where everybody knew your name.
Cheers opened for business on NBC on the evening of Sept. 30, 1982, and its finale, “One for the Road,” attracted 40 million viewers on the evening of May 20, 1993 — one of the most-watched finales of all time.
During its run, the show earned a total of 179 Primetime Emmy nominations and 28 wins, and spun off another Emmys magnet, Frasier, in 1993.
Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the NBC political drama The West Wing, and actress Elisabeth Moss,who was only 17 when she debuted on the series as Martin Sheen’s daughter Zoey Bartlet, tells ABC Audio she learned a lot during her time on the program.
“The actors that I worked with were incredibly formative for not only what acting is supposed to be like, but how you’re supposed to act on set and your off-camera behavior,” she shares, calling Sheen “one of the kindest people alive.”
She adds, “The way that he would treat the crew was the template for how I thought, ‘OK, that’s how you’re supposed to act with everyone.’”
In addition to Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet, the series starred Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, John Spencer and Richard Schiff, and Moss says the experience working with them was like a “master class.”
“They were also all really nice,” she says, noting it taught her that to succeed “you have to be talented and kind.”
The West Wing is currently tied for the most Emmy wins for Outstanding Drama Series with four; when fans think ofthe show, many point to the writing as being a highlight. Moss says getting to say those words spoiled her for future projects.
She notes, “To be able to, at that age, have that caliber of material to speak really set the tone for me of what I was going to be looking for in my career.”
Several members of The West Wing cast reunited at the Emmy Awards Sunday. The Hollywood Reporter says that in honor of the anniversary, the cast, including Sheen and series creator Aaron Sorkin, will reunite again Friday at the White House at an event hosted by first lady Jill Biden.
Jack Nicholson, Spike Lee and Billy Crystal may not be tall enough to dunk, but nonetheless they’ll be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
The trio, along with businessman Alan Horwitz, will be recognized by the organization, technically called The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. They’ll be recognized as SuperFans on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on the Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams.
John L. Doleva, president and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, says, “These individuals have not only been passionate fans but have also significantly contributed to the rich culture of basketball. Their unwavering dedication to the game and their ability to connect with fans make them truly deserving of this recognition.”
“These four celebrated SuperFans will join a group of basketball enthusiasts who have made a profound impact on the game through their loyalty, passion, and dedication,” the organization noted.
Spike, a die-hard — and famously vocal — New York Knicks fan, and Crystal, a Los Angeles Clippers guy since the ’70s when the team was in San Diego, will be in attendance for the ceremony.
Nicholson, synonymous with the Los Angeles Lakers, apparently won’t be there.
Variety reports Seann William Scott, best known for playing Steve Stifler in the American Pie movies, has joined the cast of the upcoming ABC sitcom Shifting Gears, alongside series stars Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. The comedy centers on Matt, “the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop,” played by Allen, according to the official logline. “When Matt’s estranged daughter (Dennings) and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.” Scott will play Gabriel, “family friend of Matt & Riley who works in the shop with Matt” …
One Tree Hill alumna Sophia Bush has been added the cast of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in a major recurring role for the medical drama’s 21st season, according to Deadline. Bush will play Dr. Cass Beckman, “an amiable, fun and a little messy around the edges trauma surgeon at Seattle Presbyterian whose husband David Beckman is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Grey Sloan,” per the outlet. She joins former Grey’s cast members Scott Speedman, Natalie Morales and the series’ director/executive producer Debbie Allen. Bush will make her first appearance in episode six, airing Nov. 7 …
Stranger Things alum Mason Dye has been tapped for a guest-starring role in the fifth and final season of the Prime Video series The Boys, according to Variety. He will appear in the role of Bombsight, “a Supe who starred in the early Vought superhero film The Curse of Fu Manchu in the 1950s.” Dye joins Hamilton‘s Daveed Diggs, who will appear in an undisclosed role. The Boys is based on the graphic novel series from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and follows the eponymous team of vigilantes who set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers. Antony Starr, Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty and Jack Quaid star …
