3 Reasons Why I preferred Sam and Rebecca to Sam and Diane on Cheers.
In honor to the late great Kirstie Alley who passed away on December 5th, 2022 I’ve decided to give you my three main reasons why I personally preferred the Rebecca\Sam dynamic to the famous Sam\Diane dynamic on Cheers.
3. Rebecca was always the one woman able to resist Mayday Malone’s Charms.
No woman in the show before Rebecca, not even Diane Chambers could resist Sam’s charms. Rebecca Howe remained the only one who could reject Sam’s advances for most of the series’ run, grounding the great ladies man to reality and keeping his ego in check.
2. Sam was at his comedic best with Rebecca.
As funny as the Sam\Diane dynamic could be at times, Ted Danson shined brightest when he played Sam desperately chasing Rebecca. The great chemistry Ted and Kirstie had made the show all the funnier than it had ever been before in my humble opinion.
- Unlike Sam and Diane, Sam and Rebecca’s relationship evolved over time.
Sam Malone never had a beautiful female friend in his life until Rebecca Howe came into his life. While in the early years he mostly hit on her, over time a genuine friendship developed between the two. There was nothing Sam wouldn’t do to help Rebecca or save her from herself or Robin Colcord. Sam was at his best as a human being when he was a real friend for Rebecca Howe. Ted Danson once described the relationship as two kindred spirits coming together because of their common traits as two shallow, lonely people.
In conclusion, as much as I enjoy the Sam\Diane back and forth, the relationship and interplay between Sam Malone and Rebecca Howe remains the stronger, funnier and more compelling relationship. R.I.P. to Kirstie Alley who not only rescued Cheers in its time of need but also gave us so many laughs throughout the decades. May you enjoy eternity, sweet baby.
