When Nicholas Colasanto passed away in 1985, NBC reran this episode in tribute. Both John Ratzenberger and George Wendt have called this their favourite episode of the series. The Coach's Daughter is not as funny as other first season episodes, but it's sweet, something the series didn't do that often. Fortunately, it earns its sentimentality.
Alyse Beasley (later known as the wacky receptionist on Moonlighting, the other "Will-They-Or-Won't-They" show of the 80s) plays Lisa, the title character. It's pretty good casting - one could easily see Coach raising such a sweet-tempered daughter. (Of course, lacking the blows to the head, she's quite a bit sharper than her dad) She's successful at her job, and Coach is obviously proud of her.
Too bad, then, that she's engaged to a jerk. Roy (played by Philip Charles MacKenzie, best known as the corrupt DJ Doug Winner on a memorable episode of WKRP) is abrasive, insensitive, and comes in smoking a foul cigar. Coach takes an immediate dislike to him, but says nothing at first out of respect for his daughter.
It's a simple plot, but the Cheers crew manages to make it work, and despite the seriousness of the conflict they manage to get in some funny bits. One of the highlights is Diane (as a "humanist") trying to find what's "good and noble" in Roy and returning to declare "The man is pond scum."
Up to this point Colasanto had been used as a comic foil to the other characters, and he gets some big moments here. The scene where Lisa asks Coach to see her as a woman and not just his beloved daughter is genuinely moving. Then, this being Cheers, they turn it around to get a few last laughs.
There's not much of a subplot other than Diane's futile attempts at drawing caricatures of patrons. Just her luck her first choice is one half of a lookalike couple!
Alyse Beasley (later known as the wacky receptionist on Moonlighting, the other "Will-They-Or-Won't-They" show of the 80s) plays Lisa, the title character. It's pretty good casting - one could easily see Coach raising such a sweet-tempered daughter. (Of course, lacking the blows to the head, she's quite a bit sharper than her dad) She's successful at her job, and Coach is obviously proud of her.
Too bad, then, that she's engaged to a jerk. Roy (played by Philip Charles MacKenzie, best known as the corrupt DJ Doug Winner on a memorable episode of WKRP) is abrasive, insensitive, and comes in smoking a foul cigar. Coach takes an immediate dislike to him, but says nothing at first out of respect for his daughter.
It's a simple plot, but the Cheers crew manages to make it work, and despite the seriousness of the conflict they manage to get in some funny bits. One of the highlights is Diane (as a "humanist") trying to find what's "good and noble" in Roy and returning to declare "The man is pond scum."
Up to this point Colasanto had been used as a comic foil to the other characters, and he gets some big moments here. The scene where Lisa asks Coach to see her as a woman and not just his beloved daughter is genuinely moving. Then, this being Cheers, they turn it around to get a few last laughs.
There's not much of a subplot other than Diane's futile attempts at drawing caricatures of patrons. Just her luck her first choice is one half of a lookalike couple!