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Cheers: One for the Road (1993)
A memorable final scene
"Cheers" started it's run in 1982 as a romantic comedy set in Boston bar, and finished in 1993 as a show about the bar itself, with comedy coming from just about every angle. Fittingly, "One For the Road" - the final episode of Cheers - encompasses both eras.
"Will they or won't they?" Sam Malone (played by Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) rekindle one of popular culture's most memorable - and most mismatched - romances over the course of this 90+ minute episode.
Although "Cheers" stayed funny throughout its 11 seasons, it changed greatly after Shelley Long's 1987 departure - and "One For the Road" reflects that. Mixing the insanity (for lack of a better word) of Kirstie Alley's Rebecca Howe - and of later "Cheers" - with the earnest character studies of its early years, "One for the Road" shifts tone several times. Ultimately, it concludes in the same manner as the series began - as a character study - in one of TV's most memorable final scenes.
Overall, "One For the Road" is an unwieldy episode of "Cheers" - probably because NBC wanted more scenes so it could sell more Super Bowl-priced ads, but also because of the show's quirky history... It's not the funniest episode, but it's smart, urbane, and insightful - and like most episodes of "Cheers," the more you know the characters, the more it will likely resonate. 10/10
Cheers: Cheers: The Motion Picture (1987)
Black humor that the whole family can enjoy
Black humor starts coming on strong during Cheers' 4th season, but by the time of "Cheers: The Motion Picture" (S5 E24) nothing's off limits - Nazis, inner-city violence, the atomic bomb, and suicide get some of the biggest laughs of the episode.
Even with these darker elements standing in for the drama and heart of Cheers first three seasons - or, depending on when you started watching, the broader comedy of the later, Kirstie Alley years - this episode's humor (somehow) remains effervescent, even watching decades later.
Also, this episode gives perhaps the most character background of any, making it a great episode for introducing Cheers to someone who doesn't yet know the show.
Did I mention that it's hilarious..?
Rating: 10/10 - black comedy played for lightness, edgy even today and smart as ever. "Hidden gem" gets used a lot, but with this one tucked between three genuine classics - "Dinner At Eight-ish," "Simon Says," and "I Do, Adieu" - it's a stone cold classic in it own right, even if an overlooked one.