Decker

I don't even know how to vote on this one. I liked Cheers more at the time : it was the appointment program for me every Thursday at 9 for High School, College and most of Med School as well. Never missed an episode (I was a master at setting the VCR). Always enjoyed it. Even went to a taping once in Kristy Alley's first season.
Now I prefer Seinfeld more. I think it holds up much better and was more clever (at least until Larry David left) and with better comedic actors.
Cheers is still great but it feels dated in how it plays these days (no fault of the show, it's just Seinfeld changed what a TV comedy felt like).

Paff

Anytime someone is trying to do something, and then there's an obvious problem (like it's not plugged in or something), I point at it and say "There's your problem right there, Sammy" (from the Cheers episode when they were trapped on Robin's yacht. Sam tries the radio, it doesn't work, he taps on it, and the guts all fall out. Norm, ever so helpful, points at it and says the line I just quoted)

Obscure reference, no doubt, but I do use it.

davidh777

"NORM!" happens every so often.

Nth Power

I like Cheers, but love Seinfeld.

I would watch Cheers on TV here and there when it aired and I'll catch an episode on late night TV sometimes. I like it and I get a laugh but it never caught on with me like Seinfeld.

Sean O'Hara

So if people say, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" more than "Hey Lucy, I'm home," it means The Brady Bunch was better than I Love Lucy?

Count Dooku

Whatever popularity the quote "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" has is due to The Real Live Brady Bunch, Melanie Hutsell on SNL, and the resulting movies. All of which based on their entertainment value on the ironic celebration of a TV series that was crappy.

However, I do not believe that the quotability of a TV series is any indication of its quality.

Paff

Cheers did have a lot more moments of humanity and compassion. Someone already mentioned Coach and his daughter. I remember one time where Norm got passed up for a promotion because the higher-ups didn't feel that Vera would fit in the social circle, then Norm told her that he screwed up the interview rather than tell her the truth. Or Sam offering Rebecca's job back even though she burned the bar down.

And I think few moments in television put a bigger smile on my face than when Sam bought the bar back. In fact, that's another Cheers quote I use in regular situations. If you recall, they offered Sam the bar for $1, but he couldn't scrape up the cash and gave them 96 cents instead. After they accepted the offer, Sam turned around to the regulars and said "I lowballed him" with a dipping hand motion. I do that if something at the store comes to like $7.02, and I just give them the 7 dollars in cash. I turn to the person behind me and say "I lowballed 'em!"

mcnabb

As much as I love Cheers, Seinfeld IMO is the greatest Sitcom in the history of TV. There really isn't a bad episode of Seinfeld, as I still watch them every night on syndication.

I will give Cheers credit for being the only sitcom ever to replace exisiting characters, and the show quality never dropped. Woody replaced Coach as was just as great, and Rebecca replaced Diane, and though it gave the show a different dynamic, she was still very funny. Most shows like Three's Company lose one of their stars (Suzanne Somers) and the show is never the same.

james2025a

Seinfeld was good at the time, but i find it very difficult to rewatch episodes now. Just find it too smarmy. Cheers on the other hand is a timeless classic. If its on TV i can watch it any time. One of the best TV shows ever made.

Fist of Doom

Quotability certainly has to count for something. Just to name a few...

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."
"Serenity now!"
"And you want to be my latex salesman..."
"Yadda yadda yadda"
"Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don't stare at it. It's too risky. You get a sense of it and then you look away!"
"No soup for you!"
"A Festivus for the rest of us!"
"I'm master of my domain."

Close Talker
High Talker
Low Talker
Re-gifter
Shrinkage
Mulva?

Among many other things.

Greatest sitcom ever.

TheGuy

I work at JFK Airport and when people are late and complain about the traffic I aways say "You can't beat the Van Wyck!"

Sonny Corinthos

Seinfeld by a mile for me.

mcnabb

Plus it had the greatest collection of secondary characters with recurring roles of any show:

-Newman
-George's Parents
-Jerry's Parents
-Puddy
-Micky
-Mr. Pitt
-Mr. Litman

To name a few.....

mndtrp

I was pretty young when both were running, so I didn't pay much attention until reruns. At that point I never really got into Cheers at all. Seinfield I've watched the series a few times through, and if I come across an episode I'll usually watch it all.

Paff

As much as I'm praising Cheers in this thread, Seinfeld was incredibly brilliant as well. The genius was in the episodes where all four main characters had completely unrelated plots that would weave in and out of one another. This happened numerous times, the one that comes immediately to mind is the Festivus episode. George was giving fake X-mas gifts of donations to "The Human Fund", Kramer's strike at H&H Bagels ended so he went back to work, Elaine had inadvertently given out her sub shop punch card, and Jerry was dating a girl who looked great in some light, hideous in another. This is all backgrounded by George's dad's Festivus holiday. The fact that the writers could juggle multiple plot lines in a 30 minute sitcome so deftly really is amazing. And that they did it so many times.

brayzie

I grew up on Cheers, and watched Seinfeld as a teenager. I originally felt Seinfeld was the best show ever, but after recently watching reruns of Cheers I'd have to go with Cheers. The writing wasn't as good in the last few seasons of Seinfeld and the characters became assholes.

It's one thing to lack depth, but the main cast were all relatable, with the exception of Kramer who was odd but likable. Jerry and Elain were relatable and likable, and George was the less likable guy, the character we don't want to be, but who represents all our insecurities and neurosis. As the show neared it's ending they became much less sympathetic, culminating with them laughing and pointing as some guy gets robbed. By that time it seemed completely out-of-character for the way Jerry had been portrayed in the first 4-5 seasons. This is the same Jerry who witnessed a hit-and-run and followed the driver in order to confront them. Yes, he demurred when it turned out to be a hot woman, but he still had some moral issues, however small, of dating someone like that.

Anubis2005X

That was part of the series finale though, which all felt very forced...

Finisher

Never liked it back in the day. Still don't like it.

Meanwhile Seinfeld is pretty much the only show that I watch in syndication and still enjoy.

sven

Really enjoy both shows but Seinfeld has the edge on Cheers in my book. Though News Radio has the edge on both of them. Bill McNeil might just be my favorite TV character of all time. I miss you Phil!

Paff

I wasn't really sure where to post this, and I didn't think it deserved it's own thread. But I've been watching some Cheers and Frasier reruns over the summer, and I saw a really unique casting coincidence that you probably wouldn't pick up on due to the length of time between episodes.

In Bebe Neuwirth's first appearance as Lilith Sternin on Cheers, she dumps Frasier after a short date. The bulk of the episode has Frasier falling for one of Sam's bimbos, played by Jennifer Tilly.

In a later episode of Frasier, there's almost a carbon copy plot. Frasier meets some girl at the coffeehouse, but finds she has a boyfriend (played by Aaron Eckhart, btw). So he goes to a bar and hooks up with....Jennifer Tilly. Totally different character though.

Phantom Dreamer

Cosmo Kramer was a realistic character?

TheAllPurposeNothing

The thing about Cheers that I never can shake is that, as much as I like/love it, it is still only my third favorite James Brooks series, after Taxi, Mary Tyler Moore and The Simpsons. Seinfeld, on the other hand, is in a class all its own.

In re: to Cheers, as much as I liked Woody, Coach was the heart and soul of the show. Once he was gone, it was good but never quite the same.

CORRECTION: As per bluetoast, Cheers is not a James L. Brooks show. I'd better cancel my membership to MENSA. LOL

bluetoast

Cheers is not a James Brooks series.

TheAllPurposeNothing

Thanks for the correction. Sure felt like a Brooks show, though.

Just checked....appears Burrows directed a lot of Brooks' series, so it makes sense.

bluetoast

Yeah, lot of overlap with Burrows, who was a co-creator on Cheers.