History WMG / Cheers

* He hardly ever drinks anything else;
* He spends most of the day in a bar that's located below ground level;

** Sam may be Norm's Renfield. Just as Renfield is not actually vampire, Sam is not actually a beer vampire which is why he does feel the bad effects of alcohol.
* When Woody asks Norm how he can drink so much he replies "Well, it's all done with mirrors, son. I just never look in one."

* They keep the bar understaffed, made only cosmetic improvements and assigned an incompetent manager to run it. The only possible conclusion is that they want to lose money.

* specifically it is watched over by Dionysus/Bacchus. That explains why even Frasier succumbs to its power.

* Unlike Carla’s anger management therapist from “The Tortelli Tort,” who was kind and gentle, Dr. Paul Kendall is stiff, pompous, and no match for Carla. The writers already had the notion of an arrogant “shrink” and used this for Frasier.

* It seems unlikely that his friend would tell him that Diane was working at Cheers but leave out that detail.

* She seems far more interested in spending time with Diane than Sam, and they hit it off.

* Kramer’s doctors were right that he was dying, but wrong on the timeline. Kramer vowed to come back and did. This was changed to a new character when they realized that this would be way too dark, even for Cliff.

* She can never finish anything. She has hundreds of ideas but little ability to tell the good ones from the bad ones. Finally, she responded to her breakups with textbook depressive (Sam) and manic (Frasier) episodes.

* There's no neat corolation with the Seven Deadly Sins, but some examples are obvious:

Coach? He's an angel, doing his best to guide them.

As in, a vampire whose resurrection ceremony was botched when they used beer instead of blood. Rather like WesternAnimation/CountDuckula (who became a vegetarian vampire as a result of tomato ketchup being used at his resurrection ceremony), this has turned Norm into a vampire who doesn't attack people as he does not need to drink blood in order to survive. This explains why:

In "It's Lonely on the Top", Sam states that it was on [[HeroicBSoD August 12, 1989]] that he looked in the sink and saw [[note]]we ASSUME this since it's never stated implicitly WHAT Sam saw[[/note]] that his hair was falling out. Since Sam was meticulous about his grooming and hair care up until that moment, to the point to obsession, it seems unlikely that such hair loss could happen so abruptly short of chemotherapy or alopecia areata. However, in the episode "The Art of the Steal" (airdate: 11/30/89) Sam and Rebecca end up trapped overnight in Robin Colcord's security-fortified penthouse. At one point, Rebecca takes advantage of the fact that Sam is asleep (since [[BerserkButton Sam is ADAMANT about people NOT touching his hair for any reason]] aside from a specialist like his personal barber/hairdresser) to examine his hair, commenting on his surprising lack of split ends and running her fingers through it at the exact spot Sam begins balding. Given Rebecca's constant disasters and horrible luck, perhaps she was the one who cost Sam the one thing he loved more than [[OneTrueLove his bar]] (which Rebecca burns down with a carelessly tossed cigarette) and [[CompanionCube his Corvette]] (which he was forced to sell to pay to repair the bar after Rebecca burns it down).

* She can never finish anything. She has hundreds of ideas but little ability to tell the good ones from the bad ones. Finally, she responded to her breakups with textbook depressive (Sam) and manic (Frasier) episodes.

* Kramer’s doctors were right that he was dying, but wrong on the timeline. Kramer vowed to come back and did. This was changed to a new character when they realized that this would be way too dark, even for Cliff.

* specifically it is watched over by Dionysus/Bacchus. That explains why even Frasier succumbs to its power.

* They keep the bar understaffed, made only cosmetic improvements and assigned an incompetent manager to run it. The only possible conclusion is that they want to lose money.

* He has to be greeted every time he enters the bar.

* He's been allowed to run up such a huge tab (Sam is either scared of him or thinks it's cool that his bar is a beer vampire's lair — either way, he knows enough vampire lore to understand that Norm is perfectly harmless, so long as he has a plentiful supply of beer); and

* He's been allowed to run up such a huge tab (Sam is either scared of him or thinks it's cool that his bar is a beer vampire's lair; either way, he knows enough vampire lore to understand that Norm is perfectly harmless, so long as he has a plentiful supply of beer); and

[[WMG: Norm is drinking Near Beer most of the time]]

* Norm has a history of deception (disparaging Vera, claiming to be gay, inventing a "mean" partner) but he confides in Sam. Sam is also very good at knowing people's limits and will water down drinks as he sees fit.

[[WMG: Darryl Mead - the Red Sox player (played by Kevin Conroy) who flirts with Carla is the Angel Of Death)]]

As in, a vampire whose resurrection ceremony was botched when they used beer instead of blood. Rather like WesternAnimation/CountDuckula (who became a vegetarian vampire as a result of tomato ketchup being used at his resurrection ceremony), this has turned Norm into a vampire who doesn't attack people as he does not need blood to survive. That's why Norm can drink so much beer with no ill effects, why he never drinks anything else, why he's been allowed to run up such a huge tab (Sam knows enough vampire lore to understand that he's perfectly harmless, so long as he has a plentiful supply of beer), and why he has to be greeted every time he enters the bar.

As in, a vampire whose resurrection ceremony was botched when they used beer instead of blood. Rather like WesternAnimation/CountDuckula (who became a vegetarian vampire as a result of tomato ketchup being used at his resurrection ceremony), this has turned Norm into a vampire who doesn't attack people as he only has to drink beer to survive. That's why Norm drinks so much beer with no ill effects, why he never drinks anything else, why he's been allowed to run up such a huge tab (Sam knows enough vampire lore to understand that he's perfectly harmless, so long as he has a plentiful supply of beer), and why he has to be greeted every time he enters the bar.

As in, a vampire whose resurrection ceremony was botched when they used beer instead of blood. Rather like WesternAnimation/CountDuckula (who became a vegetarian vampire as a result of tomato ketchup being used at his resurrection ceremony), this has turned Norm into a vampire who doesn't attack people as he only has to drink beer to survive. That's why Norm drinks so much beer with no ill effects, why he never drinks anything else, and why he has to be greeted every time he enters the bar. Knowing that Norm is perfectly harmless so long as he has a plentiful supply of beer, Sam has allowed him to run up a huge tab (a privelidge which he would never extend to his human clientele).

As in, a vampire whose resurrection ceremony was botched when they used beer instead of blood. Rather like WesternAnimation/CountDuckula (who became a vegetarian vampire as a result of tomato ketchup being used at his resurrection ceremony), this has turned Norm into a vampire who doesn't attack people as he only has to drink beer to survive. That's why Norm drinks so much beer with no ill effects, why he never drinks anything else, and why he has to be greeted every time he enters the bar. Sam's aware of this and is secretly terrified (either that, or he quite likes the idea of his bar being the lair of a Beer Vampire), which is why he's allowed Norm to run up such a huge tab.

As in, a vampire who survives by drinking beer, not blood. That's why Norm drinks so much beer with no ill effects, why he never drinks anything else, and why he has to be greeted every time he enters the bar. Sam's aware of this and is secretly terrified (either that, or he quite likes the idea of his bar being the lair of a Beer Vampire), which is why he's allowed Norm to run up such a huge tab.

* Many people of pointed out how inconceivable that a bar that’s open 120+ hours a week can consist of a staff of only four people. Simple answer...Cheers has plenty of other waitresses and bartenders, and Diane, Carla, and Coach/Woody are simply the Friday night shift. This works on a number of levels.

* Of course God, wasn't going to "reach down and snatch [Sam] up" for breaking his vow of abstinence but the Almighty has other ways of getting his point across. And it worked! Sam realized he was treading dangerous ground and went to consult a priest. Mysterious ways, indeed.

* In "It's Lonely on the Top", Sam states that it was on [[HeroicBSoD August 12, 1989]] that he looked in the sink and saw [[note]]we ASSUME this since it's never stated implicitly WHAT Sam saw[[/note]] that his hair was falling out. Since Sam was meticulous about his grooming and hair care up until that moment, to the point to obsession, it seems unlikely that such hair loss could happen so abruptly short of chemotherapy or alopecia areata. However, in the episode "The Art of the Steal" (airdate: 11/30/89) Sam and Rebecca end up trapped overnight in Robin Colcord's security-fortified penthouse. At one point, Rebecca takes advantage of the fact that Sam is asleep (since [[BerserkButton Sam is ADAMANT about people NOT touching his hair for any reason]] aside from a specialist like his personal barber/hairdresser) to examine his hair, commenting on his surprising lack of split ends and running her fingers through it at the exact spot Sam begins balding. Given Rebecca's constant disasters and horrible luck, perhaps she was the one who cost Sam the one thing he loved more than [[OneTrueLove his bar]] (which Rebecca burns down with a carelessly tossed cigarette) and [[CompanionCube his Corvette]] (which he was forced to sell to pay to repair the bar after Rebecca burns it down).

* It would explain why he's rarely drunk, and indeed not dead.

* He first appears right before Carla finds out about Eddie's death, and later appears when Carla is haunted by Eddie's ghost. He's also too good to br true. Either he's a symbol of Carla's guilt or a literal agent of the Grim Reaper.

That's why he has to be greeted every time he enters the bar.

** In the end of the episode, she notes to Frasier that she is putting the breaks on the production, and returning to Los Angeles to (she implies) basically re-think her life. It's a good bet she's been shocked by Frasier's earlier outburst into taking a hard look at herself -- and the fact that she hasn't gotten over Sam at all, to the point of having fallen (however briefly) for a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute.
* FOURTH: When Woody shows up in Seattle, he gives a rundown of what the gang is doing in Boston. While he gives some detail about how the others are getting on, all he says about Sam is: "Sam's doing great!"

** Or perhaps Woody DOES know -- and is cleverly able to keep a secret, revealing some HiddenDepths in the usually slow-witted Woody.

** It's possible Woody doesn't have an answer as to why Sam's doing so "great". Sam's smilingly tight-lipped about it. Woody can see he's happy, but doesn't know why.

** Sam and Diane have reconnected and are having a long-distance relationship that the Cheers gang knows nothing about, involving Sam using various excuses to cover for occasional visits to Los Angeles ... and Diane. The secrecy's part of the thrill, and they won't reveal it to all until they agree that it's time to ''actually'' tie the knot -- which they do, ''after'' Woody visits Frasier in Seattle (which is why Woody can see that Sam's "doing great" but doesn't know why).

He certainly looks and sounds kinda like him...and there's also Diane's ''exchange'' with him....

* FIRST--Sam's vision at the end of "I Do, Adieu", after Diane leaves. The extended vision earlier in the episode shows Old Sam as very lethargic and unwilling/unable to move for too much, leaving Old Diane to basically do everything. While their marriage is happy, it isn't particularly passionate. However, in the episode's finale, we see Old Sam up and active, and dancing romantically with Old Diane.

* SECOND--The Rebecca-era episode "Go Make" foreshadows that Sam will marry and have a son "in a few years"--just not with Rebecca.
** The last time we see Sam, in his appearance on ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', he is single--but the episode ends with a hopeful exchange between him and Frasier....
*** Note carefully that exchange, as Sam recovers from having broken up with his fiancee due to her having slept with Cliff, Frasier tells him flat-out that ''that'' reason was obviously an excuse. Giving Sam a pointed look, he adds, "We both know there were more compelling reasons...."
* THIRD--Diane's play in her own ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode is a [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue not-so-subtle spoof]] of ''Cheers''--one that emphasizes the Sam/Diane romance. Diane herself shares a passionate kiss with the "faux-Sam" actor.
** In the end of the episode, she notes to Frasier that she is putting the breaks on the production, and returning to Los Angeles to (she implies) basically re-think her life. It's a good bet she's been shocked by Frasier's earlier outburst into taking a hard look at herself--and the fact that she hasn't gotten over Sam at all...to the point of having fallen (however briefly) for a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute.
* FOURTH--When Woody shows up in Seattle, he gives a rundown of what the gang is doing in Boston. All he says about Sam is "Sam's doing great!"--while going into a bit more detail about the other mains.
** It's possible Woody doesn't have an answer as to why Sam's doing so "great". Sam's smilingly tight-lipped about it.
** Perhaps Woody DOES know--and is cleverly able to keep a secret, revealing some HiddenDepths in the usually slow-witted Woody.

** Sam and Diane are having a charming "scandalous affair" that the gang knows nothing about, involving Sam using various excuses to cover for his annual visits to Los Angeles--and Diane. The secrecy's part of the thrill, and they won't reveal it to all until they agree it's time to ''actually'' tie the knot -- which they do, after Woody visits Frasier in Seattle.

[[WMG: God sent Woody dressed as Moses into the bar AT THAT EXACT MOMENT to scare Sam straight in "Swear To God".]]
* Of course God wasn't going to "reach down and snatch [Sam] up" for breaking his vow of abstinence but the Almighty has other ways of getting his point across. And it worked! Sam realized he was treading dangerous ground and went to consult a priest. Mysterious ways, indeed.

That's why he has to be greeted every time he enters

** Sam and Diane are having a charming "scandalous affair" that the gang knows nothing about, involving Sam using various excuses to cover for his annual visits to Los Angeles--and Diane. (The secrecy's part of the thrill....) And they won't reveal it to all until they agree it's time to tie the knot--which they will, post-Woody's-episode.
*** Actually, this fits quite well with the ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' Season Seven episode "Hot Pursuit", which has Frasier just returned from a visit to Boston...and suddenly reflecting on the fact that he's alone, and currently without much of a love life. In hindsight, FridgeBrilliance: In addition to visiting Frederick, he was in Boston for Sam and Diane's wedding!

Thus [[BookEnds book ending]] the show. The first episode had a kid/teen who walked trying to convince Sam he was old enough to buy a beer (with a [[PhonyVeteran veteran's ID card]], no less. Now go forward eleven years to the end where some guy try to walk in, but Sam says the bar's closed for tonight. What if that guy was the same kid from the first opening, now actually old enough to have a beer and finally enters in Cheer once again?

In "The Last Picture Show", a former owner takes on Sam's duties for a night, and, upon meeting Woody, remarks "This must be Coach's boy". Bearing that in mind, is it not possible that, somewhere along the line, Pantusso DNA mixed with Boyd DNA and the result is that Woody is, in some small way, Coach's boy?

!! The kid who tries to buy beer in the first episode and the guy who gets turned away in the last episode are the same person

!!Coach and Woody are related

** Consider the following: Their personalities are very similar, they are both thick as mud (bad genes perhaps), and the fact that Coach was the only person who wrote back when Woody was looking for a job may denote a correspondence between long-lost relatives.
*** It's extremely unlikely that Woody is literally Coach's son, as Coach was totally devoted to his late wife.
*** Except that it's outright stated that Coach's dementia is not natural but due to taking one too many baseballs to the head.
*** Except that it is also outright stated (near the end of the 3rd season while Coach was "away") that Coach's sister suffers from a similar affliction. I doubt she took too many baseballs to the head.
* The faux-Sam actor in Diane's play (in her ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode) is Lance Apollinaire, the "Greek-God-like" student she almost fell for in "Knights Of The Scimitar".
** He certainly looks and sounds kinda like him...and there's also Diane's ''exchange'' with him....

Thus [[BookEnds book ending]] the show. The first episode had a kid/teen who walked trying to convince Sam he was old enough to buy a beer (with a [[PhoneyVeteran veteran's ID card]], no less. Now go forward eleven years to the end where some guy try to walk in, but Sam says the bar's closed for tonight. What if that guy was the same kid from the first opening, now actually old enough to have a beer and finally enters in Cheer once again?