Title: Heeeeeere's... Cliffy!
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Tracy Newman and Jonathan Stark
Air Date: April 23, 1992
Previous: Bar Wars VI: This Time It's for Real
Next: An Old-Fashioned Wedding
Guest Starring: Johnny Carson, Doc Severinsen, Frances Sternhagen, Paul Willson
"Heeeeere's... Cliffy!" is the 24th episode of the tenth season of Cheers.
Turns out Cliff has been submitting jokes to Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show. Feeling sorry and / or worried for Cliff, Norm decides to edit his latest rejection letter, because hey, what's the harm, right? Cliff is over the moon to think one of his not-too-great jokes has been accepted, and starts crowing about it endlessly. Before Norm can explain things to him, Cliff reveals he's gotten tickets to take him and his mother to LA, and one more... and guess who that is? Yup, it's Norm.
The three take a trip to LA, and the set of the Tonight Show, where Norm comes clean to Esther about what's happened. She tells him to come clean, but he's unable to do so before the show begins. All Norm can do is bribe one of the technical staff to insert the joke into Carson's opening monologue. Predictably, it bombs, and Cliff doesn't take this well, getting dragged out by security, much to Esther's upset. She manages to get Johnny to perform the joke properly, and manages to get invited to be in the show proper.
Meanwhile, Sam and Woody try to fix up a satellite dish for the bar in preparation for a big prize fight, rather than lose customers to Gary's.
Tropes:
- As Himself: Johnny Carson and Doc Severinsen, in a Cheers episode that aired one month before Carson and Severinsen retired together after 30 years and 23 years, respectively, on The Tonight Show.
- Biting-the-Hand Humor: An in-universe one. When Cliff angrily rants at Carson and gets dragged out of the studio by security, still screaming, Johnny's still able to play it off.Johnny Carson: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of NBC!
- Continuity Nod:
- Norm brings up his bar tab at Gary's, which was established just the previous episode.
- Lilith is still the only person who laughs at Cliff's jokes, which was established in "My Son, the Father".
- Sam ruminates that if he had married Diane, he'd probably have ended up killing her and then be executed, something he dreamt about in "Chambers Vs. Malone".
- Crazy-Prepared: Norm just carries White-Out around in his pocket?
- Dramatic Drop: Carla drops her tray, shattering a beer mug, when she sees Esther Clavin on The Tonight Show.
- Foreshadowing: Woody discusses his upcoming marriage to Kelly.
- Frivolous Lawsuit: Cliff fully intends to sue NBC for getting detained by security after making a scene. He also believes this will allow him to buy out the entire network.
- Going Postal: The reaction of the security guys at NBC suggests Cliff is far from the first nutso mailman they've had to deal with.Guard: (with exasperated resignation) And get this: He's a mailman.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": The whole Cheers bar, staring frozen and open-mouthed, as Ma Clavin shoots the breeze with Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show couch.
- Mercy Kill: Carla's suggestion about what to do with Cliff is to put him to sleep. Sam seriously considers this.
- The Paranoiac: The plot kicks off when the gang realize Cheers is getting Cliff's mail. Frasier noting that when you've been harassed by as many government figures as Cliff has, you become reluctant to give them your actual address.
- Rule of Three: It takes three goes, and some coaching from Esther, before Johnny Carson manages to make Cliff's joke land.
- Silver Fox: Johnny Carson takes Esther out to dinner, after her son was arrested on his show.
- Small Name, Big Ego: After thinking one of his submitted jokes got into the show, Cliff, who never had the best grasp on reality to begin with, starts acting like he's BFFs with Johnny Carson, and one of the writing staff.
- Stunned Silence: After Esther manages to get invited down onto the set to chat with Johnny Carson, the scene cuts back to Cheers, where everyone (save Sam and Woody, who are on the roof) are starring in blank horror at what they're seeing, complete with Carla dropping a tray of drinks.
- Throw It In!: In-universe, Norm convinces one of the Tonight Show staff to put Cliff's bad joke in the opening monologue. The guy eventually goes along with it because he's not getting carried over when Carson leaves Tonight.
- The Un-Reveal: Sam and Woody have a conversation on what they think the afterlife is like. We don't hear it, save for Woody thinking Sam's idea is pretty neat, especially the part about "Snickers bars for breakfast".
- Who Shot JFK?: Frasier refuses to believe Cliff's theory that The Beatles were involved.
