‘Cheers’: Sam Malone Always Cuts Lemons for 1 Reason
The NBC comedy Cheers took place in a bar, but drinks were hardly the focus. Viewers may not have even noticed what the employees of Cheers were doing behind the bar. Next time you watch, pay attention to Ted Danson as Sam Malone. He’s frequently cutting lemons, and there’s a good reason for that.
Cheers writer Ken Levine discussed the show on his podcast Hollywood & Levine. Cheers wasn’t a mysterious show like Lost or Westworld, so the biggest mystery it’s got is Sam and the lemons.
Working hard on ‘Cheers’
Some of the regulars at Cheers never had to do anything but sit with a beer and talk. Since the show used nonalcoholic beer with other additives, just sipping that could be a chore for the actors. Sam’s trademark was his healthy love life, and sometimes his alcoholism came up in stories, but neither gave him something to do while at work.
Sam tended bar with Woody (Woody Harrelson), who stepped in for Coach (Nicholas Colosanto). Carla (Rhea Perlman) and Diane (Shelley Long) were waitresses which gave them some good interactions with customers. In one episode, Diane had to figure out how to make a bloody mary. But the workings of the bar were not the focal point, unless you’re talking about the running gag of Norm (George Wendt)’s unpaid bar tab.
Ted Danson needed more to do on ‘Cheers’
Sam was going to be in every episode of Cheers. Danson didn’t want to just stand behind the bar waiting for his turn to say dialogue. So, whether he was flirting with Diane, listening to one of Cliff (John Ratzenberer)’s inane stories, or giving some bartender advice, you might see Sam chopping lemons behind the bar.
“You’ll also notice that Ted Danson is always cutting up lemons,” Levine said on Hollywood & Levine. “Why? Because actors like to have something to do. And there they are just standing behind the bar the entire time. Ted was always looking for business, just something to keep him occupied. So he’s not just a talking head standing there.”
Count how many lemons Sam Malone cuts
A bar would go through a lot of lemon slices. It’s a garnish for lots of drinks and an ingredient for drinks like martinis, mojitos and whiskey sours. It is curious that Danson chose lemons instead of limes. You’re definitely likely to see a plate of lime slices behind a bar. Sam didn’t even mix and match them. Anyway, Levine estimated how many lemons Danson cut over 273 episodes of Cheers.
“So they kind of settled on cutting lemons,” Levine said. “Teddy cut hundreds of thousands of lemons over the 11 seasons of Cheers.”
Danson was obviously subtle enough about it that chopping lemons doesn’t immediately stand out. But now that you know, bet you can never unsee it again.
