‘Cheers’: Did Ted Danson and Shelley Long Ever Date in Real Life?
Fans enjoy hearing details about celebrity relationships. They want to know who’s dated whom and if stars have hooked up their co-stars other. Two actors many TV viewers wondered about in the ’80s were Ted Danson and Shelley Long. They played romantic interests in the fan-favorite Cheers. They’ve since gone their separate ways in their careers. But did the two ever date in real life?
Sam and Diane’s relationship in ‘Cheers’
During Cheers‘ 11 years on NBC, viewers became invested in the relationship between Sam and Diane. Fans picked up on the pair’s chemistry, but some noticed they were too different from the beginning. Sam is a womanizing bartender, but Diane is a sophisticated aspiring writer.
Throughout the series, Sam and Diane attempt to form a relationship multiple times. Still, things don’t work out between the two despite their efforts. They go through hookups, breakups, and other highs and lows of romance.
In the fifth season, the audience believed Sam and Diane would get married. The studio even filmed a wedding ceremony, but it never aired. Instead, Diane moved to Los Angeles after Long didn’t renew her contract.
Nevertheless, Sam and Diane remain one of the best-beloved TV couples. About 84.4 million people tuned in for the series finale to watch the pair get together one last time. However, the characters and viewers alike realized Sam and Diane wouldn’t work out romantically.
Did Ted Danson and Shelley Long date in real life?
Sam and Diane’s attraction seemed strong, especially in the first couple of seasons of Cheers. The actors behind the characters captured the charm of the fictional relationship. However, was there ever a spark between Ted Danson and Shelley Long?
Despite their captivating on-screen romance, the two actors never dated. Their relationship during the series remained professional, and they found love with other people. In addition, Danson already had a wife.
According to Hello!, he was married to producer Cassandra Coates. The two had tied the knot in 1977, two years after he divorced his first wife. However, Danson’s marriage to Coates crumbled in 1993 when news of his affair with Whoopi Goldberg broke. Nevertheless, the now-74-year-old married actor Mary Steenburgen two years later and is still with her.
Meanwhile, Long has been married a couple of times. According to IMDb, she was briefly wed to Ken Solomon in the 1970s. Later, Long married securities broker Bruce Tyson in 1981 but divorced him in 2004. The now-73-year-old actor hasn’t remarried.
Shelley Long annoyed Ted Danson while filming ‘Cheers’
Although Ted Danson and Shelley Long never dated, were they at least friends off the set? Danson would sometimes get frustrated with his co-star when they had to film scenes. He evened complained about her as a result.
The reason Danson became irritated with Long was that she struggled with timing. She often failed to hit her marks, but Long blamed her wardrobe. The producers had her wear complex outfits, which caused her to be late, she said.
“We never fought. Maybe we should have. I mean, he got angry once pretty late in the game about something that I wish he had told me about long before because I made every effort to change it,” Long said in a 1992 interview with the Sun Sentinel. “And I think I did a pretty good job, although maybe it wasn’t good enough for him.”
Despite past tension, Long and Danson and Long seemed to have remained on good terms. After all, Long said she still likes her former co-star. And the two have reunited over the years at various events.
