I'm a big Cheers fan from way back but recently got into it again when it was included in Amazon Prime membership. My favorite characters are Sam and Diane - I just love their back and forth banter and wit. I'm a big fan of couples who banter - some other favs include Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford in 'Gilda' and of course Scarlett and Rhett. Oh, and check out 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte - not the movies! The book. Jane and Rochester bantered like mad. (For you Twilight fans, Edward is based on Edward Rochester - as are most brooding but romantic anti-heroes of modern fiction.)

So I will always try to include some banter in my prose though of course no one can be as witty as the Charles brothers and their band of ace comedic talent.

I find the characters on Cheers interesting in that they are a combination of classic movies with old-fashioned '40s-type dialogue (check out how they use words like 'dames' 'fella' etc) combined with scathing modern wit. I'm guessing this is because the Charles brothers and the original writers were big fans of old movies.

I'm torn on whether Sam and Diane actually belong together - they certainly have passion, but it takes much more than that to make a successful relationship. This is what makes them so interesting. Their intellectual differences were made much of, but at the end of the day, the gulf in their connection isn't so much about that. You've got a man who is an emotional cripple - at least when it comes to romantic relationships - and a woman who places a high value on emotional vulnerability.

I think, at the end of the day, what keeps them attracted to each other isn't so much sexual chemistry (although that's a big part of it) but laughter. They both really get each others sense of humor - even if it is at their own expense.

I think Sam and Diane are an incredibly emotionally complex couple - I don't even understand how anyone can compare them to anyone else. This what makes them fun to write for. Unlike most TV 'Will they or won't they?' couples - this is a couple that had SERIOUS issues, and who, on many levels, simply did not belong together - unfortunately for them there was a connection there they just couldn't seem to shake off.

The other characters are basically the Greek chorus - with Coach and Norm being my favorites. I also appreciate the doomed position Frasier was in.

If you want to chat about Cheers, drop me a line. Sorry I stopped watching after Diane left, so know nothing about Rebecca Howe!

Kensi