A Legendary Football Player Was Almost Cast As Sam Malone On Cheers

Running for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993, “Cheers” is about as classic as sitcoms get. When the show ended on May 20, 1993, almost 100 million viewers tuned in to bid Sam Malone and the patrons of the titular bar farewell, making the episode one of the most-watched in TV history. But those loyal fans very nearly could have said goodbye to a far different Sam Malone, as it seems football legend Fred Dryer was almost cast in the lead role.

Ted Danson played former pro baseball pitcher and proprietor of Cheers, Sam Malone (one of the series’ best characters), for all 275 episodes, but prior to landing the role, he had some tough competition — especially since creators Glen and Les Charles initially envisioned the character as a former football player. Danson didn’t quite have the physique required, and had the creators stuck to their guns, the 6-foot 6-inch Dryer, a former defensive end for the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams, would have been almost guaranteed the role, given his legendary status as the only player in NFL history to score two safeties in one game.

However, Dryer was no match for Ted Danson’s undeniable charisma, and the actor managed to secure the lead in “Cheers” with his audition, prompting the writers to change Sam from a former football player to an ex-relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

“Cheers” writer Ken Levine remembered almost casting Fred Dryer as Sam Malone on his blog, pointing to the Charles Brothers’ original vision for the character as a former football player for the New England Patriots. “Fred Dryer was more who they had in mind,” explains Levine. “And he was a finalist for the role (along with William Devane [of ‘Knots Landing’ fame]).” Ted Danson proved to be “so charming” and had such good chemistry with Diane Chambers actor Shelley Long that he won out over the other finalists for the role. However, that meant the producers were faced with changing Sam’s backstory. “Ted as a football bruiser is only slightly more believable than me as an NFL lineman,” writes Levine. “So they made Sam a baseball player instead.”

While Dryer just missed out on playing Sam, he actually showed up on “Cheers” several times, playing sportscaster and former teammate of Sam’s, Dave Richards. The roguish playboy character wasn’t quite a starring role, but it did allow Dryer to show off his acting talents in four episodes across six seasons (“Sam at Eleven,” “Old Flames,” “Love Thy Neighbor,” and “‘I’ On Sports”), with Dave spending a fair amount of time at the Cheers bar (which, for whatever reason, wasn’t featured in the recent “Frasier” revival). 

Dryer branched out into acting just prior to his NFL retirement in 1981, playing a lifeguard in a 1980 episode of “Laverne & Shirley.” Despite losing out on the role of Sam Malone, he landed several small parts in episodes of such shows as “CHiPs” and “Hart to Hart” throughout the early ’80s, prior to being cast in the lead role of rule-bending cop Sgt. Rick Hunter on the NBC series “Hunter” in 1984. Dryer stayed with the police drama throughout its seven-season run and even returned for three TV reunion movies.