Cheers’ Ted Danson and James Burrows Reveal How Kirstie Alley’s Character Rebecca Howe Came to Be

When Cheers introduced Kirstie Alley’s character, Rebecca Howe, fans were eager, and maybe a little nervous to see who could possibly fill the shoes left behind by Shelley Long’s Diane Chambers. No one could have predicted just how iconic she’d become, but Rebecca’s magic wasn’t there right away. In fact, it almost didn’t happen at all.

On the Wednesday, April 2, episode of SiriusXM’s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast hosted by Cheers alum Ted Danson, the actor sat down with the show’s long-time director James Burrows to reflect on its early days. The two revealed that Rebecca was originally written so differently that the cast and crew had to completely rework her character and how one unscripted, emotional moment on set changed everything.

“I think I got the story right,” James, 84, said in the episode. “In the rehearsals for the first show with her, she walks in the bar and she’s so mean. It was not funny … just crazy and not funny.”

Despite rewrites and adjustments, something still wasn’t landing, until a moment of unexpected vulnerability changed everything. “She tried to go into the office door and it wouldn’t work,” James said. Kirstie, frustrated, suddenly began to cry. “And everybody went, ‘Oh my God… there you are.’”

“There you are,” Ted, 77, echoed. “Woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.”

From that moment, the writers rewrote Rebecca entirely around that energy, a high-functioning, slightly frazzled, and endlessly lovable. “It was a happy accident,” James recalled, “You [Ted] jumping over the bar. I get teared up when I think about it, ’cause it was a seminal moment in my life. And we wrote to that.”

Kirstie wasn’t the only cast member who shook things up. Woody Harrelson, who joined the show in season 4, brought a different kind of chaos, the fun and lively kind, and his presence lit a competitive fire in Ted.

“My relationship with Woody for a long time was trying to outdo him at anything,” Ted shared. “And failing miserably.”

As the cast got older, most of them were approaching 37 at the time, while Woody was in his mid-20s and full of energy. “We wanted to beat him,” Ted recalled. “When it became clear we couldn’t, it became all about practical jokes. You’d go, ‘This one’s too good, I have to save it to try to mess with Woody.’”

James added, “There was this inner athlete trying to get out. But you had the ability, your great ability was to throw away a joke.” He also credited Woody’s presence with keeping the cast from getting bored. “He introduced a challenge and a way of life that was just great for the show.”

Even Woody, 63, chimed in on the interview and got emotional reflecting on the experience. “That time is still the most idyllic, amazing experience. I can’t imagine a better experience for an actor. Period.”

This behind-the-scenes moment is just one of many heartfelt stories being shared on SiriusXM’s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”, where Ted and James sit down with beloved cast and crew from Cheers to celebrate the show’s legacy and give fans a deeper look into what made it so timeless. New episodes of SiriusXM’s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” premiere every Wednesday on the SiriusXM app and wherever podcasts are available.