The iconic *Cheers* bar, a central setting for the long-running American sitcom, experienced a dynamic history of ownership changes and business entanglements throughout the series. While the sign outside claimed "Est. 1895," this date was a fabrication chosen by Carla for numerology purposes, as revealed in a season eight episode. The bar, originally named Mom's, predated Sam Malone's ownership, having several proprietors before him. These shifts
in management, often driven by personal circumstances or ambitious schemes, formed significant plotlines and introduced new characters, shaping the bar's identity and the lives of its regulars.
Early Owners and Sam's Initial Departure
Before Sam Malone became the well-known proprietor, the bar had a history. In the series' second episode, "Sam's Women," Coach informs a customer that Gus, a previous owner of Cheers, had passed away. However, Gus O'Mally later made a return from Arizona for one night to help run the bar, indicating a somewhat fluid history of management. The most significant storyline concerning ownership began in the fifth-season finale, "I Do, Adieu." Following Shelley Long's departure from the series, Sam and Diane parted ways, and Sam decided to embark on a trip to circumnavigate the globe. Before leaving, he sold *Cheers* to the Lillian Corporation. His return in the sixth-season premiere, "Home is the Sailor," found him having sunk his boat and discovering the bar under the new management of Rebecca Howe. Sam, now without his boat and his bar, begged for his job back and was hired by Rebecca as a bartender.
Rebecca's Management and Sam's Schemes to Reacquire
Rebecca Howe's tenure as manager under the Lillian Corporation introduced a new dynamic to the bar. In the seventh-season premiere, "How to Recede in Business," Rebecca was fired, and Sam was promoted to manager. Rebecca was allowed to retain a job at Lillian, vaguely similar to her previous role, but only after Sam, in her absence, "agreed" to a long list of demands from the corporation. From this point, Sam frequently attempted to buy the bar back, often involving schemes that centered around the wealthy executive Robin Colcord. These attempts highlighted Sam's enduring attachment to *Cheers* and his entrepreneurial, albeit sometimes misguided, spirit.
Sam's Reacquisition and New Partnerships
Sam finally reacquired *Cheers* in the eighth-season finale. The Lillian Corporation sold the bar back to him for a symbolic 85 cents after he alerted the company to Robin Colcord's insider trading. Rebecca, fired by the corporation for her silence on the issue, was then hired by Sam as a hostess/office manager. To celebrate Sam's reclaiming the bar, a large banner reading "Under OLD Management!" was hung from the staircase. However, the ownership story didn't end there. It was later discovered that the Pool Room and bathrooms were actually owned by Melville's, leading to a war of wits between Sam and Melville's owner, John Allen Hill. Rebecca eventually purchased these sections from Hill, making Sam and Rebecca partners in the ownership of *Cheers* and more or less co-runners of the establishment. Sam also faced ongoing rivalries, notably with Gary's Olde Towne Tavern, often failing to beat them in various activities, and with John Allen Hill, who frequently annoyed Sam with his pettiness and ego.
