Shelley Long’s departure was a big loss for Cheers. This isn’t to say that Kirstie Alley wasn’t a hoot; as sometimes unappealing as she can be, her work on Cheers nevertheless has a nice zing to it. While the show may have maintained a razor-quick pace after Long’s leaving, it lost a certain how-is-this-going-to-end? unpredictability. But this is beyond a moot point because the tenth season is the fifth sans Long; one would think that even a snobby reviewer like me would be able to let it go by now.

Unfortunately, whether you defend the Kirstie Alley Cheers or not, this tenth season is a shell of what the show once was. The gang is still all here (pretty much) – Sam Malone (Ted Danson), Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), Norm (George Wendt), and Cliff (John Ratzenberger) – and with a cast as impressively well-timed, it’s hard to not get sucked into the ins and outs of each episode.

That being said, though, I’d argue that a deliciously rat-a-tat pacing is really all Cheers now has to offer. I mean, I love Bebe Neuwirth as much as any other Lillith fan, but even she appears to be on autopilot. The plots of most episodes don’t help, either. Sure, the season-ending An Old-Fashioned Wedding (Parts 1 & 2) allows for a legitimate amount of successful tomfoolery as Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson’s) gets hitched. But the nearly-constant push-pull of Rebecca’s (Kirstie Alley) and Sam’s attempts at conceiving a child grows old real quick, and even cameos from Johnny Carson and Doc Severinson on Heeeeere’s Cliffy! can’t revive the show’s flaccid structure.

Part of the magic of Cheers’ post-Long existence is that it was able to maintain its ratings pull even without one of its leads; such a loss more often than not leads a show down that dark, dark path toward cancellation. And it’s always a treat to watch a show that actually strives to keep you around; immediately after Long left, Cheers went out of its way to be better written and funnier than most other shows on the air. This tenth season, though, is a show that isn’t really trying to prove anything to anyone. Cheers would have one more season, but as this Tenth Season box set proves, as much as the show is a major part of modern TV history, for better and for worse, it will be remembered more for its first years than its last.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in 1.33:1 standard definition, these transfers are similar to earlier seasons on DVD: very well done. In fact, these most recent episodes look best among the Cheers-on-DVD pantheon (so far). Sure, even with these newer shows, there are bits of dirt on the source material, and the color palette remains sometimes bland and uninspired. But the show’s reproduction is relatively vibrant and clean, and black levels and contrast are both strong.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Paramount continues to stick to the original, simple stereo mixes for each episode, and while fidelity and frequency response definitely feel upgraded from the show’s once-ubiquitous syndicated broadcasts, it might have been nice to get a little extra oomph out of a surround remix. However, stereo separation is utilized well, and dialogue is reproduced nicely in the center channel.

English Closed Captions are included.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Not a one.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.

Final Thoughts

Cheers devotees probably will decry this writer’s dismissal of the tenth season, but I stand by my claim that the show drifted from truly great at the beginning of its long run (no pun intended) to ho-hum by the tenth season. If you’re new to the series (or it’s just been a while), head back to the second or third season and leave this tenth season for the mega-fans.