Surprising Behind-the-Scenes Stories from the Set of Cheers

Rebecca Howe didn’t start out as the lovable mess fans remember. Early on, she was written as a cold, tightly wound ice queen — and audiences just weren’t connecting with her. Meanwhile, Kirstie Alley herself was warm, funny, and quickly adored by the cast, which made the mismatch even more obvious.

Everything changed in the episode where Rebecca gets drunk and spills her true feelings about her boss to Sam. Viewers suddenly loved her. The writers took the hint and completely retooled the character into a neurotic, zany, hilarious disaster — the Rebecca who became a Cheers favorite for years.