Life Is Better On Vacation: May 2025

Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Address: 84 Beacon Street
Date: September 2010
Website: www.cheersboston.com

At the beginning of every episode a cast member tells us that "Cheers is filmed before a live studio audience". This is not entirely true as the cast has filmed outside of the studio from time to time. When they have, it is usually outside of the Bull & Finch pub in Boston.

The Bull & Finch pub on Beacon Hill opened in 1969 and it was chosen as the location for Cheers which first aired on television in 1982. An agreement was made to use the exterior of the pub in establishing shots for the show. The Bull & Finch decked out as Cheers and Melville's has appeared in every episode.

Later agreements were made where the pub was allowed to use the Cheers name and sell Cheers merchandise.

The interior of the Bull & Finch looks nothing like the set from the TV show. They did build a bar on the second floor of the building. This bar looks a little closer to what the actual set looks like, but not really. The exterior of the building is what fans and tourists come to see.

The very first episode opens with the Cheers sign (at the top of this post) and then the camera zooms in to show the stairwell leading down to the bar.

The intro to the show starts with a live shot of the bar with cars driving down Beacon Street and then switches to an illustrated version while the theme song plays.

Let's take a look at the times when the cast of Cheers visited Boston to film an opening for the show.

SEASON 9

Episode 12: Norm parks his car out front of the bar and steals a parking ticket from a mail truck (supposedly Cliff's). He puts the ticket onto his own car and shortly after the mail truck gets another ticket.

Paramount Studios Ted Danson & Woody Handprints.

Episode 13: Rebecca and Lilith walk in front of the bar to find people crowded around a man lying in the street. It turns out to be Woody. Woody jumps up just in time for Sam to drive in and park his car in the spot. In real life, Sam (Ted Danson) and Woody (Woody Harrelson) get up to some mischief too. At Paramount Studios in Los Angeles there is some concrete signed and dated by both actors. Ted added his handprints and Woody wrote "was here naked".

Episode 17: Sam and Norm see Michael Dukakis outside of the bar.

SEASON 10

Episode 8: Frasier parks his car in front of Cheers and as he walks away the alarm goes off. This happens several times as Frasier grows increasingly frustrated. We then see Cliff and Norm sitting behind Frasier's car and setting off the alarm and giggling. Cheers was filmed on Stage 25 at Paramount Studios. After Cheers ended, Frasier had his own show which also filmed on Stage 25. Both shows ran for 11 seasons.

Episode 10: An Old Town Trolley drives past Cheers. Cliff comes running behind the trolley trying to correct the commentators historical facts. Old Town Trolley is just one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours that stop in front of the Bull & Finch.

Episode 12: Woody moves a big yellow X painted on cardboard along the sidewalk. Norm and Cliff throw water balloons from the third floor of the Cheers building. Despite Woody changing the target location, they always seem to hit him.

Norm suggests they need a taller building. Woody says he will meet them at the Prudential Tower. Boston's Prudential Tower is 228 metres tall and has 52 floors.

Cliff's Postal Outfit Faneuil Hall Cheers

Episode 17: We get off track here a little bit to show you a costume from the show. Cliff gets tricked into wearing a fake postal outfit by rival mailman, Twitchell. Cliff loves it and thinks it demands respect, even though he looks ridiculous. We saw this outfit hanging in Faneuil Hall.

There used to be a replica Cheers bar at Faneuil Hall in Boston. It has since closed. It included memorabilia and photos from the show. It had a bar that looked more like the actual set, but not really.

Episode 21: Rebecca and Sam lock up for the night. Sam thinks he forgot something. Norm is still inside. Someone may think this opening scene was filmed at the Bull & Finch but it is really the studio set in California. The lights and stairwell look very different than when Norm and Cliff walk down the stairs two episodes later.

Episode 23: Norm and Cliff see Senator John Kerry outside of Cheers but think he is a weatherman from TV. They start to walk down the real stairwell to the bar. When we visited they had added a little door at the bottom of the stairs. This was most likely done to keep cold and wet out of the bar.

SEASON 11

Episode 08: Sam walks past Cliff standing in the rain. It turns out he is tied to the railing for insulting Carla. Sam almost unties Cliff but realizes Carla would be mad with him too. Cliff says "No hard feelings" as Sam leaves him standing there.

Episode 10: Norm and Cliff spot Ethel Kennedy and Cliff tries to get a photo with her. Ethel offers to take a photo for them. Norm and Cliff pose for a photo. Ethel walks away and they realize this is not the photo they wanted.

Episode 11: Sam sees a Salvation Army canvasser outside of the bar. When Sam realizes he has no change he starts telling his life story to the canvasser. Frasier enters the bar and Sam is still there when Frasier leaves for the night. Frasier gives a big donation as the canvasser has earned it.

Episode 13: A car pulls up to Melville's. The owner mistakes Cliff for the valet and hands over his car keys. Cliff and Norm go for a joy ride.

Episode 14: Woody rides his bike up to the bar. He locks it to a parking meter. Before going inside he feeds the meter.

Episode 20: Norm rushes up the stairs and bumps into Sam. Norm is in a rush because it is his 15th wedding anniversary. His wife Vera honks and waves as she drives past. "Happy Anniversary Honey". We never see the character of Vera on the show. Just an arm here or a pair of legs there.