‘Cheers’ and ‘Sopranos’ casts to reunite at Emmys for tribute to iconic TV shows
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your show’s legacy — which is why the Emmys will host the casts of “Cheers” and “The Sopranos” next week in a tribute to series that changed the TV landscape.
“Cheers” stars Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger and George Wendt will team up with “Sopranos” stars Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperioli to honor iconic shows of the last 75 years.
“We’re going to be paying homage to them, having a lot of cast members come back as themselves, as these characters, and there’s going to be a little interchange between me and them on the sets of their shows,” Emmys host Anthony Anderson told People.
The reunions will include a minimum of five costume changes, the “Black-ish” star teased.
In its 11-season run on NBC, from 1982 to 1993, “Cheers” — set in the titular Boston bar — took home a total of 28 Emmys.
The beloved sitcom spawned equally adored 11-season spinoff “Frasier,” which starred Grammer and took home 37 Emmys. “Cheers” also gave way to the short-lived spinoff “The Tortellis,” starring Dan Hedaya as Nick Tortelli, the ex- husband of Rhea Perlman’s Carla. That show lasted just one season.
“The Sopranos,” which aired on HBO from 1999 to 2007, won 21 Emmys during its six-season run. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential series of all time, the drama centered on New Jersey mafioso Tony Soprano (played by the late James Gandolfini), who struggled to balance family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization.
The show, whose finale remains one of the most hotly debated, also spawned the 2021 prequel film, “The Many Saints of Newark,” featuring Gandolfini’s son, Michael, as a young Tony.
The 75th annual Primetime Emmys will air Monday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.