Picking up where season nine left off, the tenth season of
Cheers began with Rebecca Howe (
Kirstie Alley) reluctantly agreeing to be the mother of Sam Malone's (
Ted Danson) child. Romance did not enter into the picture: Both Rebecca and Sam were responding to the incessant ticking of their respective biological clocks. Ultimately, the consummation never came off, and the two agreed to stay friends, and friends only. Having spent several seasons as a recurring character, Lilith Sternin-Crane (played by Emmy-winner
Bebe Neuwirth) was elevated to "also starring" status, although she still did not appear in every episode. Meanwhile, Lilith's husband, Frasier Crane (
Kelsey Grammer), finally grew the beard that would remain his trademark until the series finally breathed its last. Season ten concluded with the series' first hour-long episode, in which Woody Boyd (
Woody Harrelson) and Kelly Gaines (Jackie Swanson) were married. The event was deemed worthy of a TV Guide cover -- and it certainly did not disappoint, filled as it was with such last-minute complications as a dead minister and a gun-wielding jealous husband. Having attained the number one slot during its previous season,
Cheers dropped back to fourth place, tied with ABC's
Home Improvement. For the first time since the series debuted in 1982,
Cheers was not honored with an Emmy, although it earned eight nominations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide