John A Grierson
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Hi all,
I was rewatching Cheers Season 3, a fantastic season of sit com television, with the one tragic flaw being the abrupt off screen death of Nicolas Colasanto and the poor handling of the on screen death of his character Coach Ernie Pantusso.
The purpose of this edit is to try and rectify the gaping hole left by Nicolas Colasantos absence in the final episodes of Season 3 of Cheers. This has been done by resequencing the second half of the season and by swapping cold opens from episodes with Coach in them with episodes where he is absent wherever possible.
In deciding what cold opens could be moved, and how much the episodes could be resequenced, I had to take into account whether or not the episodes had cold opens which linked directly with the plot of the main episode. I also had to consider whether or not the cold opens feature Diane or Carla, as Carla becomes pregnant in episode 13 Whodunnit, and Diane leaves for Europe in Cheerio Cheers. There were some more borderline considerations such as cold opens which were not completely separate from the main plot but could still be moved without too much confusion, and also things like the subtle changes in hair styles of the main cast in the later episodes filmed without Colasanto. On balance, I think that you have to break a few eggs to make a omelette and so some of these more minor things you may just have to accept if you wished to watch this third season edit.
Overall, the result of the edit means that there are only two episodes in which Coach does not feature at all (If I Would Ever Leave you and The Bartender’s Tale) and only one of those episodes in which there is not even a mention of his absence (The Bartender’s Tale). If you compare this to six episodes without Coach and three where there is not even a mention of his absence in the original running order, this is a dramatic improvement.
The resequencing also means that the maximum number of episodes where Coach does not feature in the main episode is limited to two episodes in a row rather than four breaking down the gaps of his abscene.
I consider that this edit rebalances the season and makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience as you are no longer confronted with the tragic offscreen loss of one of the most beloved characters in the show in such an obvious way. I also find that the excuses for Coach’s absence are a lot funnier as he does return in the following episodes and it feels more natural to the story and less like the writers trying to cover up for his untimely passing.
Given the nature of this edit only includes the resequencing of episodes, and the swapping around of some cold opens, this is a viewing experience which can be easily replicated using online streaming platforms or home video releases.
Anyway, for any Cheers fans out there, I hope you can get some enjoyment from this. Would love to hear your thoughts. Here is the sequence with the cold opens listed.
I was rewatching Cheers Season 3, a fantastic season of sit com television, with the one tragic flaw being the abrupt off screen death of Nicolas Colasanto and the poor handling of the on screen death of his character Coach Ernie Pantusso.
The purpose of this edit is to try and rectify the gaping hole left by Nicolas Colasantos absence in the final episodes of Season 3 of Cheers. This has been done by resequencing the second half of the season and by swapping cold opens from episodes with Coach in them with episodes where he is absent wherever possible.
In deciding what cold opens could be moved, and how much the episodes could be resequenced, I had to take into account whether or not the episodes had cold opens which linked directly with the plot of the main episode. I also had to consider whether or not the cold opens feature Diane or Carla, as Carla becomes pregnant in episode 13 Whodunnit, and Diane leaves for Europe in Cheerio Cheers. There were some more borderline considerations such as cold opens which were not completely separate from the main plot but could still be moved without too much confusion, and also things like the subtle changes in hair styles of the main cast in the later episodes filmed without Colasanto. On balance, I think that you have to break a few eggs to make a omelette and so some of these more minor things you may just have to accept if you wished to watch this third season edit.
Overall, the result of the edit means that there are only two episodes in which Coach does not feature at all (If I Would Ever Leave you and The Bartender’s Tale) and only one of those episodes in which there is not even a mention of his absence (The Bartender’s Tale). If you compare this to six episodes without Coach and three where there is not even a mention of his absence in the original running order, this is a dramatic improvement.
The resequencing also means that the maximum number of episodes where Coach does not feature in the main episode is limited to two episodes in a row rather than four breaking down the gaps of his abscene.
I consider that this edit rebalances the season and makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience as you are no longer confronted with the tragic offscreen loss of one of the most beloved characters in the show in such an obvious way. I also find that the excuses for Coach’s absence are a lot funnier as he does return in the following episodes and it feels more natural to the story and less like the writers trying to cover up for his untimely passing.
Given the nature of this edit only includes the resequencing of episodes, and the swapping around of some cold opens, this is a viewing experience which can be easily replicated using online streaming platforms or home video releases.
Anyway, for any Cheers fans out there, I hope you can get some enjoyment from this. Would love to hear your thoughts. Here is the sequence with the cold opens listed.
- Rebound Pt. 1
- (Cold Open: Rescue Me) Rebound Pt. 2
- I Call Your Name
- Fairy Tales Can Come True
- Sam Turns the Other Cheek
- Coach in Love, Part 1
- Coach in Love, Part 2
- Diane Meets Mom
- An American Family
- Diane's Allergy
- Peterson Crusoe
- (CO: Bar Bet) A Ditch in Time
- (CO: The Belles of St. Clete's) Whodunit?
- (CO: A Ditch in Time) Bar Bet
- (CO: Behind Every Great Man) The Heart Is a Lonely Snipehunter
- (CO: The Heart Is a Lonely Snipehunter) Behind Every Great Man
- King of the Hill
- (CO: The Mail Goes to Jail) The Executive's Executioner
- If Ever I Would Leave You
- (CO: The Executive's Executioner) The Mail Goes to Jail
- Teacher's Pet
- Cheerio Cheers
- The Bartender's Tale
- (CO: Rebound Pt. 2) The Belles of St. Clete's
- (CO: Whodunnit) Rescue Me