Which Major Cheers Actors Were Missing From The 2024 Emmy Awards?

The 2024 Emmys has been all about celebrating television's most iconic casts and memorable hits. The telecast has featured reunions for "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ally McBeal," as well as the cast of "Cheers," which presented two awards while standing in front of a replica of the show's iconic barroom. 

Ted Danson (Sam Malone), Rhea Perlman (Carla Tortelli), Kelsey Grammer (Frasier Crane), John Ratzenberger (Cliff Clavin), and George Wendt (Norm Peterson) all appeared at the reunion, with the cast even recreating Wendt's famous entrances for his character. But which major living cast members missed out?  Shelley Long (Diane Chambers), Woody Harrelson (Woody Boyd), and Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith Sternin) were all absent from the reunion. While Harrelson has been busy with a very active entertainment career and reprised the part of Boyd for the original run of "Frasier" and Neuwirth recently reprised her role as Lilith on Paramount+'s "Frasier" reboot, Long's history with "Cheers" has been somewhat mired in controversy. However, it's not one the actress regrets.

When Shelley Long left "Cheers," the sitcom's producers were dealing with a contentious situation that completely changed the way the show's future turned out. The original plan for the series revolved around Diane and Sam's romance; when Long departed the show to care for her growing family and pursue a movie career, it required a change in formula. But Diane's departure rejuvenated the series; Kirstie Alley was brought in as Rebecca Howe at the start of Season 6. Rebecca soon became a foil for Sam and brought a different sort of neurosis to the series.

Long's post-"Cheers" success was mixed; for every "Troop Beverly Hills" or "Brady Bunch Movie," there was a "Hello Again" or "Outrageous Fortune." Yet Long had no regrets about leaving the show. "I've never regretted leaving, quite honestly ... I didn't always know what to do with myself, though. When you've been that busy for so long with the show that's so demanding on your time, energy, and concentration on Cheers, the rhythms of your life change totally when you let it go," she told the Los Angeles Daily News in 1993.

In the end, everything worked out for the best. Long returned to "Cheers" for its final episode, playing out the last beats of Diane and Sam's romance, and she found herself another recurring sitcom role as DeDe Pritchett on "Modern Family." She also reunited with the "Cheers" cast in 2006 for the TV Land Awards. Perhaps the Academy's timing was off this time around?