Top Thirty Movies Featuring the Cast of Cheers

(Here, in order of personal preference, are my thirty favorite movies featuring any of the principal cast members of Cheers: Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Nicholas Colasanto*, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Woody Harrelson, or Kirstie Alley. This was supposed to be a much more manageable list—of ten—but it got away from me. I’ve ruled out animated movies in order to pare down the possibilities, though it’s worth pointing out that John Ratzenberger could fill an animated list all on his own.)

  1. No Country for Old Men (with Woody Boyd, 2007)

  2. Say Anything… (with Lilith Sternin, 1989)

  3. Matilda (with Carla Tortelli, 1996)

  4. The Thin Red Line (with Woody Boyd, 1998)

  5. Saving Private Ryan (with Sam Malone 1998)

  6. Fletch (with Norm Peterson, 1985)

  7. Superman (with Cliff Clavin, 1978)

  8. The Empire Strikes Back (with Cliff Clavin, 1982)

  9. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (with Rebecca Howe, 1982)

  10. Somewhere In Time (with Norm Peterson, 1980)

  11. The Edge of Seventeen (with Woody Boyd, 2016)

  12. The Hunger Games (with Woody Boyd, 2012)

  13. Dr. T and the Women (with Diane Chambers, 2000)

  14. Dreamscape (with Norm Peterson, 1984)

  15. Superman II (with Cliff Clavin, 1980)

  16. Mumford (with Sam Malone, 1999)

  17. Village of the Damned (with Rebecca Howe, 1995)

  18. The Messenger (with Woody Boyd, 2009)

  19. The One I Love (with Sam Malone, 2014)

  20. Reds (with Cliff Clavin, 1981)

  21. Natural Born Killers (with Woody Boyd, 1994)

  22. X-Men: The Last Stand (with Frasier Crane, 2006)

  23. The Sessions (with Carla Tortelli, 2012)

  24. Wag the Dog (with Woody Boyd, 1997)

  25. Kate (with Woody Boyd, 2021)

  26. Gandhi (with Cliff Clavin, 1982)

  27. Summer of Sam (with Lilith Sternin, 1999)

  28. Zombieland (with Woody Boyd, 2009)

  29. Loverboy (with Rebecca Howe, 1989)

  30. My Bodyguard (with Norm Peterson, 1980)

* He (Coach Ernie Pantusso) was apparently in Raging Bull, but though it’s widely regarded as a classic—the best movie of the 1980s according to Roger Ebert—I’ve never seen it. If I end up watching it and it turns out to be better than My Bodyguard, I’ll revise this list.

— March 8, 2026


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