Cheers originally ran on NBC for 11 seasons, from 1982 to 1993. The hit sitcom was set in a bar of the same name in Boston, run by Sam Malone (Ted Danson), a former relief pitcher for the Red Sox. It also featured an ensemble cast that included Shelley Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Rhea Perlman, and eventually, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, and Kirstie Alley. Known for tackling controversial social issues like alcoholism, adultery, and homosexuality, the show is largely considered to have been ahead of its time. 

But even in its day, there were calls for Cheers to take on more than it already was. A December 1992 article in the Los Angeles Times suggested that the series make a statement about AIDS during its final season, which was already underway.

“Have Sam Malone show symptoms that he is in the first stages of AIDS, probably having had the HIV virus for years and probably having spread the virus to some of his partners in promiscuous sex,” the piece read. The writer went on to say that, since the show glorified promiscuity, addressing the subject responsibly could save lives.

38 Years Ago, Cheers Almost Tackled the AIDS Epidemic With a Sam Malone Episode

What’s interesting about that is the showrunners had actually attempted to touch on the AIDS epidemic while Cheers was in its 6th season back in 1988. The original plan was for the AIDS episode to be the season finale, until a Writers Guild strike left them one episode short. The show in question would’ve brought Sam, “a single man, a Don Juan in the 80s, face to face with the AIDS problem,” according to series co-creator Les Charles. “But the specter of AIDS was taking all the humor out of it,” he went on to explain. 

Midway through rehearsals, they realized the story wasn’t working, and the script was abandoned altogether. In its place, they shot a new finale entitled “Backseat Becky, Up Front.” The episode wraps things up between Kirstie Alley’s character and the man she’d been in love with all season, leaving a path open for her to spark up a relationship with Sam. Much like the scrapped AIDS story was supposed to, the replacement show ended on a cliffhanger, with the pair’s future together being uncertain.