
Laid-back Sam Malone, a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, owns and runs Cheers, a cozy bar in Boston. He hires smart, uptight -- and jilted -- Diane Chambers as a server, out of sympathy, but their attraction causes constant bickering. Wacky characters fill the bar: sarcastic waitress Carla, beer-loving accountant Norm, know-it-all postman Cliff. When Diane leaves Boston much later, Sam sells the bar, buys a boat and sails the world, but his boat sinks, so he returns. New, ambitious manager Rebecca Howe hires him back, but they love to hate each other too.

Cliff transforms his neighbor into a beautiful woman; Rebecca says she'll sleep with Sam if she can't quit smoking.

Norm agrees to paint Cliff's apartment, but a fight ensues when Cliff refuses to pay him.

Cliff's plans to sue the owner of a dog that bit him become secondary when he meets the woman to whom the dog belongs.

Sam and Diane play referee when they are invited to dinner by Frasier and Lilith.