I am very picky about cartoon crossovers and even more picky about Simpsons "crossovers". The reason I am picky with cartoons in general is the fact that they tend to do crossovers all the time with no thought for ANY logic resulting in a tangle of connections both unbelievable and almost untrackable. Shows like Yogi's Laff Olympics, for example, featuring everyone from Yogi Bear to Shaggy and Scooby Doo sharing a common world make such a confused mess of things that they are best left alone. You know, unless you want your head to explode.

   But then you have the more specific problem of The Simpsons. This show does so many parody and reference jokes that border on crossovers but really aren't. again, potential head exploding at trying to untangle what is a reference joke and what is a crossover. My general rule of thumb for this has been not to count a Simpsons "crossover" unless it was a big event crossover that the FOX network hyped and promoted as such.

   All that said, exceptions must be made to every rule. And this is one. Even though even according to The Simpsons Episode Guide this is not a true crossover I am going to include it. For one thing, its soooo close to being an actual crossover I figured why not. For another. well, I'm just constantly getting emailed about it. Tired and broken, I bow to peer pressure.

   Cheers is a classic sitcom from NBC centering on a bar called Cheers and the oddball assortment of people who worked and drank there. The Simpsons is a classic cartoon sitcom from FOX centering on a dysfunctional family called the Simpsons, the town of Springfield where they lived and the oddball assortment of yellow skinned google-eyed freaks who also lived there.

   Now, to the meat of the thing. On the Simpsons episode "Fear Of Flying", Homer is banned from his regular bar - Moe's Tavern - and must find a new place to drink. Going from bar to bar he eventually stumbles into a bar much like Cheers, where everyone looks like the characters from Cheers. Not only do they look like them, they sound like them since the cast of Cheers voices the characters: Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger and George Wendt all voice the characters resembling their Cheers characters of Sam, Woody, Carla, Cliff and Norm. Cheer's character Frasier Crane is also present in the scene. Frasier is played on Cheers by Kelsey Grammer who has a recurring role on The Simpsons voicing the character of Sideshow Bob. Ironically in this episode "Frasier" remains silent.

   Now, like I said, they characters look like the same characters, they sound like the characters, the bar looks like Cheers. why isn't this a full fledge crossover. Well, it was played more as a joke. They never actually fully say the bar is Cheers or that any of the characters are who they appear to be. Again, even in the Official Simpsons Episode Guide they call the bar "A Cheers-like Bar", and the characters "Norm-type", "Woody-type".

   But screw it, it's one of the most elaborate reference gags The Simpsons has ever done, its really funny and they never clearly say in the episode that the bar isn't Cheers so. what the hell. I'll count it.

Other Cheers Crossover Links
Cheers and Frasier
Cheers and St. Elsewhere
Cheers and The Tortellis
Cheers and Wings

Other Simpsons Crossover Links
The Simpsons and The Critic
The Simpsons and The Flintstones
The Simpsons and Futurama
The Simpsons and King Of The Hill
The Simpsons and The Tracey Ullman Show
The Simpsons and 24
The Simpsons and The X-Files

Links To Simpson Web Sites
New Springfield: It's a helluva town!
The Simpsons Emporium


Click here to return to main Crossover List

Buy these shows on Amazon.com and support this site at the same time! Check out Cheers and The Simpsons on DVD! The "crossover" can be found in The Simpsons Complete Sixth Season DVD set.






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