Facebooking Television

Each summer I have the goal, or maybe tradition is the right word, of watching a classic television series. This summer I picked "Cheers" and as the voices of Sam, Fraiser, Woody and Carla filled my apartment, I metaphorically pulled a bar stool up and joined the community.

One particular episode, "Get Your Kicks On Route 666," got me thinking about how with today's communication standards, that particular episode would have left the audience unfulfilled. Norm, Cliff, and Sam set out on the highway for a weekend trip and find themselves stuck on the side of the road due automotive issues. The episode continues as the men try to discover the issue with the car. After hours of searching for the problem, the men sulk into a midnight somber. They awake the next morning and only moments later find Norm coming over the sand dunes, on a golf cart to ask if they would like to go get breakfast from the resort where Norm slept after sneaking away from the guys as they slept at the car campsite.

The episode ended there. Simply, the end.

Did you just find yourself wondering how the rest of the trip went? What they had for breakfast? How the resort looked?

Do not pretend you did not wonder or find yourself curious, maybe even guessing or begging for more details. I will be the first to admit, I wondered how the rest of the trip went. In it engrained  in our mind, this is how we think now. Our instant gratification, need to know everything society has resulted in ruining an American classic and one of the few episodes that does not take place in the bar of "Cheers." Instead of enjoying the irony as the men walk back towards Boston and their beloved bar, I found myself questioning everything.

Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that if "Cheers" were a show in today's reality, we would have a show where we followed Rebecca on each of her dates with Robin Colcord, her millionaire turned simple living boyfriend for three seasons; or were forced to watch Sam on his countless chases; or follow Cliff on his route.

As much as the Rebecca and Robin romance and then declining love kept the viewer captivated, viewers would have no need to go on each date and there is certainly no need to follow Cliff as he follows the Postmaster's Code of Conduct. If we were faced with the reality of being the third wheel , Cheers would have peaked in it's third season, as so many of our favorite modern shows have done; instead of running it's 11 beautiful seasons.