Ted Danson Recalls Initially Having a 'Horrible' Off-Screen Dynamic withCheersCostar Shelley Long: 'A Bad, Bad Idea'

Mar. 15, 2025

Shelley Long (left) and Ted Danson (right).Photo:Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Ted Dansonis revealing what the early days of his relationship withCheerscostarShelley Longwas really like behind the scenes.

On a recent episode ofSmartLesswithJason Bateman,Sean HayesandWill Arnett, Danson, 76, opened up about working on the iconic comedy. Attributing his success to Long, Danson discussed the ins and outs of achieving the duo’s dynamic.

“I think I gotCheersbecause of Shelley Long because she just really nailed that part right out of the gate,” he said. “She was amazing. And we got teamed up together when we auditioned — we auditioned as couples.”

Arnett, 54, then complimentedThe Good Placestar’s genuine likeness for Long, but Danson said it wasn’t always that way.

“You and Shelley had the most incredible sitcom chemistry. Really magic,” he said.  “I mean, Ted, you guys must have felt that. That must be one of those things that was instant.”

“I am always always the worst,” Danson replied. “My first reaction to Shelley while we were auditioning was, ‘Oh, no. No. That’s a bad, bad idea.’”

Shelley Long (left) and Ted Danson (right).Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

As Bateman, Hayes and Arnett reacted with shock, Danson described his interactions with Long as “horrible” at first.

“I don’t know, we were so different,” he continued. “Our styles, our approach, our everything is really different, which is why I think it worked because it was like this fair fight.”

“It was hard for us sometimes to be in the room together,” he added. “But when we started working, it was just fantastic because you’d smack her and she’d smack you back harder. She was just brilliant.”

Danson also admitted he didn’t always want to work in sitcoms. When he was younger, he said he thought his career path would follow his family members’ “scientific” steps, but in college he realized he wanted something different.

“I didn’t think about it until Stanford, and then I discovered acting, and life made sense,” he recalled. “I was not an academic. I came from scientific people in my family. My father, my sister are incredibly bright, and I just faked my way through school.”

Ted Danson.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Throughout his lifetime, he has earned 18 Emmy nominations, and won twice.

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Long also continued with a successful career, earning five Emmy nominations and one win forCheers,along with roles in the seriesGood AdviceandModern Family.She later stepped into the role of Carol Brady in the updatedBrady Bunchmovies.

When Long leftCheers1987, rumors swirled about her and Danson not getting along. That year, Long told PEOPLE, “We did our jobs with a caring for each other… That doesn’t mean that there weren’t days that were harder than others.”

source: people.com