How “Coach” from Cheers Is Not Appreciated Enough for His Role in Ted Danson’s Historic Sitcom Which Aired More Than 4 Decades Ago

It’s hard to imagine that the actor Ted Danson has been around for more than 4 decades now. Starting off as the lead in the sitcom Cheers which ran for 11 incredible seasons, Danson has come a long way and redefined the comedy genre with his acting chops. Cheers rose to fame because of its unique storytelling model and eccentric characters that add depth to the show.

One such character was Coach, formally known as Ernie Pantusso, played by the actor Nicholas Colasanto. The endeared member of the ensemble provided much-needed wit and wisdom to the other characters while he worked at Sam Malone’s bar in Boston. The entire premise of the show hinged on sharing stories and experiences in the comfort of the bar’s environment.

Coach was not as appreciated as he deserved to be on Cheers

Portraying the dumb character that everyone rolls their eyes at is not an easy task. Nick Colasanto’s Coach was no different. He was the sweet, confused old man who needed everything explained in proper detail.

With his character, the writers saw an opportunity to have the audience also learn what the other characters wanted to explain. So, in turn, when someone is simplifying things for Coach, they are actually explaining it to the audience.

However, this left little room for Coach’s character to have any significant character trajectory. This made others take him for granted even though he was truly one of the best characters on TV at the time.

The reason why many feel Coach was not as appreciated in Cheers is because his exit was marked with a casual mention with no further follow-up. Fans felt at least one episode could have been dedicated to the actor and the character he played.

What happened to Coach in Cheers?

We see the loveable Coach aka Ernie Pantusso for three seasons of the sitcom Cheers. He was the former basketball coach at Sam Malone’s high school and a favorite of Sam, personally. Coach is later employed as a bartender at Sam’s Boston bar where he becomes a part of the eclectic family and shares his wisdom over the years.

While fans loved him and his quirky attitude, it was sad to see him leave the show after three seasons, never to return. This was because the actor Nicholas Colasanto passed away due to an untimely heart attack at the age of 61.

It was right after season 3 when the show found its footing and really took off in terms of popularity and ratings. However, Coach, despite being one of the characters who helped Cheers become that famous, was not able to enjoy the glory years of the sitcom.

Colasanto’s death caused widespread grief as people were just getting used to seeing him on screen. The ultimate goofball of a character, Coach is still remembered as one of the most loveable and adorable characters on TV.

Was Coach replaced in Cheers?

No matter how hard writers and producers try, once a character has found its place in the viewers’ hearts, it’s impossible to replace or recast the same. When the Cheers crew learned of Colasanto’s death, they reportedly did not attend the funeral because NBC wanted to continue filming. In their place, a representative was sent to express the shared condolences.

While recasting Coach was a terrible idea, as they realized, the show had to cause Coach to pass away as well. This made the show more poignant and able to deal with real emotions other than comedy as well.

However, to fill the void left by Coach in Cheers, the crew brought in another goofy character played by Woody Harrelson into the mix. Talking about casting Woody and the subsequent audition, writer and producer Peter Casey recalled,

This guy walks in wearing basketball shorts, a T-shirt and unlaced high-tops. He looked like he could be trouble if you crossed him. And then he read and caught everyone’s attention in that room by doing one thing that nobody else did. When Sam told him that Coach died, he teared up and started to cry. You’re sitting there going, “This is a comedy audition,” but then he does that and it’s like, ‘Whoa, he can really act.’

While Woody was not able to take Coach’s place in the show, he was able to bring a new dimension to the overall story and further make the ensemble of characters more interesting.