I don't watch today's sitcoms but did view ABC's mini-Cheers reunion on their current sitcom "The Goldbergs". Just a brief moment into the show, that I prerecorded, and I knew I wasn't missing anything and why I don't watch "The Goldbergs" when right off the bat there was an anti-Christian tone in the writing. Still I hung on to see how the Cheer's former actors would do and while there was an obvious play on each of the characters old styles from Cheers Carla wasn't near as sharp witted as she was on Cheers and Age hasn't been good to Kristi. The one that really surprised me though was Cliff, or John Ratzenberger's character. The amount of weight he's put on is alarming and sure enough the article linked to above under his name tells he has gained 100 lbs and is currently at 293 lbs his friends, doctors, and others are alarmed that with that weight and his current age (said to be 71 but I believe its actually 72) that he is putting his health in serious jeaprody inviting a heart attack or other health issues.
In the show on ABC it was quickly aparent that John has now way outweighted Norm (George Wendt) and I can understand why his friends and doctors would be concderned. I always liked the character Cliff played and actually the other jobs that John Ratzenberger had taken portraying American businesses and manufacturing. The sad thing is when you see behind the characters and the actual people that play them and what they are like off camera. Kristie Alley, Ted Danson, Woody Haroldson and even Kelsey Grammer are not the lovable characters that they were picked to play. They are truly great actors to play someone that 180 degress from their real personalities but then I think that's more the norm of Hollywood (or Holly wierd) than being something like the characters they portray.
From what I've seen of them off screen and in person interviews or news about them none of them would be very likely to be someone you would befriend and care to be around. I don't know if money makes them that way or if they were just like that all the time. I guess though their success on Cheer's could have also type cast them into a roll that they got tired of playing and maybe they just got jaded at the whole scene having made their mark and then wanting to get away from their perceived characters that many came to love. Cheer's isn't the only sitcom that has that result either. Just look at some of the characters off Sienfield and their interactions with others off screen. I guess it's truly a job after all and they can be good at their job (acting) but not a very good person in real life.
Here is hoping that John Ratzenberger's health doesn't nose dive account of his recent explosion of weight, aparently from binge eating because he seems to be one of the fairly nice people on and off screen.