Cheers: Where The Liquor Flowed…And So Did The Drama!

Rhea Perlman Now

Rhea Perlman may be best known for her role as Carla Tortelli on Cheers, but she’s continued to work in the industry since the popular sitcom wrapped. She starred in the 1996 sitcom Pearl as the title character, and starred in the 1996 film Matilda alongside her husband Danny DeVito. Though Perlman and DeVito separated in 2012, they made amends in 2013 and now reside in their Beverly Hills home together. Since 2015, Perlman has starred in a recurring role on The Mindy Project as Danny’s Annette Castellano. She’s also expanded her career to writing. Perlman has authored six successful illustrated children’s books in the Otto Undercover series.

Double Baby Blessings

Shelley Long, who played Diane Chambers, and Rhea Perlman, who played Carla Tortelli, both became pregnant in real life while filming the 1984/1985 season of Cheers. Producers decided to write Rhea Perlman’s pregnancy into the show’s storyline. Producers decided not write Shelley Long’s pregnancy into her character’s storyline as it did not fit with the character’s persona. Also, producers thought two pregnancy stories in one season would be too much for the show to handle. Instead, they used a popular film technique to disguise pregnancies in television shows: Shelley Long was filmed behind the bar or from the neck up for most of the season.