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NBC\u2019s Must-See TV comedy lineup in the 1980s almost went through a Crazytown blender before it even got started. If the network had gotten its way, the lead bartender in the classic sitcom\u00a0<\/span>Cheers\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/a>would have been played by criminal mixologist\u00a0<\/span>Bill Cosby<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n NBC had already inked a sitcom deal with Cos. Now all the comic needed was a project. \u201cSo,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>co-creator Les Charles told\u00a0Hollywood Reporter<\/i> in 2018<\/span><\/a>, \u201che was offered to us as the bartender.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Cosby as\u00a0<\/span>Sam Malone<\/span><\/a>? Maybe it wasn\u2019t as crazy an idea as it sounded. In the 1980s, Cosby had a sterling reputation, both as a comedian and an upstanding human being. (He was more than happy to<\/span> lecture up-and-comers like Eddie Murphy<\/span><\/a> about their use of foul language.) \u201cPeople will talk to a bartender in a way they wouldn\u2019t any other stranger,\u201d said Les\u2019s brother, co-creator Glen Charles. \u201cThere\u2019s an immediate opening up and frankness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Who better to talk to than\u00a0<\/span>America\u2019s Dad, AKA 1980s Cosby<\/span><\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n But the Charles brothers weren\u2019t interested. The comedian\u2019s involvement would have violated two rules that they\u2019d established for their new show, says Les: \u201cNo known names and no characters\u2019 name as the title of the show.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Cosby was certainly a known name. Two years later, his monster sitcom (in more ways than one) would feature\u00a0Cosby\u00a0<\/i>in the title. Casting the comedian would have destroyed the ensemble that the brothers were trying to create.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s the same reason they turned down\u00a0<\/span>Sid Caesar<\/span><\/a>, who\u2019d expressed interest in playing Coach. \u201cThat would have overweighed the show towards one character,\u201d said Glen.<\/span><\/p>\n