The long-running sitcom Each season of Cheers varied in quality, but one thing remained consistent throughout the show's 11 seasons: the caliber of guest appearances. Some of the biggest comedians, politicians, and athletes in the world got a chance to visit Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and the rest of the bar, and they made the most of those opportunities. Only 10 can be considered the best, though, and the competition was quite stiff.

There are quite a few factors that make a cameo or special guest appearance memorable. The best cameos are ones that not only brought a famous person onto Cheers, but also the ones that used that cameo creatively. Many of Cheers' best guest stars played themselves, but the show used their real-world fame to such hilarious effect that they became better than any character they could have created. So, the best cameos in Cheers were the ones that played off the celebrity's real life reputation and gave them a major way to contribute to their episode's humor or importance.

10 Senator John Kerry Had A Self-Deprecating Cameo In Cheers

Norm & Cliff Mistook The Senator For A Local Anchorman

Cheers had an unusually high number of politicians make guest appearances, but the best of them was Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. In Cheers season 10, an entire cold open was dedicated to Cliff (John Ratzenberger) and Norm (George Wendt) meeting the senator outside the bar, mistaking him for a local newscaster, and asking for his autograph. After he told them he was their senator, and not their local anchorman, Cliff and Norm rescinded their request for an autograph, but then realized he might know the senator from The Love Boat and chased him down.

Kerry was a good sport about the joke, and his willingness to be overlooked made for one of Cheers' best cold opens.

What makes Kerry's cameo so special is how self-deprecating it is. Senators are rarely thought of as fun people with a sense of humor, yet Kerry was clearly more than willing to be the butt of a joke about how little people know or care about government. Kerry was a good sport about the joke, and his willingness to be overlooked made for one of Cheers' best cold opens.

9 Carol Kane Played Amanda, One Of Sam's Most Intense Girlfriends

Kane Had Already Gained Fame Through Taxi When She Made Her Cheers Appearance

Carol Kane was a big name in comedy even by the time she appeared on Cheers, as she had a major role in Taxi season 5, and she lived up to her reputation in her guest episode. In Cheers season 3, Kane played Amanda, a friend Diane (Shelley Long) met at a mental hospital who ended up becoming quite obsessed with Sam. Diane had to reveal what she said about Sam at therapy to get Amanda to leave him alone, which also meant that Kane helped facilitate an important moment in their relationship.

Kane is always at her best when she plays somewhat unhinged characters, and Cheers let her turn that up to ten with Amanda.

Aside from what Kane did for Cheers, she was also just great in her role. Kane is always at her best when she plays somewhat unhinged characters, and Cheers let her turn that up to ten with Amanda. From her vague references to not being able to vote and other odd restrictions to the way she did a complete 180 upon learning that he was "Ralph," Kane played her part perfectly.

8 John Cleese Played Sam & Diane's Marriage Counselor

Diane Pestered Cleese's Character Into Declaring Them The Perfect Couple

Many of Cheers' guest stars made their way to Boston because of Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), and John Cleese's character was no different. Cleese played Dr. Simon Finch-Royce, a renowned marriage counselor. Unfortunately for him, Sam and Diane were engaged when he arrived at the bar, and the couple berated him until he had a full-on breakdown in his hotel room. As Finch-Royce sarcastically declared Sam and Diane were the perfect couple, Diane unironically told Sam that she was right about them all along.

John Cleese's background with the Monty Python comedy troupe more than prepared him to be a standout guest star on Cheers, and he more than delivered. Cleese's prolonged rant about Sam and Diane, which saw him declare through an open window that the institution of marriage should end because they had perfected it, is absolutely hilarious. No one, save for Kelsey Grammer, could have so perfectly played a psychiatrist gone mad as well as Cleese did.

7 Marcia Cross Helped Add To Rebecca's Backstory In Cheers

Cross Played Rebecca's Sister, Susan, In Cheers Season 7

In a somewhat meta guest star appearance, Marcia Cross came to Cheers to play movie star and Rebecca Howe's (Kirstie Alley) sister, Susan. By that point, Cross already had a long-running role in The Edge of Night, so her celebrity character was uniquely fitting. Susan also did a lot to make Rebecca a more interesting character, as she provided a glimpse into the manager's childhood and life growing up, so Cross' cameo was quite worthwhile. She also created a chance for Rebecca to pull off a hilarious prank on Sam.

Cross also nailed all of Susan's melodramatic acting, which made her one of the funniest guest stars in all of Cheers season 7.

Cross' guest star appearance was so great because she had tremendous chemistry with everyone in the bar. From the way she played Sam to the relationship she had with Rebecca and her jokes with everyone else, Susan added a great bit of spice into the Cheers formula for an episode. Cross also nailed all of Susan's melodramatic acting, which made her one of the funniest guest stars in all of Cheers season 7.

6 Christopher Lloyd Broke Up Sam & Diane For The First Time

Lloyd Played A Painter At The End Of Cheers Season 2

Sam and Diane's relationship is one of the best things about Cheers, and it got a bit of help from guest star Christopher Lloyd. In the Cheers season 2 finale, Lloyd played painter Phillip Semenko, and his desire to paint Diane drove a wedge between her and Sam. Phillip ended up being extremely important to their relationship, as he was the reason Sam and Diane finally had their first breakup. Few guest stars were as important to the over-arching narrative of Cheers as Christopher Lloyd was.

Lloyd was important to Cheers and Sam and Diane, but he was also hilarious in his own right. Lloyd's voice and his ability to go on unhinged rants perfectly lent itself to the eccentric painter he played, and he made jokes like the tale of how he earned his Arapaho shirt truly special. It was a talent he had already displayed in Taxi, which interestingly meant there were two major Taxi alumni who cameoed on Cheers, along with Carol Kane.

5 Kate Mulgrew Played One Of Sam's Most Serious Girlfriends

Mulgrew Played Local Politician Janet Eldridge In Cheers

Kate Mulgrew got most of her fame as an actor years after her appearance as Janet Eldridge in the three-part Cheers season 4 finale, but her guest episodes were still very memorable. Before Mulgrew played two of her most memorable roles, Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager and Galina 'Red' Reznikov in Orange is the New Black, she played Sam's girlfriend. In Cheers season 4, Sam started dating local politician Janet Eldridge, and their relationship got so serious that he nearly proposed to her. That, coupled with his long-gestating romance with Diane and one of the shows most memorable cliffhangers, made Mulgrew's appearance on Cheers stand out.

One of the best things about Mulgrew's appearance on Cheers was how well she worked with not just Sam, but the entire community at the bar. From letting Woody, Norm, and Cliff check out the television on her limo to her battle with Diane, Janet touched every part of Cheers. She also made a name for herself by being one of the few women not named Diane who ever got Sam to seriously consider marriage, which is an achievement in itself.

4 Lisa Kudrow Helped Make One Of Woody's Best Cheers Episodes Work

Kudrow Played Emily, Woody's Community Theater Partner

Before she started her most famous role as Phoebe Buffay on Friends, Lisa Kudrow had a small role in Cheers. Kudrow played Emily, Woody's scene partner for the play he was secretly starring in, and she created some tension between him and his longtime girlfriend, Kelly (Jackie Swanson). Kelly walked in on Emily and Woody kissing to create better chemistry for their play, and it ended up being exactly what he needed to nail the part.

Kudrow's guest appearance on Cheers was so special because her style of acting fit so perfectly with Woody's character. Kudrow's performance as Emily was the perfect way to introduce drama into Woody's relationship with Kelly while also maintaining the hilarious naïveté they were known for. She also played an actor extremely well, and she set up some great jokes, such as Woody telling the statue of Tecumseh that he loved him.

3 Alex Trebek Made One Of Cheers' Best Episodes The Classic It Is

Cliff Got To Compete On Jeopardy! & Trebek Perfectly Played Off His Loss

When Cliff finally got a chance to show off his encyclopedic knowledge of categories such as "celibacy," "stamps from around the world," and "mothers and sons," on Jeopardy!, it became one of the best episodes of Cheers in its season. Cliff's public meltdown is definitely the main factor in the appeal of "What is... Cliff Claven?", but guest star Alex Trebek also helped. Without Trebek's classic straight-laced hosting and confusion at his unusual Final Jeopardy answer, Cliff's meltdown wouldn't have gotten nearly the uproar of laughter it did.

Trebek's time on Cheers didn't put him in a particularly flashy role, as he was essentially just doing his regular day job for a different time slot. What's most impressive about his guest appearance is that he plays such an outrageous situation so normally. Trebek's normal Jeopardy! cadence didn't change at all as he read out the ridiculous categories for Cliff's game, and he didn't lose an ounce of charm when Cliff flew off the handle and began speaking directly into the camera.

2 Wade Boggs Visited The Bar In Cheers Season 6, Episode 23

Boggs' Visit To The Bar Was Ruined By Paranoia Over The Feud With Gary's Old Towne Tavern

Boston Red Sox legend Wade Boggs didn't have a massive role in Cheers, but the few minutes he spent on-screen were extremely memorable. During one of the show's many "Bar Wars" episodes, Gary of Gary's Old Towne Tavern fame told the bar that he was sending Boggs over to congratulate them for winning. The Cheers team immediately thought he was sending an impersonator, however, to get one last trick in on them, so they ran Boggs out instead of showering him with attention.

One of the best things about Wade Boggs' Cheers cameo was how efficient it was. In just a few short moments, Boggs put the perfect bow on a "Bar Wars" episode, and made one of the season's best jokes work. Boggs was also possibly the perfect celebrity to make the joke with, as his role as a baseball player made it easy to believe such big baseball fans as Cliff and Norm wouldn't be able to recognize him.

1 Harry Anderson's Role As Harry The Hat Made Him Cheers' Absolute Best Guest Star

Anderson Was The Most Prolific Guest Star In Cheers History

There have been several guest stars who gained recurring roles in their shows, but Cheers only had one: Harry Anderson, who played conman Harry "The Hat" Gittes. What was a handful of appearances in Cheers season 1 turned into six cameos across the show's 11 seasons, as Harry simply kept coming back to short-change Coach or Woody and make a few quick bucks off Cliff and Norm. The Night Court and It star is easily Cheers' best guest star, and the sheer number of times he was invited back to the show proves it.

Harry was the perfect way to cold open an episode, and if there was ever a dull moment, he could zip into the bar, run a quick scam, and disappear before anyone noticed how much money he'd swindled.

Harry the Hat also added such a great dynamic to Cheers. He was the perfect way to cold open an episode, and if there was ever a dull moment, he could zip into the bar, run a quick scam, and disappear before anyone noticed how much money he'd swindled. While he was essentially a get out of jail free card for the show, Harry also had a lot of heart, like when he helped Coach get his money back from a different scammer. There have been quite a few guest stars and cameos in Cheers, but none of them were as memorable or versatile as Harry Anderson.