The Morning Briefing: 'NORM!' — Farewell to Television Legend George Wendt

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Happy Wednesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Mendantya was a big believer in bringing various unguents to all outdoor spoken work collaborations.

Yes, we're going to go with the news from the entertainment world this morning. If you're jonesing for some outrage stuff or a caustic political hot take or two, I do go pretty hard on the Dems in the column I wrote yesterday. Worry not, dear readers, we won't run out of things to shake our fists at here every morning for quite a while.

Those of us who came of age in the 1980s forever cherish the extraordinary cultural experience we had as young adults. Movies, television, and music were all phenomenal, superior even. Yeah, we're kind of cocky about it, but it was a wild ride.

In the fall of 1982, an ensemble cast sitcom called "Cheers" premiered. Despite having a slow start in the ratings, it would spend the next 11 years cementing its place in American television history. It was the catalyst for a couple of decades of sitcom dominance the likes of which we had never seen, and most definitely will never see again. Yesterday — 32 years to the day after "Cheers" aired its final episode — one of its most beloved cast members died. This is from my RedState colleague Katie Jerkovich:

“Cheers” star George Wendt, best known for his role as the lovable bar patron Norm Peterson on the hit NBC show, has died at the age of 76.
In a statement to Variety, Wendt’s publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed the actor’s death and said he died peacefully in his sleep at home.
“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” Wendt’s rep said in a statement. “He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”

George Wendt did something much more than become famous from "Cheers" — he turned his character into an icon. His entrance into the bar to the shouts of "NORM!" became the most anticipated moment of each episode. Thanks to streaming and YouTube, those moments will live on.

More than anyone, I know how subjective comedy is and how widely opinions can vary. For many years, however, I have made the case that "Cheers" is the best-written sitcom of all time, from its premiere to its finale. There were never any letdowns or lulls in the writing. More importantly, there were never any very special episodes, which would become an odious part of too many sitcoms. When it's all situation and no comedy, it's not much of a sitcom anymore. "Cheers" maintained a relentless focus on the comedy part throughout every episode. The writers didn't even opt for a maudlin moment to explain what happened to Coach after Nicholas Colasanto — the actor who played him — died unexpectedly.

The summer that my daughter was 13 years old was when Netflix streaming was just taking off. I decided to see how a new generation would react to the show. It was almost 29 years after the premiere and she was laughing out loud at the pilot episode. We devoured the entire series that summer. It was the first show either of us binged on at the dawn of the binge era.

I must say that I was quite proud that my adolescent daughter had such exquisite taste in comedy.

Norm's fixed place at the corner of the bar made the character the symbolic cornerstone of a brilliant ensemble cast. As Ed wrote over at HotAir, George Wendt did some other fantastic work, "but he will have a permanent seat at the bar of American culture in all the best ways through 'Cheers.'"

Yes, farewell, George Wendt, and thank you for all of the memories you gave us through the most affable accountant ever to walk into a sitcom bar.

I'll leave you with this, which Katie shared in her post. Enjoy.

In honor of the legendary George Wendt, here is every time Norm Peterson walks into Cheers pic.twitter.com/5qkPUNgFRU
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) May 20, 2025

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#RIP Norm.

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