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Everything I am, everything I've been allowed to do, career-wise, has come out of the opportunity I had with 'Cheers'. I think it's one of the funniest shows ever. They are some of my best friends.

If you take 'Cheers' and 'Seinfeld' and watch the early shows, they're kind of awkward. It took a while for the writers and everything to gel.

When I was a kid, I was a fan of comedy. I always loved Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Dave Letterman - not an actor, obviously, but I'm still impressed by his wit. I wanted to emulate them because they made me laugh.

One of the ingredients that made Cheers work so well was the great ensemble of actors we had. That's the case with any good series.

I don't want to sound hoity-toity, but people told me I should watch 'Cheers' because it's very funny. So I watched it, and I just went, 'This is the great show of the universe?' To me, acting is making characters believable, not just doing jokes.

I can't say it was challenging for me to shake the image of Frasier. I've been fortunate to have had a very interesting career since the series ended. I think the turning point for me was the show, 'Boss.'

I'm such a comedy fan that I just love laughing and so admire comedians who have brought me joy.

It was actually the movie 'Rushmore' that made me first realize that I could try writing, but 'Cheers' is the best show ever. The writers on that show created a relationship that writers today still fail to rip off successfully: the Sam and Diane.

I feel really grateful that I am in comedy, and I love doing it.