Long played Diane on the show's first five seasonsCheers ran for eleven seasons — including six after star Shelley Long left — but the show’s success was anything but certain. Glen and Les Charles, brothers who co-created Cheers,

There were some critics that said when Shelley walks out the door, that’s the end of ‘Cheers.’ And we had to live with that,” said “Cheers” co-creator Glen Charles.