Ted Danson Pulled for ‘Crazy as Hell’ Woody Harrelson to Get “Cheers” Role

Woody Harrelson landed his Cheers part — and his big break — thanks in part to costar Ted Danson.

The duo talked about Harrelson’s casting on the Feb. 26 episode of  SiriusXM’s Where Everybody Knows Your Name alongside the two creators of Cheers, brothers Glen and Les Charles.

“Tell me about the casting of Woody, how you first met Woody, what your impressions were and all of the above,” Danson, 77, said.

Harrelson was cast as Woody Boyd, and Glen, 82, pointed out that the character was named Woody well before anyone from the show had met the actor. “We said, we want a country bumpkin kind of guy, somebody from Iowa, Ohio, farm boy. And there's the big city of Boston. So he's a little naive. He needs to learn things,” he said.

“We read a guy that was right on the money and I can't remember, even remember his name. I think his name was John,” Glen remembered. The actor was “elated,” but the show’s casting director told the producers, “I know you think you've got your man, but I just saw something. I think there's somebody you might want to look at. If not for this, for something else.”

Related: Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson and the Cast of Cheers Once Played 'Hooky' with an 'Extraordinary Amount of Mushrooms'

They agreed and had Harrelson, now 63, read for the part, and the producers were “very interested.” They had Danson, who played bar owner Sam Malone, come and read with him. “We always wanted to do that whenever we could on Cheers, audition actors together to see the chemistry,” Les, 76, said.

“I think it's good for Woody to hear that I was all in favor of him. If you could say that so he could hear it,” Danson joked.

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“You fought like hell,” Glen told Danson. “I remember very well you said, ‘I know you think you've got your guy, but this guy's more interesting.’ ” The other actor was “right on the money,” but Harrelson was "everything we wanted in the part, but a little more," Glen added.

Danson added, “He's a dangerous motherf-----.” Glen agreed, adding, “There was an element of danger, crazy as hell.”

Related: One of Ted Danson's 'Favorite Cheers Stories' Involves Woody Harrelson Running Late to Rehearsal — and Then Having the Best Excuse Ever

Harrelson’s Woody was a replacement for Nicholas Colasanto’s Coach, a bartender at the titular bar. Colasanto died in 1985 after the show’s third season, and the character was also killed off in the series. Harrelson’s Woody — though decades younger — filled a similar role at the bar, as a simple but kind person who often didn’t understand jokes. It was Harrelson’s first major role. He received five Emmy nominations for the part, winning once.

Danson and Harrelson began hosting their podcast in June 2024, and Danson told PEOPLE in August why he’s cherished doing the series. “It's been the best joining up with [Harrelson] again,” he said. “It's the reason why we decided to do it. It was more of a, ‘Well, why not?’ Let's do this.' Somebody asked and we went, ‘Yeah, that'll be fun.’ ”

He added, “I've discovered what a privilege it is to sit opposite somebody and have an hour-and-a-half to talk in a purposeful, as deep as you want, kind of conversation and discover who that person is ... And kind of celebrate that person is such a privilege.”

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