This article discusses suicide and alcoholism.

Though it's primarily a comedy, Cheers had more than a few heartbreaking episodes, and these 10 are the most likely to get the tears flowing. One of the most beloved parts of Cheers is how heartwarming it is, and how realistic its entire cast seems. Every character at the bar seems like a genuine person, and part of the way the show managed to make them so relatable was by giving them real problems. That also meant that some episodes of Cheers could get very dark and sad, and they could truly tug at the heart strings.

A remarkable ability Cheers had that very few sitcoms have been able to replicate is its ability to balance serious topics, like alcoholism and suicide, with genuinely funny moments and heart warming endings. Cheers is a comedy, so most of its sad moments had a fairly neat conclusion and happy resolution, but it never shied away from tough topics. The saddest episodes of Cheers walked the very fine line between melodrama and taking too light of a tone with real issues, and they walked that line so well that they're still just as tragic now as they were over 30 years ago.

10 "Slumber Party Massacred"

Cheers Season 6, Episode 22

Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman) was always rather defensive, so it was rare that Cheers got to show her in a vulnerable state. "Slumber Party Massacred" was one such opportunity. After Carla's daughter announced she was pregnant, Carla had an existential crisis about becoming a grandmother and her own age. To cheer her up, Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) organized a slumber party and invited the men of the bar over to help Carla feel youthful again. It went about as well as expected, and only Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) splitting his pants could get Carla to laugh.

"Slumber Party Massacred" isn't the most heartbreaking episode of Cheers, but the fact that it focused on Carla makes it surprisingly deep. Throughout all 11 seasons of Cheers, Carla was a rock. She rarely got mushy, she rarely got sad, and she was rarely anything else but a tough lady who was ready to crack heads whenever the need arose. Seeing her vulnerable, thinking about death and the slow march of time, was as tragic as it was relatable.

9 "Rebound"

Cheers Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2

Though he ran the bar, Sam Malone (Ted Danson) was actually a recovering alcoholic, a fact he revealed in one of the Cheers' best guest stars - Christopher Lloyd - the couple broke up. Neither of them took it well, as Diane had a nervous breakdown and Sam fell back into the bottle.

Everything ended up working out for the best in "Rebound," and it was even the first appearance of Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane, but its happy ending doesn't make Sam's relapse any easier to take.

Everything ended up working out for the best in "Rebound," and it was even the first appearance of Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane, but its happy ending doesn't make Sam's relapse any easier to take. It was hard to watch Sam stumble on his path to recovery, and it was hard to see how much his addiction affected his friends at the bar. It was one of the many negative consequences Sam and Diane faced because of their hot and cold relationship, but it was also one of the most tragic.

8 "Coach In Love"

Cheers Season 3, Episodes 6 & 7

Though he was only on Cheers for three seasons, Coach Ernie Pantusso (Nicholas Colasanto) had quite a few memorable moments. In "Coach in Love," as the title suggests, Coach finds a new woman, Irene (Bette Ford), to love after his first wife's death. Though they hit it off famously and even plan a wedding, Irene ends up winning the lottery and decides she wants to live a more lavish life than Coach can give her. That rejection stung quite a bit, but the fact that Coach carried on as if it had never happened made the entire situation even worse.

On the day that he was supposed to marry Irene, Coach came to the bar in a tuxedo and ignored everyone's warnings that Irene probably wasn't coming. After closing time, he answered her call with a touching speech where he wasn't angry with her, but just disappointed that she would leave him at the altar. Coach's grace under fire, especially after putting himself out there as a widower and trying to find love only to be so callously shot down, makes "Coach in Love" one of Cheers most somber installments.

7 "How to Win Friends and Electrocute People"

Cheers Season 7, Episode 7

Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) is as lovable as the rest of the cast of Cheers, and it's easy to forget he's kind of a jerk. Cliff was never wanting for a snarky reply, a condescending comment, or outright selfish behavior. It's no wonder that no one came to visit him in the hospital in "How to Win Friends and Electrocute People," but that doesn't make it any less sad. When Frasier delivers the card and laments having to visit Cliff, there's a real sadness in Cliff's eyes. Cliff was all alone, even in the place where everybody knew his name.

Cliff was all alone, even in the place where everybody knew his name.

The tragedy of Cliff as a character is only made worse by what happens after he leaves the hospital. Frasier convinces Cliff (rightly so) that his personality is the reason he's so unpopular, but Cliff immediately takes it too far. He hires a psychiatrist to deliver shock therapy in the hopes of becoming a more kind and polite man, which quickly devolves into a ridiculous situation. Through the laughs at Cliff shocking himself, however, there's still a fair bit of tragedy as viewers get to see just how far Cliff would go for his friends, and how lowly he thinks of himself.

6 "The Girl in the Plastic Bubble"

Cheers Season 11, Episode 7

Though it's mainly played for laughs, "The Girl in the Plastic Bubble" still features one of the darkest storylines in Cheers history. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) had a rocky marriage from the very beginning, but the wheels really began to fall off in Cheers season 11. Frasier eventually learned that Lilith had cheated on him, and his wife eventually filed for divorce. In a desperate last bid effort to get her to stay, Frasier went to the top of Cheers' building and stood out on a ledge, threatening to kill himself.

There are plenty of great jokes in "The Girl in the Plastic Bubble," like Carla not knowing what reverse psychology is, but the fact remains that Frasier was seriously contemplating suicide in the episode. Frasier was always a bit of a tragic character, but "The Girl in the Plastic Bubble" saw him at his absolute lowest. Even after he decides to live, there's a tragic moment where Lilith agrees to stay with Frasier at the expense of her own happiness, and Frasier decides to let Lilith go at the expense of his. It was a bittersweet - if long overdue - farewell for the couple.

5 "The Peterson Principle"

Cheers Season 4, Episode 18

Norm (George Wendt) and Vera's marriage was never taken very seriously in Cheers. Norm constantly joked about how much he resented Vera, and he always preferred drinking at the bar to going home to her. "The Peterson Principle," however, showed that when the chips were down, Norm would always go to bat for the love of his life. In "The Peterson Principle," Norm was ed up for a big promotion at work because Vera wasn't popular with the other executives' wives. In a very mature and noble moment, Norm quit out of solidarity with his wife.

After his chivalrous gesture, Norm took it a step further. He called to tell Vera the bad news, and instead of revealing that she was singled out as the reason he wasn't promoted, Norm took the blame himself. It was the type of selfless act of love that seemed very shocking for a man who spoke so lowly of his wife as Norm did, which only made it more heartwarming to see. The sad fact remains, however, that Vera was a social outcast and Norm lost his job for his morals.

4 "One for the Book"

Cheers Season 1, Episode 11

It's rare that a one-episode character steals the show in Cheers, but Buzz Crowder (Ian Wolfe) is one of the best to do it. Buzz was the start of "One for the Book," which saw him book the back room of Cheers for a reunion of his company from World War I. As the night drags on, Buzz quickly realizes that none of his brothers in arms are coming, and that he's the last living remnant of his company. There's quite a bit of tragedy in Buzz's story, and he fits as a stand-in for the real-world tragedies many aging veterans have to face.

Seeing an old man, and an Army veteran no less, weep is never a happy sight, and Buzz was so endearing that it was all the more tear-jerking.

The nature of Buzz's story isn't the only sad part of "One for the Book," however. There's a moment, just before the gang tries to cheer Buzz up with a poor performance of an old song, where the old man hangs his head and cries. Seeing an old man, and an Army veteran no less, weep is never a happy sight, and Buzz was so endearing that it was all the more tear-jerking.

3 "Coach's Daughter"

Cheers Season 1, Episode 5

Coach Ernie Pantusso isn't often thought of as a tragic character, but he had some tear-jerking moments. In Cheers season 1, Coach's daughter Lisa (Allyce Beasley) visits the bar with her fiance Roy (Philip Charles MacKenzie). Roy is an oaf of a man, and the entire bar is confused why someone as nice as Lisa would settle for him, especially since he just wanted to marry her to get a promotion at their shared company. Coach eventually confronted Lisa about it, and his daughter revealed that she had some serious issues with her self-image and confidence.

Hearing Lisa proclaim that she didn't think anyone but Roy would ever propose to her is heartbreaking in its own right, but Coach's response is even more tragic. When Coach looked at his daughter, all he could see was the face of his late wife, and he told Lisa that her mother grew more beautiful with every ing day. Everything about the episode, from Coach's voice breaking up to Lisa's words about her mother, seems designed to make viewers emotional.

2 "I Do, Adieu"

Cheers Season 5, Episode 26

Sam and Diane were one of the best relationships in sitcom history, but it had more downs than ups. One of the most heartbreaking moments was Shelley Long's departure from Cheers. At the end of Cheers season 5, Sam and Diane were set to be married at the bar. Before the ceremony, however, Diane was offered a major book deal that would take her far away from Boston and the bar. Sam insisted on Diane taking the deal instead of marrying him, and he clearly understood it would be the end of their relationship when he told her "have a good life."

Even though they weren't a great match, the ending of Sam and Diane's relationship was still tough to watch. Sam's selflessness in letting Diane go, even though she didn't realize what her book deal would mean, only makes it an even more melancholic experience. On top of that, Sam had been imagining their life as old people together throughout "I Do, Adieu," and the episode's final shot of them wordlessly dancing together is enough to bring anyone to tears. It was probably the most genuine expression of love in Sam and Diane's entire relationship, and it's a shame it came right at the end.

1 "One for the Road"

Cheers Season 11, Episodes 26-28

It's rare that an episode of any show is so sad that it transcends the confines of the television set, but if any such thing exists, it's "One for the Road." The Cheers series finale wasn't a farewell for the characters of the show as much as it was for the fans and viewers of the show. The writers of "One for the Road" might as well have addressed the audience directly and thanked them for following along for the past 11 years. It's filled with beautiful endings to so many long-running character arcs, touching tributes to seasons past, and so many other tender moments.

It's as bittersweet as it gets, and there likely wasn't a dry eye in America the night Cheers ended.

The heartbreaking beauty of "One for the Road" is best summed up by its final moments. Norm tells Sam that his one true love is the bar, Sam tells a customer that they're closed, and he adjusts Nicholas Colasanto's picture of Geronimo before walking into the shadows. It's as bittersweet as it gets, and there likely wasn't a dry eye in America the night Cheers ended.