John Ratzenberger joins the list of "Cheers" regulars spinning off into their own series for next season -- though in this case he'll belly up to the bar at Fox Broadcasting Co., not NBC.
Best-known as "Cheers' " long-winded postman Cliff Clavin, Ratzenberger will star in and serve as co-exec producer on a Fox comedypilot, tentatively titled "Locals," casting him as a barber in a somewhat eccentric small town (the main industry is a rake factory) inspired by characters he grew up with in Bridgeport , Conn.
The project will be written and exec produced by former "Cheers" co-producers Brian Pollack and Mert Rich in association with Warner Bros. TV, where the pair currently have an overall deal. Though he considered another show with Paramount , which produces "Cheers," Ratzenberger said he ended up at WB because of Pollack and Rich. "They were the writers I wanted to work with," he said.
Ratzenberger also was impressed by how quickly Fox officials stepped forward to make the deal. In addition to performing, Ratzenberger has directed episodes of "Cheers" and the defunct NBC series "Down Home" and, earlier, wrote and directed in an improv troupe in England.
Navigating pilots
Several "Cheers" cast members have been setting up pilots for next fall, including NBC sitcoms that would star George Wendt and Kelsey Grammer, respectively. The latter is a direct spin-off through Paramount featuring Grammer as his current character, Frasier Crane, while the gist of the Wendt project has yet to be determined.
"Cheers" ends its 11-year run on NBC with a final one-hour episode in May that will be shot early next month. Asked about similarities between Cliff and his new character, Ratzenberger quipped, "He'll still have a mustache."
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