Gary Portnoy is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the state of New York best known for co-writing and singing the theme songs for two popular television shows: Where Everybody Knows Your Name (the theme for Cheers) and Every Time I Turn Around (the theme for Punky Brewster). In addition to co-writing both songs with fellow collaborator, Judy Hart Angelo, the two also co-authored the theme to the long-running television series, Mr. Belvedere.

In the early 1980s, Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo were composing the score to an off-Broadway musical, Preppies, when Glen and Les Charles – two of the producers for Cheers – heard their opening number, People Like Us, but were unable to acquire the rights to the song from the musical's producers. Portnoy and Angelo then set out to write an entirely new theme for Cheers. After their first two attempts were rejected, Where Everybody Knows Your Name was finally selected as the sitcom's theme song.

Prior to writing the theme for Cheers, Portnoy had already found success as a young yet highly regarded songwriter. His songs had been recorded by various popular artists including Dolly Parton's Say Goodnight (co-written by Susan Sheridan) and Air Supply's I'll Never Get Enough of You (co-written by Jeanne Napoli and Judy Quay). He also recorded and released a self-titled album in 1980 for Columbia Records which has since been re-released on digital CD by Sony Japan.

Sam "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Ted Danson. The central character of the series, Sam is a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team and an owner and a bartender of Cheers. He is a recovering alcoholic and notorious lothario.

Although his celebrity status was short-lived, Sam retains that standing within the confines of Cheers, where he is beloved by the regular patrons. He seduces many women, yet he fails to achieve a meaningful relationship and to seduce some women. Notoriously, he has an on- and off-relationship with Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) in 1982–1987 and the series finale in 1993, "One for the Road." Also, he attempts to seduce Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) but fails whenever she rejects his advances. Sam and Rebecca attempt a relationship many times, but they find no passion for each other and then decide to be friends.

Sam appeared in all 275 episodes of Cheers between 1982–1993. He also made a guest appearance in the Frasier episode "The Show Where Sam Shows Up". He has been a favorite to viewers and critics alike, a subject to academic analyses primarily for masculinity, and a subject to whomever he should marry.

Wade Anthony Boggs (born June 15, 1958) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees, with whom he won his only World Series, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with whom he recorded his 3,000th hit. His hitting in the 1980s and 1990s made him a perennial contender for American League batting titles. Boggs was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

With 12 straight All-Star appearances, Boggs is third only to Brooks Robinson and George Brett in number of consecutive appearances as a third baseman. In 1999, he ranked number 95 on the Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Boggs, a 1976 graduate of Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, currently resides in the Tampa Palms neighborhood of Tampa.

Boggs played in the longest game in professional baseball history as a member of the Pawtucket Red Sox in 1981 against Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Rochester Red Wings.

Kirstie Louise Alley (born January 12, 1951) is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991. She is also known for her role in the thriller Shoot to Kill and the Look Who's Talking film series as Mollie Ubriacco. More recently, Alley has appeared in reality shows revolving around her life.

Kirstie Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of Lillian Mickie (née Heaton), a homemaker, and Robert Deal Alley, who owned a lumber company. She has two siblings, Colette and Craig. Alley attended Wichita Southeast High School, graduating in 1969. She attended college at Kansas State University in 1969. In 1981, a car accident caused by a drunk driver killed her mother and left her father seriously injured. Her father eventually recovered. Kirstie came to Los Angeles to work as an interior designer and appeared as a contestant on the popular game show Match Game, where she won multiple games. She also appeared on the game show Password Plus in 1980.