The &34;Good Place&34; star said that avoiding typecasting is in an actor's hands. Ted Danson didn't worry about typecasting after leaving Cheers: Sam 'wasn't p

The "Good Place" star said that avoiding typecasting is in an actor's hands.

Ted Danson didn't worry about typecasting after leaving Cheers: Sam 'wasn't part of wacky world'

The "Good Place" star said that avoiding typecasting is in an actor's hands.

By Daysia Tolentino

September 1, 2025 12:30 p.m. ET

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Ted Danson as Sam Malone on 'Cheers'. Credit:

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Ted Danson left *Cheers*, in part, because he wanted to see what other roles he could do.

Speaking on his podcast *Where Everybody Knows Your Name*, Danson and *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia *star Charlie Day discussed their long-running sitcoms.

Day asked Danson what it was like to end *Cheers. *He also* *shared his own concerns about "overstay[ing] my welcome" and becoming known for one role.

"I think I left *Cheers* because I went, 'I'm blowing s--- up in my life for the better,'" Danson said in response. "I was changing for the better and working really hard at that, so I thought, might as well jump completely off the cliff."

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After 11 seasons and some personal drama behind the scenes, the *Good Place* actor thought it was time to try something new, just to see if he could. He said it helped that his character Sam Malone, while a bit of a chaotic womanizer, "wasn't part of wacky world." Instead, he believes his character was a stand-in for the audience at times.

"My job was to love every character in the bar, unconditional love of everybody there, and that allowed the audience into that wacky world," he said. "That's how Jimmy Burrows described it. So it was easier to not be Sam Malone than probably it was some of the other characters."

Danson encouraged the *Honey Don't! *actor to surround himself with "the most creative people." The *Three Men and a Baby *actor pointed to Day's work with directors like Guillermo del Toro and Ethan Coen.

Ted Danson went on to star as Michael on 'The Good Place' which ran from 2016 to 2020.

Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

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"The whole typecasting thing is, I think, in your hands," Danson said. "There are little bumps in the road where critics or people don't want you to be anything else because they discovered you and love you how you are."

*Cheers* ran from 1982 to 1993. Danson has gone on to star on several other sitcoms over the past decade including *The Good Place*, *Mr. Mayor,* and *A Man on the Inside.*

Listen to the full episode of *Where Everybody Knows Your Name* with guest Charlie Day below.

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Source: "AOL TV"

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Source: VOGUE MAG

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