The interiors for the (nearly unsuccessful) TV series “Cheers” were filmed before a live studio audience on the Paramount lot in Hollywood, California. In the universe of the show, however, the Cheers bar was located in Boston, Massachusetts. The exteriors for Cheers were actually of the Bull & Finch Pub, located at 84 Beacon Street, a local watering hole founded in 1969. The owner and founder of the Bull & Finch, a man named Thomas Kershaw, was happy to let the creators of “Cheers” — Les Charles, Glen Charles, and James Burrows — use the exterior of his pub as the stand-in for their fictional bar, thinking it would be good publicity. It was. “Cheers” was overwhelmingly popular, lasting for a boffo 11 seasons, running from 1982 to 1993. By 1990, the Bull & Finch had become one of the three most visited tourist destinations in the city of Boston.
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“Cheers” remained popular in reruns for years thereafter, and the Bull & Finch would eventually be renamed Cheers Beacon Hill in 2002. From the looks of their current menu, they bar had stuck to classic beers and traditional pub grub. Fried calamari, hummus and pita, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, and the like. Their beer selection is also pretty typical, featuring some pretty recognizable brands. You can pay an extra $14 and get your beer served in a souvenir mug.
Of course, if one wanted to buy the actual Cheers Beacon Hill, then it would cost a pretty penny, and it’s likely that the current owner, keeping it humming as a lucrative tourist destination, wouldn’t sell it at any price. We’ll also get into Bostonian real estate prices below.
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If, however, one wanted to buy the actual bar used on screen for the “Cheers” interior shots, one can indeed buy that. A 2023 report in the Los Angeles Times covered a then-recent TV-memorabilia auction, and a rich buyer purchased the “Cheers” screen-used bar for $675,000. That, at least, is a good place to start. Then you can all barf together to bond.
