‘Cheers’ Aired the Sweetest Halloween Episode Ever 35 Years Ago

Halloween is a time for spooks and scares, tricks and treats, chills and thrills, etc. It’s not typically a time for romance, unless you’re Gomez and Morticia. So when October came around and Cheers decided to get in on the seasonal action, they brought in a serial killer (“Diane’s Nightmare”), a haunted house (“House of Horrors with Formal Dining and Used Brick”), and a ghoulish prank (“Bar Wars V: The Final Judgment”)—all the kinda stuff you expect to get from a Halloween sitcom episode. But that’s not how Cheers first celebrated the creepiest day of the year. The show’s first Halloween episode, which debuted 35 years ago today, wasn’t that sinister at all. In fact, it was actually kinda sweet. Okay, not kinda sweet, really sweet—as in, one of the sweetest, most sincere episodes in the show’s run.

Season 3’s “Fairy Tales Can Come True” is the rare Halloween episode that will make you tear up, not from fright but from joy. It’s way more “awww” than “ahhh!”—and that’s what makes it special. The only real shock in the entire episode is that a fairy tale about resident know-it-all Cliff Clavin’s love life could be so sentimental. But writer Sam Simon, director James Burrows, and John “Little Known Fact” Ratzenberger pull it off, and deliver a real treat.

The episode does feature all the trappings of a good Halloween outing, including pumpkin decorations, a recitation of “The Raven,” and costumes costumes costumes.

Sam’s a cowboy, Coach is a pirate, Carla’s in a prison jumpsuit, and if you look close enough, you’ll see that Norm has a Nixon mask next to his beer mug (no mask could ever keep Norm away from his brew). Frasier and Diane are decked out in a peculiar couple’s costume as Alice and the Mad hatter. And then there’s Cliff, whose elaborate Ponce de Leon getup plays a big role.

It’s while wearing this mask that Cliff finally gets what he’s been waiting for (viewers, probably not so much): a date. Ponce de Leon strikes up a conversation with Tinker Bell, a Tinker Bell that’s as fascinated by Florida as Cliff. This episode is the only time that the line “Florida oranges are delicious” has ever worked, and boy does it work on Cliffy.

The two shoot pool and slow dance all night, closing down the bar. They never take off their masks, nor do they tell each other their names. They’re too busy swaying to the license-free music wafting out of the jukebox (the original song was “Moon River”).They make a date to meet up the next night, sans masks, and go on a real date. Cliff tries to play it cool after Tinker Bell leaves, but Sam finally breaks down his very thin wall of machismo.

That little jig is the magic of Ratzenberger’s performance, as well as the way this episode is crafted. While I love Cliff dearly, I recognize that he’s meant to be the annoying doof of the bar. But in this topsy-turvy Halloween fairy tale, suddenly Cliff is the one you’re rooting for. Cliff is the romantic lead! And Ratzenberger makes it all work, mixing sincere affection and gawkish wonder into all of the scenes with his leading lady.

You want to know how topsy-turvy this episode really is? When Cliff shows up for his date the next night, clad in a three-piece suit, the audiences woos, applauds, and even whistles. Mind you, Ted Danson has been standing there this entire episode in leather chaps with his chest out there like that, and Cliff in a suit is what sets the audience ablaze! I’m into it.

As put together as he appears, Cliff’s actually falling apart at the thought of going on a real date with a real woman that really likes him. When he retreats into Sam’s office, there’s only one person that can coax him out: Norm. This isn’t just a great Cliff episode. It’s also a great Cliff and Norm episode! Too often in the back half of Cheers, Norm jokingly distances himself from Cliff and the duty of best friend. But in this episode, there’s a real connection between these two schlubs. And considering the fact that—spoiler alert—we never see Tinker Bell again, you could say that the most important relationship moment in this episode is this best buds bit between Norm and Cliff.

Just as Cliff gets up the courage to wait for his date, she doesn’t show. Come to think of it, this is the real horror of this Halloween episode. Is there anything scarier than putting yourself out there and being stood up, especially stood up in front of literally all of your friends?? Poor Cliff!

After six hours, as Cliff’s close to giving up, the bar gets a call from a woman looking for Ponce de Leon (much to Coach’s angry befuddlement). Turns out Tinker Bell was just as nervous as Cliff and has been going through it in a phone booth across the street. When she finally shows up, Cliff’s fairy tale comes true. And like any good Disney protagonist, he needs a little help from a wisecracking sidekick to make magic happen.

It’s adorable. It’s also indicative of how episodic TV was back then, because Tinker Bell (a.k.a. Sharon O’Hare) disappears immediately after this episode. Fun fact: it’s not actress Bernadette Birkett’s last appearance on the show. Birkett, George Wendt’s IRL wife, returned to play Norm’s wife Vera in the legendary episode “Thanksgiving Orphans.” But as with her Tinker Bell disguise, Birkett’s face was obscured in that episode by a thrown pie.

Don’t get me wrong: I love a good creepy sitcom episode, and this one doesn’t even compare to “Stevil” or the most F’ed up Bewitched ever. But if you’re looking to break up the Halloween madness with something lovely, then “Fairy Tales Can Come True” grants your wish.

Stream "Fairy Tales Can Come True" on Netflix