TELEVISION - April 2, 1993

‘Cheers’ Finale: The hottest ticket in town Wednesday night was the taping of the “Cheers” finale, set to air May 20 on NBC. Although rumors that President Clinton would participate didn’t pan out, Paramount’s Stage 25 boasted a standing-room-only crowd, with another 300-plus fans watching on TV monitors in a nearby sound stage. The taping of the 90-minute conclusion, written by series’ co-creators and executive producers Les and Glen Charles, went into the wee hours of the morning. But to keep the plot--and the prospects of a Sam-Diane reunion made possible by the return of actress Shelley Long--hush-hush, the last seven minutes were being shot without a studio audience. Among those playing barflies were former NBC boss Grant Tinker, NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield and Paramount Network Television President John Pike. Tom Berenger of “Platoon” fame also makes an appearance. Although this will be the series finale, the “Cheers” gang actually will finish shooting Wednesday with the next-to-last episode.