Everybody Knows Their Names, but . . .

“Cheers” toasted the end of its 11-year run on NBC in 1993. The final episode scored a huge, Super Bowl-sized rating and left behind legions of admiring fans.

The network quickly followed with “Frasier,” the Emmy-winning spinoff starring Kelsey Grammer, which seemed to effortlessly pick up where its predecessor finished. Practically hypnotized by those big numbers, network and studio executives clamored to lure other “Cheers” alumni back to television.

Since then, however, denizens of that place “where everybody knows your name” have found securing such prime-time recognition difficult, raising the question as to what “Cheers” had going for it that these successors lacked, and whether a new series starring Kirstie Alley can break what might be called the “Cheers” curse.

Woody Harrelson has launched an active feature-film career, and Bebe Neuwirth won a Tony starring on Broadway in “Chicago,” but consider the chilly reception television has offered the show’s beloved barflies:

* Ted Danson (Sam) finally agreed to headline a series after years of coaxing and some movie disappointments, only to have his comeback show, “Ink,” get off to a rocky start and eventually be canceled by CBS.

* Rhea Perlman (Carla) returned last season as well in CBS’ “Pearl,” playing a middle-aged woman who goes back to college. Class was dismissed after one season.

* George Wendt (Norm) starred in a short-lived CBS comedy, “The George Wendt Show,” in 1995. He surfaced last season in NBC’s “The Naked Truth” but has now left the show, which is undergoing yet another creative overhaul.

* Neuwirth (Lilith) appeared in a pilot, “Dear Diary,” which ABC declined to order as a series. The project was subsequently submitted for (and won) an Academy Award as best live-action film short--making it Oscar-worthy, just not ready for prime time.

* Shelley Long (Diane), who left “Cheers” after its fifth year to pursue what turned out to be a so-so movie career, struck out in CBS’ “Good Advice” after it premiered in 1993. Her most recent effort, a pilot for the WB network, has been ordered as a backup series that will premiere sometime next season.

* John Ratzenberger (Cliff) developed a pilot at Fox that ended up going nowhere.

The post-”Cheers” experience seems to provide a reminder of the mix of chemistry, talent and good fortune that goes into establishing a hit TV program. In television, producers and executives say, that path to glory begins with a variation on President Clinton’s 1992 campaign theme--in this case, “It’s the writing, stupid.”

“It [was] the writing, the humanity, the ensemble cast” that made “Cheers” so popular, said James Burrows, part of the team that created the show. “I think writing is everything. Without it, you’re dead. You follow that with casting. . . . It happens once in a lifetime. It’s tough to catch lightning in a bottle.”

Beyond its first-rate writing and cast, “Frasier” did possess certain advantages, such as the imprimatur of directly spinning off from “Cheers,” meaning the title character was familiar to most viewers. The series quickly established its own recognizable ensemble--an attribute Grammer said is “vital for any show to get established.”

By contrast, “Ink” struggled to find its footing. CBS and production company DreamWorks junked several episodes before its premiere and hurriedly installed new producers. One executive suggested the show never came up with a role worthy of Danson, referring to his character as “Ted Lite.”

Less ephemerally, “Frasier” in its first year followed “Seinfeld,” whose ratings were just taking off. On the flip side, a show like “Pearl” did exhibit some initial ratings promise but lacked the appeal to maintain that audience, hurt in part by competition from sitcoms in its time period on ABC, NBC and the WB network.

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Based in part on the theory that in TV scheduling, as in real estate, location is everything, many surmise the “Cheers” drought will soon end. Pundits have singled out “Veronica’s Closet,” a new sitcom starring Alley as a romance maven whose own marriage is on the rocks, as next season’s most likely hit. The show comes from the producers of “Friends” and landed the coveted slot between “Seinfeld” and “ER,” where it seems a test pattern could break into TV’s Top 10.

Marta Kauffman, who created the show with partner David Crane, acknowledged there will be considerable pressure because of the time period “to do it right, and do it right fast.”

She added that the producers feel they have “a pretty good bead” on Alley’s strengths, allowing them to create a character different from her “Cheers” role, yet with some of the same vulnerability.

Most agree such distinctions are critical when dealing with such a well-known actor. While a proven star is generally viewed as an asset, being associated too closely with a certain character can present a double-edged sword.

“It’s very difficult for characters to be so identified with the American public, so loved,” said NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield, referring to the heightened expectations--both commercially and creatively--a Danson or Bill Cosby brings to a project.

Danson and most of the other regulars spent 11 seasons on “Cheers,” perhaps more deeply ingraining their characters into the public consciousness. Alley, Grammer and Harrelson all joined the show later in its run.

“America wants Ted as Sam Malone or a variation or permutation of that. It’s hard to go against that,” said Burrows, Hollywood’s most sought-after sitcom director, who also directed the “Veronica’s Closet” pilot.

In addition, in charting their comebacks, these stars have virtually without exception had vehicles built around them. Some writers say such talent-driven programs hinder the creative process, noting that many of TV’s most enduring series--including “Friends”--began with a premise and then assembled the cast.

Kauffman said designing “Veronica’s Closet” around Alley hasn’t lessened the producers’ enthusiasm for the show.

“I believe if you have passion for something, it can come out good,” she said. “If someone is just handing you an idea, if it’s something you’re not passionate about, it’s not going to turn out as well.”

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Historically, stars associated with hits seldom replicate that success in subsequent projects. Cosby failed twice before launching his moderately successful CBS show last year, a far cry from the standard established by “The Cosby Show” in the 1980s. ABC’s Michael J. Fox sitcom “Spin City” also drew modest ratings in its rookie season.

Though virtually no one has been immune to flops, a few prime-time stars have enjoyed multiple successes, including Bob Newhart (who’s latest comedy, “George & Leo,” premieres in September) and Mary Tyler Moore, whose eponymous show followed a successful run on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

“People have done it, and they’ve reinvented themselves to a certain extent,” Kauffman said. “I think it is doable.”

NBC would certainly drink to that, with Littlefield maintaining Alley’s show has all the elements necessary to end any perceived “Cheers” jinx. The character, he added, will be “something quite different. You’re not going to be confused that this is ‘After-Cheers.’ ”

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LIFE AFTER SAM’S BAR CLOSED

Ted Danson (Sam)

He finally gave in to TV’s bait, only to have his comeback show, “Ink,” rubbed out by CBS.

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Shelley Long (Diane)

After trying movies, she went on to CBS’ “Good Advice” and is headed for a series on WB.

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Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith)

She appeared in the pilot for “Dear Diary,” which wasn’t picked up by ABC but won an Oscar.

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Rhea Perlman (Carla)

She returned to CBS in “Pearl” as a woman who goes back to college, but the show flunked out.

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John Ratzenberger

After his stint as Cliff, the postman, he developed a pilot at Fox that never came to fruition.

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George Wendt (Norm)

After a brief CBS comedy of his own, he resurfaced in NBC’s “Naked Truth,” but has since departed.