[2] Four days before the second season premiered, the show won five Emmy Awards out of thirteen nominations, including an Outstanding Comedy Series of 1982–83.

[3][4] Meanwhile, Taxi and Fame, two shows that were originally part of NBC's 1982–83 Thursday night lineup, struggled with low ratings.

Diane's former blind date Andy (Derek McGrath), who studied acting in high school, is unemployed because of his criminal record.

[12][48] Sonsky said the show was hilarious, unrealistic, absurd, superbly crafted and " ... its just the way comedy should be: comic exaggeration built on a grain of truth you can identify with".

Sonsky wrote that Stein and other critics "call[s] such shows to task for failing to display ... commendable and enduring relationships, based on trust and moral values".

[12] Mike Boone from the Montreal newspaper The Gazette wrote that the romance between Sam and Diane lasted far too long, spoiled the atmosphere of the bar, and transformed the supporting cast into a "Greek chorus of concerned bystanders".

[49] Fred Rothenberg from Associated Press said the program's second season "had some great shows, but dwelled incessantly on the conflict between Sam and Diane without developing the other characters .

[53] Robert David Sullivan ranked the two-part season finale "I'll Be Seeing You" at number four in his list of top 100 favorite sitcom episodes, and wrote that trying to change each other and hurting each other—physically or emotionally—took its toll on Sam and Diane's relationship.

Meredith Blake of that website wrote that a fight scene—which she described as a "[t]hree Stooges-esque nose-pinching, face-slapping farce"—is "sublimely well-executed, but it also has a troubling subtext".

Blake added, "[w]hen Diane expresses her shock over the violence, Sam fires back that he hadn't hit her as hard as he wanted to.

[56] In response to criticism on Diane and Sam's relationship, Cheers' creators said that they still entertained viewers without diminishing the show's quality and going out of character.

[12] Les Charles, the co-creator, co-writer, and producer of Cheers, said that the on-and-off relationship between Sam and Diane would evolve into consummation and was never meant to last.

[57] Director James Burrows said that pairing Diane and Sam was not a mistake and that keeping them apart for the whole season would have been worse.

[59][60] Diane's apartment is the first place outside the bar to appear on screen since the season premiere "Power Play".

[48] Cheers received twelve Emmy Award nominations for the 1983–84 season and won four, including Outstanding Comedy Series.