Ted Danson Admits He Was Always Trying to 'Outdo' Woody Harrelson When He First Joined Cheers

• Ted Danson opened up in the new episode of his podcast about how he felt a rivalry with Woody Harrelson when the latter joined Cheers in season 4
• Danson said he would try to "outdo" his costar whenever he could, but it ultimately proved fruitless
• Harrelson said he nonetheless only has good memories of joining the show

Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson are best friends now — but their friendship initially started with a bit more competition.

On the April 1 episode of their podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (Sometimes) the costars — who played Sam Malone and Woody Boyd, respectively, on Cheers — welcomed TV director James Burrows. Burrows, an 11-time Emmy winner, co-created the series and directed all but 35 episodes.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

Burrows, 84, spoke about how Harrelson joined the series as Woody Boyd (a character name chosen well before he was cast) in season 4 after Nicholas Colasanto, who played Coach the bartender, died in 1985. He praised Harrelson, now 63, as a “godsend” and “effortless” when he joined the series.

The director noted that in one of Harrelson’s very first episodes, he had the actor jump over the bar. “I remember you saying, ‘Can you jump over the bar?’ And I said, ‘No. Maybe,’ ” Harrelson said. Nonetheless, he did it.

Danson remembered, “We turned my jump over the bar into a comedic bit because I couldn’t jump over it. It kind of drove Sam crazy. That was my relationship with Woody for a long time, trying to outdo him at anything and failing miserably.”

“[Woody] jumped over the bar, and that was a light to us all,” Burrows said. “And not only in the show, but in the behavior of everybody in the show, the cast. We brought a young soul onto the stage who created havoc, the best havoc a director of that show could ever want.” Burrows said that at the time, with the show in its fourth season, his job was to stop the cast from “being bored.” The addition of Harrelson kept the cast “amused” and “happy.”

“He introduced a challenge and a way of life that was just great for the show,” Burrows said.

But that way of life, Danson, now 77, explained, came with a lot of competition. “All the guys were turning 37, and you were like 24 or 25,” he said to Harrelson. “And 37 is when you realize you're no longer 25, as a man.”

“First off, we wanted to beat him. When it became blatantly clear we couldn't beat him in anything — basketball, arm wrestling, whatever, chess — all of a sudden it was like, well, practical jokes.” If he had the idea for a joke when he was around castmates George Wendt, John Ratzenberger and Kelsey Grammer, he’d think, “I have to wait for Woody. I have to try to f--- Woody up," he said.

“And that was the kind of energy that you brought into the bar,” Danson said.

For his part, Harrelson said of the show, “It was the most idyllic, amazing experience. I can't imagine a better experience for an actor. Period.” He called Burrows the “greatest leader” who let them have fun as long as they delivered.  

Cheers ultimately ran from 1982 to 1993, for 11 seasons.