Tom

Tom

Occupation	Barfly, attorney
Episodes	11 (seasons 1-6)
First credited appearance	The Tortelli Tort
Last credited appearance	Airport V
Played by	Thomas Babson

If you were looking for the barfly once referred to as Tom, please see Paul Krapence.

Tom is one of the barflies that frequently appears in the background at Cheers during the first six seasons. He is an aspiring attorney, but has failed the bar 10 times, a fact that has frequently targeted him for derision from Cliff.

Unlike many of the other background barflies, Tom has played a prominent role in several episodes. For instance, in "An American Family" and "Bar Bet" he offers legal advice to Carla and Sam, respectively.

In "Where There's a Will There's a Way," a dying patron leaves a note in the tip jar purporting to bequeath $100,000 to "the gang at Cheers." Tom informs the other patrons that the document does not constitute a valid will under Massachusetts law, and suggests bringing the dying patron back to the bar to sign a new will.

In "Chambers vs. Malone", we learn that Tom has finally passed the bar exam! Sam immediately becomes Tom's first client. Although his full name is revealed in this episode, "Tom Babson", same as the actor who plays him, the credits had previously listed his character as "Barney", "Tom Sherry", or "Tom Ballard", although he was never referred to as anything but 'Tom' or 'Tom Babson' on-screen.