NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Just because everybody knows your name, it doesn't mean they will laugh at your jokes. Ted DansoninvitedFred Armisenon his podcast this week (the one calledWhere Everybody Knows Your Name), and the two comedy veterans talked about their years in the television trenches. Danson, most recently seen on the Netflix seriesA Man on the Inside, reflected on times when something he thought was going to kill actually died in front ofCheers' renown "live studio audience." "This must have happened to you all atSaturday Night Live," he mused to Armisen. "All week long onCheerswe would rehearse, and there was something that we could barely get through. We would be rolling on the ground. It was so funny," he remembered. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Continuing, Danson said, "[Then the] audience comes. Here comes the moment, and you could hear a pin drop. And it's like, instead of being horrified, it's the funniest thing because your body is all of a sudden plummeting to earth." Maintaining a sense of humor about all this, Danson remembered, "One time a joke died, and [directorJames Burrows] turned and looked at the audience and said, 'Can you hear it? Are the mics on?' And they went, 'No.' And we turned it on, the joke killed." Alas, this didn't always do the trick. "A week later," Danson reflected upon a time that something didn't land, "I decided to go, 'Wait a minute. Can you hear us?' [They responded.] 'Yeah. We can.'" Chuckling, Danson added, "When [Burrows] called it, it was [because the microphones were off]. WhenIcalled it, it was, 'Oh, no. We hear you loud and clear.'" NBCU Photo Bank Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Incidentally, when Danson calls James Burrows "Cheers'director," he's not fooling. The series co-creator called action on 237 of the series' 275 episodes. The 85-year-old winner of 11 Emmys and five Directors Guild of America awards, whose career began in 1974 withThe Mary Tyler Moore Show, is very muchnotretired. He most recently directed (and acted as executive producer on) all 10 episodes of the Hulu seriesMid-Century ModernstarringNathan Lane,Matt Bomer, and the recently departedLinda Lavin. You can check out all of Fred Armisen's chat with Ted Danson by hitting play below. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly