Plot

Norm convinces Sam to install a satellite dish at Cheers. Carla finds a cheap, used dish, however it does not come installed. Despite not knowing how to do it, Sam and Woody tackle the installation task. During their work, Sam and Woody have a philosophical chat as, while they think of satellites, ponder the meaning of the universe. Meanwhile, Cliff has submitted a joke to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) hopefully for Johnny Carson to use in his opening monologue on Doc's birthday. The joke: "Today is Doc Severinsen's birthday. You know, Doc is so old, when he was a kid, he never blew out candles on his birthday cake. They didn't have fire yet." It is obviously rejected by NBC. However Norm doctors the rejection letter to make it look like an acceptance letter, since Cliff is feeling so down. When Cliff reads the letter, he's elated, so much so, he buys three round trip tickets to Los Angeles, planning to watch Johnny's show live when his joke should be used. The three lucky, or unlucky, souls are Cliff, Ma and Norm. Cliff expects not only that his joke will be used but that Johnny will invite him on air. Although nervous about ultimately revealing the truth to Cliff, Norm has a great time in Hollywood, as does Cliff and Ma. At the show, Norm still can't tell Cliff the truth, and instead bribes the cue card guy into putting the joke into the monologue. Norm has to hope that after the certain bomb of the joke, that he won't be found out as the one who placed it in the cue cards or that Cliff won't make a fuss. Norm may be pleasantly surprised, with a little help from Ma Clavin.—Huggo

Norm's suggestion that Cheers have a satellite dish for their television set lands the group with an unassembled dish which Sam and Woody attempt to put together. However, during the installation, they begin to discuss life, and upon the installation happening as night falls, begin to stare at the sky and ponder the universe.

Meanwhile, Cliff has submitted a joke to The Johnny Carson Show, figuring it'll be a shoe-in for Johnny's opening monologue. However, it is rejected. Norm, not wanting his friend's feelings to be hurt, creates a false acceptance letter. This backfires when Cliff becomes so excited, that he purchases plane tickets for himself, his Mom, and Norm to go to the Tonight Show and see Johnny read the monologue in person.

Norm is nervous about telling his friend, but when he confides to Cliff's Mother what he did, she demands that he tell Cliff the truth. Instead, Norm manages to bribe the cue-card holder on the Tonight Show into inserting Cliff's joke into the monologue.

Johnny delivers the monologue, but when the audience is lukewarm to it, and Johnny makes a quip about it being a bad joke, Cliff jumps to his feet, claiming the joke is great, but Johnny's delivery was bad.

Cliff is hauled away by security, but after this, his Mom requests Johnny tell the joke again, instructing him how to tell it. When he does so, this time it gets a laugh. Johnny then requests that Cliff's Mom join him onstage, and soon after, she invites Norm to be with her as well.

Meanwhile, back in Boston, the site of Cliff's Mom and Norm onstage with Johnny has everyone agog.

In the aftermath of the incident, Cliff is released, and grins from ear-to-ear hearing that his monologue was well-received. He and Norm are allowed to walk around the set...before Johnny appears and tells Cliff to 'get the hell out.'