Earlier this month, Oya talked about how a Frasier reboot could be happening. For the youths, Frasier was an excellent show on NBC throughout the 1990s and early ‘00s. For many years, NBC’s Thursday night lineup was Friends followed by Frasier, and both shows were huge hits and huge syndicated money-makers for NBC. Frasier usually won more awards for Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce. I’ll admit, I was a fan. I knew Kelsey was a mess in his personal life (we all knew that), but he was beloved as Frasier Crane, and there was so much magic in that ensemble, with Pierce as Niles Crane, John Mahoney as Martin Crane, Jane Leeves as Daphne and Peri Gilpin as Roz. They all had so much chemistry together. And now… the reboot/revival is confirmed:
Dr. Frasier Crane is listening — again. A revival of classic sitcom Frasier starring Kelsey Grammer is officially a go at ViacomCBS’ streaming service Paramount+. The news was announced Wednesday during the company’s unveiling of Paramount+.
“Having spent over 20 years of my creative life on the Paramount lot, both producing shows and performing in several, I’d like to congratulate Paramount+ on its entry into the streaming world,” said Grammer. “I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane.”
CBS Studios and Grammer’s Grammnet Productions are producing the revival, which Grammer has been working to make happen for several years. News of a possible revival first surfaced in the summer of 2018, when Grammer had early talks with CBS Studios about the show. Paramount+ entered the picture earlier this month as talks progressed.
Chris Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Joe Cristalli (Life in Pieces) — who for several years has run a Twitter account, @FrasierContempo, with lines and script pages featuring possible Frasier scenarios — will write the new show. They executive produce with Grammer and Grammnet’s Tom Russo and Jordan McMahon.
“Frasier is one of the most acclaimed comedies in modern television history and truly defines premium storytelling,” said CBS Studios president David Stapf. “There has long been a call from fans for its return, and that call is now answered thanks to the amazing Kelsey Grammer reprising his iconic role of Dr. Frasier Crane and a brilliant creative plan from Joe, Chris and Kelsey. We can’t wait to reveal its next chapter on Paramount+.”
As of yet, no other cast members have been confirmed, although there was talk (three weeks ago) of David Hyde Pierce joining up. The reason I brought up the chemistry of the ensemble was because… that’s why I watched. If the show was just about Frasier, it would have been BAD. The ensemble made it work. David Hyde Pierce was the best actor on the show, and the late, great John Mahoney centered the stories, as did Jane Leeves’ Daphne. Frasier without the ensemble… well, I don’t know her. Also, what is the 2021 update for Frasier Crane? Is he still doing talk radio? Did he go from radio therapy/advice to QAnon conspiracies? Has he moved over to SiriusXM or is he a Spotify podcaster? Hmmm.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
I like Frasier fine as a stand-alone character, but Roz, Daphne, Niles, and Marty made the show what it was. Without them (Niles and Roz especially) I don’t see the point of rebooting the show at all.
Exactly. I wan’t crazy about Frasier by himself on Cheers, but LOVE the ensemble they created for the spinoff show. I still watch Frasier every night when I get into bed; it NEVER gets old. Love the character of Frasier, but it won’t have the same magic if you can’t get the (remaining) cast together. John and Moose can’t be replaced, but the rest….?
I loved the original cast too and I’m hoping they will be back except for John Mahoney of course. However, that’s not to say that another ensemble couldn’t be equally great. When I rewatch old episodes, I like the first season the least and I think that’s because the actors haven’t become comfortable in their roles or their relationships with the other characters yet and it feels somewhat awkward and stilted. I think the relationship that developed between all of the actors gave the show that extra magic that made it so successful.
It seems unlikely that they would only reboot for 10 episodes if it was going to be a brand new cast. But maybe the 10 episodes are just a tester to see if there is demand for more.
The episode when they tried to run a restaurant has to be one of the best half hours of television comedy of all time and Daphne killing the eel one of the best moments in television history.
At the end of the series, Frazier left town to start life somewhere new so it would make sense if he were somewhere else but the ensemble is what made that show.
Yup. He was suppose to go to San Francisco to start his new radio gig, but decided to head to Chicago instead to make it work with Charlotte.
It will interesting to see where they go with this. Will he return to Seattle because he relationship with Charlotte did not work out? Because Martin got sick and he returned to take care of him with Ronnie? Did Frederick move to Seattle after graduating from Harvard? Did Frederick go to a *gasp* state university in Washington? How will things work out now that Roz is Frasier’s boss?
There are possibilities. This show coming back really isn’t the worst idea.
And yes, the restaurant ep was fantastic and also the lodge ep with the romantic mix ups. I am in tears every time I watch it.
Just pure genius.
And what of Lilith?
@LightPurple.
If they cannot get Bebe back (and she has mentioned before that she is done with the character), I would love for her character to have joined a free love commune. That would be the shocker for Frazier, but not everyone else.
Ahhh the restaurant episode! That is not only my favorite episode of Frasier but probably one of my favorite tv episodes of all time. Laugh out loud funny, I think I cried laughing the first time I watched it.
Finally! A show about a privileged white guy and his minor privileged white guy problems.
I also enjoyed the show in its day but can’t see it fitting today’s zeitgeist. Happy to be wrong tho!
Yeah this is how I’m feeling about it too. Hopefully they’ll write something decent and not lean too heavily on the nostalgia, although I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what they’ll do.
The thing is the show relentlessly mocked his white guy privilege. That was largely the point.
Given that Jane Leeves has a leading role on a prime time drama (The Resident) would she even have time to do it?
The reboot is only a 10 episode commitment. She might be able to make cameo appearances.
No Niles, no deal!
I guess they can do Frasier and his kid Frederick. Maybe full circle where Frasier has to move in with Frederick and his family for similar reasons his Dad had to move in with him. Freddie would be 32 by now.
Now, that might work. And Frederick could be…what? A mechanic? A nurse? A wellness coach? A marine?
He was a little grifter as a kid. I would love to see him with some sort of profession where he shamelessly grifts and Frasier’s reaction to that.
Niles and Daphne had a son, too–David. He would be a teenager now (if her were a real person born when the character was born). Seeing the two brothers interact with their own sons would be kind of a neat mirror to the way they interacted with their dad Marty in the original. We still need Daphne and Roz, though.
but but but…I thought conservatives couldn’t get work in H’wood?!
what even is that color of his skin in that one pic?! it’s like an orangey-pink. it’s like someone colored him in with a highlighter.
yeah, no interest in this.
For all of Grammer’s mess, he never pulled rank when it came to the character of Frazier and that was very smart on his part.
That’s all I can focus on. Why is he so ORANGE? Who thinks that looks good? And what’s wrong with his hair? It looks like the cotton you pull out of a bottle of Advil.
I love “Frasier”. It was my laundry-folding show until Netflix lost it, and I howled with laughter at so many episodes. But it’s time is past. I’m not interested in a no-Marty no-Eddie “Frasier” and the idea of NO NILES is heresy.
Sorry, but I have to say it: Kelsey looks like a boiled lobster in that bottom solo pic. Gross.
Boiled lobster it is! Good one, Rapunzel.
Ugh. HARD PASS.
I’ll check it out just for curiosity but without the chemistry the original cast had…I dunno
How i LOVED John Mahoney
Check out his arc on In Treatment.
You will be blown away.
I thought that show was excellent. Seems to me the really good, deep shows get cancelled.
@atorontogal.
It is returning with Uzo Aduba as the therapist.
I am so excited.
Kelsey Grammer claimed he wants civility after voting for Trump because he wanted the fabric of our country disrupted, so I take the same stance in Hollywood- change the sheets & get this old, dusty guy out for good. Hard pass from me. I won’t be clicking to give him a token, dime or any of my time.
Am I the only one that can’t stand the character of Frasier (or Kelsey Grammer)? Of all the characters from Cheers to get a spinoff, why him? It was great when he was the butt of many jokes in Cheers and had Carla to keep him in check, but without that, he’s a big nope for me. The only thing I really like about his character are the adjacent characters (Lillith!, Niles, etc.).
Well, just like Cheers, that cast of Frasier was just a top notch comedy ensemble. I’ll give Kelsey credit because he clearly knew his character needed foils to challenge him. Especially the blue collar characters of Marty, Roz and Daphne. And I think they hired David Hyde Pierce because he just looked SO much like Kelsey and he was just that good. Kelsey let ALL of them shine.
He LET them shine??
@FYI Many lead actors with the power to do so, make sure that all of the attention is focused on them and that they get the most lines and screen time. Grammar did not do this. As a producer, he held a lot of power for that program, and he very easily could have limited the contribution from rest of the cast. (See SJP SITC)
However much of an A-hole he is, he knows what makes good TV, and had a good relationship with the rest of the cast.
The characters from Cheers were not suppose to be likable and you wanted them in some capacity to get their comeuppance.
except for Coach and Woody.
I am so thrilled for this and really hope they do the show justice.
@FYI
I know that sounds sexist and elitist as hell, but let’s remember the times and the fact that he was the star of the show AND the executive producer. It was his job to set the tone of the set. And he set the tone of a true ensemble instead of making it Frasier and his 4 Pips.
There are SO many stories of show leads being insecure assholes and chasing away any threats to their superiority.
I distinctly remember going to a film talk with the writer of Meet Me In St Louis. Oh the STORIES he told about Judy Garland!!!! He HATED her and said she was insanely jealous of the little girl in the movie who played the youngest sister and kept trying to undermine her. Get scenes cut, change her lines, demanding more and better scenes for herself. He said he was constantly rewriting things because of her and she was also driving the director, Vincent Minnelli crazy too.
So, yes, I will give Kelsey credit for creating a flourishing working environment where everyone could shine.
I love how you start by denouncing sexism but then proceeded to tell us about a male writer’s disdain for Judy Garland and his sexist interpretation of her creative choices. Assuming he’s even telling the truth. You’d think that such pathological jealousy would be captured in the multitudinous biographies about her, but nope. Lmao)
Kelsey did not have a choice as to whether others would shine. Firstly, they are superior actors, point a camera at them and they’ll shine. Secondly, he was not a big deal when he got the spinoff and even when he became a big deal this was the era of the network executive. it was near impossible to get rid of cast members, much reduce their roles, without network approval. In any case it would not have been in his own personal interest to diminish them seeing as a show needs a strong supporting cast to survive. And just a reminder this was also the era of ensemble casts, from Seinfeld to Friends. Frasier had a very standard show format.
Ummmm….Kelsey was a EP and later a writer and director on the series.
And yet Margaret O’Brien is still remembered for her role in that movie, along with Judy Garland.
Gene Kelly was notorious for that.
He use all his power to cut down as much of Donald O Conner on Singin In The Rain as he could because he knew eyes would be on him.
And his treatment of Debbie Reynolds.
That guy was a straight up douchebag.
Lalalalala-I can’t hear you. I love Gene Kelly and Singin in the Rain is one my favorite movies ever!
Hello Julianna Marguiles!
NOOO this is totally going to ruin Frasier
I will never watch a show that he is in. He was so vile on Real Housewives and the Trump stuff just adds to it. He is a nasty man.
Who asked for this?
I love Frasier and we still watch it in repeats – but it the ensemble that makes the show. And I can’t see it without John Mahoney – I feel like they would have to have like Martin’s long lost blue-color brother replace that character for it to work. Plus they are all well past middle-age so it can’t be about dating all the time – will they concentrate on the kids Alice and Frederick? Just seems like it won’t work or be as funny. Some things are best left alone.
Good gawd, that man is orange.
Dear heaven, why is he the colour of a tomato? Honestly, I thought the prevalent glowy orange was bad enough, but what sorcery is this??
Zoidberg.
Friends, Frasier and ER, can’t forget ER!! Man those were the days.
If this goes through I’m betting Andy will finally give Camille that diamond back that she’s been aching for the last few years
I loved Fraser. Yes, the ensemble was great but Grammar and the character were pretty great too. I saw him on Broadway in “La Cage Aux Folles,” and he was very good in that too. So, like him as an actor, not as a person, but I would still watch a reboot. I just loved the show too much not to give it a try.
I would love to see Frasier as a professor at some university, getting schooled by woke passionate college students. I want the series to focus on current events, and Frasier can take on Martin’s role as a grouchy conservative while his students can be POC characters. Maybe his son could be in his life now, with POC friends. Maybe make his son the opposite of Frasier: college drop out who doesn’t care about anything Frasier does. Role reversals would bring up lots of tension 🙂
Back in 2019 when they were getting the reboot together the whole cast (with the exception of John Mahoney obviously) was returning. Kind of bummed to hear they haven’t all signed back on yet. Looking forward to the reboot if they do. I watch Frasier in reruns all the time on Hulu.
Yes! I’m hoping it’s just because they’re still negotiating their salaries.
I enjoyed Frasier, good writing and talented cast.
I always thought the show was a bit like watching a stage play, the sheer craft and talent of the cast.
The one in which DHP is ironing his pants, somehow draws blood, keeps fainting at the sight of blood and ends up setting the couch on fire is great slapstick physical comedy, no dialog at all.
Still watch reruns and the comedy holds up.
I will give the reboot a try. Will & Grace OTOH should have not been done. Nope.