In 2021, Kelsey Grammer announced that he would be reprising his award-winning role as quirky psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane after a nearly 20-year absence from the screen.
Grammer first portrayed the character in the 1980s sitcom Cheers, set in Boston, before launching the wildly successful spin-off Frasier in the 1990s. The latter centered around the middle-aged Dr. Crane returning to his hometown of Seattle, moving in with his father, Martin (John Mahoney), and reconnecting with his even-quirkier brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) while leaving behind his ex-wife Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) and son Frederick in Boston. The blockbuster series racked up 37 Emmy awards during its eleven-year run on primetime TV, ending in 2004.
A lukewarm reaction greeted the news that Frasier would be returning to television in 2023, with fans struggling between delight at the return of a beloved character and the conviction that a reboot can never be anything but a disappointment.
And yet, fans were pleasantly surprised with the show’s launch on Paramount Plus in October. Though few, if any, reboots can measure up to their originals, Grammer’s adept portrayal of the character that has defined his career makes this a show that fans can appreciate.
In fact, one feels that the character growth of Dr. Frasier Crane may mirror that of the man who portrays him, lending a sense of realism to the production. Though Grammer has long been known to be a Republican, he was identified as “pro-choice” in a New York magazine article in 2010. Five years later, however, his wife posted a photo of the actor wearing a pro-life t-shirt, and he has since spoken forcefully against abortion, stating in The Sunday Times in 2018, “It gets a bit dishonest to call something reproductive rights when you clearly have a choice well before a baby is conceived. If someone has to die as a result of rape, then we should kill the rapist—not the unborn child.”
Grammer’s conservative views seem to be subtly reflected in the reboot as Dr. Crane returns to Boston after 20 years to embark on a new career as a Harvard professor while reconnecting with his son. Amidst the hilarious hi-jinks, a subtle yet distinct thread of remorse runs through the show as Frasier grapples with the guilt of having left his son behind all those years before. While never feeling browbeaten on the subject, the audience, nevertheless, is left with the clear message that children need their fathers and the choice of a man to walk away from his family—for whatever reason—is wrong.
Further, while the subject of abortion is never explicitly discussed, a significant subplot of the show (spoiler) involves Frederick’s and, to a lesser degree, Frasier’s support for a young single mother, hinting at Grammer’s pro-life stance by providing an example of the care pro-lifers have always called for and embodied for mothers in difficult situations.
But ultimately, it’s the cast that makes or breaks the show. The looming question leading up to its release was how the absence of much of the original cast, particularly fan-favorite Niles, would impact the reboot. For eleven years, Niles served as Frasier’s faithful sidekick—his confidante, advisor, and even frequent rival. The question that hovered over the reboot was: Can Frasier stand on his own without Niles?
And the show’s answer is Frasier’s son Freddie (Jack Cutmore-Scott), who steps seamlessly into the role of sidekick, bringing his own personality and experiences as well as (unexpectedly) some of the contrast to Frasier that father Martin provided in the original.
Furthermore, there is the addition of Niles’ son David (Anders Keith). While there certainly exists a Niles-shaped hole in the show, and fans will undoubtedly continue to hope for his return, David provides a nod to the eccentricities of his father while avoiding the pitfall of trying too hard to fill an iconic character’s shoes.
A slight hiccup in the cast of characters comes in the form of Frasier’s friends and Harvard colleagues, who are not the most believable figures (fellow psychology professor Alan (Nicholas Lyndhurst) is supposedly Frasier’s oldest and dearest friend, a claim that’s a bit hard to swallow considering he was never mentioned in the show’s original eleven seasons). Nevertheless, Alan and psychology department chair Olivia (Toks Olagundoye) are charming enough additions to the cast.
Overall, this is the unusual reboot worth watching—entertaining, reflective, and able to be appreciated by all.