The first two episodes of a revived Frasier hit Paramount+ this week, and in the premiere episode “The Good Father,” it’s a third cycle of life for the classic TV character.
As played by Kelsey Grammer, Frasier Crane first appeared on Cheers nearly 40 years ago in a series set in Boston; after that show, he headlined his own show, Frasier, where he reunited with his father and brother. Now, Frasier is back in Boston, trying to restore his relationship with his son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), a character that was born way back in the Cheers series. As Frasier once found difficulty sometimes relating to his own father (the late John Mahoney), he has an equally complicated relationship with his son.
So how is the first episode?
It really depends on what your expectations are for a series like this. Judging from the first episode alone, it’s not completely gelling out the gate like Frasier did 30 years ago. Kelsey Grammer snaps right back into character, and he absolutely will not disappoint. Some of the new characters are more successful than others, but I expect that all of them will quickly find their groove. It’s fun seeing Nicholas Lyndhurst of Only Fools and Horses fame in a U.S.-based role, for example, but I’m not sure the jokes for his character have gone too far beyond the one note they give him. I’m also not entirely sure what to think of Toks Olagundoye’s character; at times in the first episode, she really pops, but in other moments, certain jokes get run into the ground within minutes.
I really liked Anders Keith as Frasier’s nephew (and son of Niles), David, a calamity whose activities usually result in amused exasperation. Jack Cutmore-Scott’s Freddy is a character that I think will quickly grow on audiences, if he hasn’t by the pilot, simply because we, like Frasier, don’t really know him yet. I do like Freddy’s “roommate” Eve (Jess Salguiero) and believe that, since her character isn’t as easily intimidated by Frasier, it’s easier for us as an audience to get to know her.
We do get updates on where several characters from Frasier had gone off to, but I’m almost disappointed that we don’t go to a certain Boston location now that Frasier Crane is back in town. You know the one… the one where everybody knows your name. Maybe Cheers is considered too sacred, or maybe there’s the concern that if you showed the bar, you’d have to bring back any number of cast members…. but I think it would be nice, and sadly, I don’t think it will ever happen. Oh, and yes, there is tribute paid to John Mahoney and his Martin Crane character.
I’ve read some reviews that suggest that Frasier is “transplanted himself into a bad CBS sitcom with a bland supporting cast.” I don’t really agree with that assessment. Sure, the lightning in a bottle that Frasier had originally can’t always be caught again. I do feel, though, that at least from the first episode, the character of Frasier Crane is not broken so it wasn’t a bad thing to pull him out of the TV toy box once again. If anything, you get to spend time with an old favorite. (Full disclosure: I’m an easy mark for a show like this – I even enjoyed the Mad About You revival’s first episode… I know, I know… what Mad About You revival, you ask!)
Is Frasier a throwback to a type of TV that we don’t have too often anymore? Sure. But weren’t these shows popular in a Must See TV era? I’m actually surprised that this one didn’t land on broadcast [beyond the special CBS airing of the first two episodes later this month]. For now, though, broadcast TV’s loss is Paramount+’s gain.
KSiteTV Rating for the first episode: 6/10. That might not sound like that great of a mark, but I have no doubt it’ll all get better, and there’s a lot more that’s good vs. what’s not great. Absolutely recommend at least checking it out.
Frasier
Starring Kelsey Grammer, who reprises his EmmyⓇ Award-winning role as Frasier Crane, the 10-episode first season will premiere in the U.S. and Canada on Thursday, October 12, with two episodes and on Friday, October 13, in all other international markets where Paramount+ is available. New episodes will then drop weekly on Thursdays, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada, and on Fridays, internationally. In addition, the CBS Television Network will broadcast a special airing of the first two episodes back to back on Tuesday, October 17, beginning at 9:15 p.m. ET/PT (following a super-sized original episode of Big Brother).
FRASIER was filmed in front of a live studio audience at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. The new series follows Frasier Crane (Grammer) in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill. Frasier has re-entered the building!
In addition to Grammer, the new series stars Jack Cutmore-Scott as Frasier’s son Freddy; Nicholas Lyndhurst as Frasier’s old college buddy turned university professor Alan; Toks Olagundoye as Olivia, Alan’s colleague and head of the university’s psychology department; Jess Salgueiro as Freddy’s roommate Eve; and Anders Keith as Frasier’s nephew David.
FRASIER comes from writers Chris Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Joe Cristalli (Life in Pieces), who executive produce with Kelsey Grammer, Tom Russo and Jordan McMahon. The series is produced by CBS Studios, in association with Grammer’s Grammnet NH Productions. The first two episodes of the new series are directed by legendary director and television creator James Burrows, who is best known for his work as co-creator, executive producer and director of the critically acclaimed series Cheers, as well as the original series Frasier, Will & Grace and Dear John. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of the Paramount+ markets.
This fall marks 30 years since the original Frasier first premiered on television, which still holds the record for most Emmy wins for a comedy series with 37 wins and 107 nominations. The original series is available to stream on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
