A review of the Frasier revival, arguing that the show's success was due to the supporting characters, not just Frasier Crane.
Kelsey Grammer might have believed himself to be the 'key ingredient' of Frasier – but the failure of the revival has proved otherwise. The hit sitcom, a spin-off of Cheers, first premiered in September 1993, and followed the pompous psychiatrist as he swapped a dusty Boston barstool for the elegance of Seattle’s upper-crust. It became an instant success, winning an unprecedented 37 Emmys across an 11-year run. I – like many others – still watch it almost daily despite it ending 20 years ago.
I’ve looked forward to re-runs on Channel 4, bought every season on Amazon Prime just to have access to a certain episode that was banned from morning TV, and then I moved to the US, where I can stream it whenever I like on several services. I absolutely love the series for the supremely witty writing, exciting cameos and jokes that still work decades later, but my heart dropped when I learned that Frasier was getting the reboot treatment in 2023, and it practically fell out of my stomach after realising that none of the core cast would be reprising their roles alongside the titular character. Sorry Kelsey, but the ‘key’ ingredient wasn’t Frasier at all – it was the characters around him. David Hyde Pierce played his equally stuffy brother, Niles, to perfection, while Peri Gilpin also delighted viewers as Roz Doyle. While Martin Crane star John Mahoney died in 2018, it was confirmed that David Hyde Pierce had turned down the opportunity to reprise his role as the beloved Niles Crane, while Jane Leeves – who starred as his onscreen wife, Daphne Moon – also took a backseat. We were all muttering 'oh what fresh hell is this', but still Kelsey continued with his plans, and proudly insisted to anyone who would listen that his own character was essential to the original show’s success. But, if he truly does believe this, he has completely missed the point of his own mammoth accomplishments – Frasier was never just about Frasier. The embarrassing way that his revival failed to impress critics, new audience members and faithful fans made this clear. The magic of the cast together made that show, between Niles and Daphne’s will-they-won’t-they romance, Roz’s dalliances and journey with motherhood, Martin trying to connect with his sons in a meaningful way. If anything, Frasier was often the most unlikeable character, with his loved ones making him bearable by dampening – or entirely mocking – his pomposity. The revival wasn’t the same without Martin, Niles and co bouncing off Kelsey’s Frasier. His own stories of trying to settle down paled in comparison to the romance between Daphne and Niles, or the feeling the fanbase had when they finally admitted their feelings for each other at the end of season seven. It’s Daphne and Niles we rooted for – not Charlotte, Lana, Lorna, Claire, Faye, Cassandra, Regan or any of Frasier’s many other conquests. Some of the most memorable moments of the entire run were his spars with Roz, his competitiveness with Niles – but others were when he was completely absent. The best-loved scene is arguably watching David Hyde Pierce expertly showing off his silent comedy chops as he prepared a Valentine’s Day date, which led to him chaotically burning his trousers, setting the sofa on fire, and collapsing after seeing his own bloody finger. This was entirely lacking in the reboot as Kelsey slipped effortlessly into his old character, but was surrounded by a new cast, including Nicholas Lyndhurst, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Toks Olagundoye, Jess Salguiero and Anders Keith. Kelsey was joined by an all-new cast for the revival, with Bebe Neuwirth briefly reprising her role as Lilith Sternin. There was almost no chemistry between them all for the entirety of the first season and, although this improved in the second series, it still wasn’t enough to rescue my waning interests. They just didn’t do enough to capture our hearts, or even make us care about them outside of their proximity to the main character. The premiere set up their backstories and then promptly forgot about them, so why should we bother trying to remember? A highlight of the original was also the way in which the script allowed for jokes to build – sometimes something set up in the first few moments of an episode didn’t pay off until just before the credits rolled. As viewers, we were included in this and always kept on our feet, leaving us with jokes and lines that we still recite today
FRASIER Revival Kelsey Grammer David Hyde Pierce Jane Leeves Sitcom Television Review Comedy 90S Television
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