Frasier

Spin-offs from successful series are always fraught with the danger that the certain magic which a character possessed in the original will somehow be lost in the process of transfer. When the character in question was a core member of a phenomenally successful ensemble like Cheers, the risk is even greater. But with Frasier, not only was that danger avoided, it was entirely obliterated. The result was a show that arguably transcended the brilliance of its parent series, becoming perhaps the most sophisticated and stylish American sitcom ever produced.

The original Frasier (1993–2004) saw Kelsey Grammer’s snobbish, egotistical psychiatrist, Dr Frasier Crane, returning to his native Seattle to host a radio phone-in show dispensing advice with theatrical flair and academic smugness. As with Cheers, the success of Frasier lay in its ensemble, where every performer brought impeccable timing and characterisation to scripts of unmatched wit and polish.

John Mahoney grounded the show as Frasier’s father Martin, a gruff, no-nonsense ex-cop whose love for beer, dogs, and televised sport was the perfect foil to his sons’ pretensions. Jane Leeves, once a dancer on The Benny Hill Show, played the quirky yet intuitive Daphne Moon, Martin’s physiotherapist. Peri Gilpin’s Roz Doyle, Frasier’s sharp-tongued radio producer, added further contrast and comedic tension.

And then there was Niles. David Hyde Pierce’s performance as the prissy, brilliant, and endearingly neurotic Dr Niles Crane was a revelation. His scenes, particularly the verbal fencing matches with Frasier, offered some of the most dazzlingly crafted comedy television has ever seen. Even when Niles wasn’t central to an episode, his brief appearances reliably delivered some of the finest comedic moments. The sheer detail and intricacy in Hyde Pierce’s performance elevated Niles to a status few sitcom characters ever achieve.

Niles' secret, adoring crush on Daphne led to years of hilariously awkward moments, whispered confessions to Frasier, and elaborate (often doomed) attempts to impress her, all culminating in one of sitcom history’s most satisfying romantic payoffs.

Frasier remains the gold standard of American sitcoms, brilliantly written, superbly acted, and gleaming with cultural references that rewarded a sharp and literate audience. It was a rare creation: a spin-off that not only stood on its own, but in many ways outshone its legendary predecessor.

Two decades after the curtain fell on the original series, Frasier returned in 2023—this time transporting the good doctor back to Boston, the city where we first met him. With his father Martin now deceased, and Niles and Daphne notably absent from the main cast (David Hyde Pierce declined to return), the revival sought to reframe Frasier’s world. Older, perhaps no wiser, he attempts to reconnect with his grown-up son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), a Boston firefighter - decidedly more blue-collar than Frasie's high-society ideal.

The revival, while perhaps lacking the lightning-in-a-bottle brilliance of the original ensemble, captures something of Frasier’s charm: the pompous monologues, the misplaced intellectualism, and the constant, endearing struggle between cultural elitism and real-life messiness. The absence of Niles is keenly felt, and while the new supporting cast, including Nicholas Lyndhurst as Frasier’s old Oxford chum, Alan Cornwall, brings a fresh energy, it’s clear that this is a different show with a different tone.

Still, the revival wisely doesn’t attempt to replicate what came before; instead, it charts a new course, respecting the past while nudging Frasier into fresh narrative waters. There are laughs, moments of real warmth, and, true to form, more than a few references to Shakespeare and Schopenhauer.

Frasier in its original form was, and remains, the pinnacle of American situation comedy: urbane, intelligent, and riotously funny. The 2023 revival may not quite scale the same artistic heights, but it serves as a welcome return for one of television’s most enduring and endearing characters. Who could ask for more?