Whoever counts themselves the number one fan of Frasier will have to share that position with the man himself Kelsey Grammer. Not only has Grammer been with the character of Frasier Crane for two decades, he’s also as excited as any fan by the upcoming revival.
Grammer is one of several Cheers and Frasier regulars tied to the revival, ensuring that this next entry in the good doctor’s story is authentic to the character and faithful to fans. With the revival’s premiere date of October 12 fast-approaching, Grammer wanted to be one of the first to formally introduce audiences to what they can expect from this latest entry.
The ‘Frasier’ revival aims to be faithful to the characters and tell a coherent story
One of the driving forces behind this lively series is loss. The original Frasier family mourned the death of series regular John Mahoney, who played Grammer’s TV dad; their messy relationship drove countless plot points and memorable interactions. In the show, his character, Martin Crane, will have passed too. As a result, Frasier feels compelled to move back to Boston to be close to his son Freddy, who is a firefighter.
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“There’s a lot of Martin in Freddy,” said James Burrows, director and co-creator of Cheers who also directed several episodes of Frasier. This perfectly prefaces a driving issue for the show: history repeats itself and Frasier will find his quest to make amends is about as clumsy as his relationship with his own dad. But perhaps history can also be a teacher.
“Joe and Chris specifically wanted Frasier to deal with his son… because the relationship with Kelsey and Mahoney was wonderful,” Burrows added to EW, adding, “So they tried to tap into that, and I think they succeeded.”
Staying loyal to the past and forging a rich future
The original show’s run won thirty-seven Primetime Emmy Awards and was enjoyed by over 33 million viewers. That’s a lot of people with a lot of investment in the success and integrity of this show. Fortunately, there are a lot of skilled and familiar names tied to the project.
In addition to Grammer and Burrows, there are writers Chris Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Joe Cristalli (Life in Pieces).
Though, Cristalli might argue that Grammer alone is enough to keep the whole thing in check. “Anything we say, he knows what Frasier says and what Frasier doesn’t say,” said Burrows of Grammer. “He has no problem telling us, ‘Frasier would never say this. Frasier would say.’ I’m a giant fan of the original. I’ve seen them all — I’ve seen them all a hundred times. Nobody knows that guy better than Kelsey does, and he has great instincts. He can get a laugh on a look as Frasier. This is not surprising; he knows what he’s doing and he’s very good at it.”
Just what is “it” that the Frasier team is aiming to do? Tell a story about family. That’s the heart of every show Burrows works on and that is what Grammer and Mahoney used as such a powerful tool for character development and interaction.
Once again, “family” will not just be a father, mother, son, daughter, siblings – but also colleagues and friends. This fall, viewers will be introduced to bartender and aspiring actress Eve, played by Jess Salgueiro, former colleague Alan, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, and Harvard Chair Olivia, played by Toks Olagundoye – and many more, including Frasier’s nephew, played by Anders Keith.
These dysfunctional branches will make up a chaotic family tree that serves as the very heart of the Frasier revival, devotedly continuing the story of one of the most beloved characters in sitcom history. Will you be watching?