Throughout the 2 hundredth episode of “Frasier,” billionaire tech mogul Invoice Gates stopped by the titular physician’s radio station to tout his then new Home windows XP working system. It was an odd second for the sitcom, which ran for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004 with only a few blatantly promotional stunts of this kind. There was, after all, the time Dr. Phil stopped by for one of many worst episodes of “Frasier,” however in any other case the collection stayed comparatively insular, involved solely with its personal little sitcom imaginative and prescient of Seattle and the individuals therein.
Years later, the present stays a beloved instance of ’90s sitcom brilliance, setting itself aside from modern collection corresponding to “Pals” or “Seinfeld” with not solely a extra hifalutin humorousness however by additionally leaning into theatrical farce in a manner that its rival reveals did not. “Frasier” typically felt like watching an actual stage play, particularly within the extra straightforwardly farcical installments, corresponding to the well-known ski lodge episode. In that manner, there was a timelessness to the collection that was maybe much more pronounced than on different sitcoms on the time. “Pals” wasn’t all that topical, however it definitely felt extra of its time than “Frasier.”
A few of which will must do with how “Pals” turned a trend-setter in its personal proper, following youthful, cooler 30-somethings as they navigated the ’90s and influenced a complete era within the course of. In the meantime, “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer and co. have been extra comfy placing on their stage performs and sending up the protagonist’s excessive society ambitions, solely unconcerned with traits or the broader world typically outdoors of Dr. Crane’s Seattle. For Grammer, that is partly why the present has proved to be so enduringly lovable.
Frasier eschewed modern tradition
In 2023, Dr. Crane returned to screens as a part of the neither disappointing nor exceptional “Frasier” revival collection, which streams on Paramount+. The present divided critics upon its debut, and relying on who you ask, got here with some fairly obvious points, most notably the shortage of any of the unique forged members in addition to Kelsey Grammer. However there’s a minimum of one factor the brand new collection bought considerably proper. It’s as apolitical and as unconcerned with modern tradition as its predecessor, thereby stoking the identical comforting tone as that authentic sitcom.
For Grammer, it is this which is so essential to each iterations of the present and their attraction, however particularly for the OG “Frasier,” which deliberately stayed inwardly-focused all through. Throughout a Q&A for the streaming revival, the star defined:
“Up to date tradition was at all times eschewed by us. I imply, as an example, ‘Murphy Brown’ did quite a lot of Dan Quayle jokes and we simply thought, ‘Properly, that is not going to be humorous in 5 years, that is not even actually that humorous proper now.’ […] The concept that we resisted mining a simple modern tradition joke actually did contribute to the longevity of the present.”
Will new Frasier be as enduring as previous Frasier?
On the identical Q&A, Kelsey Grammer was joined by his “Frasier” revival co-star Jack Cutmore-Scott, who performs Dr. Crane’s son Freddy. The British actor confessed to not having seen the unique collection when he first landed the position, however spoke about watching it in preparation for the revival. In so doing, he claimed to have observed how there “aren’t an enormous variety of political references” or “enormous social commentary,” including that “because of this it ages extremely effectively.” He continued, “You neglect that this wasn’t shot yesterday. You neglect that it has been 20 or 30 years as a result of the conditions they’re coping with, the relationships that they are exploring, are perennial.”
Cutmore-Scott went on to reward showrunners Chris Harris and Joe Cristali for preserving that method within the revival collection. Whereas there are many criticisms that may be leveled on the pair, this important neglect of latest tradition does appear to have been maintained from the unique present. That stated, whereas the observations and jokes contained within the streaming collection definitely aren’t too involved with the social commentary or politics, the present’s total tone is not fairly what the “Frasier” of previous represented.
Harris and Cristali have, whether or not deliberately or not, made the brand new collection really feel much more broad than its predecessor, with jokes influenced by extra trendy sitcom sensibilities watering down the extra refined humor that characterised ’90s “Frasier.” Consequently, that feeling that you simply’re watching one thing timeless is way much less pronounced on the streaming present, which is ceaselessly hampered by this distinctly trendy sitcom humor. In actual fact, it is typically fairly jarring how outdated the comedic beats are within the revival collection when in comparison with the precise ’90s sitcom itself. With Kelsey Grammer beforehand having spoken about his bold plan to maintain taking part in Frasier for an additional 100 episodes, he’ll must attempt to inject a bit extra of the previous “Frasier” magic into his revival present to ensure that it show as enduring as that perennial sitcom.
The “Frasier” revival is at present streaming on Paramount+.
