It has been practically 20 years since Frasier went off the air, however the sitcom’s new Paramount+ revival picks up as if no time has handed. That is to not say that issues have not progressed for the characters, however the brand new Frasier feels precisely like a sitcom from 2004, other than the marginally longer episode working occasions for a streaming service. In an period of extra artistically bold, much less joke-oriented TV comedies, Frasier feels decidedly misplaced. The dedication to an old-school format additionally provides it a sure retro allure, although, and anybody who misses the times of multi-camera sitcoms taped in entrance of a stay studio viewers ought to discover Frasier refreshing.
Frasier follows within the footsteps of one other revival of a beloved Nineties sitcom, ABC’s Roseanne continuation The Conners, in capturing the essence of the unique sequence whereas transferring the story ahead. In contrast to The Conners, Frasier solely options one character from the sequence’ authentic run, Frasier Crane himself. Kelsey Grammer returns because the snobby, erudite psychiatrist who originated as a personality on the ensemble sitcom Cheers earlier than spinning off into his personal long-running sequence. Whereas the opposite characters are actually missed, Grammer carries the sequence, and showrunners Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris add new characters who match with the spirit of the earlier present.
On the finish of Frasier in 2004, Frasier was leaving his Seattle residence to begin a brand new life in Chicago along with his new girlfriend and had the possibility to host a TV present due to the success of his Seattle radio present. The primary episode of the brand new Frasier picks up with a considerably dizzying info-dump, as Frasier arrives in his former residence of Boston, the place Cheers was set, to start one more new chapter. It is a bit jarring to be introduced with so many updates so shortly, however Cristalli and Harris, aided by outdated professionals Grammer and legendary sitcom director James Burrows, make the supply clean, with some laughs alongside the way in which.
Frasier has damaged up with Charlotte, the lady he was following on the finish of the earlier present, and has ended his extremely profitable TV sequence after practically 20 years on the air. He is just lately attended the funeral of his father, Martin, and he is accompanied by his nephew David (Anders Keith), who’s a scholar at Harvard. He initially plans to spend a short while in Boston to present a lecture at Harvard, however an impromptu go to along with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott) and a shock job provide from Harvard persuade him to stay round.
The supporting characters from the unique Frasier might not be round, however the brand new present actually would not neglect about them. The late John Mahoney, who performed Martin, will get a tribute within the identify of Mahoney’s Taproom, the bar the place Frasier spends his free time. David is the son of Frasier’s brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and his spouse Daphne (Jane Leeves), and David shares Niles’ fastidiousness and social awkwardness. Freddy, who was performed by Trevor Einhorn on the unique present, is Frasier’s son along with his ex-wife Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth), whose historical past goes all the way in which again to Cheers. Neuwirth and Peri Gilpin, as Frasier’s former radio producer Roz, are set to make visitor appearances later within the season.
There’s a variety of lore for potential new viewers to compensate for, however the character dynamics are fairly straightforward to grasp, even with out all of the background data. Frasier retains the largely self-contained episodic model of traditional sitcoms, and as soon as the fundamental set-up is out of the way in which, it settles into a well-recognized rhythm. The brand new characters aren’t but as memorable as Frasier‘s traditional supporting forged, however they replicate a lot of the dynamic that made the earlier present so interesting with out feeling like carbon copies.
Freddy, who’s been semi-estranged from Frasier, works as a firefighter after having dropped out of Harvard 15 years earlier, and he has the identical salt-of-the-earth persona as Martin, a retired police officer. David channels Niles together with a little bit of The Large Bang Principle‘s Sheldon Cooper, and Frasier’s Harvard colleague and outdated faculty pal Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst) fills Niles’ earlier position as Frasier’s companion in snobbery. The 5 episodes accessible for overview present simply sufficient growth for these characters to emerge as their very own individuals, with the identical heartfelt emotion between Frasier and Freddy that there usually was between Frasier and Martin.
These episodes additionally characteristic loads of creaky sitcom misunderstandings, groan-worthy puns, and awkward callbacks to Cheers and the unique Frasier. The creators strike a fragile steadiness between endearing and annoying, and Grammer pulls off each the telegraphed punchlines and the generally gooey sentiment with polished professionalism. There is not any self-deprecation or meta-commentary on the classic model of comedy, and that dedication makes Frasier work. It is genuinely humorous and candy, with little interest in breaking new floor or experimenting with kind. Simply as Frasier was after Cheers ended, this new Frasier is a welcome consolation for conventional sitcom followers.
The primary two episodes of Frasier premiered Thursday, October 12, on Paramount+, with subsequent episodes debuting every Thursday.