As A Longtime Frasier Fan, Here's My Take On Whether Viewers Need To Have Watched Kelsey Grammer's Original Show To Enjoy The Paramount+ Revival
Dr. Frasier Crane has reentered the building. Nearly 20 years ago, the original Frasier series concluded after 11 seasons, with that spinoff following after Kelsey Grammer’s nine seasons on Cheers. 20 years of playing the same character is an impressive feat, and now Grammer is back for another round with… well, Frasier, the revival that is streaming on Paramount+ rather than airing on broadcast television.
Two decades is a long time to pass between shows, and as you’ll see upon reading through our Frasier cast list, Kelsey Grammer’s fellow series regulars are all-new faces to the Frasier space. So now that the new Frasier is here, some of you may be asking a specific question: do I need to have seen the original to enjoy the revival? Well, as a longtime Frasier fan who was able to see the revival’s first five episodes early, I can answer that question: no, seeing the original Frasier is not required if you’re interested in watching this new show with your Paramount+ subscription.
Having said that, there are certain moments in the opening episodes that will definitely be more meaningful to longtime Frasier fans than people who are unfamiliar with the life of the man who hears the blues are calling tossed salad and scrambled eggs. But before we get to that, let’s go over why the new Frasier is so accessible to newcomers. And don’t worry, there aren’t any major spoilers ahead.
Why Newcomers Will Be Able To Enjoy The Frasier Revival
The big way the Frasier revival is able to stand out from its predecessor is because of a change of scenery. The original Frasier saw its title character moving back to his hometown of Seattle, Washington following his time in Boston, Massachusetts on Cheers, and by the end of the spinoff, Frasier decided to move to Chicago to reunite with Laura Linney’s Charlotte. Without getting into specifics, Frasier did indeed spend a long time in Chicago, but the revival starts with him moving back to Boston.
Granted, we can’t classify Boston as a “new” environment since that’s where Cheers took place, but outside of an indirect reference to that parent series, it may as well be somewhere brand-new. That’s not to say deeper Cheers ties couldn’t be established later, but as far as the revival’s connection to the original Frasier is concerned, the former taking place on the other side of the United States obviously helps a lot with it standing out from its predecessor, as well as the aforementioned new cast members.
Now to be clear, new actors surrounding Kelsey Grammer does not mean that all their characters are brand-new to the Frasier space. Jack Cutmore-Scott is playing Freddy Crane, Frasier’s son who was born in Cheers Season 8 and chiefly played by Trevor Einhorn during the original Frasier show. Also, David Crane, i.e. Niles and Daphne’s son, was born in the Frasier series finale, and now we see him as a college student played by Anders Keith. However, one doesn’t need to have seen the original Frasier in order to like these characters, and when it comes to Nicholas Lyndhurst’s Alan Cornwall, Jess Salgueiro’s Eve and Toks Olagundoye’s Olivia, every viewer is getting to know them at the same time.
Why Being Familiar With The Original Frasier Enhances Watching The Revival
So when it comes to following along with each episode’s story and its leading characters, Frasier newcomers will be just fine. However, it goes without saying that seeing the original Frasier enhances the experience of watching the revival. For one thing, being familiar with Frasier having lived far away from Freddy when his son was growing up, and how that led to a complicated dynamic between them in various episodes of the original show, gives one a better understanding of why things are strained between the two of them when the revival starts out. Seeing the original show will also give one a better appreciation of Anders Keith’s performance as David, as he does a remarkable job of channeling the same mannerisms and physical humor David Hyde Pierce brought to the role of Niles.
To hone in on a more specific example though, the first episode of the Frasier revival pays tribute to actor John Mahoney, who passed away in 2018 and starred as Martin Crane, Frasier and Niles’ father, throughout the entirety of the original show. I won’t share any specific details about this tribute, but if you’re a longtime Frasier fan, then hopefully it’ll tug at your emotional strings just as much as it did for me. For someone who’s entering this world for the first time, they might find this moment nice and touching enough, but it won’t hit them as hard.
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Additionally, the Frasier revival is bringing back Bebe Neuwirth’s Lilith Sternin, Freddy’s mother and Frasier’s ex-wife, and Peri Gilpin’s Roz Doyle, Frasier’s longtime friend and former producer for his KACL radio show in Seattle, as recurring/guest characters. So naturally having seen what Frasier’s relationships were like with these women back in the day will it all the more delightful when he’s paired back with them again. That said, they’re the only other actors from the original Frasier who will be back alongside Kelsey Grammer this season, so newcomers don’t need to be concerned about other reunions. Should the show return for Season 2, though, showrunner Joe Cristalli told Variety he’s interested in bringing back more Frasier and Cheers characters.
So if you’re on Paramount+ and are looking for a new comedy to watch, don’t let any unfamiliarity with the original Frasier steer you away from watching the revival. Having said that, I recommend that either after seeing a few episodes of this new show, or perhaps after the seasons has ended, you go back and watch the original. You’re in for 11 seasons of stellar comedy that still holds up almost three decades after it arrived. Once that’s out of the way, feel free to go back even further and watch an even younger Frasier Crane over the course of Cheers’ 11 seasons.
While you’re on the streaming service, be sure to look through the best Paramount+ shows available to watch now. Otherwise, keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more Frasier coverage as we progress through this final stretch of the 2023 TV schedule.
