A Frasier Revival Starring Kelsey Grammer Is Happening
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It's been more than 15 years since Frasier went off the air. Arguably the most successful spin-off in television history, the show followed psychiatrist, radio host, and former Cheers regular Frasier Crane, played by Kelsey Grammer, as he navigated life in his childhood home of Seattle.
Now, Paramount+ has confirmed that Grammer will return to his iconic character. Here's what we know so far about the reboot.
Grammer has been interested in the idea for a while now.
"My hope is that we can bring it back," he said back in 2019.
"We're shopping for the right idea because I don’t think we should just pick up where we left off. Will and Grace has done a continuation, which is like the next day after they were last on the air–they picked up right where they left off. I don't think that's appropriate for Frasier," he explained to This Morning.
"He was leaving town at the end of the show previously, he was going to go and explore his life in Chicago with his new lady love. Whether that went badly or it went swimmingly, who knows, these are all themes we need to settle on and figure out what he's going to do next."
In November 2019, Grammer revealed that while he had approved a tentative story for the show, they had yet to secure a network.
“We’ve got it hatched. We’ve hatched the plan, what we think is the right way to go,” he said, during an appearance on In Depth With Graham Bensinger.
“We’re sort of on standby a little bit. Working out a couple of possible network deals that we’re circling. Frasier is sort of in a second position to that at this point. So there’s still stuff going on. But a revisit to Frasier, Frasier’s world is I think definitely going to come.”
The revival could serve as a tribute to the late John Mahoney, who played Frasier's father, Martin Crane, on the original series.
In a recent interview, Grammer shared that the first episode will address Mahoney's death. "We intend to deal with that some in the first episode," he said in a recent interview.
Grammer previously said he had been reviewing pitches for the new concept, and was leaning toward a story in which his character's son, Frederick, is reminiscent of Frasier's father, Martin Crane.
"I like the one where Frederick actually ends up being more like Martin Crane, instead of Frasier. I'm sort of drawn to that. We've had the pitch where he was tortured and didn't know what his identity was, all sorts of stuff," he said.
"And I thought, 'No, I think his granddad is who he became,' and I really like that, so we'll see what happens."
Grammer wants a full cast reunion, if possible.
"We would need to deal with [Mahoney's passing] within the storytelling, but I'd want everybody back, if they want to come back," he previously said.
And in July, he told New York's NBC 4, that he has "reached out to everybody" about being involved in the new show. Members of the original cast include David Hyde Pierce as Niles, Jane Leeves as Daphne, and Peri Gilpin as Roz.
"Frasier's gonna change cities again," Grammer said.
He also called his character "the George Bailey of television," in a new interview with New York's NBC4. "He thinks he's gonna go off and do one thing, and sure enough, his life takes him in another direction," Grammer said, "and he ends up rich beyond his dreams." That last bit likely refers to George Bailey's storyline in the classic Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life, in which Bailey doesn't end up with literal riches, but rather a rich life full of friends.
Frasier might not be hosting the radio show in the reboot.
"He’s passed the radio show. He might be an art dealer he might be a professor. We don’t know yet," Grammer told James Corden during an appearance on the Late, Late Show.
Official details are slim at this point.
No premiere dates or plot points have been shared publicly. But we'll continue to update as we know more! Sign up for Paramount+.
Until then, all 11 seasons of Frasier are available on Amazon Prime.
Start streaming at the link below:
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