The film and television industries have resigned themselves to becoming recycling factories. Reboots and revivals have become the norm with the brand new content premiering every year. Still, fans rightly scoffed when Paramount+ announced the revival of “Frasier,” a reboot of the Emmy-winning show that ran for 11 seasons on NBC from 1993 to 2004. Kelsey Grammer had already played the upright psychiatrist Frasier Crane for 20 years, first in the sitcom “Cheers” and then in the series named after his character. Returning to such an iconic role after two decades seemed like a huge misstep, especially since the original cast of Frasier — particularly David Hyde Pierce as Niles — would not be reprising their roles. However, in addition to Grammer, original series producers Bob Daily, Jay Kogen and Christopher Lloyd, casting director Jeff Greenberg and director Jimmy Burrows are also involved in the new show. And it turns out that watching Frasier’s third chapter is an enchanting and delightful experience.
When fans last saw Fraiser, he was jumping on a plane to follow his girlfriend Charlotte (Laura Linney) to Chicago. During his tenure in the Windy City, Frasier parlayed the success of his Seattle-based radio show into a “Dr. Phil”-like television show “Dr. Crane.” But now to the series and his relationship with Charlotte are finished. After the death of his beloved father Martin (John Mahoney), Frasier leaves Chicago and returns to Boston to reconnect with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott). While the literal distance has caused tension in the father-son relationship, Freddy’s decision to drop out of Harvard to become a firefighter has caused great tension between the two. When the cashmere-loving psychiatrist shows up unannounced at Freddy’s apartment door, Frasier realizes that repairs with his only child will require more than a quick visit.
In addition to Freddy, who is as enthusiastic about his air hockey table as Frasier is about collecting first editions, the aloof psychiatrist is welcomed to the East Coast by his nephew David (Anders Keith), Niles and Daphne (Jane Leeves) son, a Student at Harvard who shares some of his father’s eccentricities without the snobbery. There’s also Professor Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst), an old friend of Frasier’s from Oxford, whose enthusiasm is limited to old whiskey bottles and his beloved cat. Alan is the British version of Frasier without any pretense of politeness or elegant wardrobe, and the banter between the men is great. Rounding out the cast are Olivia (Toks Olagundoye), the head of Harvard University’s psychology department, and Eve (Jess Salgueiro), a friend of Freddy’s who also happens to run a bar at the local pub.
Cutmore-Scott is a lovable, hard-working firefighter with brotherly tendencies who desperately needs his father’s approval. His dynamic with Eve is clearly designed for a long-term, want-she-don’t-want-her romantic entanglement in the style of Sam and Diane in Cheers, which helped establish this trope. David, seemingly forgotten by his parents, is desperate to find a real place in his cousin and uncle’s life. Throwing himself into various elements of physical comedy, David is as hopeless and awkward as he is endearing. Many of the laugh-out-loud moments in this revival come from Lyndhurst’s Alan, whose eccentricities provide some heartwarming laughs.
In addition to changing the setting of the series, a change of room also enables this new dynamic to unfold. The workplace’s focus on science allows Frasier to succeed (or fail) among his peers. In Episode 5, “The Founder’s Society,” Frasier, Olivia and Alan compete to join one of Harvard’s most exclusive secret societies. Although the trio agrees to participate in the mixer to mingle, a competition ensues among the friends involving a gauntlet, use of the Latin language, and other tricks. Even though Olivia keeps up with Frasier and Alan in terms of academic interest, she adds some flair to the trio. The age differences and their personal pleasures, including an off-screen rivalry with her sister Monica and attracting the attention of firefighters, allow a unique blend of wit to be infused into the series that doesn’t just focus on older white men.
Paramount+’s “Frasier” works because it stays true to the original program. Despite the cast changes, Frasier, now in his 60s, has the same qualities as the man viewers first met in his 30s and last saw in his 50s. Frasier is overly concerned with money and his looks, and his differences with Freddy are similar to those he had with Mahoney’s Martin. From the title song to the black-and-white title cards to the live audience, the elements that made “Frasier” a quintessential work remain unchanged here. This version of “Frasier” also retains its ability to remain socially and politically neutral, which is a nice relief for hyperaware fans.
Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel of an iconic character, “Frasier” 2.0 takes cues from everything that made the ’90s sitcom a staple — not just of the era, but of the fabric of television as a whole. If fans are looking for something new, they won’t find it here, but there’s something so charming about dusting off a bygone relic and polishing it up that makes it as refreshing as you remembered. And yes, Frasier wears jeans and Allbirds in the series because people can evolve even if they don’t change completely.
The first two episodes of “Frasier” premiere on Paramount+ on October 12, with new episodes released weekly on Thursdays.