Frasier arrived back on television in 2023, although not in a return to NBC with the same cast all reprising their roles. The reboot of the classic sitcom came to streaming for Paramount+ subscribers and brought Kelsey Grammer's Frasier Crane to Boston to rebuild his relationship with his son. The sitcom has finally been renewed for Season 2 after leaving fans hanging for a couple of months, and the leading man recently reflected on having more influence on the show this time around.
Kelsey Grammer and the Frasier cast attended SCAD TVfest for the Cheers alum to receive the Legend of Television Award. When I spoke with the honoree on the TVfest red carpet, I asked what it has been like for him to work as an executive producer right off the bat for the Paramount+ reboot, which was not the case for Frasier's original run on NBC. Grammer explained:
Well, I did have a lot of input. [laughs] I had a lot of input on the other one, it was just a little less formalized. In this case, my activity was actually even before we got produced, even before it was bought up and they said 'We'll buy this.' So I was more involved in hatching the creativity and backstory on it. That was gratifying because I thought, you know, 'I can do this. It's about time I did.'
Kelsey Grammer is credited as an executive producer on the original Frasier from Season 6 until the end with Season 11, but he was involved as an EP in the reboot from the very early stages. After playing the character of Frasier Crane going back to Cheers in the '80s, who could disagree that "it's about time" for the actor to prove what he's capable of as an executive producer? After all, his Cheers role ranks on our list of great TV characters added after the first season for a reason!
Grammer also reunited with some former co-stars for the Paramount+ revival, with Bebe Neuwirth returning as Lilith and Peri Gilpin appearing as Roz in the Season 1 finale. It remains to be seen if they or other familiar faces will reprise their roles again now that Season 2 has been announced. David Hyde Pierce declined to return as Niles for Season 1, so fans may not want to get their hopes up too high for more of Frasier's brother than the snarky texts. For now, take a look at how the renewal news was announced on Instagram:
At the time of writing, Paramount+ has not announced when Season 2 could premiere, so we can only wait and see if it arrives before the end of the 2024 TV schedule. According to the streamer, Season 2 will once again film in front of a live studio audience, with Frasier continuing to face new challenges, create new relationships, and potentially fulfill some longstanding dreams.
For now, you can always revisit the first full season of the Frasier reboot with star/executive producer Kelsey Grammer streaming on Paramount+. For a blast further to the past, the streamer also offers every season of the original Frasier as well as all eleven seasons of Cheers.
