Pretty soon, Paramount+ subscribers will be hearing the blues are calling tossed salad and scrambled eggs again. In early 2021, a Frasier revival was greenlit by the streaming service, and by October 2022, it scored a 10-episode season. Now a key piece of information has been revealed that would make it easier for Kelsey Grammer to take part in crossovers with Ted Danson and other folks from Cheers, the show that introduced Frasier Crane to the world.
As part of the official announcement that the Frasier revival is beginning production this week, it was mentioned that the new show, which is being shot in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles, will see Frasier Crane returning to Boston, Massachusetts, i.e. where Cheers was set. To be clear, no other Cheers actors have been unveiled for the new Frasier, but now that the renowned psychotherapist and radio show host is back in his old stomping grounds, one would imagine it’s only a matter of time before he runs into a familiar face or stops by the bar, right? Alas, since the original Frasier’s series finale saw the title character going to Chicago to be with Laura Linney’s Charlotte, it would seem that things didn’t work out between the two of them.
Like Frasier, Cheers lasted for 11 seasons, airing from 1982 and 1993, and earning 28 Primetime Emmy Awards from 117 nominations total, among other accolades. Three months after Cheers ended, the original Frasier spun out of it, taking Kelsey Grammer’s character back to his hometown of Seattle, Washington to reunite with his father Martin and brother Niles, played respectively by the late John Mahoney and David Hyde Pierce, and meet the likes of Peri Gilpin’s Roz Doyle and Jane Leeves’ Daphne Moon. Bebe Neuwirth, who played Fraiser’s ex-wife Lilith, continued to recur on Frasier following her time on Cheers, and aside from Kirstie Alley (who recently passed away), all of the other surviving main cast members from Cheers made guest appearances on Frasier.
For now, aside from Kelsey Grammer, the Frasier revival is comprised entirely of new people, though one of them is playing an established Frasier character. In Boston, Frasier Crane will reconnect with his son Freddy, who was primarily played by Trevor Einhorn in the first show and is now being brought to life by Jack Cutmore-Scott. The new show is also taking a page from the Night Court revival’s book by including Anders Keith’s David Crane, Niles and Daphne’s son who was born in the original Frasier's series finale. Since David Hyde Pierce has said he has no interest in reprising Niles, and there’s been no word about Leeves’ involvement, we’ll have to learn through David what his parents are up to these days.
The Frasier revival’s cast also includes Jess Salguerio as Eve, Freddy’s roommate; Nicholas Lyndhurst as Alan, Frasier’s old college buddy who’s now a university professor; and Toks Olagundoye as Olivia, Alan’s colleague and head of the university psychology department. James Burrows, who co-created Cheers and directed multiple episodes of the original Frasier over its first four seasons, is helming the revival’s first two episodes. Writers Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli are leading the charge on the revival, and executive producing with Kelsey Grammer, Tom Russo and Jordan McMahon.
There’s no timetable yet on when Frasier will premiere on Paramount+, though with cameras now rolling, a late 2023 or early 2024 drop seems like a reasonable bet. Should it end up being the former, we’ll add Frasier to our 2023 TV schedule, so stay tuned for that information and more updates on the sitcom’s progress.
