When the original Frasier ended back in 2004, it seemed like that was the end of Kesley Grammer’s nearly-two-decade run playing Frasier Crane, whom the public first met in Cheers. Well, not so, as last year, the 10-episode Frasier revival debuted to Paramount+ subscribers, and this past February, the series was renewed for Season 2. Although Kelsey Grammer was primarily accompanied by new faces in the new Frasier, Peri Gilpin’s Roz Doyle was one of the classic characters who popped back in, and with today bringing word we’ll see more of her in Season 2, I have a theory about what’s bringing her back to Boston.
How Much We’ll See Of Roz In Season 2, And How She Fit Into The Season 1 Finale
Paramount+ announced today that Frasier Season 2 has begun filming, and whenever the next batch of episodes drops, we can expect Gilpin to reprise Roz as a recurring guest star, and James Burrows will also return to direct two episodes. In addition her Frasier appearance last year, Gilpin’s other TV credits from recent years include guest spots on Why Women Kill, Family Reunion and Kevin Can F**k Himself.
In the Frasier Season 1 finale, titled “Reindeer Games” Frasier’s son Freddy called Roz and asked her to come to Boston to cheer up her old friend/work partner as he was still coping with the death of his father, Martin. Roz showed up after the guests at Frasier’s party had all left, and the two of them went to a nearby bar to enjoy some drinks together. While they caught up, we learned that Roz’s daughter Alice had been dating the same guy for “like four years,” a sharp contrast with Roz’s history of quickly going through romantic partners.
Why Roz May Be Returning To Boston
With Roz set to appear in multiple Frasier Season 2 episodes, I have trouble envisioning that she’ll travel back and forth between Seattle and Boston. Instead, I’m thinking Season 2 will see her moving to the latter city, for either one or both of the following reasons.
First, Frasier Crane spent the entirety of his original spinoff hosting his own radio show, and in the interim period between Frasier 1.0 and Frasier 2.0, he hosted a TV talk show in Chicago. Now he’s a psychology lecturer at Harvard, but what if he decides he wants to return to media, even if it’s just part-time? Perhaps Season 2 will see relocating to Boston so that she can produce a new show for Frasier, whether it’s on the radio again or his own podcast.
Then there’s Alice, who at this point is old enough to be going to graduate school. Perhaps she’ll be joining David Crane at Harvard, and Roz comes along because she wants to remain close to her daughter. That would still allow her to resume her professional relationship with Frasier, or maybe the two of them would simply spend more time with each other socially.
Whatever the reason for Roz Doyle’s increased presence in Frasier Season 2, I’ll be happy to see more of her. Because cameras just started rolling on the new season, it’s hard to say if it’ll be ready to go for the 2024 TV schedule or not come out in 2025, but we’ll keep passing along major updates on how production is coming along.
