Certain sitcoms from every decade define the comedy format. In the ‘70s, it was M*A*S*H*. In the ‘80s, it was Cheers. In the ‘90s, there were multiple, but chief among them was the Cheers spin-off, Frasier. Frasier has gone down in history as an essential sitcom for comedy fans, and Paramount+ brought the slightly cantankerous yet lovable psychiatrist to a new generation with a reboot.
New Frasier Plots
Frasier comes to the streaming service nearly 20 years after the original ended and 30 years after it premiered, bringing with it its main character, again played by Kelsey Grammer, but leaving behind all other familiar faces. The reboot returned Frasier to Boston, initially just to visit his son, but by the end of the first episode, we learned that’s where Frasier plans to stay after accepting a teaching job at his alma mater, Harvard, and buying the apartment building where Freddy (played by a different actor than in the original series) lives. Frasier’s father, Martin, has died; Frasier is no longer with Charlotte; and his nephew, David, Niles and Daphne’s son, has come with his uncle to Boston.
We’ll cut to the chase: the Frasier reboot is bad. The writing is lazy and pandering. The new characters lack the acerbic wit and chemistry that the original group had. Watching the reboot feels like listening to the Kidz Bop version of your favorite song: it just isn’t the same, and it’s much, much worse.
A Sad Homage to the Original
The widespread nostalgia that streaming has created has put television lovers in a strange conundrum. On the one hand, we miss our favorite shows and would love to know what the characters are up to now, but on the other hand, it’s damn near impossible to recreate the magic that existed in the original runs of said favorite shows. Some shows (almost exclusively animated shows) make sense to reboot for a new generation to experience, but most should remain in TV history, accessible for those who didn’t watch them in their prime to binge, unaltered by a poorly executed reboot.
Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce in ‘Frasier’
Frasier was one such poorly executed reboot. The original was a perfect sitcom (just ask its 37 Emmys). The characters, the writing, the premise, the acting – it all just worked. It’s understandable that some changes had to be made in order for the reboot to even be filmed – John Mahoney (Martin) died in 2018, and David Hyde Pierce (Niles) and Jane Leeves (Daphne) declined to reprise their roles – but those should have all been signs that a reboot was wholly unnecessary, not a recipe for a new Frasier.
If you loved the original and have yet to watch the reboot, save yourself the half hour and skip it. At best you’ll be slightly amused, and at worst, you’ll be woefully disappointed. Live in the bliss of the original Frasier and avoid sullying your memories.
Frasier is streaming now on Paramount+.