Spin-offs are always a gamble. On the one hand, fans of a show can experience a new set of adventures with their favorite characters, exploring a whole new world of possibilities for artistic direction. On the other hand, not every spin-off could be as successful as You better call Saul, or in this case Frasier. from Frasier Running 11 seasons proves that it is possible to reprise a character for a new series and even take it to a whole new level. Frasier Crane had a lot in store for him when he left his cheers friends behind: a new setting in Seattle; a chance to flourish as a radio psychiatrist on KACL, and a fresh start as the titular character in one of the most successful spin-off shows of all time.
Frasier was so much more than just ‘tossed salad and scrambled eggs’, but lightning in a bottle, and rightly so. While cheers stands alone as a legendary 80s sitcom in its own right, Frasier carries the torch through the ’90s as a show that not only occasionally called back to its Alma mater, but also stood on its own for a whole new fan base. The Frasier formula is a simple, yet effective combination of top-level comedy that is often elitist but also does not alienate the casual audience.
Inability to communicate
The premise of Frasier is simple. Frasier and his brother Niles, both respected psychiatrists, do not have the best relationship with their father, Marty, a retired detective. It’s not that they don’t love each other; they just live in different worlds and have trouble communicating with each other. This is what we like to call “built-in comedy.” Three men who pride themselves on being able to read the room and make logical leaps to navigate their lives while helping others navigate their lives just can’t do these things when it comes to interacting with each other. Almost every comedic aspect of the show boils down to simple misunderstanding and lack of communication. And while the Crane boys always operate with the best of intentions, the execution of these intentions almost always ends in disaster. In a way, Frasier is a modern comedy of errors.
Pompous quoteability
What do you get when you combine the Crane brothers, their Ivy League sense of superiority over the common man, and a thesaurus? Some of the best tongue-in-cheek pomposity of the 90s. Frasier and Niles are in highly relatable everyday riddles, but the vocabulary and way they communicate is always over the top, like they’ve been read out of a David Foster Wallace novel. When Frasier tries to convince those around him that his old nemesis Blaine Sternin is up to his old tricks, he says simply, “Well, he sounded charming, of course.” Charme is the viscous grease with which he lubricates his flimflam machine. By itself, this line is a ridiculous insight into Frasier Crane’s mind, but it’s believable when Niles similarly quips, “Oh, spare me, you ridiculous popinjay!” to his doppelgänger in Café Nervosa. The uncanny ability of both Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce to keep their faces straight while uttering such lines, often to the dismay of Marty, Daphne, Roz and Bulldog, shows the audience just how full of themselves Frasier and Niles could be. are. time.
Tasteful callbacks to cheers
With his Cheers days long behind him, some relationships from the series before are still intact. In fact, there are a number of cameos throughout from Frasier run that are not only memorable but also tasteful. Frasier’s ex-wife Lilith is the most frequent flier to his new home in Seattle due to shared custody of their son Frederick, but we also see cameos from Woody, Sam, Diane, and even Norm. There have been other shows that leaned a little too heavily on calling the character back, but Frasier does it just right. More often than not, old friendships pick up where they left off, but soon fizzle out before things return to normal in Frasierland.
Seasons Long Love Arc
You can’t talk about it Frasier without talking about Niles and Daphne. From the very first episode, Niles was head over heels in love with Daphne, a physical therapist Frasier hired to help with Marty. From our couches, we watched Niles go through a rancorous divorce with his extraordinarily wealthy wife, Maris, only for his divorce lawyer to take Daphne’s hand in marriage when Niles finally became single and ready to tell her how he really felt. This is a legendary, season-long love arc that does get resolved with a pretty little bow on top, but the awkward one-on-one events and the dance lessons (and smelling her) led to an eventual marriage and kept the audience hooked the whole time on the edge of their seats.
The best off-screen character
Speaking of Maris, it’s safe to say she’s gone down in history as the best character we’ve never really met. The only character in recent memory that even comes close is Mrs. Wolowitz from big bang theory. The real difference is that Maris doesn’t even have spoken dialogue. Audiences learn everything they know about Maris through conversation, never once seeing or hearing her – yet we all have our own vivid versions of what she looks and sounds like in our own heads because the writing is so strong. We know she’s an impossibly difficult, extraordinarily wealthy, insufferable, plastic surgery-obsessed socialite, but that’s all.
Any character that crosses her Frasier seems to be on the same page about this, and the writers knew the comedy coming from such an unlikely character would work, even if we never got a chance to meet her. Sometimes imagination is the most powerful tool of all, which is why Maris is the best character we’ve never met. Frasier is due for a retaliation in a 2023 reboot. Given how successful the cheers spin-off was primarily giving us peace of mind that Frasier Crane is here to stayand he’s still listening!