Now the expected return of Frasier has been officially confirmed, details about what the public can expect to emerge. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Kelsey Grammerwho will reprise the titular character in the upcoming revival, discussed how the series will deal with the loss of one of its main characters. John Mahoneywho played the beloved patriarch of the Crane family on the 11-season series of the original on NBC, died in 2018 after a battle with cancer.
Grammer spoke fondly of his former co-star when discussing how the show will honor his legacy:
“[Mahoney’s] loss is and was devastating and should be given proper attention in honor of the extraordinary man he was and the contribution he made to the show and to the acting profession. We will certainly honor him to his credit. A man of merit he remains to this day.” He later added, “John was a kind man, and the world cannot afford to ever lose a kind man.”
Mahoney was a respected actor whose credits list included appearances in films including: moon struck, tin menCameron Crowe’s Say something…the Coen brothers Barton Finko and The Hudsucker proxyand In the line of fire. On television, Mahoney appeared in series including: Cheers, 3rd Rock for the Sun, ERand Hot in Cleveland. He died on February 4, 2018 at the age of 77.
The return of Dr. Frasier Crane
The audience was introduced to Dr. Frasier Crane during the third season of cheers, when he played a love interest of Diane Chambers (Shelley Long). He remained on the hit series through its eleventh and final season. Frasier then his titular character followed when he moved from Boston to Seattle, where he worked as a radio psychiatrist, after his divorce. The critically acclaimed series also starred David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin. During the successful series from 1993 to 2004, the series earned 37 Emmy Awards, including five for Outstanding Comedy Series.
The upcoming 10-episode revival will air on Paramount+. It was written by Chris Harris (How I met your mother) and Joe Crystalli (Life in pieces), the two will also serve as executive producers alongside Grammer, Tom Russo and Jordan McMahon. Other cast details remain unknown, but there is speculation that the show’s remaining original cast will make guest appearances.
About the upcoming series, Grammer added:
“Frasier, in his third or fourth act, is not a reboot, but a new show around the character in a new set of circumstances and a new city.”
Grammers hopes for the upcoming revival, as he called his years portraying Frasier a “probable joy.”