Kelsey Grammer Reprises Role as Effete Psychiatrist in Reboot of ‘Frasier’

The “Frasier” reboot, streaming on Paramount+, finds the titular character, Kelsey Grammer, at Boston to visit his son Frederick (Jack Cutmore-Scott), who didn’t follow his father into a career in psychiatry but instead chose to become a firefighter. Already from this setup, one can sense the familiar tension between blue-collar careers and more intellectual labor, redolent of the contrast between Frasier and his father in the original show. Other similarities manifest in how, late in the premiere episode, Frasier proposes that his son live with him, thereby ensuring the update mirrors the dynamic of a father-son living arrangement. And a similar “Odd Couple”-esque concept.The original “Frasier” ran on NBC for 11 seasons, between 1993 and 2004. An offshoot of another long-running show, “Cheers,” the comedy tracked the foibles and follies of Dr. Frasier Crane, a Seattle radio psychiatrist, his brother Niles, also a psychiatrist, his father Martin, a retired police officer, and Daphne Moon, the father’s physical therapist and live-in caregiver, among others. As in many classic sitcoms, the show’s success hinged on its main characters’ lovable limitations and the maximizing of the physical and technical conventions of the form. Much mirth was also milked from the interplay between the Crane brothers’ elitism and the other characters’ more philistine, proletarian pursuits.Besides Frederick (“Freddy”), who occasionally made an appearance in the original as a young boy, the only other character — as of yet — to return is David, Niles’s son, born in the series finale. Freddy and David aside, one of the many joys of the first “Frasier” was that kids and child-rearing did not feature prominently. The sophisticated show was no “Full House.” Not so with the new version since a baby is key to an ongoing plotline, complete with a “Baby Shark” gag.Additional differences involve a coarser tone at times and a clunky scene setting. Frasier the character makes two jokes in the second episode — one involving “Sophie’s Choice” — that are rather crass not to mention out of character. And the initial episode unfolds a multiple-character set piece so indiscriminately strained, it’s practically baby food compared with the carefully plotted, clear consommé of the original. That’s not to say the first “Frasier” was above the occasional easy punchline or clumsy scenario. In general, though, “Frasier” kept its level of writing and story building very high, as evidenced by its 37 Emmy Awards over the years. A tough act to follow — as Frasier acknowledges of his deceased father in the premiere episode — it’s unlikely this new “Frasier” will garner as many honors, though there are pleasures to be had in its latest incarnation. Chief among them is Nicholas Lyndhurst as Alan Cornwall, Frasier’s old Oxford chum and fellow psychiatrist. In the first episode, Frasier accepts a position at Harvard where Alan is already a professor, and Mr. Lyndhurst delivers his quips about teaching and American idiosyncrasies as only a Brit can. On a related American-British tack, it struck me as I watched the new episodes — and a few older ones — that the character of Frasier carries with him a Henry Jamesian air of uber-refinement and snobbery. Much like the genteel author, Frasier chafes against his son’s more down-to-earth, unpretentious ways. As fine as Mr. Grammer is in the reboot — and he is very good — one wishes that David Hyde Pierce had also returned as Niles to take the affectation and condescension to its requisite heights of exaggerated brilliance. Instead, the viewer gets Anders Keith as Nile’s son, now a college freshman, who’s basically a stand-in for his father’s character, given he displays the same kind of bumbling, effete manner. The new season’s other characters include Olivia (Toks Olagundoye), the head of Harvard’s psychology department, and Eve (Jess Salgueiro), Freddy’s roommate. Unfortunately, both actresses’ comedic skills are lacking, as are Mr. Cutmore-Scott’s and Mr. Keith’s, though some of the blame could be assigned to the uneven dialogue crafted by the show’s new writers. The direction by James Burrows, who guided many episodes of the original, effectively employs physical comedy to heighten the hilarity of the first two episodes, yet one can’t help but feel that something or someone is missing. Promotional pieces have touted that later in the season Bebe Neuwirth and Peri Gilpin will come back to reprise their respective roles as Lilith, Frasier’s ex-wife (and Freddy’s mother), and Roz, Frasier’s former coworker. Here’s hoping the two veteran actresses bring more zip and zing to a show that could use not only a session with a script doctor but a healthy dose of personality as well.

Kelsey Grammer Reprises Role as Effete Psychiatrist in Reboot of ‘Frasier’

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