The Frasier reboot may be announced in the next month or two. Starring Kelsey Grammar as the titular character Frasier Crane, the Cheers spinoff ran for 11 well-received seasons in NBC from 1993 to 2004. The show also starred John Mahoney as Martin Crane, Jane Leeves as Daphne Moon, David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane, and Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle.
Originally debuting as Diane’s (Shelley Long) new psychiatrist boyfriend following her split with Sam (Ted Danson), Frasier became a recurring member of Cheers‘ ensemble cast. But with fans loving his eccentricities, he eventually become a series regular on the sitcom even after Long left the show in season 5, joining nightly patrons such as Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger) in the eponymous Boston bar. When the show wrapped up in 1993, NBC launched the offshoot the same year. It saw Frasier moving back to Seattle to reconnect with his family and become the host of a radio show. The network already ruled out the possibility of Frasier coming back in 2017, but last year, Grammer was reportedly actively working behind-the-scenes for the show’s revival. And in the age of reboots and sequels, it seems like it won’t take that long for the show to return on the small screen.
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Speaking with PEOPLE, Grammer offered fans an update with regard to the Frasier reboot that is being developed saying that an official announcement might happen in the next couple of months. According to the veteran actor, he’s been talking with a couple of writers but he’s also waiting for some people’s pitch to decide on the arc that they are going for in the revival. Grammer didn’t get into narrative specifics but he teases that Frasier’s son with Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth), Frederick (Trevor Einhorn) will have to factor in the new narrative. Although for those hoping that he’d take more of his father, Grammer believes that would’ve become more of his grandfather, Martin instead.
In a separate interview with the Independent, Grammer further talked about the planned reboot, sharing that as opposed to just continuing where things were left off when Frasier went off the air 15 years ago, they’re actively looking for a “third act.” He also shared that the show will have to come up with the explanation for Martin’s absence following Mahoney’s death last year.
“We have been talking with several teams of writers, a couple of guys from the old show, a couple of new writers, and the take I’m looking for is just that he has a third act rather than trying to pick up where the second act left off.
We have to button up a few things, tie up a few loose ends, having to do with the fact John (Mahoney) is gone, who played my father Martin, but there are a couple of really interesting areas and it’s a little premature to discuss them yet, but when somebody signs a cheque we might be talking a little more specifically.”
Based on Grammer’s comments, it seems like the upcoming project will be more of a revival instead of a reboot since he is expected to reprise the role. What’s curious to know is whether or not it will still be titled Frasier considering that he’s open to establishing a brand new narrative instead of simply following up on where the Cheers spinoff ended. In hindsight, this may not be such a bad idea especially since the character has gone through tremendous changes in his life transitioning from his life in Boston as a psychiatrist to a radio advice host in Seattle. And yet, it’s always felt that viewers are watching the same person.
