Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Frasier reboot pilot.
Frasier Crane doesn’t revisit the Cheers bar in the Frasier reboot and there’s an acceptable reason why. After 19 years, Kelsey Grammer has slipped back into the world of the beloved snooty therapist. However, he finds himself not in Seattle or Chicago, but back in Boston — his old stomping grounds during his days in Cheers. Ever since it was confirmed that the Frasier reboot will take place in Beantown, there have been speculations about him coming back to Sam Malone’s bar.
Speaking with TV Line, executive producer Joe Cristalli explains why Frasier doesn’t return to Cheers — at least in the first season of the new show. Instead, the Frasier reboot on Paramount+ introduces a brand new hang-out place — Mahoney’s, which is a tribute to Martin Crane actor, John Mahoney. Read his full quote below:
“There might be a reason why Frasier the character is holding back a little bit from going back there… [He] does not necessarily see it as the best time of his life. He had a lot of failures in romance, he had a lot of professional setbacks, he spent a lot of time at a bar. So he might have some hesitation at revisiting.”
Why Frasier Never Really Fit In At Cheers
A belated addition to NBC’s Cheers, Frasier’s introduction was tied to his relationship with Diane Chambers. After Shelley Long departed the show, Grammer stayed behind and became a series regular until the series ended in 1993. He then went on to spearhead his own spin-off. Being in Cheers for eight seasons allowed Frasier to mingle with people different from himself and Diane. Despite the many nights he spent in the pub, however, the truth of the matter is that he never fully fit in.
Frasier remained out of place until the very end — something that Cheers alluded to several times by making him the butt of their jokes. The bar was laughing at him, not with him. This was mostly the case with Diane, and when she left, Frasier functioned as her replacement as the fish out of water element of the series. When he returned to Seattle, he went back to his more natural ways, opting to drink wine rather than beer, and choosing to dine in exclusive restaurants rather than hang out at pubs, which was more of Martin’s preference. It’s almost as if Frasier molded himself to be more like the people at Cheers.
Now older and possibly wiser, Frasier embraces his true self by hanging out with people who have the same point of view. In any case, it’s also uncertain what the status of the Cheers bar is in the Frasier reboot. After a couple of decades, it’s possible that it has already closed its doors. Otherwise, Sam may have already let the establishment go, which means that it’s under new management, decreasing Frasier’s appeal to visit it.
