Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier returns to Boston for the upcoming revival, and he has a very personal reason for doing so. When Frasier was introduced during the third season of Cheers, few could have predicted the character would become a comedy icon. Between Cheers and Frasier, Grammer played the role for 20 years straight, a feat that had only been previously matched by James Arness in Western series Gunsmoke. Part of what made Frasier work was the way it distanced itself from Cheers, both tonally and in terms of distance with the character’s move to Seattle.
This gave the spinoff its own tone and dynamic. As time went on, various Cheers cast members flew in for guest appearances, but the series very much remained its own thing. Paramount +’s upcoming Frasier reboot is taking the character back to Boston and arguably has an even greater challenge than the original show did. Grammer is the only cast member returning in a prominent way, while co-stars such as David Hyde Pierce declined to return. While it might lean on nostalgia for both Cheers and Frasier, the reboot will need to quickly become its own show if it is to survive.
Frasier Moves Back To Boston To Be With His Son
In the same way Frasier’s move to Seattle to form a connection with his estranged father Marty (John Mahoney) was the emotional core of the original series, the revival is taking a similar approach. As explained in an EW article, the recent death of Marty in the reboot’s first episode is what inspires Frasier to move back to Boston so he can reconnect with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), as they rarely see each other.
According to director James Burrows, “There’s a lot of Martin in Freddy,” with Frasier’s son having become a firefighter in the years between shows. Just like Martin in the original show’s first season, Freddy is said to be reluctant to repair his relationship with Frasier, which should make for an intriguing flip now the good doctor is struggling to bond with his own son. The aforementioned article also reveals that his days as a radio psychiatrist are done, but that he might land a teaching job in Harvard’s psych department.
Why Frasier Returning To Boston Is Good For The Reboot
Now the premise behind the Frasier revival has been revealed, it’s clear it won’t just be retreading the past. Dr. Crane might be heading back to familiar ground, but in the show’s timeline, he moved away 30 years ago. The city will have undergone major changes in that time, which will likely add to a sense of isolation for the titular character when he moves back. This mix of the old with the new sounds like it will carry over to the main characters, with the Frasier/Freddy relationship being a fresh spin on the Frasier/Marty one.
In a sense, it also brings the character back to his roots too. The revival is meant to act as something of a third or fourth act for Frasier, and though he’s said to be a little looser and easygoing when compared to the previous series, he’ll no doubt have many of the same hang-ups. Going back to Boston brings Frasier Crane full circle in many ways, and in addition to reconnecting with Freddy, one of the few returning cast members will be Bebe Neuwirth as Frasier’s ex-wife Lilith.
Given how tangled their relationship has been in the past, Lilith’s return is sure to play a key role in at least a couple of episodes of the new show. There could even be a romantic element to it, but as Frasier itself proved, the two are ultimately much better as friends than lovers.
Will Frasier Visit Cheers In His Reboot Show?
One of the first major questions fans had about the reboot was the question of whether Frasier would return to Cheers itself. The Sam Malone (Ted Danson) owned bar was Frasier’s regular hangout spot for close to a decade, so if he’s back in the city, it makes all the sense in the world for him to stop in at a place where everybody knows his name. If Cheers is set to make an appearance that would understandably be a big event for the revival, so the cast and crew are keeping mum on the topic for now.
In a May 2023 chat with This Morning, Grammer hinted “We might see some of them…” when asked if any Cheers characters would appear in the new Frasier. While the showrunners might be coy about it, in truth, viewers would be seriously disappointed if Cheers doesn’t make a comeback in at least one episode. It would offer a golden opportunity to get most of the cast back together, and it could be great to see what Sam, Diana (Shelly Long), Norm (George Wendt) et al have been up to. Audiences will just have to tune in to the revival when it arrives in October 2023 to see what happens.
