Despite the show being named after Kelsey Grammer’s radio psychologist, Martin Crane was the real main character of Frasier. First introduced in a small recurring role on Cheers, Frasier Crane was a hit, and not only secured a regular role on the show, but also a wildly successful spin-off that ran for 11 seasons. Frasier was in many ways more successful than Cheers, and even almost two decades after the show’s original run, it remains popular and culturally relevant, thanks in no small part to Martin Crane’s often underappreciated significance.
Frasier‘s premise is very different from that of Cheers: Frasier’s father, Martin – a retired policeman who was injured in the line of duty – moves in with him in the pilot, and promptly hires physical therapist Daphne Moon. Frasier’s brother Niles soon becomes infatuated with Daphne, and the relationship between the two came to serve as one of the show’s central premises. The dynamic between Frasier‘s core cast of characters is what secured the show’s lasting popularity, but one character stands out as more important than the rest: Martin Crane.
The show might be named after his oldest son, but Martin is Frasier‘s real main character. Not only does he form a key part of the show’s premise, but John Mahoney’s Martin was the reason that its characters came together at all. So many of the show’s stories revolve around Martin, and even those that don’t wouldn’t have happened without him, making him Frasier‘s most important character.
Of course, Frasier and Niles shared a close relationship as brothers even before Martin moved in with his oldest son. However, they were brought closer after Martin hired Daphne, as Niles suddenly began involving himself more heavily in Frasier’s life in order to get closer to his future wife. Martin chose Daphne specifically as his physical therapist in order to irritate Frasier, meaning that she’d never have been present without Martin’s injury or subsequent taunting of his uptight eldest child.
However, Martin’s importance runs even deeper. Martin’s differences from Frasier and Niles are perhaps the biggest part of the show’s central premise, and the exploration of their strained but ultimately loving relationship is key to Frasier‘s appeal. However, unlike his sons or his eccentric physical therapist, Martin is thoroughly relatable as the show’s everyman. This makes him even more crucial to Frasier, as he serves a similar role to the one Ted Danson played on Cheers – and as much as Frasier was an important part of that show, he certainly wasn’t the lead. In fact, Frasier’s snobbish attitude and pigheadedness often result in his mistreatment of other people – something for which Martin is usually on hand to show him the error of his ways.
In his main role in all 11 seasons of Frasier, John Mahoney brought the character of Martin Crane to life in a way that arguably made him the most important part of the show’s ensemble. After the actor’s passing in 2018, Martin will obviously not be a part of the upcoming Frasier reboot, and his absence will be a significant barrier to the new series capturing the success of the original. Still, in his time on the show, Mahoney made Martin Crane Frasier‘s most important (and relatable) character.
