The Unkillable Frasier Crane

Frasier Reboot Season 2 Episodes 1-5

Well, well, well, despite my best efforts, the Frasier reboot has returned for a second season. Trying to understand the logic behind the economics and renewal decisions of the streaming era is a fool’s errand, but I cannot imagine what the upside is here. The streaming services have all turned out to be bottomless money pits and every production is nothing but another expense that won’t generate a return. 

But more to the point, did anyone besides me watch the first season of this? Were the viewership numbers there to justify a second season? I just can’t imagine it. The target demo for more Frasier has to be approximately 70 years old and you expect them to sign up for another website that isn’t Netflix? If you or anyone you know watched even a single episode, please chime in in the comments.

In any case, here we are. Before we jump into the individual episodes, a few general thoughts. So far Season Two is much better than the first. In particular, Jack Cutmore-Scott, who plays Freddy, seems much more comfortable in the role. It helps that his character is more chill, more prone to roll his eyes at his father instead of biting his head off. Anders Keith’s role as David has been significantly reduced; this is for the best, as the character is just too one-note to sustain the amount of screentime he was given in Season One. 

Rebooting Frasier throws into relief what a difficult task any television revival is and asks us to consider what we want from them. On the one hand, the answer is obvious: one of my most strongly held positions is that people want sitcoms. They want to check in with their friends each week and laugh along while they cook dinner. But on the other hand, the original Frasier is probably the greatest sitcom ever made. Its level of excellence obscures the level of difficulty in writing jokes that funny, characters that charming, farcical situations you don’t roll your eyes at, and in shifting into somber emotional territory without inducing tonal whiplash. Particularly in that last case, whenever this reboot goes for the feelings I find myself grumbling just stick to the jokes. This reaction makes me grumpy with myself because I want to want a show that toggles between emotional registers and has aspirations be more than a joke delivery machine. What am I getting at here? That I wish this show were better I guess. It’s fun to eviscerate it but ultimately I am pro-Frasier and take no pleasure in reporting its badness. 

Anyway, here’s your reminder on who these characters are. And a reminder that my letter grades are based on the standard this reboot has set itself, not the standard of Original Frasier. For a rough comparison, an A of the reboot correlates to a midseason episode of Frasier Classic that you liked but would never think of specifically. A D-grade reboot episode never would have made it to air in the 90s. 

• Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer): Frasier first appeared in the Season 3 premiere of Cheers, which aired in 1984. Grammer has been playing this character for forty years. 

• Frederick Crane (Jack Cutmore-Scott): Frasier’s son appears to have been possessed by the ghost of his father Martin. This guy just loves beer, baseball, and busting Frasier’s balls.  

• David Crane (Anders Keith): I can’t explain it but I feel like Niles would send his son to, like, Brown rather than Harvard.

• Eve (Jess Salgueiro): Widow of Freddy’s firefighter colleague. Aspiring actress, has a baby, works at the bar, seems to have unlimited free childcare. Salgueiro is the most high-energy and charming performer in the ensemble but she’s terribly underserved by the writers. 

• Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst): Fellow Harvard psych professor, supposedly a lifelong close friend of Frasier’s. His whole bit is not caring about anything, aka comedy poison.

• Olivia Finch (Toks Olagundoye): Congrats to the psych department head, who exclusively makes literary references instead of anything pertaining to psychology, on being awarded the dignity of a last name by the writers.  

Episode 1: “Ham”

Synopsis: Frasier and Alan are awaiting the arrival of a jamon Iberico they’ve gone halvsies on importing when Frasier learns that, years earlier, when Freddy was struggling at ~Harvard~, Alan advised him to drop out. Frasier is furious and becomes doubly so when it turns out Alan dispenses all his advice via Magic 8-Ball, meaning that Freddy dropped out of college to become a firefighter due to the random shake of a child’s toy. In the B-plot, Eve and David grapple with the ham delivery; David does some low-effort slapstick, first dropping it on a cake and coating it in frosting then getting it stuck vertically in the sink’s garbage disposal. 

Thoughts: This is a classic “for anyone just joining us” second season premiere. Its main purpose is to reiterate the core character dynamics for anyone who’s forgotten or is just tuning in. So the main plot has two threads: 1) Frasier is eternally disappointed in Freddy for dropping out of ~Harvard~ while Freddy resents his father’s inability to get over it and respect firefighting and 2) Alan is a minimum-effort misanthrope and totally, absolutely an old friend of Frasier’s, so stop asking why we’ve never heard of him before!

There’s nothing wrong with restating the basics but I don’t understand why it feels so laborious. This reboot continues to struggle with the simple mechanics of dispensing information and advancing the story. Every scene feels baggy, with line after line of dialogue needed to arrive at each small bit of new information. Apparently we need three different characters to recount the time Alan gave them advice before we can realize he’s phoning it in, then Frasier has to yell at him, then Frasier has to find the 8-Ball, and so on. I think the problem is basing the plot in something that happened in the past that they have to talk their way through in detail. Not be all “show don’t tell” but this is an episode of a sitcom where there isn’t really a “situation” in which “comedy” can take place, because the real situation happened fifteen years earlier. And then Frasier and Alan reconcile at the end by telling the story of a comic misadventure they had in Spain as young men where they first encountered jamon Iberico. I’m just looking at two old men sitting on a couch! This is a visual medium!!

Literary References: None!

Joke of the Week: Frasier is brooding over Alan’s betrayal. Freddy: “Oh no it’s worse than I thought, you’re listening to jazz.” Frasier: “Obviously there are no rules in friendship, why should there be rules in music?” 

Extremely Weird: Remember how Eve is a character in this show because she was married to one of Freddy’s firehouse buddies but he tragically died in a fire while she was pregnant? And then she brings up that extremely depressing fact in almost every episode of season one? Anyway, in this episode there’s a scene where Freddy is talking to some schoolchildren who are visiting the firehouse and he ends up telling them that he quit ~Harvard~ to become a firefighter. All the kids precociously tell him what a huge dumbass fuckup thing that was to do—hilarious!—and then one of the kids says why would you be a firefighter, it’s so dangerous, my grandpa died in a fire. Why is this show so obsessed with burning alive???

Grade: C

Episode 2 : “Cyrano, Cyrano”

Synopsis: It’s Valentines Day and Frasier loves love! After Frasier grouses that Kids These Days are too romantically passive and willing to give up on a potential relationship over any little thing, firefighter Moose, who hooked up with Olivia in the first season finale, asks him for help with their relationship, which it looks like Olivia is about to end. Frasier helps him compose a better text message inviting her to dinner but then Olivia calls, asking him for help as well. He goes to her office, Moose’s phone in hand, and ends up writing both sides of the conversation. Then both of them ask him to come lurk in the restaurant and feed them lines during dinner, completing the Cyrano reference. In the B-plot, Alan thinks he’s getting fired. In the C-plot, Freddy picks up a shift at the bar with Eve. 

Thoughts: I… liked this? Usual pacing problems aside (the Cyrano shenanigans don’t start until minute 12), once the action gets rolling it’s really pretty funny. I’m reminded of something original Frasier writer Joe Keenan said in the wonderful oral history of the ski lodge episode: 

This kind of farce is a joy to write. Once the plot is worked out, writing the dialogue is very, very easy. If Frasier and Niles walk into a room, and there’s nothing going on, and they have to say something funny, that’s harder than anything. The audience isn’t involved, they’re just saying, “Okay, show us.” Once you get a very funny situation barreling along, and escalating, you don’t need people to say witty or funny things, they just say exactly what’s on their mind, and what’s on their mind is funny because the situation is funny.

Now, to be clear, “Cyrano, Cyrano” is not “The Ski Lodge.” But the final scene in the restaurant, with Frasier darting back and forth behind a big fern trying to feed lines to Olivia and Moose in turn, has this exact quality. The jokes are not surprising, so to speak, but rather flow from the situation naturally. Moose asks Olivia something about basketball; Frasier pauses, stricken, then spits, “Change the subject!” It’s not whiz-bang clever, but in the moment it totally works. 

Freddy covering a shift at Mahoney’s is a small part of the episode but Cutmore-Scott gets a couple nice moments, like one where he addresses his dad while cycling through different bartender personas including one that’s Irish. Cutmore-Scott is English and to his credit does a really good American accent. It’s always funny to make a Brit play American and then make them do a fake English or Irish accent on top of it (see also McNulty undercover in The Wire). Alan’s plotline also features a sitcom failsafe: a character acting the opposite of how they normally do. In this case it’s him giving teaching one last hurrah before getting canned—lecturing his students and trying to inspire them Dead Poets Society-style. The scene ends when it feels like it’s just getting started but that’s for the best. Whatever that thing is that makes a performer funny, Lyndhurst just doesn’t have it. 

Literary References: Frasier asks Olivia to return his book of Robert Burns poetry because he “needs to be prepared for his date.” During the texting exchange Frasier has Moose go on a run of quotes from Twelfth Night, which is fun because that play has an Olivia in it. Talking to the restaurant bartender (randomly played by Patricia Heaton) about how he’s a hopeless romantic: “I’m a bit of a Rudolpho, La Boheme.” “Let’s just hope you find a Mimi with a better immune system.” 

Hack Joke of the Week: Frasier: “Alan, I think Olivia is on the verge of letting you go.” Alan: “But teaching is everything to me.” [Student bursts in]: “I’m looking for Professor Cornwall.” Alan: “Wrong building.” [sips scotch]

Remember When?: The restaurant Frasier has booked for Valentines Day is called Les Charles, pronounced Frenchly. Where have I seen that name before?

Grade: A-

Episode 3: “All About Eve”

Synopsis: Roz is in town again and decides that Eve needs a night off from childcare. Frasier, Freddy, and [sigh] Alan will stay home with Baby John while Roz and Olivia try to bully Eve into getting drunk and getting laid. The boys quickly realize that women will fawn over them for having a baby with them so they decide to go to a gallery opening with John, keeping him up past his bedtime to try to pick up chicks (not cool, guys!!!). Meanwhile Eve doesn’t want to be the wild party girl Roz and Olivia are pushing her to be. 

Thoughts: Man, this episode is inert. If you want to see what it looks like when performers cannot establish *any* chemistry or rhythm, look no further. The scenes with the men are pretty dull but the women’s plotline is dire. It bears repeating that this reboot is helmed by the team behind How I Met Your Mother, which is one of the most misogynistic shows ever made. It’s really striking here how much more poorly the women here are written than the men, which shows doubly in a scene where women need to talk to other women. The dialogue is so stilted and the three characters are in entirely different mental universes, the writers unable to imagine a woman not being either a) a pushy nag (Roz), b) a buzzkill complainer (Eve), or c) crazy (Olivia).¹ None of the actresses look like they’re having any fun and the amount of dead air between lines contributes to the feeling that everyone involved is just waiting for it to be over. 

In both plotlines, the characters start at Frasier’s house, then move to a second location, then move to a third location. All of these venue changes are explained and discussed ad nauseam; it’s so much wasted time telling the audience about what these places are and why they want to go there that just never pays off in any way. This weird focus on planning and explaining every location change is a persistent problem.  

Literary References: Olivia: “Okay, honest thoughts about 17th century poet Anne Bradstreet.” Eve: “Who?” Olivia: “Exactly! Ooh we’re so bad!” 

Hack Joke of the Week: Frasier: [scoffing] “You think we would trade John for a few bottles of White Zinfandel? [realizing mistake, flailing] Or any wine??” 

Grade: D

Episode 4: “The Dedication”

Synopsis: After attending a dedication ceremony at the firehouse commemorating the first anniversary of the death of Eve’s husband Adam, Frasier spots Freddy chatting with the fire department therapist Dr. Stathos (guest star Amy Sedaris!!). Apparently Freddy has been receiving counseling from her and Frasier wants to know what about. She rebuffs his questions on ethical grounds so Frasier ends up stealing Freddy’s patient file. Alan is horrified and is uncharacteristically righteous about what a grave offense Frasier has committed, refusing to let him read it and then helping him return it on the sly. In the B-plot, Freddy helps Eve go through a remaining box of Adam’s things and throw out the junk. 

Thoughts: This is a solid meat and potatoes sitcom episode elevated by a great guest star. I assume Sedaris’ character was written with her in mind because she’s in her element, delivering her signature blend of extremely chipper yet unsettling energy. When Frasier has to distract her while Alan returns Freddy’s file, he suggests an impromptu counseling session that plays more like a psychic reading, asking her to close her eyes and recite her earliest memories. It’s a scenario that no one would go along with in real life but Sedaris’ overwhelming enthusiasm goes a long way toward making it plausibly believable. I really appreciated Alan playing against type in this episode—giving him a moral commitment does a lot to give some dimension to his character. I also appreciated that Frasier never finds out what Freddy needs counseling about. I was dreading another weepy monologue where he states his feelings in the bluntest terms but the writers spared me. Frasier just tells Freddy he’s around if he ever wants to talk and Freddy says thanks and that’s that. Hooray for restraint!

Literary References: Freddy’s dress uniform makes him “feel like [he’s] in the chorus of HMS Pinafore.” Frasier brought a first-edition Keats² to the dedication because he’s the master of “transmogrifying sorrow into beauty.” 

Parent Merch Corner: Last season I noted that Eve owned the same stroller as I do. In this episode we see she also owns the same set of rings and diaper pail. Fascinating I know!

Grade: B+

Episode 5: “The Squash Courtship of Freddy’s Father”

Synopsis: After he and Freddy decide to play squash together to build a common interest, Frasier goes to the opera with his agent Bebe Glazer (Harriet Sansom Harris) and her daughter Phoebe (Rachel Bloom), whose tastes and interests seem to align perfectly with his own. After Bebe alludes to the time they slept together “back in ’95,” and Phoebe mentions she was born in 1995, Frasier becomes convinced that Phoebe is his daughter. It looks like it’s true until Phoebe asks if they can spend more time together—after all she doesn’t live far away, she’s just in Bushwick (which is in NYC not Boston? Whatever!), exactly where Bebe mentioned Frasier could shoot a reboot of his talk show. Frasier sees through the ruse; Phoebe isn’t his daughter but wants to be his junior agent representing his memoir. Frasier agrees and leaves, at which point Bebe and Phoebe (now speaking in her mother’s Mid-Atlantic drawl) toast and laugh to a plan executed to perfection.

Thoughts: Bebe is a baller, a true queen, and one of my favorite recurring characters of Original Frasier but not one I expected to see return. Rachel Bloom fits into the sitcom rhythms naturally and her theater kid energy makes her convincing both as Bebe’s daughter and potentially Frasier’s. This is a really good episode! It makes me happy that, after a first scene that gives the rest of the cast something to do, the writers give the story over entirely to Grammer and the guest stars. It used to make me crazy that, for instance, every episode of Modern Family insisted on giving a plotline to every one of its 58 cast members, which served none of them well. It feels like a real throwback in a good way to watch an episode where the guest stars really are the stars. I also want to shout out the credited writer, Sasha Stroman, for a script with a lot of jokes I actually laughed at and that maintained a much lighter and subtler touch than is the norm. Best episode of the reboot so far.

Literary References: The only thing Eve has read recently is The Very Hungry Caterpillar so Frasier’s memoir is giving her a lot of Very Hungry Caterpillar vibes. Frasier misinterprets her bug-related comment as meaning she thinks it’s like “The Metamorphosis.” He’s thrilled, saying he had hoped for Dickensian but Kafkaesque is even better. Uhhh what? You want your life story to read like Kafka? Also there was a Kafka joke in Season One—read a second book guys??

Phoebe: “God I hate Phantom [of the Opera].” Frasier: “So do I but I suppose the tourists have to watch something.” 

Phoebe is (supposedly) reading the complete works of Marivaux.

Joke of the Week: Frasier: “So what did you think of my memoir?” Bebe: “Love it, love it, love it, can’t wait to read it.” 

Grade: A

1. We’re done with the Virgin/Whore dichotomy. All women are now either Your Mom, Your Wife, or Your Ex now

2. Obligatory link to when The Boy Next Door gave JLo a first edition Iliad