Frasier

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Frasier

Frasier title screen
Genre Sitcom
Created by David Angell
Peter Casey
David Lee
Starring Kelsey Grammer
David Hyde Pierce
John Mahoney
Jane Leeves
Peri Gilpin
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 11
No. of episodes 265 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 24 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
Audio format Stereo
Original run September 16, 1993 – May 13, 2004
Chronology
Preceded by Cheers (1982–1993)
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary
Common rating
Australia PG (some episodes), G
Great Britain PG (some are 12)
United States TV-PG (some are TV-G)

Frasier is an American situation comedy starring Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane. A spinoff of Cheers, Frasier was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin rounded out the regular cast.

A critically acclaimed series, Frasier won a record 39 Emmy Awards during its run. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub Street Productions) in association with Paramount Television. Frasier has been considered one of the most successful spinoff series in television history.

Contents

[edit] Premise

Psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane (Grammer) returns to his hometown of Seattle, Washington, following the break-up of his marriage and his life in Boston (which was covered in the series Cheers). His plans for his new life as a bachelor are complicated when he is obliged to take in his father, ex-police officer Martin Crane (Mahoney), who had to retire and is unable to live by himself owing to an injury caused by being shot in the line of duty. Frasier and Martin are joined by Daphne Moon (Leeves), Martin's eccentric, British, live-in physical therapist and caretaker, and Martin's dog Eddie (Moose). A frequent visitor to their apartment is Frasier's younger brother Niles (Pierce), a fellow psychiatrist who, like Frasier, is pompous, snobbish, and overly intellectual.

Frasier hosts a popular radio talk show on KACL 780AM (named to honor the show's creators, Angell, Casey, and Lee). His producer is Roz Doyle (Gilpin), a woman with an active romantic life who, while decidedly different from Frasier in taste and temperament, nevertheless becomes a very close friend over the course of the series.

[edit] Plot themes

Numerous running jokes and themes are developed throughout the series. Chief amongst them is the class and familial conflicts between Frasier, Niles, and Martin; the two sons, who possess fine tastes, intellectual interests and rather high opinions of themselves, frequently clash with their more blue-collar, down-to-earth father, and a running theme in the early seasons in particular is Frasier and Martin's difficulty in reaching an accommodation with each other and in sharing an apartment. Despite being incredibly similar in personality, interests and sensibilities, the relationship between Frasier and Niles is no less turbulent; victims of intense sibling rivalry, their jealousy of each other and petty attempts at one-upmanship (which frequently result in chaos) drive many of the plots. Other developing storylines include Niles' growing love for Daphne (of which she remains unaware in the early seasons, despite its increasingly obvious nature) and the breakdown of his marriage to the never-seen Maris, Frasier's search for love in his own life, and the various attempts of the two brothers to be accepted into Seattle's cultural elite.

[edit] Cast

The main cast of Frasier (from left to right) David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, John Mahoney, and Moose
The main cast of Frasier (from left to right) David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, John Mahoney, and Moose

Regulars:

  • Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane. Grammer sang the song heard during the closing credits, "Tossed salad and scrambled eggs", by Bruce Miller and Daryl Phinessee. In the episode "Are You Being Served" it is revealed that Frasier and his brother Niles were named after two lab rats their mother was using in an experiment.
  • David Hyde Pierce as Dr. Niles Crane. In Season's 2's "The Show Where Sam Shows Up", one of the first things Sam Malone says when he first meets Niles is how he looks exactly like Frasier did when he first knew him back in Boston. In his previous series, The Powers That Be, Hyde Pierce played a very similar character, a stuffy milquetoast with a mad passion for the maid. The second choice for the role of Niles was Peter MacNicol.
  • John Mahoney as Martin Crane. In a final-season interview, Mahoney said the first offer he received to play Martin Crane consisted of a phone call from Grammer in which he asked, "Will you be my Dad?"
  • Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle (named in honor of a producer of Wings, which shares show creators with Frasier). Lisa Kudrow was originally cast as Roz, but was replaced before production began.
  • "Moose" and Moose's son "Enzo" as Eddie the dog. Eddie received more fan mail than any other cast member in Frasier.

Recurring guest stars:

See also Minor characters on Frasier.

[edit] Records

  • Grammer played Frasier for 20 years, tying the James Arness portrayal of Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke in terms of character longevity in primetime American television. The record for all of television is held by Helen Wagner, for her portrayal of matriarch Nancy Hughes on the soap opera As the World Turns. Ms. Wagner has been playing the role since the show's first episode in 1956.
  • Grammer was briefly the highest-paid television star in history, reaching a salary of $1.6 million per episode for the last two seasons; his record was surpassed by Ray Romano within a year.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Emmy Awards

Grammer has been Emmy-nominated for playing the same character on three different shows: Cheers, Frasier and a guest appearance on Wings. 2003 was the first year that Grammer didn't receive an Emmy nomination for this series. David Hyde Pierce's streak remains unbroken.

[edit] Critical reaction

In a retrospective review in The Radio Times Guide to Television Comedy, Mark Lewisohn called the show a "comedy masterpiece", noting the following (although the first bullet point is correct for the quote, more locations were eventually included in the show such as Niles Crane's apartment):[1]

  • From just three studio-bound locations - Frasier's fine apartment 1901 in Elliott Bay Towers, with its panoramic view of Seattle; the KACL studio; and the perfectly named Café Nervosa, where Frasier, Niles and the others meet for coffee - truly great comedy was wrought.In the commentary, the art director of the show mentions that no one could really be that close to the space needle to have the view from Frasier's apartment. The picture from the view had to be taken from a mountain.
  • [T]he producers remained determined to keep Frasier adult and sophisticated: the scripts were literate, the plots tight and the one-liners extremely funny and incisive. The writers were never afraid to use classical references in the lines or make jokes about subjects that many of the viewers wouldn't have experienced.

Frasier was voted by sitcom writers, producers and actors as the greatest sitcom of all time in the Channel 4 show The Ultimate Sitcom, broadcast on 2 January 2006.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Frasier episodes

The season 4 episode "Head Game" only featured Frasier for the first few minutes, with the rest of the episode centered around Niles. This role was written for Frasier, but Grammer was being treated for his addiction problems, so it was re-written for Niles instead. This is also the reason why Niles fills in for Frasier on his radio show, because the show is integral to the plot.

During season 8, Jane Leeves's pregnancy was disguised by a storyline involving a severe over-eating disorder; later, her pregnancy leave was accounted for by having Daphne go to a health spa to cope with her weight problem. Daphne lost 9 lbs 12 oz at the spa, an inside joke referencing her daughter Isabella's birth weight.

[edit] Production

The show is set in Seattle, Washington, but only one episode, "The 1000th Show", was filmed there.[2] The remainder was filmed on Stage 25, Paramount Studios, and at various locations in and around Los Angeles.

No building or apartment in the city really has the view from Frasier's residence. It was created so that the Space Needle would appear more prominently. According to the season 1 DVD bonus features, the photograph which was used on the set was taken from atop a cliff, possibly the ledge at Kerry Park, a frequent photography location. Only once was there an exterior shot facing Frasier's apartment building, in Season 4 episode "The Impossible Dream".

The radio station callers' lines were spoken by anonymous voice-over actors while filming the show in front of a live audience. This gave the cast something to react to. During post-production, the lines were replaced by celebrities, who literally phoned in their parts without having to come into the studio. The end credits of season finales would show headshots of all the celebrities who had "called in" that season.

[edit] Cheers connections

  • Every regular cast member of Cheers appeared in at least one episode, except for Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe) and the late Nicholas Colasanto (Coach).
  • Kelsey Grammer has said that "The Show Where Diane Comes Back" is one of his favorite episodes. On Cheers (1982), Shelley Long didn't like the Frasier character and lobbied hard to get Grammer removed from the show. The producers disagreed, noting that the audience liked him. When Long's character, Diane Chambers, appeared on this show, Grammer said it was an opportunity for them to make peace.
  • John Mahoney appeared in an episode of Cheers, as Si Phlembeck, an over-the-hill advertising executive hired by Rebecca to write a jingle for the bar. Grammer and Mahoney shared a few lines. The plot of an episode of Frasier is somewhat similar to the Cheers episode.
  • In the eighth season Cheers episode "Two Girls for Every Boyd", Frasier tells Sam Malone (Ted Danson) that his research scientist father had died. In the Season 2 episode "The One Where Sam Shows Up", when Sam meets Martin, he brings up the discrepancies. In an example of retconning, Frasier explains it away by saying he had just had a fight with his father on the phone and he was very angry with him at the time. In "The One Where Woody Shows Up", Woody Boyd upon meeting Martin says he remembers hearing about him - probably from Sam talking about his experiences in Seattle when he returned to Boston.
  • Robert Prosky played the father of Cheers regular Rebecca. He appeared in Season 4 as a J.D. Salinger-like writer who strikes up a friendship with Martin.
  • Peri Gilpin was in a Cheers episode titled Woody Gets an Election, playing a reporter who interviews Woody when he runs for office.
  • Niles' wife Maris is never seen (at least her face) or heard from. The same device was used for Vera, Norm Petersen's wife in Cheers. This method is used again when Martin meets the woman he has been watching from across the street via his telescope.
  • After Cheers had finished filming, the bar was taken down and the sets for this show were built over it. The producers made certain there were no stools in the coffee shop to distance it visually from the Cheers bar.

[edit] Appearances outside of Frasier

In the Simpsons episode "Brother from Another Series", David Hyde Pierce guest stars as Cecil Terwilliger, brother of Sideshow Bob, a recurring over-cultured villain voiced by Kelsey Grammer. The episode also alludes to Niles' wife, Maris Crane, and makes use of subtitle slides Frasier employs. Sideshow Bob and his brother Cecil Terwilliger are slated to reappear in a future episode of The Simpsons, with Grammer and Hyde Pierce reprising their respective roles and John Mahoney as their father.

The cast performed a "mock-audition" of Star Trek: Voyager during the Star Trek 30 Years and Beyond primetime special on October 6, 1996, alongside Kate Mulgrew as Voyager character Captain Janeway (a YouTube clip is available here). Grammer had previously played Captain Morgan Bateson in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Cause and Effect". In the audition, he plays a Klingon. The primetime special was hosted by Ted Danson, who played Sam Malone on Cheers. Mulgrew also has a connection to Cheers, having played Sam's love interest in three episodes.[3]

[edit] DVD Releases

As of 2007, Paramount Home Entertainment has released seasons 1-9 and 11 on Region 1 DVD. Season 10 is expected in 2007.

DVD Name Ep # Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Complete 1st Season 24 May 20, 2003 November 24, 2003 January 13, 2004
The Complete 2nd Season 24 January 6, 2004 June 7, 2004 June 3, 2004
The Complete 3rd Season 24 May 25, 2004 September 6, 2004 September 10, 2004
The Complete 4th Season 24 February 1, 2005 July 18, 2005 July 20, 2005
The Complete 5th Season 24 June 7, 2005 November 27, 2006 January 11, 2007
The Complete 6th Season 24 September 13, 2005 May 14, 2007 May 3, 2007
The Complete 7th Season 24 November 15, 2005 July 9, 2007 July 12, 2007
The Complete 8th Season 24 June 13, 2006 N/A N/A
The Complete 9th Season 24 May 15, 2007 N/A N/A
The Complete 10th Season 24 TBA 2007 N/A N/A
The Complete Final Season 25 November 16, 2004 N/A N/A

[edit] Other merchandise

[edit] VHS

The first four seasons have been released on VHS along with a series of 'Best Of' tapes. These tapes consist of four episodes taken from seasons 1-4. No more video releases have been announced.

Video Name Release date
The Best Of Frasier 1 - From Boston To Seattle TBC 1999
The Best Of Frasier 2 - Crane Vs. Crane TBC 1999
The Best Of Frasier 3 - Serial Dater TBC 1999
The Best Of Frasier 4 - Like Father Like Sons TBC 1999
The Best Of Frasier 5 - Brotherly Love TBC 1999
The Best Of Frasier 6 - Love Is In The Air TBC 1999
The Best Of Frasier Box Set TBC 1999
The Complete 1st Season July 16, 2001
The Complete 2nd Season December 3, 2001
Season 3 - Part 1 May 6, 2002
Season 3 - Part 2 July 1, 2002
Season 4 - Part 1 October 14, 2002
Season 4 - Part 2 November 18, 2002

[edit] CDs

One Frasier CD has been released featuring a number of songs taken from the show.

CD Name Release date
Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs 24 October, 2000

[edit] Books

Several books about Frasier have been released, including the following:

Title Publisher ISBN
The Best Of Frasier Channel 4 Books ISBN 0-7522-1394-6
Cafe Nervosa: The Connoisseur's Cookbook Oxmoor House ISBN 0-8487-1550-0
Frasier Pocket Books ISBN 0-671-00368-2
The Frasier Scripts Newmarket Press ISBN 1-55704-403-1
Goodnight Seattle Virgin Books ISBN 0-7535-0286-0
The Very Best Of Frasier Channel 4 Books ISBN 0-7522-6179-7

[edit] NBC broadcast history

All times listed are North American Eastern Standard Time.

  • September 1993-May 1994 - Thursdays 9:30pm
  • September 1994-May 1998 - Tuesdays 9:00pm
  • September 1998-May 2000 - Thursdays 9:00pm
  • October 2000-May 2004 - Tuesdays 9:00pm

[edit] Nielsen ratings

Season Ratings Rank
1993-1994 #7
1994-1995 #15
1995-1996 #11
1996-1997 #16
1997-1998 #10
1998-1999 #3
1999-2000 #6
2000-2001 #17
2001-2002 #14
2002-2003 #26
2003-2004 #35

[edit] Syndication and international broadcasters

Preceded by
Seinfeld		 Emmy Award - Outstanding Comedy Series
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998		 Succeeded by
Ally McBeal

[edit] External links

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Frasier
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