Frasier: New Look at Kelsey Grammer and the Revival Cast

Frasier is back in the building October 12th on Paramount+.

By Cameron Bonomolo

Frasier's got a new show, a new cast, a new (old) setting — and the same old problems. Paramount+'s Frasier revival (premiering October 12th) sees the former radio shrink return to Boston for a fresh start, where Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) reunites with his estranged 30-something-year-old son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), shortly after the death of his own father Martin (the late John Mahoney). The family reunion will also involve Frasier's ex-wife and Freddy's mother, the clinically-cold Dr. Lilith Sternin (guest star Bebe Neuwirth, reprising her role from Cheers and the original Frasier) and Frasier's now grown-up nephew, David Crane (Anders Keith).

EW revealed a new look at the Frasier cast and details about the Boston-based ensemble. Along with Cutmore-Scott as the adult Freddy (replacing Trevor Einhorn), the new cast includes Jess Salgueiro (The Boys) as Freddy's friend and roommate Eve, a bartender and aspiring actress; Nicholas Lyndhurst (Only Fools and Horses) as Alan Cornwall, a professor at Frasier's alma mater Harvard; Toks Olagundoye (Castle) as Olivia, the chair of Harvard's psych department trying to recruit Frasier to teach; and Keith as David, the adult son of Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves). 

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(Photo: Chris Haston/Paramount+ via EW)

"There's a lot of Martin in Freddy," Cheers co-creator and Frasier director James Burrows told EW. "[Revival creators] Joe [Cristalli] and Chris [Harris] specifically wanted Frasier to deal with his son... because the relationship with Kelsey and Mahoney was wonderful. So they tried to tap into that, and I think they succeeded."

Now a firefighter, Freddy and his friends gather at their own local watering hole like Cheers or Duke's: Mahoney's, named in honor of the late Martin Crane actor, who died in 2018. In the way that the original Frasier saw Frasier reconnect with his father when circumstances forced them to live together, the revival focuses on the strained relationship between Frasier and Freddy.

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"We want to present someone who is familiar to the audience, but also has had a life for 20 years in the time since we've seen him," Harris said. "Talking with Kelsey about it, this is a man who is a little looser than he used to be, a little more comfortable. He's done well, he's had some success, and the pilot is about realizing that one part of his life where he might not have been as successful as he thought he was and what that means to him going forward."

Frasier premieres October 12th on Paramount+. Try Paramount+ for free here.

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