Frasier Reviews Praise Kelsey Grammer's Dr. Crane Comeback
Frasier (2023) is streaming Oct. 12 on Paramount+.
Dr. Crane is back in the building. Nearly 20 years after Frasier ended its 11-season, 264-episode run, Kelsey Grammer returns as the former radio psychiatrist turned daytime TV talk show host whose next chapter could be teaching at his alma mater, Harvard. In the Frasier revival (October 12th on Paramount+, October 17th on CBS), Frasier returns to Boston and reconnects with his estranged son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), after the death of his father Martin (played by John Mahoney in the original series). With no Martin, no Niles (David Hyde Pierce), and no Daphne (Jane Leeves), critics who have screened the first five of 10 episodes say Frasier 2.0 is more a sequel than a revival. But how does it fare against the original, itself a spin-off of Cheers?
"With Kelsey Grammer safely back in the role he was born to play, Frasier scores as comfort viewing even if it can't quite compare to the classic original series," reads the critics' consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, where the new Frasier currently sits with a fresh 64%.
From top, left to right: BTS of Nicholas Lyndhurst, director James Burrows, Anders Keith, Jess Salgueiro, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Cutmore-Scott and Toks Olagundoye on the set of Frasier, episode 1, season 1 streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo credit: Chris Haston/Paramount+
- Chris Haston)Frasier follows the lovable snob "in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill," per the official logline. Starring alongside Grammer and Cutmore-Scott are Nicholas Lyndhurst (Only Fools and Horses) as Frasier's old college buddy turned university professor Alan; Toks Olagundoye (Castle) as Olivia, Alan's colleague and head of the university's psychology department; Jess Salgueiro (The Boys) as Freddy's roommate Eve; and newcomer Anders Keith as Frasier's adult nephew, David.
ComicBook: "The show's strongest suit is its nostalgia, but that's also potentially its downfall. The series feels every bit like a sitcom from the '90s, in both good and bad ways. Yeah, it's nice to see a more traditional sitcom, filmed in front of a live audience, but at times, it also yields a lot of déjà vu. You might be surprised how many times you can see the setup and payoff for jokes coming a mile away, because the show is dealing in old tropes. They're executed well, so it's hard to argue that it's inherently a bad thing, but some audience members will likely feel like the show is a little bit too frozen in time for their taste."
Variety: "Paramount+'s Frasier works because it remains loyal to the original program. Despite the cast changes, Frasier, now in his 60s, has the same qualities of the man viewers first met in his 30s and last saw in his 50s. Overly concerned with money and appearances, Frasier's differences with Freddy parallel those he had with Mahoney's Martin. From the theme song to the black and white title cards, and even the live audience, the elements that made Frasier a quintessential work remain unchanged here. This version of Frasier also retains its ability to remain socially and politically neutral, which is a nice reprieve for hyper-aware fans."
Deadline: "In an industry awash with alternative timelines as plot points almost as much as it is with creatively barren reboots and reunions, perhaps it would be better to peg the Frasier revival not as something new at all, but neither something old. Perhaps a more crystalline perspective would be to view this Frasier as simply the charmingly chugging along 30th season of the beloved and acclaimed Cheers spinoff. While clearly a subscriber lunge for Paramount+ in this age of streamer contractions, this 10-episode revival is indeed so blatantly a throwback to a very different era of television that to try to taint it as mere nostalgia is to miss the point. A little thinner on top, a little meatier around the middle, and sometimes a bit slower in its sitcom delivery, Frasier 3.0 emerges eternally itself in an ever changing world and media landscape."
EW: "With no Niles or Daphne, no Martin and only the vague promise of a 'guest appearance' from Roz (Peri Gilpin) and Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth), the weight of this sitcom's new world rests on Frasier's shoulders. It's quite a handicap, but Grammer knows the good doctor well, and he slips back into the role as easily as Frasier might don a bespoke Armani suit. The actor's exceptional charisma keeps this new Frasier afloat for now, but the five episodes made available for review reveal underlying issues that indicate it will not be an exception to the revival rule."
Vulture: "If only Frasier had learned more lessons from [the Will & Grace and Murphy Brown revivals], which like this reboot, tended to broaden the tone of their original iterations, even as they labored to recreate the circumstances that made the originals click. Revivals tend to be cursed propositions on that front. You can't make them exact replicas of what came before, because time has passed and circumstances have changed, but if you change too much (and say, put Frasier in jeans) you alienate the diehards. It's odd to see how much effort Grammer has put in to make this revival happen, only for it to come across as a cautious, defensive maneuver. All that effort just to bring back this?"
The Independent: "The fact that there is something to enjoy in this return to the Craniverse is testament to the joys of Cheers and Frasier, not to mention Grammer's effective turn in the lead role. Little may remain other than a title and an endearing snobbery, but, just like Theseus's ride before it, the spirit of Frasier remains intact. Not quite seaworthy, perhaps, but just about afloat."
TheWrap: "Frasier Crane is a character Grammer can clearly play in his sleep. It's quite striking just how much into the cadence and rhythm of the character Grammer is from moment one — which makes the fact that the rest of the series isn't in the same rhythm so disappointing. It's difficult to see this show even existing in its current form if not for the fact that Frasier Crane is part of it."
Time: "It's nice that the new episodes were filmed in front of a live audience, but their laughter, which reads as artificial in 2023, makes the revival feel too much like a kitschy throwback. Frasier's quest to prove, after a couple of decades as an overeducated talk-show host, that he's got more substance than, say, Dr. Phil makes for a decent premise. But his guilt over passing his daddy issues onto the next generation is more of a bummer than a light comedy can support. The show needs more jokes and less earnest emoting, at the very least."
Slate Magazine: "With Grammer's return to his beloved role, it's a pleasure to find that while much has been taken from Frasier, including its iconic Seattle setting and most of its supporting cast, the series can still deliver a distinct brand of wry humor. That's largely thanks to Frasier himself, a role that still fits Grammer like a glove. All of the old mannerisms are still there: the sly smirk with which he tosses droll one-liners, the petted lip when someone sends one back, the furious glare when confronted with a crime against fashion or furnishing. And when the series becomes more reflective—like when Frasier talks about the passing of his father in a moment that also plays as tribute to the late actor John Mahoney—he can still cap 20-odd minutes of zany sitcom antics with a moment that rings true and sincere."
Frasier premieres with two episodes October 12th on Paramount; both episodes will be broadcast on CBS on October 17th. Frasier: Inside the Series, a new behind-the-series special, is available to watch now on Paramount+, the Paramount+ YouTube channel and Facebook pages, and free streaming services Pluto TV and Mixible.
