Kelsey Grammer on How Frasier Addresses John Mahoney's Loss

Martin Crane's recliner may be empty, but the late John Mahoney still has a part to play on the Frasier revival. The Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor, who died in 2018 at age 77, famously portrayed the humorously grumpy blue-collar father of Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and Dr. Niles Crane (David Hyde Pierce) on all 11 seasons of Frasier. In a new interview with Fox News Digital, Grammer said the sequel series ordered at Paramount+ would "honor" Mahoney and his character Martin as Frasier opens a new chapter in his life.

"His loss is and was devastating and must be given the proper attention in honor of the extraordinary man he was and the contribution he made to the show and to the acting profession," Grammer said of his late co-star. "We will most certainly be honoring him according to his merit. A man of merit he remains to this day."

Grammer remembered Mahoney as "a kind man, and the world cannot afford to lose a kind man at any time." Grammer also clarified the sitcom, which was ordered to series earlier this month, is "not a reboot."

"Frasier, in his third or fourth act, is not a reboot, but a new show centered around the character in a new set of circumstances and a new city," Grammer explained. 

Produced by CBS Studios and Grammer's Grammnet NH Productions, the Frasier revival comes from writers and executive producers Chris Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Joe Cristalli (Life In Pieces). Grammer also serves as executive producer with Tom Russo (Paramount+'s The Game) and Jordan McMahon (Light as a Feather).

Along with Mahoney, the original Frasier featured a cast that included the neurotic Niles (Pierce), Daphne Crane/née Moon (Jane Leeves), and Frasier's friend and KACL radio producer Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin). 

Grammer's surviving co-stars are not expected to return as series regulars but could make guest appearances, according to recent reports. Paramount's streaming service picked up a 10-episode series order for the revival following Frasier's journey to yet another city after the Boston-set Cheers and the Seattle setting of Frasier. 

"He thinks he's gonna go off and do one thing, and sure enough, his life takes him in another direction," Grammer previously told NBC4. "And he ends up rich beyond his dreams."

All 11 seasons of Frasier are streaming on Paramount+. Try the service for free here.