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Frasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub Street Productions) in association with Paramount Television. It is aired in the UK by Paramount Comedy and Channel 4.
A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane. David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin and Moose (a Jack Russell Terrier) rounded out the regular cast.
Frasier won a record 37 Emmy Awards during its run, and a poll taken by the British Channel 4 of the sitcom industry voted Frasier the best sitcom of all time.
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Quotations
: (To Lilith) I'd drive a stake through your heart, but I don't think anything could kill you.
(About a patient's //www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Freudian_slip>Freudian slip) : Instead of saying pass the salt, he said, you have ruined my life, you blood sucking shrew.
(About career prospects) //www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Abraham_Lincoln>Lincoln had a brighter future when he picked up his tickets at the box office.
(About Lilith):
I learned if you kiss her too fast, you can get an ice cream headache.
: (about the composition of his radio Jingle) If less is more, then think how much more more would be!
(Dressed as a clown) I'M NOT A MONSTER! (He walks into a lift with a //www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Coulrophobia>coulrophobic nurse inside, who screams violently)
Encyclopedia
Frasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub Street Productions) in association with Paramount Television. It is aired in the UK by Paramount Comedy and Channel 4.
A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane. David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin and Moose (a Jack Russell Terrier) rounded out the regular cast.
Frasier won a record 37 Emmy Awards during its run, and a poll taken by the British Channel 4 of the sitcom industry voted Frasier the best sitcom of all time. It is one of the most successful spin-off series in television history, and one of the most critically acclaimed comedies in the history of television.
Situation
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. Frasier and Martin are joined by Daphne Moon (Leeves), Martin's eccentric English 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 and snobbish. Niles' infatuation with and eventual love for Daphne, feelings which he does not confess to her openly until the final episode of the seventh season, form a complex story arc that spans the entire series.
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 a very 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. He and his brother are also very frequently customers in Café Nervosa.
Numerous running jokes and themes develop throughout the series. Chief among them are the class and familial conflicts among 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. A running theme, particularly in the early seasons, is Frasier's and Martin's difficulty in reaching an accommodation with each other and in sharing an apartment.
Despite being similar in personality, interests and sensibilities, the relationship between Frasier and Niles is no less turbulent. They have an intense sibling rivalry and their jealousy of each other and petty attempts at one-upmanship (which frequently result in chaos) drive many of the plots.
Other 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 (a take-off from its parent series, Cheers, in which Norm's wife Vera was often talked about--and even heard--but never seen), Frasier's search for love in his own life, and the various attempts of the two brothers to gain acceptance into Seattle's cultural elite.
Structurally, many episodes center around misunderstandings or elaborate lies which multiple characters are forced to "play along" in order to conceal the truth. Frasier also featured many "once-a-year" plot devices, such as an appearance by Frederick, Lilith and Bebe Glazer. Season finales sometimes took the form of a "two part" special that was concluded as the season premiere the following season.
Relationship to Cheers
Many regular cast members from Cheers made appearances on Frasier, with the exception of Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe) and Nicholas Colasanto (Coach), who passed away before the advent of Frasier. Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth) was the lone character of Cheers, other than Grammer, to become a recurring character on Frasier. Kelsey Grammer has said that Frasier allowed him the opportunity to settle an old disagreement with Shelley Long, who had played Diane on Cheers. On Cheers, Long did not like the Frasier character and lobbied hard to get Grammer removed from the show. The producers disagreed, noting that the audience liked him. Because it allowed for them to make peace, Grammer has said "The Show Where Diane Comes Back" is one of his favorite episodes. Long also played Diane Chambers in two other Frasier episodes. The first was a brief surprise cameo in a 1994 episode, and once again in the 2001 season premiere, both times as figments of Frasier's imagination.
Some cast members of Frasier appeared previously in minor roles on Cheers. John Mahoney, who played Martin Crane, 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. In it, Grammer and Mahoney exchanged a few lines. The plot of an episode of Frasier is somewhat similar to the Cheers episode. In addition, Peri Gilpin, who plays Roz on Frasier, was in a Cheers episode titled "Woody Gets an Election", playing a reporter who interviews Woody when he runs for office.
Similar to Norm Petersen's wife in Cheers, Niles' wife Maris is never seen or heard from. This style is used again when Martin meets the woman he has been watching from across the street via his telescope, and for Senator Adler when he arrived at Frasier's apartment.
In some cases Cheers directly contradicts Frasier or vice versa. Frasier's mother, who in Frasier is always remembered as a sensitive, intelligent woman and a wonderful mother, appears in a Cheers episode (played by Nancy Marchand) and threatens to kill Diane Chambers with a gun if Diane does not end her relationship with Frasier immediately. She was portrayed in a 2001 episode of Frasier (on Martin's old cine movies) by Rita Wilson, who reprised the role during Frasier's imaginary experiences with the important women in his life. In this case, she was once again portrayed as threatening toward Diane (and Lilith), citing her reasons as concern for Frasier's happiness.
In the eighth season Cheers episode "Two Girls for Every Boyd", Frasier tells Sam Malone (Ted Danson) that his father, a research scientist, had died. In the Frasier Season 2 episode "The One Where Sam Shows Up", when Sam meets Martin, he brings up the discrepancies. Frasier explains it away by saying that at the time he had just had a fight with his father on the phone and was very angry. 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.
The set of Frasier itself was built over the set of Cheers on the same stage after it had finished filming. The producers for Frasier made certain there were no stools in the coffee shop used for many scenes in order to distance it visually from the Cheers bar.
In total between the two shows Grammer played Frasier for 20 years (1984-2004), one of the longest runs of a fictional characters in television history.
Cast
Much like its predecessor Cheers, Frasier was based around an ensemble cast, centering the storylines around the same group of characters.
Kelsey Grammer was briefly the highest paid television actor in the United States for his portrayal of Frasier, while Jane Leeves was the highest paid British actress. Following on from his character's many appearances in Cheers, Grammar also tied the record for the longest running character in prime time, equalling the one set by James Arness. Originally there was to be no brother, Frasier having told his bar friends at Cheers that he was an only child, but Hyde Pierce's acting ability and resemblance to a young Kelsey Grammer resulted in the role being created. The character of Roz Doyle was originally to be played by Lisa Kudrow, but her performance during rehearsals did not correspond to the demands of the role. The character was named in memory of the producer of the television series Wings that was created by the same creators of Frasier.
In addition to the ensemble, a number of additional characters would be introduced to advance the storyline. These included appearances by characters from Frasier's former incarnation on Cheers, such as his ex-wife Lilith Sternin played by Bebe Neuwirth. Some of the additional characters made regular appearances during particular seasons, such as Bob 'Bulldog' Briscoe played by Dan Butler, the host of a radio sports show that aired following Frasier's show, who made regular appearances in seasons 5 and 6.
Production
The show is set in Seattle, Washington, but only one episode, "The 1000th Show", was filmed there. The remainder was filmed on Stage 25 , Paramount Studios, and at various locations in and around Los Angeles.
No building or apartment in Seattle really has the view from Frasier's residence. It was created so the Space Needle would appear more prominently. According to the Season 1 DVD bonus features, the photograph used on the set was taken from atop a cliff, possibly the ledge at Kerry Park, a frequent photography location.
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 which they could react. 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.
Reception
Critical reaction
In a retrospective review in The Radio Times Guide to Television Comedy, Mark Lewisohn called the show a "comedy masterpiece", saying that the writing was adult and sophisticated. Frasier was voted as the greatest sitcom of all time in the Channel 4 show The Ultimate Sitcom, broadcast on January 2, 2006.
Awards
The series won 37 prime-time Emmys during its 11-year run, breaking the record long held by The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Grammer and Pierce each won four, including one each for the final season. The series holds the record for the most consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, winning five from 1994 to 1998.
Emmy Awards:
- Comedy Series (1994-98)
- Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Kelsey Grammer (1994, 1995, 1998, 2004)
- Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: David Hyde Pierce (1995, 1998, 1999, 2004)
- Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
- Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
- Directing in a Comedy Series
- Writing in a Comedy Series
- David Angell, Peter Casey, David Lee (1994)
- Chuck Ranberg, Anne Flett-Giordano (1995)
- Joe Keenan, Christopher Lloyd, Rob Greenberg, Jack Burditt, Chuck Ranberg, Anne Flett-Giordano, Linda Morris, Vic Rauseo (1996)
- Jay Kogen (1999)
- Editing: Ron Volk (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999 with Scott Maisano, 2000-04)
- Sound Mixing (1996, 2002, 2004)
- Art Direction (2004)
Grammer has been Emmy-nominated for playing Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier, as well as a 1992 crossover appearance on Wings, making him the only performer to be nominated for playing the same role on three different series. 2003 was the first year that Grammer didn't receive an Emmy nomination for this series. David Hyde Pierce was nominated every year of the show's run, breaking the record for nominations in his category with his eighth nomination in 2001; he was nominated a further three times after this.
Golden Globes:Best TV Series - Comedy/Musical (1995), Best Performance by an Actor in TV Series - Comedy/Musical: Kelsey Grammer (1996, 2001)
Ratings
The ratings for the show should be read in the context of their broadcasting times on NBC, listed here:
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
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 |
Highest Rated Episodes In Each Season
- Season 1: 03/02/1994 - 21.8 rating (33.1 million) - The Show Where Lilith Comes Back
- Season 2: 08/11/1994 - 13.7 rating (27.4 million) - The Candidate
- Season 3: 10/10/1995 - 17.9 rating (25.9 million) - Martin Does It His Way
- Season 4: 12/11/1996 - 14.5 rating (20.4 million) - Head Game
- Season 5: 23/09/1997 - 14.8 rating (21.5 million) - Frasier's Imaginary Friend
- Season 6: 24/09/1998 - 18.8 rating (28.3 million) - Good Grief
- Season 7: 18/05/2000 - 22.1 rating (33.7 million) - Something Borrowed, Someone Blue (1 hour)
- Season 8: 24/10/2000 - 18.9 rating (28.6 million) - And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon (1 hour)
- Season 9: 25/09/2001 - 13.0 rating (19.6 million) - Don Juan in Hell (1 hour)
- Season 10: 24/09/2002 - 14.1 rating (21.1 million) - The Ring Cycle
- Season 11: 13/05/2004 - 16.3 rating (25.2 million) - Goodnight, Seattle (1 hour)
Merchandising
Video and audio
Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS DVD have released all 11 seasons of Frasier on DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4. A 44-disc package containing the entire 11 seasons has also been released.
| 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 | February 4, 2008 | February 14, 2008 | | The Complete 9th Season | 24 | May 15, 2007 | April 28, 2008 | July 31, 2008 | | The Complete 10th Season | 24 | December 11, 2007 | July 28, 2008 | November 6, 2008 | | The Complete 11th & Final Season | 24 | November 16, 2004 | September 15, 2008 | January 15, 2009 | | The Complete Series | 264 | December 11, 2007 | October 6, 2008 | N/A |
The first four seasons were also released on VHS along with a series of 'Best Of' tapes. These tapes consisted 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 |
One Frasier CD has been released featuring a number of songs taken from the show.
| CD Name | Release date |
|---|
| Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs | October 24, 2000 |
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 | | Goodnight Seattle II | Virgin Books | ISBN 0-75350-717X | | What's Your "Frasier" IQ: 501 Questions and Answers for Fans | Carol Publishing | ISBN 0806517328 | | The Very Best Of Frasier | Channel 4 Books | ISBN 0-7522-6179-7 |
External links
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