Entertainment NOW

2 • October 8 - 14, 2023 Entertainment Now By Jay Bobbin TV Media T here's been room for "Fra- sier" ever since the original series ended, so there's cer- tainly space for a revival. After winning four of his five Primetime Emmys for playing the title part, Kelsey Grammer returns as the high-minded psychiatrist in a new Paramount+ version of "Frasier" that starts streaming Thursday, Oct. 12, with CBS giving the revival's first two episodes a broadcast run Oct. 17. Origi- nated by the actor as a supporting character on "Cheers," Dr. Fra- sier Crane returns to that show's Boston setting, with an outline of that city replacing that of his hometown of Seattle (where the first "Frasier" took place) in the opening credits. Also mostly new is the support- ing cast, which was the case when Grammer initially transferred "Frasier" into his own show. Such figures as Frasier's brother Niles, played by David Hyde Pierce ("Julia"), who chose not to return, and his father Martin, played by John Mahoney ("Moonstruck," 1987), who died in 2018, are now absent, as are Martin's caretaker and Niles' eventual wife, Daphne (Jane Leeves, "The Resident"), and Martin's frequent-Frasier- nemesis dog, Eddie. However, Peri Gilpin ("Scorpion") and Bebe Neuwirth ("Julia") — alias, respectively, Frasier's radio show producer Roz and his ex-wife Lilith — will be back on a recur- ring basis. Among actors joining "Fra- sier" for the first time are Jack Cutmore-Scott ("Oppenheimer," 2023) as Frasier's son, Freddy, and new actor Anders Keith as David, the son of Niles and Daphne (born in the finale of the original "Fra- sier"). Nicholas Lyndhurst ("Only Fools and Horses") is also a regular cast member as a college pal of Frasier's who is a professor now. Among the aspects retain- ing familiarity, though, will be a new rendering of the theme song ("Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs") recorded by Grammer, who also remains an executive producer. The first "Frasier" continues to be seen regularly in repeats, and having yielded more than 250 episodes over 11 seasons, its suc- cessor has a long and celebrated legacy to live up to – encompass- ing its Primetime Emmy wins for outstanding comedy series for five consecutive years (1994-98). Much as the first show was, the new one is an exploration of Dr. Crane starting over. When last seen, he was headed for Chicago, presumably for him to be together with the girlfriend he had at the time (played by guest star Laura Linney, "Ozark"). That became his destination after he let go of a San Francisco television job he had gotten. Putting Frasier back in Boston is bound to give interesting twists to the premise in which viewers first got to know him. At least on a steady basis, he'll be without Sam Malone (Ted Danson, "The Good Place"), Diane Chambers (Shelley Long, "Modern Family") and the others he commiserated with regularly at the bar "where everybody knows your name." Much as he did upon his move to Seattle, he'll be surrounded by a fresh group that the new "Frasier" makers clearly hope will catch on with viewers in the same way Niles and others did. For all else that it may have, "Frasier's" main strength is likely to continue to be Grammer, by necessity. His portrayal of the title character is one of those matches of actor to role that results in true television magic, and though other revivals have been cast with different actors — CBS's forth- coming "Matlock," with Kathy Bates succeeding Andy Griffith, is one of the latest examples — some situations are so singular that it's almost inconceivable that another performer would be given the part. Grammer has actually stayed quite active since "Frasier" ended its NBC run in 2004. Seen recently in the Comedy Central movie "Of- fice Race," the classically trained actor-producer has done several other series over the past two decades, including Fox's "Back to You," a TV-news comedy that teamed him with Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond"); ABC's "Hank," which lasted only five episodes; Starz's "Boss," a drama casting him as the mayor of Chicago; and FX's "Partners," a comedy with Martin Lawrence ("Martin"). On a recurring basis, Grammer has also supplied the voice of Sideshow Bob on Fox's "The Simpsons," earning him his fifth Primetime Emmy. Returning to his stage roots, Grammer has starred on Broad- way in "Macbeth," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," "La Cage aux Folles" and "Finding Neverland." He also played Professor Henry Higgins in a Lincoln Center staging of "My Fair Lady," and he was a producer of the musical version of "The Color Purple." Additionally, he was in "Beauty and the Beast" at the Hollywood Bowl, "Man of La Mancha" in London and "The Boy Friend" in Toronto. Even when he hasn't acted in series, Grammer (who acted with daughter Spencer for the first time last year in Lifetime's "The 12 Days of Christmas Eve") also has done much work as a producer for the home screen, with "Me- dium," "Girlfriends" and "The Game" among the successes he's had via his Grammnet NH produc- tion firm. Now, the second coming of "Frasier" is likely to join that list, offering new personal and professional misadventures for one of the most celebrated char- acters in the history of TV humor. Cover Story Kelsey Grammer, Jess Salgueiro and Jack Cutmore-Scott in "Frasier" The doctor is in again: Kelsey Grammer returns as 'Frasier' Farmers Insurance 2 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12.

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