Kelsey Grammer returns as everyone’s favourite pompous psychiatrist in this revival of the beloved ’90s/00s sitcom. But can this new iteration capture the screwball magic of the old series?
How to watch Frasier in the UK
Frasier debuts in the UK on October 13, exclusively on Paramount+.
Frasier (2023): Season 1
What is Frasier about?
This new series sees our hero, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) heading back to Boston to reconnect with his son, Freddy, who has foresworn a life of academia to become a fireman. Having won no small amount of fame as a Dr. Phil-style TV agony aunt, Frasier takes a teaching post at his old alma mater, Harvard University, but finds that his TV notoriety gets in the way of his teaching.
The cast of Frasier
Obviously we have Grammer back as Frasier, returning to a role that fits him life a glove. British actor Jack Cutmore-Scott is Freddy, while Canadian actor Jess Salgueiro is Freddy’s roommate, bartender and aspiring actor Eve. Over at Harvard, British sitcom veteran Nicholas Lyndhurst is Alan, Frasier’s fellow professor and old Oxford chum, while Toks Olagundoye is ambitious department head Olivia, and Anders Keith is Frasier’s nephew, David, the socially awkward son of David Hyde-Pierce’s Niles, now a student at the hallowed university. Old hands Bebe Neuwirth and Perry Gilpin are slated to cameo as Frasier’s ex-wife, Lilith, and old producer, Roz, respectively, but there’s no sign of any other old Cheers and Frasier veterans as yet.
Frasier trailer
What are the critics saying about Frasier?
They’re digging it! But not quite loving it. The new Frasier is very much like the old series, to the point that it sometimes feels like a string of lost episodes. Grammer remains as charming as ever and the one-liners are often deliriously funny, but there’s a certain creakiness to the format, with its multi-camera set up and live studio audience laughter. The consensus seems to be “enjoyable but undemanding.”
