‘Fraiser’ Paramount Plus TV Series Review- Needs Some Work, But Funny
This show streamed in 2023.
Frasier is a reboot of the original sitcom that aired from 1993-2004. This series aired on Paramount Plus, with ten episodes being released.
Following the cancellation of his television show in Chicago, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) stops in Boston to see his nephew David Crane's (Anders Keith) entrance into Harvard. He reconnects with his apathetic friend and psychology professor Alan (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and meets Professor Olivia Finch (Toks Olagundoye), chair of the psychology department at Harvard. She wants to hire Frasier, but he refuses, insisting he is just there to give something to his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott).
When he arrives, he discovers Freddy is taking care of his deceased friend’s girlfriend Eve (Jess Salgueiro), and her infant son. Realizing he and Freddy do not connect, he purchases their apartment building and decides to take on a job at Harvard, but not before he forces Freddy to move in with him.
Kelsey Grammer feels like he just stepped out into a new season. It is no wonder that he was Cheers’ most successful spin-off as he goes into the role of the stuffy, but lovable Dr. Frasier Crane with his ease. He feels like he never left the role and is in perfect lockstep with the character.
At first, I was not crazy about the new characters, but having Freddy and David as the connections helps it out. Alan, while not at all a replacement for Niles, is a fellow elite with whom Frasier bounces off ideas. Eve is a good character, but she needs to lose the nose ring. It makes it difficult to take her seriously as a single mother when she looks like a rebellious teenager. Aside from that, it made for a good time, especially with Bebe Neuwirth returning as Frasier’s cold-natured ex-wife Lilith.
The humor was a bit cheesy at times, but it still delivered some laughs with the misadventures and misunderstandings, especially the banter between Frasier and Freddy. In one particularly laugh-out-loud moment, Frasier confides to his son that he is considering quitting Harvard. Freddy, who left the Ivy League school to become a firefighter, delivers a monologue repeating Frasier’s objection to leaving school, concluding with a hilarious, “ARE YOU ON DRUGS?” Grammer and Cutmore-Scott performed that scene brilliantly and showed the actors’ chemistry.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the late John Mahoney, who portrayed Frasier’s blue-collar dad Martin. The series handled his passing very well, and I thought they honored his memory in a heartwarming manner.
While an imperfect reboot, I do hope it gets a second season where we can see more familiar faces. While some of the original cast appear, the absence of the others was felt, so I hope that can be fixed in the future.
Check out the trailer below:
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Mild violence, Rude humor, Minor foul language
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