Now that Dr. Frasier Crane is back,Kelsey Grammeris hoping to portray the iconic television character for a long time - well, at least for 100 more episodes. Almost twenty years after the originalFrasierconcluded, Grammer is back in the character’s shoes (which happen to be more comfortable now) and feels there’s a lot of story left to tell. In a recent interview withVariety, Grammer discussed his hopes for the revival’s future:
“I think we should go to another 100 episodes at least. There’s enough groundwork laid between these human beings; they are wonderful characters. I want to see where they go. And I want to see what happens to Frasier.”
Grammer’s portrayal of the quirky psychiatrist dates back decades to 1984 when the character was introduced during the third season ofCheersas Diane Chambers' love interest. Although that relationship never panned out, and Shelley Long (who portrayed Diane) exited the series in 1987, Dr. Frasier Crane stuck around til the series' conclusion in 1993.
Months afterCheerswrapped, Grammer reprised the role forFrasier, which saw his character leave Boston for Seattle, where his father and brother lived. Grammer starred in the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning series for 11 seasons (or 264 episodes, to be exact).
Related:Frasier Reboot Stylist Defends Kelsey Grammer’s New Attire Amid Split Public Verdict
Will Dr. Frasier Crane Make His Way to Cheers?
This time around, Frasier is back in Boston, where audiences first met him. Grammer explored returning to Beantown after David Hyde Pierce, who hilariously portrayed younger Crane brother Niles during the original series' entire run,wasn’t open to reprising the role.
“I really wanted David Hyde Pierce to join us. And I did my best to have him come along for the ride. And at one point, he finally just said, “I don’t really want to play the character anymore.” And that was fine. And then it came to me in a dream, let’s go back to Boston. There’s unfinished business there. His son lives there. It suddenly went into this new world, which is, of course, what ‘Frasier’ did the first time.”
Now that Frasier is back in Boston, there’s plenty ofCheerstalk, and hopes, from fans. Grammer has teased the possibilityof someCheerscast members appearingin theFrasierrevival in guest roles, but Frasier returning to the bar he used to frequent is starting to sound unlikely.
Last month, showrunners Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris discussed Frasier returning to the iconic bar. Cristalli felt Frasier “wasn’t ready,” while Harris added that a return to Cheers would be a “big moment” and if it did happen, they “want to make sure we do it right and give it what it deserves.”
However, Grammer is not keen on the idea, telling Variety:
“I don’t think we should do that. We don’t want to desecrate a national monument. I’m not sure how we can have it live up to anything but a desecration. I think we honor it by excluding it.”
Frasier, starring Grammer, Jack Cutmor-Scott, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Toks Olagundoye, Jess Salgueiro, and Anders Keith, is streaming on Paramount+. Check out the trailer below:
