Plot: Frasier Crane is in the next chapter of his life after he returns to Boston to face new challenges, forge new relationships and—with hope— finally fulfill an old dream or two. The sophomore season will see Dr. Frasier Crane return to his radio roots at KACL in a Seattle-themed episode. The series is filmed in front of a live studio audience at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
Review: While many of you may feel that Frasier is too old school, we love the series here at JoBlo.com. The revival of the Cheers spin-off was a refreshingly retro sitcom filmed in front of a studio audience that, while familiar, was better than many other recent series returning to the airwaves. After a ten-episode first season knocked any dust off the character of Frasier Crane, the season two run jumps right into the screwball shenanigans that have always made the character and his supporting players enjoyable to watch. With the new characters finding their stride, the second season of the Frasier revival is showing signs of being as good as its predecessor, with one episode in particular ranking alongside the very best of the original series.
Over the first five episodes of the second season of Frasier, the series focuses on different aspects of Frasier’s relationships with friends and family. There are also romantic interests for Frasier, notably with a Valentine’s Day-themed episode that recalls some of the zanier comedy of errors plots from the first series. It is also very apparent that the writers have elected to spotlight some cast members more than others, with Nicholas Lyndenhurst’s Alan Cornwall getting an ongoing subplot involving his distant relationship with his children. Lindenhurst, whose character is designed as a replacement of sorts for David Hyde Pierce’s Niles, still gets a lot of fun out of Alan’s disdain for work, adversarial relationship with Olivia Finch (Togs Olagundoye), and overall appetite for alcohol.
There are also key storylines for Eve (Jess Salgueiro) and Olivia, each of whom feels more central to this season’s plots rather than supporting characters. The most notable downgrade in these first episodes is Anders Keith’s David Crane. In season one, David is a pratfall-prone clone of his father, Niles, and, at one point, is reduced to reading supposed notes from his father, which feels like a lazy way to try and incorporate elements of that classic sibling rivalry. David was the weakest addition to the cast in the first season, and his limited presence this season actually helped the other characters gel. The differences between Frasier and his son Freddie (Jack Cutmore-Scott) also feel more natural to the story this season and less a forced dynamic to turn father and son into an odd couple that worked organically between Kelsey Grammer and John Mahoney in the first series.
This season does boast some fun guest stars in the early episodes, including Amy Sedaris and Grammer’s Back To You co-star Patricia Heaton, who plays a bartender that will recur later in the season. The biggest legacy characters we get to see back include Peri Gilpin as Frasier’s longtime producer and friend, Roz, who gets a fun outing centered on Eve and her baby. The other and most anticipated return is Bebe Glazer, Frasier’s duplicitous agent. Bebe, once again brilliantly played by Harriet Sansom Harris, returns in the fifth episode alongside guest star Rachel Bloom in what will absolutely go down as one of the best episodes of this revival and easily one of the best episodes of both iterations of the sitcom. Harris’ iconic portrayal is one of the best characters on television, and the fifth episode had me rolling.
The second season brings back director James Burrows, co-creator of Cheers, who helmed 240 episodes of the Boston-set sitcom along with 32 episodes of the original Frasier and every episode of Will & Grace. This season sees the return of director Kelly Park and writers Joe Cristalli, Chris Harris, Miles Woods, and more, along with new scribes. All of the behind-the-scenes talent made these first episodes feel more naturally funny than the first season, which was very solid compared to other sitcom revivals. The humor centered on Frasier’s haughty likes and dislikes gets put on display in episodes about Iberian ham, opera, squash, and much more. However, they are balanced by the younger cast members who help keep things from feeling aimed entirely at the viewers who watched the first series over twenty years ago.
Frasier may strike some as a relic of the multi-camera sitcom with a studio audience laugh track in an era where single-camera shows have dominated the airwaves. By focusing on shorter seasons and emphasizing good writing and the natural talents of Kelsey Grammer and his ensemble of co-stars, the revival of Frasier is better than the season that came before it. I laughed more in these five episodes than I have with any other current comedies on the air, and it is always fun to see humor when handled by the voice of Sideshow Bob. Frasier remains one of the best sitcoms of all time, and this revival proves that the character still has a long way to go. If anything, this season is a must-see for the return of Bebe alone.