In 1991, “Frasier” first aired on television. It was a spin-off of the popular 80s show “Cheers,” set in Boston, and was a resounding success. The show followed 41-year-old psychiatrist radio host “Frasier” Crane, who lived in Seattle, Washington. For 11 beautiful seasons, we watched his life unfold while living with his father and dealing with the endless complications of adulthood.
Its 2023 reboot, also titled “Frasier,” was produced by Tom Russo and Jordan McMahon, neither of whom worked on the original show. The reboot lacks the spark and wit that was “Frasier.” After watching all ten episodes, I did not laugh more than a handful of times, a great mishap for a show that’s supposed to be a comedy. In addition, some of the climaxes of the newer episodes were too forced or too short, having what feels like 15 minutes of filler and five minutes of the actual plot.
While Frasier Crane was always plain irritating and snobbish, he has seemingly aged like milk. While he had been this way in the original, it always had some sort of reason. In the reboot, Frasier has gotten to a level of narcissism that even Narcissus himself could only aspire to. Now, he does things just because he can and has the money. The show starts weak as Frasier bribes his son, Freddy, with free rent so that they can live together.
Like in the original “Frasier,” none of the other cast from “Cheers” followed him into the reboot. While they both received new characters and actors, the reboot has messy characters that seem illogical. Nicholas Lyndhurst of the popular British comedy “Only Fools and Horses“ plays Alan, Frasier’s close friend from college and now colleague. While he is a valuable, entertaining character in the new show, it raises the question of where he came from. Even though he is said to be such a good friend, he has never been mentioned before
The original show was witty and sometimes a bit uncomfortable, but the new show is simply unbearable with its poorly-timed jokes and mostly insufferable characters. I would advise you to just watch the original “Frasier.” The only saving grace of the reboot is Alan and his beloved cat, Margret Scratcher, the milk snatcher. Though a black cat, she seems to be some of the only good luck this show has.
