Frasier reboot review: Kelsey Grammer holds his own in rocky return

When beloved series are revealed to be getting the reboot treatment, there’s only ever one of two reactions – unbridled excitement or an overwhelming sense of dread. For the 1993 hit sitcom character Dr. Frasier Crane, viewers fall largely into the latter camp. Now that Fraiser has graced screens once again, the fears are both unnecessary as well as being proven right.

In Frasier’s world, there is only one person who can come out on top – Frasier himself. Thankfully, the Paramount+ reboot shows Kelsey Grammer at his very best, delivering academic zingers as if he hasn’t missed a beat since the cancellation of Fraiser in 2004.

At the same time, the world around him is less certain. A hodgepodge of new characters fight for the chance to match Frasier’s effortless level of wit, and few manage to succeed while Dr. Crane is on screen.

Plenty of the dramatic debacles Frasier finds himself in aren’t in line with the man he used to be, though his new form is harmless at worst and entertaining at best. Here is our review.

Dr. Crane is on top pretentious form…

There is good reason that the Cheers! spin-off series was named solely after one character in 1993, with no other character able to hold a candle to the sheer gravitas of Dr. Frasier Crane. The reboot throws Frasier back into Boston life following the death of his father (with Martin Crane actor John Mahoney dying in real life in 2018), accompanied by Daphne and Niles’ son David (Anders Keith). Frasier is set on reigniting his dwindling relationship with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), who was previously introduced as a child in the original series.

When the going gets tough – and it frequently does throughout the reboot’s 10-episode run – the tough can rely on the off-hand intelligence and delightful quips of Frasier Crane. A lot might have changed in the 20-year gap between Fraiser’s TV absence, but Dr. Crane is the reason that viewers are pulled into a cozy sense of nostalgia. Grammer doesn’t miss a beat, mentally sparring with anyone he stars alongside just as effortlessly as he did with Daphne, Niles, and Martin.

It’s also an odd comfort to see Frasier lose his sense of self-confidence. When viewers were first introduced to him at the height of the 1990s, Frasier was untouchable in every sense of the word. He thought of himself as better than everyone else – which isn’t something that’s necessarily changed, but his time away has made him more receptive to learning. This time around, Frasier is genuinely looking to make himself a better man, underpinning a heartwarming tone in his journey back to his family.

… But the Boston laughs don’t always land

Paramount+

It’s safe to say that the Fraiser reboot is no Frasier original. The magic of the original cast is long gone, with the replacements continuing to fall short in replicating what was once there. David Crane in particular misses the English charm and clumsy naivety of both of his parents, instead fixated on a geeky stereotype that doesn’t mesh with the commercial and accessible direction that the show has taken.

Even though the reboot focuses heavily on Frasier’s relationship with his son Freddy, Frasier’s time spent with his new friends and colleagues is far more interesting. Nicholas Lyndhurst plays Frasier’s friend from way back when, Alan Cornwall – which feels like a lazy way to introduce the show’s only British academic character. Sitcom lovers will find Lyndhurst’s role quite jarring no matter how good he actually is, after being best known as “plonker” Rodney in the 1980s comedy Only Fools and Horses.

When Frasier is in an environment he feels comfortable with, audiences get the best out of him. In his home life, things are less entertaining. Jokes from Freddie and his roommate Eve (Jess Salgueiro) frequently fail to get the rise they need, while group scenes in the bars of Boston end up being tonally all over the place. For younger viewers, the canned laughter might also take a bit of getting used to. Being told to laugh at a point where comedy is the least present element in a scene is never a scenario that’s going to end well.

Frasier reboot review score: 2/5

Overall, the Frasier reboot is more miss than swing. Existing fans of the show can’t help but pine for characters loved and lost, while Frasier’s new environment mostly doesn’t come up to muster.

Frasier may be thrilled to be back with the hoi polloi, but the hoi polloi doesn’t always gel well with Dr. Crane.

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