Frasier

This article is about the TV series. For other uses, see Frasier (disambiguation).

Frasier
File:Frasier Logo.JPG Season 11 title screen
Created by	David Angell Peter Casey David Lee
Starring	Kelsey Grammer Jane Leeves David Hyde Pierce Peri Gilpin John Mahoney Dan Butler Moose (uncredited) Enzo (uncredited)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	11
No. of episodes	264 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Peter Casey David Lee (both; entire run) David Angell (seasons 1–8) Christopher Lloyd (seasons 2–8 and 11) Kelsey Grammer (seasons 6–11) Joe Keenan (seasons 6–7 and 11) Dan O'Shannon (seasons 9–10) Mark Reisman (season 9) Rob Hanning (season 10) Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil Lori Kirkland Baker Jeffrey Richman (all; seasons 10–11)
Producer	Maggie Blanc
Camera setup	Film; Multi-camera
Running time	24 minutes
Production companies	Grub Street Productions Grammnet Productions (seasons 10–11, uncredited) Paramount Network Television
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 16, 1993 (1993-09-16) – May 13, 2004 (2004-05-13)
Related
The Tortellis

Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub Street Productions) in association with Grammnet (2004) and Paramount Network Television.

A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane; David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin, and Moose (later, Enzo; both Jack Russell Terriers). It is one of the most successful spin-off series in television history and one of the most critically acclaimed comedy series of all time.

Situation

See also: List of Frasier episodes

Psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane (Grammer) returns to his hometown of Seattle, Washington, following the end of his marriage and his life in Boston (as seen in Cheers). His plans for a new life as a bachelor are complicated when he is obliged to take in his father, a retired detective from the Seattle Police Department, Martin (Mahoney), who is unable to live by himself after being shot in the line of duty. Frasier and Martin are joined by Daphne Moon (Leeves), Martin's English, live-in physical therapist and caretaker, and Martin's dog Eddie (played by Moose and Enzo). Frasier's younger brother Niles (Pierce), a fellow psychiatrist, frequently visits their apartment. Niles' infatuation with, and eventual love for Daphne—feelings which he does not confess to her openly until the final episode of the seventh season—form a complex story arc that spans the entire series.

Frasier hosts the popular The Dr. Frasier Crane Show on the talk radio station KACL. While his head producer Roz Doyle (Gilpin) is very different from Frasier in taste and temperament, over time they become very close friends. Frasier and the others often visit the local coffee shop Café Nervosa, the scene of many of their comic adventures.

The sons, who possess fine tastes, intellectual interests, and high opinions of themselves, frequently clash with their blue-collar, down-to-earth father. Frasier and Niles' relationship is often also turbulent; while very close, their intense sibling rivalry frequently results in chaos. Other recurring themes include the breakdown of Niles' marriage to the never-seen Maris, Frasier's search for love in his own life, and the various attempts of the two brothers to gain acceptance into Seattle's cultural elite.

Cast

File:Frasiercast.jpg

The main cast of Frasier in 1993 (from left to right): David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, John Mahoney, and Moose

See also: Minor characters on Frasier

Much like its predecessor Cheers, Frasier used an ensemble cast with storylines involving the same group of characters.

Character	Actor	Notes
Frasier Crane	Kelsey Grammer	A radio psychiatrist.
Niles Crane	David Hyde Pierce	Frasier's younger brother, also a psychiatrist, who works in private practice.
Martin Crane	John Mahoney	Frasier's and Niles's father, a police officer who was forced to retire because of a gunshot wound to his hip that led to his living with Frasier.
Daphne Moon	Jane Leeves	An English physiotherapist hired by Frasier to help take care of Martin.
Roz Doyle	Peri Gilpin	The producer of Frasier's radio show, who becomes a close family friend.
Eddie	Moose / Enzo (uncredited)	Martin's Jack Russell Terrier

The lead actors were with the show for all of its 11 years. Grammer was briefly the highest paid television actor in the United States for his portrayal of Frasier, while Jane Leeves was the highest paid British actress. Following his many appearances in Cheers, Grammer tied the record for the longest running character in prime time, equalling James Arness' twenty years as Marshal Dillon on Gunsmoke, but this was beaten by the principal cast of The Simpsons, although Grammer and Arness still hold the record in live action.

In addition to the ensemble, a number of additional characters were introduced to advance the storyline. These included characters from Frasier's former incarnation on Cheers, such as his ex-wife Lilith Sternin, played by Bebe Neuwirth. Some other characters, such as Bob 'Bulldog' Briscoe, played by Dan Butler, the host of a radio sports show that aired following Frasier's show, made regular appearances. He was billed with the main cast for three seasons (seasons 4-6) before that he was a recurring character. After season 6 he was placed back on recurring guest status.

Three of the main cast members reunited in an episode of The Simpsons. Grammer reprised his role for the tenth time as Sideshow Bob, Pierce reprised his role for the second time as Sideshow Bob's brother, Cecil Terwilliger, and Mahoney appeared as Cecil and Bob's father, Dr. Robert Terwilliger, in the episode "Funeral For A Fiend".

Production

See also: List of Frasier writers

Creation

As Cheers approached its last season in 1993, Grammer approached Angell, Casey, and Lee. The actor had enjoyed his appearance on an episode of the three men's Wings, and hoped that they could create a new show for him. Grammer did not want to continue playing Frasier Crane, and Angell, Casey, and Lee did not want the new show to be compared to Cheers, which they had worked on before Wings. The three proposed that the actor play a wealthy, Malcolm Forbes-like paraplegic publisher with a "street smart" Hispanic live-in nurse. While Grammer liked the concept, Paramount Television disliked it because it was unrelated to the enormously popular Cheers. Although Grammer agreed to star in a Cheers spin-off, the producers set the new show as far from Boston as possible to prevent NBC from demanding that other characters from the old show make guest appearances on the new show during its first season. After first choosing Denver, Angell, Casey, and Lee ultimately chose Seattle as the setting.

The creators did not want Frasier in private practice so the show would not resemble The Bob Newhart Show, and conceived the idea of the psychiatrist working in a radio station surrounded by "wacky, yet loveable" characters. After finding that such a setting resembled WKRP in Cincinnati, Lee's experiences with caring for an aging parent very different from the son caused the creators to emphasize Frasier's home life and family history, which Cheers had rarely explored, and "the relationship between an aging father and the grown-up son he never understood."

Casting

Originally there was to be no brother because Frasier told his bar friends at Cheers that he was an only child. After a casting director noticed Pierce's resemblance to Grammer, the creators were "blown away" by his acting ability and created a role for him. Martin Crane is based on creator Casey's father, who spent 34 years with the San Francisco Police Department; Grammer, who lost his father as a child, and the childless Mahoney immediately built a close father-son relationship. NBC suggested that Martin's nurse be English instead of Hispanic as it favored Leeves for the role. Grammer was initially reluctant as he thought the casting made the show resemble Nanny and the Professor, but approved Leeves after a read-through with her. The only main role that required auditions was Roz Doyle, named in memory of a producer of Wings. She was originally to be played by Lisa Kudrow, but during rehearsals, it became apparent that she did not fit the role. The creators quickly hired Gilpin, their second choice.

Filming

As Pierce's role as Niles became a breakout character, focus shifted to the brothers' relationship. The cast had an unusual amount of freedom to suggest changes to the script. Grammer used an acting method he called "requisite disrespect" and did not rehearse with the others, instead learning and rehearsing his lines once just before filming each scene in front of a live studio audience. Although effective, the system often caused panic among guest stars. In 1996 Grammer's recurrent alcoholism led to a car accident; the cast and crew performed an intervention that persuaded him to enter the Betty Ford Clinic, delaying production for a month.

Only one episode, "The 1000th Show", was filmed in Seattle. As with Cheers, the remainder was filmed on Stage 25 (34°5′8.38″N 118°19′18.14″W), Paramount Studios, and at various locations in and around Los Angeles.

The radio station callers' lines were spoken by anonymous voice-over actors while filming the show in front of a live audience. This gave the cast something to which they could react. During post-production, the lines were replaced by celebrities, who literally phoned in their parts without having to come into the studio. The end credits of season finales showed headshots of all the celebrities who had "called in" that season.

The closing credits for each episode features the song "Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs", sung by Grammer, and a short silent skit. Season finales were the exception, usually showing black-and-white photos of guest callers.

Skyline

No building or apartment in Seattle really has the view from Frasier's residence. It was created so the Space Needle would appear more prominently. According to the Season 1 DVD bonus features, the photograph used on the set was taken from atop a cliff, possibly the ledge at Kerry Park, a frequent photography location. Despite this, Frasier has been said to have contributed to the emergence of an upscale urban lifestyle in 1990s Seattle, with buyers seeking properties in locations resembling that depicted in the show, in search of "that cosmopolitan feel of Frasier".

Relationship to Cheers

Many regular cast members seen on Cheers made appearances on Frasier, with the exceptions of Nicholas Colasanto (Ernie "Coach" Pantuso, 1982–1985), who died in 1985 prior to the advent of Frasier, and Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe, 1987–1993). Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith Sternin, 1986–1993) was the lone character of Cheers, other than Grammer, to become a recurring character on Frasier. Kelsey Grammer has said that Frasier allowed him the opportunity to settle an old disagreement with Shelley Long, who had played Diane Chambers on the first five seasons of Cheers. Long did not like the Frasier character in Cheers and lobbied to get Grammer removed from the show. The producers disagreed, noting his popularity with the audience. Grammer has said "The Show Where Diane Comes Back" is one of his favorite episodes; it had the effect of allowing the two actors to make peace. Long also played Diane Chambers in two other Frasier episodes, the first a brief surprise cameo in a 1994 episode and once again in the 2001 season premiere. Both times she was a figment of Frasier's imagination.

Some cast members of Frasier had appeared previously in minor roles on Cheers. In the episode "Do Not Forsake Me, O' My Postman" (1992), John Mahoney played Sy Flembeck, an over-the-hill advertising executive hired by Rebecca to write a jingle for the bar. In it, Grammer and Mahoney exchanged a few lines. Peri Gilpin appeared in a Cheers episode titled "Woody Gets an Election" playing a reporter who interviews Woody when he runs for office.

Like Norm Peterson's wife Vera, Niles' wife Maris is never seen or heard from. This style is used again when Martin meets the woman he has been watching from across the street via his telescope, and for Senator Adler when he arrives at Frasier's apartment.

In some cases Cheers directly contradicts Frasier or vice versa. Frasier's mother is remembered in Frasier as a sensitive, kind woman and a wonderful mother, yet she appears in a Cheers episode (played by Nancy Marchand) as a haughty, overbearing woman who threatens Diane Chambers at gunpoint to end her relationship with Frasier. Mrs. Crane was portrayed in a 2001 episode of Frasier (on Martin's old cine movies) by Rita Wilson, who reprised the role during Frasier's imaginary experiences with the important women in his life. In this case she was once again portrayed as threatening toward Diane (and Lilith), citing as her reasons her concern for Frasier's happiness.

In the eight