Being bored I punted round the various catch-up sites, Netflix and so on and came across Frasier, which I’d watched nearly 30 years ago. I wondered, whether it would it be like visiting an elderly relative who’d declined into despair and decrepitude? Dare I watch? Dare I risk lovely memories of its hyper-sharp wit spoiled by the passing of time?1 Nil desperandum! I went for it.
What a reward I received. The wit shone like a lantern on a dark night. The Frasier ensemble of Kelsey Grammer and five others was a genius of casting. They blended into a team of comedic superstars. The script was much more edgy than I’d remembered. They crossed boundaries, which probably can’t be crossed today. And! There are eleven series.
So, if I’m bored and need a sharp dose of classic sitcom genius I know exactly where to go. I warmly recommend you to revisit Frasier or, for younger readers, to ditch your prejudices against pre-historic TV.
Note
Try this: The Frasier Show Remembered | Odeboyz’s Blog (oedeboyz.com)
Well good news here: I recently read that a Frasier reboot is in production (Paramount I think). Though it’ll be very different without one of the central plot pillars; Frasier’s relationship with his working class father, Martin, played by the late John Mahoney. And also maybe losing Martin’s ‘physical therapist’ Daphne … or did she end up with Niles? I can’t remember.
Thank you for your comment
The idea of a re-boot film of Frasier sends shivers down my spine. I don’t know if I’m happy or sad at the prospect. It just doesn’t seem possible that perfection could be improved, or matched, and would therefore be a disappointment. However! I thought the same about Godfather 2 and was totally wrong about that.