Frasier’s revival flop proves Kelsey Grammer’s blindness to the original’s true magic
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Kelsey Grammer might have believed himself to be the ‘key ingredient’ of Frasier – but the failure of the revival has proved otherwise. The hit sitcom, a spin-off of Cheers, first premiered in September 1993, and followed the pompous psychiatrist as he swapped a dusty Boston barstool for the elegance of Seattle’s upper-crust.
![[Frasier]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-138378356.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
It became an instant success, winning an unprecedented 37 Emmys across an 11-year run. I – like many others – still watch it almost daily despite it ending 20 years ago. I’ve looked forward to re-runs on Channel 4, bought every season on Amazon Prime just to have access to a certain episode that was banned from morning TV, and then I moved to the US, where I can stream it whenever I like on several services.
![[Frasier]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-138380279.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
I absolutely love the series for the supremely witty writing, exciting cameos and jokes that still work decades later, but my heart dropped when I learned that Frasier was getting the reboot treatment in 2023, and it practically fell out of my stomach after realising that none of the core cast would be reprising their roles alongside the titular character.
![[Frasier]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-138380562.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Sorry Kelsey, but the ‘key’ ingredient wasn’t Frasier at all – it was the characters around him. While Martin Crane star John Mahoney died in 2018, it was confirmed that David Hyde Pierce had turned down the opportunity to reprise his role as the beloved Niles Crane, while Jane Leeves – who starred as his onscreen wife, Daphne Moon – also took a backseat.
![[Frasier - Season 11]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-147170295.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
