‘Frasier” has not left the building. In fact, the ’90s sitcom about two hoity-toity psychiatrist brothers and their crusty, down-to-earth retired cop dad is having a moment.
On Cozi, a TV network dedicated to reruns, the show is its top draw, with 2.3 million viewers a week for its two-hour weeknight block. Reruns stream on Amazon, Hulu and Netflix.
There are even rumors of a reboot, with star Kelsey Grammer confirming last month that there have been “some discussions.” But with the death of actor John Mahoney, who gave the show its heart and soul as Frasier’s father, Martin, that would seem a non-starter.
In fact, the success of “Frasier” reruns is the best argument for an end to reboots. Some are successful, like “Fuller House” and “Queer Eye.” But many others seem lackluster, like the revivified “Will & Grace” and “Murphy Brown.”
The reason these shows came to an end — no more good stories to tell — still holds true. Rebooted characters are stuck in endless loops with nowhere to go, like Grace with her hot mess of a love life.
So why not luxuriate in reruns from a show’s heyday? In its 11 seasons, “Frasier” was a gem that busted sitcom formats. Celebrities, such as Halle Berry and Helen Mirren, voiced woebegone callers to Dr. Frasier Crane’s radio talk show. The show brilliantly embraced farce in a way few sitcoms have, like the bed-hopping ski lodge episode, in which Frasier’s brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce), was chasing his father’s caregiver, Daphne (Jane Leeves), who was chasing a gay ski instructor, who was chasing Niles.
And the writers dashed off the cleverest lines. Reflecting on his sporting abilities, Niles once said: “The only thing we Crane boys are skilled at catching are sarcastic nuances and the occasional virus.”
So maybe some of the reruns seem familiar. But there also is the thrill of discovering a previously unseen episode (or maybe it’s just that one’s memory is lapsing).
