SEATTLE — During the course of the TV show “Frasier,” its main character was described as pompous, loquacious, overanalytical, pushy, pretentious, bossy, huffy, vain … and those are just the words used by his loved ones. And yet radio psychiatrist Frasier Crane — played by Kelsey Grammer first on “Cheers” and then for 11 seasons of “Frasier,” the first of which premiered 30 years ago this month — remained utterly, bewitchingly lovable: a sherry-swilling, opera-loving, cashmere-blazer-wearing aesthete whose problems were, at heart, the same as anyone’s. Ultimately, he was looking for love, for connection with his family, for friendship, and if he occasionally stumbled while finding those things, he nonetheless never stopped trying.
“Frasier,” on NBC from 1993-2004 and currently streamable on Hulu and Paramount+, is one of the great sitcoms for the usual reason: It was very, very funny. Its splendid ensemble cast — Grammer, David Hyde Pierce as Frasier’s brother Niles, John Mahoney as their retired-cop dad Martin, Jane Leeves as Martin’s home health worker Daphne, Peri Gilpin as Frasier’s producer Roz — all handled comedy as smoothly as Frasier intoned his catchphrase “I’m listening.” These actors sparked off each other, in fast-moving farces or quieter character moments. In the way of great TV shows, you felt a sense of friendship between them — that these people had bonded, both as actors and as characters, and were enjoying the interplay as much as we did.
But there was something deeper to the show: a multiseason love story. I’m not talking about the romance between Niles and Daphne; that one, a delight for so many earlier seasons (Pierce moons so beautifully), sadly lost steam in the last few seasons when the pair finally got together — a typical fate for a long-teased-out will-they-or-won’t-they. No, the one that matters is the one between Frasier and Martin, a worlds-apart son and father who began the show at odds, and ended it in loving acceptance. Each initially a mystery to the other, these two characters made their way through a lovely arc that ends, in the final episode, with Martin speaking the heartfelt “thank you” that Frasier desperately wanted to hear in the show’s premiere. Martin may never remember to use a coaster, and Frasier may never understand sports terminology, but the 11 seasons of the show brought father and son together, a development made all the more moving for its deliberate pace.
Rewatching “Frasier,” you’re struck by how very well Frasier Crane lives — has any man on television ever had so many dressing gowns, each of them impeccable? Or been so enamored of expensive hand towels? If that lavish life seemed a bit much for a part-time local radio personality, well, it was never clear how Carrie Bradshaw afforded her brownstone either. But watching “Frasier” taught us things. Do not fold cashmere (you’ll misdirect the nap). If someone wants coffee, bring out an elaborate tray with a full coffee service. Wine is best enjoyed accompanied by parliamentary procedure. If you don’t like some of the ingredients in your muffin, remove them with tweezers. (“Away, wrinkly thing!” sniffed Niles while doing so.) Re-season your crepe pans every year.
