Nearly two decades after audiences last saw Dr. Frasier Crane, the fancy psychiatrist is stepping back into the spotlight and back to his Boston roots. Paramount+’s Frasier revival, which Grammer has described as a “third act” for the character, is set to debut exclusively on the streamer October 12, 2023, before two episodes air on CBS on October 17.
The journey to this revival has been years in the making. Talks first surfaced in 2016 but were denied by Grammer at the time. By 2018, the actor began hinting that a reboot was being seriously considered. In early 2019, he openly discussed the likelihood of a new series, noting it would pay tribute to the late John Mahoney, who played Frasier’s father Martin in the original run and passed away in 2018. By the end of that year, Grammer said, “We’ve hatched the plan,” with an initial aim for a 2020 release.
The project officially came to life on February 24, 2021, when Paramount+ greenlit the series for exclusive debut. Grammer expressed his excitement, saying he “gleefully” anticipated “sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane” after spending “over 20 years” of his “creative life on the Paramount lot.”
In October 2022, Paramount+ confirmed a 10-episode season order, and casting quickly followed. The revival sees Frasier returning to Boston - the city where the character first appeared in Cheers in the 1980s - trading in Seattle’s skyline for a setting tied to an Ivy League university campus. Variety describes the new series as following Frasier “in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston, Massachusetts, with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill.”
The ensemble includes Nicholas Lyndhurst as Alan Cornwall, Frasier’s old college friend and now a professor; Jack Cutmore-Scott as Frederick “Freddy” Crane, Frasier’s son (previously played by Trevor Einhorn); Anders Keith as David Crane, Frasier’s nephew and the son of Niles and Daphne; Jess Salgueiro as Eve, Freddy’s roommate; and Toks Olagundoye as Olivia, head of the university’s psychology department.
Fan favorites from the original Frasier will also make appearances, though not as series regulars. Bebe Neuwirth reprises her role as Frasier’s ex-wife and Freddy’s mother, Lilith Sternin, while Peri Gilpin returns as Roz Doyle, Frasier’s long-time friend and co-worker. Notably absent is David Hyde Pierce, who declined to reprise his role as Niles Crane, as well as Jane Leeves, who played Daphne Moon.
Production brought together familiar behind-the-scenes talent, including casting director Jeff Greenberg and veteran sitcom helmer James Burrows, who directed the premiere episode titled “The Good Father” - a nod to the original pilot, “The Good Son.” Written by Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris, the first episode was filmed in February 2023. Grammer himself stepped behind the camera to direct episode seven, “Freddy’s Birthday,” in April. Filming wrapped in May 2023.
For Grammer, the revival marks both a return to one of television’s most acclaimed characters and a chance to explore uncharted territory. “This is the next chapter,” he’s said. “It’s not a repeat; it’s a continuation of the journey.”
With its Boston backdrop, academic setting, and blend of new and familiar faces, the Frasier revival aims to honor the wit and sophistication that made the original a critical and audience favorite - while giving the good doctor a fresh set of challenges to dissect.
