Director James Burrows takes EW behind the scenes of the highly anticipated revival.
If the ’90s are truly in, then Frasier Crane chose the perfect time for his return.
(The character made a handful of appearances on the show’s first run.)
‘Frasier’.Chris Haston/Paramount+
So they tried to tap into that, and I think they succeeded."
And his taste in expensive bourbon hasn’t waned.
But his memory is alive and well on the series, which honors the character in the pilot.
Kelsey Grammer and Jack Cutmore-Scott on the new ‘Frasier’.Chris Haston/Paramount+
“It’s a wonderful scene at the end of the show,” says Burrows.
“It’s about two-and-a-half, three minutes without any laughs.
You’ve got to be brave to do that.”
Kelsey Grammer returns in ‘Frasier’.Chris Haston/Paramount+
“I preferred Cheers, but they didn’t want that for some reason,” jokes Burrows.
But that iconic bar isn’t forgotten.
In fact, Frasier references his former watering hole never directly by name, though in the first episode.
Kelsey Grammer welcomes audience members at a taping of the new ‘Frasier’.Chris Haston/Paramount+
It breaks my heart," Burrows says.
“I’m a theater rat.
I was trained in the theater.
My dad was in the theater.
“Anything we say, he knows what Frasier says and what Frasier doesn’t say.
He has no problem telling us, ‘Frasier would never say this.
Frasier would say…,'” Cristalli says.
“I’m a giant fan of the original.
I’ve seen them all I’ve seen them all a hundred times.
Nobody knows that guy better than Kelsey does, and he has great instincts.
He can get a laugh on a look as Frasier.
This is not surprising; he knows what he’s doing and he’s very good at it.”
And in essence, dare I say, love one another.
So that’s what I tried to do,” the director says.
“The first two episodes, I had a great time.
It was a while since I had done a multi-camera show and a while since I had doneFrasier.
And I’m a man who believes laughter will elongate your life.
And to sit on that stage and watch the audience go crazy is incredibly gratifying to me.”
The newFrasierdebuts Oct. 12 on Paramount+ (CBS will air the first two episodes on Oct. 17).
