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Everything to know about the ‘Frasier’ reboot set in Boston
'Frasier' has replaced the Seattle skyline with the Boston one for the series reboot, which debuts this fall.
Tossed salads and scrambled eggs are calling again — this time, from Boston.
Nearly 20 years after its 2004 finale, a “Frasier” reboot starring Kelsey Grammer as cantankerous psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane is set to begin streaming on Paramount+ this fall.
And as a new teaser for the show revealed, the iconic Seattle skyline that once graced the show’s logo has been replaced by the Boston one.
Bringing Frasier back to Boston feels like a natural move for the series. After all, if Paramount+ is banking on viewer nostalgia for “Frasier,” why not add some for “Cheers,” the Boston-set show that first introduced Dr. Crane?
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While Paramount hasn’t revealed much about the plot of the “Frasier” reboot, the mug of beer in the teaser trailer offers tantalizing hope that Dr. Crane will make at least one or two stops at the bar where everybody knows your name.
Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming “Frasier” reboot.
What is the plot of the “Frasier” reboot?
The description of the show provided by Paramount is sparse on details, with a press release simply stating that Dr. Crane will begin “the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston, Mass., with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge, and an old dream or two to finally fulfill.”
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Grammer slightly elaborated on this during an interview with “Today,” saying that viewers will learn a little bit about the time Dr. Crane spent in Chicago immediately following the original run of “Frasier.”
“He wants to become a writer of [critically acclaimed] novels, and it doesn’t quite work out,” Grammer said. “He’s a little more mature. He’s got a little more wisdom about him. But he’s still a little bit silly and takes certain things more seriously than most people do. But that’s his character.”
“Frasier’s going back to Boston to put himself back in a place where he didn’t feel like he quite made it,” Grammer continued. “He left with his tail between his legs a little bit. He wants to feel like he’s conquered it again.”
Will the Cheers bar factor into the “Frasier” reboot?
That’s unclear at the moment. The “Frasier” reboot was filmed in front of a live audience in Los Angeles, so much like the original “Cheers” series, it didn’t involve much filming in Boston, if any. But in theory, the bar could still serve as a setting for the show.
In the same “Today” interview, host Hoda Kotb asked Grammer about the iconic bar, and his response wasn’t exactly forthcoming.
“There’s mention of a certain bar,” Grammer said. “I’d heard it had kind of gone belly-up, [but] someone recently told me it was still there.”
Who is starring in the “Frasier” reboot?
Frasier’s return to Boston will find him reconnecting with family and old friends, as well as brushing shoulders with the area academia.
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Along with Grammer, the “Frasier” reboot stars Jack Cutmore-Scott (“Deception”) as Frasier’s son, Freddy; Jess Salgueiro as Freddy’s roommate, Eve; Anders Keith as Frasier’s nephew, David; Nicholas Lyndhurst (“Only Fools and Horses”) as Frasier’s college pal turned university professor, Alan; and Toks Olagundoye (“Castle”) as Alan’s colleague and head of the university psychology department, Olivia.
Are any original “Frasier” characters returning for the reboot?
Dr. Crane’s return to Boston will indeed put him back in touch with several characters from “Frasier” and “Cheers,” albeit on a limited basis.
Peri Gilpin, who played Frasier’s long-suffered radio producer Roz, was announced as a cast member in April.
Also showing up for the reboot is Lilith, Frasier’s former wife turned verbal sparring partner played by Bebe Neuwirth. First introduced in season four of “Cheers,” Frasier left Lilith in Boston with a new husband at the start of “Frasier,” but the two reentered each other’s orbits multiple times throughout the show’s run.
As of February, there were no announced plans for any of the principal characters of “Cheers” or “Frasier” to show up on the upcoming reboot.
Grammer specifically addressed the possibility of David Hyde Pierce — who played Frasier’s brother, Niles — and Jane Leeves — who played Frasier’s housekeeper, Daphne — during an interview on “Today.”
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“Niles and Daphne are not coming back,” Grammer said. “If there is a spot for a one-off appearance, and they’re interested, I’m sure we would do something like that. But, it’s a new world. It’s a new life.”
How can I watch the “Frasier” reboot?
“Frasier” will begin streaming on Paramount+ this fall, with the first episodes debuting on Thursday, Oct. 12. After that, the remaining eight episodes will debut weekly on Thursdays.
Do I need to pay for a streaming service to watch the “Frasier” reboot?
Yes and no. “Frasier” will premiere on two different Paramount-owned streaming services: Paramount+, the company’s streaming subscription service; and Pluto TV, Paramount’s free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service.
Pluto TV is free, but shows ads during commercial breaks, while an ad-free Paramount Plus subscription bundled with Showtime costs $11.99 a month.
If you want a small taste of the “Frasier” reboot without signing up for any new services, CBS will broadcast the first two episodes at 9:15 p.m. on October 17.
How can I watch old episodes of “Frasier” and “Cheers”?
If you’re thinking about revisiting any of the 500+ combined episodes of “Frasier” and “Cheers” before the reboot returns, you’ll have several options.
You can stream every episode of “Frasier” on both Paramount+ and Hulu.
The same goes for “Cheers,” with both Paramount+ and Hulu making the whole series available to subscribers.
If you want a free, ad-supported streaming option with slightly less control, the Sitcom Legends channel on Pluto TV broadcasts reruns of “Frasier” and “Cheers” almost 24 hours a day, with a handful of episodes from other shows, like Ted Danson’s “Becker,” sprinkled in.
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