Kelsey Grammer Teases Filming Start For Frasier Reboot
When is it coming already?
Kelsey Grammer reached a pretty impressive record way back in 2004. At the time, his long-running series, Frasier, had just wrapped its 11th and final season. That year also marked his 20th year playing the psychiatrist and radio host. That honor tied him with James Arness, who played Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke. Now, the 67-year-old actor is looking to stand alone by breaking the record and reviving Dr. Frasier Crane in a new revival on Paramount+. Fans of the show got some great news as Grammer teased a possible start date for filming.
Grammer sat down with The Talk (per a report from Deadline) to discuss many things; most notably what fans can expect from the new series. The Dr. Crane actor dropped the news that shooting could begin this fall. He said that he had heard rumblings about October, but there were other projects they were finishing up first. He gave fans some insight as to how long they will have to wait to see their favorite doctor return. Kelsey Grammer is not the only actor fans are hoping to see again.
Kelsey Grammer also revealed that they had reached out to former cast members to invite them to appear. David Hyde Pierce, who played his neurotic brother Niles, is at the top of the list fans hope to see. While the series is a sitcom, it is about family at its heart. And Niles is one of the main reasons the series was successful. Of course, Niles’s constant crush, Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves), and Frasier’s co-worker Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin) are other must-sees if they bring back classic characters. One character that would unavoidably be missed is Martin Crane, who the charismatic John Mahoney portrayed. He gave the series more dry humor than the rest of the cast combined. As much as we would love to see him in his trusty chair holding his loyal Jack Russel Terrier again, Mahoney sadly passed away in 2018.
What we do know now that Kelsey Grammer has revealed some details is that the team is nearing the completion of the script for the first episode. He told The Talk that he has been through the script a few times and has cried. He is happy with the direction they are headed. The actor also revealed the direction they decided on is similar to It’s a Wonderful Life. He sees Dr. Crane as a bit like George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), wanting to see the world but getting derailed and living a new life he never expected.
It remains to be seen if this series can recapture the magic that spent 11 seasons receiving 37 Emmys. Kelsey Grammer himself won four. The series won best comedy for the first five seasons, which sets a pretty high bar for the revival. While we hope it won’t be just another in a long line of failed reboots, remakes, and revivals, there are four decades of fandom to live up to. If the script can bring the main character to tears, there is hope that the fans have plenty to look forward to.
