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Wikipedia

Frasier Crane

Dr. Frasier Winslow Crane[2] (born c. 1952)[3][note 1] is a fictional character who is both a supporting character on the American television sitcom Cheers and the titular protagonist of its spin-off Frasier, portrayed by Kelsey Grammer. The character debuted in the Cheers third-season premiere, "Rebound (Part 1)" (1984), as Diane Chambers's love interest, part of the Sam and Diane story arc. Intended to appear for only a few episodes, Grammer's performance for the role was praised by producers, prompting them to expand his role and to increase his prominence. Later in Cheers, Frasier marries Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth) and has a son, Frederick. After Cheers ended, the character moved to a spin-off series, Frasier, the span of his overall television appearances totaling twenty years.[4][5] In the spin-off, Frasier moves back to his birthplace Seattle after his divorce from Lilith, who retained custody of Frederick in Boston, and is reunited with a newly-created family: his estranged father Martin and brother Niles.

Dr. Frasier Crane
Cheers / Frasier character
Dr. Frasier Crane doing his radio show at KACL in the Frasier episode "Shrink Wrap" (1995)
First appearanceCheers:
"Rebound (Part 1)" (episode 3.01)
Created byGlen Charles
Les Charles
Portrayed byKelsey Grammer
In-universe information
NicknameDoc, Fras
GenderMale
OccupationPsychiatrist[1] (1983–1993)
Radio host and psychotherapist (1993–2004)
Family
SpouseNanette "Nanny G" Guzman (before 1984)
Lilith Sternin (1988–1993)
ChildrenFrederick Crane
Relatives
ReligionEpiscopalian
NationalityAmerican

Grammer received award recognitions for portraying this character in these two shows, in addition to a 1992 one-time appearance in Wings. For his portrayal in Cheers, Grammer was nominated twice as the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series but did not win that category. For portraying the character in Frasier, Kelsey Grammer won four Emmy Awards out of eleven nominations as the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Awards out of eight nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy).

In February 2021, ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global) announced that Grammer would reprise the character in a new series set to air on the new streaming service, Paramount+.[6]

Creation and casting

 
Kelsey Grammer, portrayer of Frasier Crane since 1984

The character Frasier Crane was created in the third season of Cheers (1984–1985) by series creators Glen and Les Charles as Diane Chambers's (Shelley Long) "romantic and intellectual ideal" following her breakup with Sam Malone (Ted Danson). Not only Sam Malone's rival and opposite, Frasier Crane was also part of the love triangle, "a different form of the Sam-Diane relationship," said Glen Charles.[7] The show's writers initially conceived the character as "the role Ralph Bellamy used to play in Cary Grant movies — the guy the lady falls in love with, but is not real. You just know he doesn't have the sexual dynamism Grant does."[8]

John Lithgow was originally chosen by Cheers producers for the role, but turned it down.[9][10][11] Grammer believed that he had failed the audition because no one laughed, but was chosen because of the quality of his performance with Danson.[8] Frasier was supposed to only appear on a few episodes before Diane left him, but Grammer's performance was praised by series executives, leading to an extended role in the series.[12] His character was not universally popular, however, for coming between Sam and Diane; a viewer approached Grammer asking "Are you that pin dick that plays Frasier?", and the show received fan mail denouncing Grammer.[8]

Role in Cheers

Frasier Crane, an alumnus of Harvard University, Harvard Medical School,[13] and Oxford University, debuted in the two-part episode "Rebound" (1984), the premiere of Cheers season three (1984–85), as a psychiatrist to help bartender Sam Malone recover from a brief return to alcoholism and also cope with his breakup from Diane Chambers. Also Diane's fiancé throughout the third season,[14] he and Diane are supposed to wed in Italy in "Rescue Me" (1985), the finale of season three. However, in "Birth, Death, Love, and Rice" (1985), the premiere of season four (1985–86), Frasier enters the bar and tells Sam that he was jilted by Diane at the altar in Europe.[14] A despondent Frasier, who gave up his practice to go to Europe, loses his job lecturing at a university in Europe. Later in season four, he begins to regularly attend Cheers for drinks and finds himself depending more and more on alcohol. In "The Triangle" (1986), Sam feigns symptoms of depression, planned by Diane, to help Frasier recover from alcoholism and regain his own self-confidence. This leads Frasier to conclude that Sam's symptoms indicate his love for Diane. However, upon arrival Frasier sees Sam and Diane arguing in the bar office, Sam admits the whole plan. Furious, Frasier declares himself to be sober, refuses to be a part of their relationship, and vows to practice psychiatry again.

The character finally becomes a permanent fixture among the other bar patrons by the end of season three, and adds to his comedic repertoire an occasional penchant for commenting on the personality flaws of the other Cheers regulars, while still managing to remain a likable addition to the gang.[15][16] As his role is expanded, Frasier becomes romantically involved with a stereotypical "intelligent, ice queen"[17] Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth). Their first date in "Second Time Around" (1986) does not go well; they exchange insults with each other until she leaves the bar, disappointing him. In "Abnormal Psychology" (1986), Frasier and Lilith feel mutual attraction after Diane gives Lilith a makeover. At first reluctant to start anew, they then decide to go on another date. They live together for a year before being married one month before "Our Hourly Bread" (1988) as revealed in the episode, and give birth to their son Frederick in "The Stork Brings a Crane" (1989). (In "Smotherly Love" (1992), they re-enact their wedding to please Lilith's mother Betty (Marilyn Cooper), who was irritated that she had not been present for their marriage).

In "One Hugs, the Other Doesn't" (1992), Frasier is revealed to have been previously married to Nanette Guzman (Emma Thompson), now known as the popular children's entertainer Nanny G. When Nanette sings a song implying her possible feelings for Frasier (despite being fully aware he's remarried), Lilith attacks her during Frederick's second birthday party.

In "Teaching with the Enemy" (1992), Lilith admits her affair with another man Dr. Louis Pascal (Peter Vogt), dooming their marriage. In "Is There a Doctor in the Howe?" (1993), a distraught Frasier is going to sleep with Rebecca Howe in his bed until Lilith unexpectedly returns and then—in the following episode "The Bar Manager, The Shrink, His Wife and Her Lover" (1993)—storms out the room and then heads to Cheers. There, Lilith reveals that the eco-pod experiment with Pascal was a disaster—Pascal turned out to be claustrophobic among other mental problems—and she abandoned the project to return to Boston. Frasier, Rebecca, and eventually Pascal converge on Cheers in pursuit of Lilith. Pascal, armed with a pistol, demands Lilith return to him, threatening to shoot Frasier and the others. Lilith demands that he shoot her first, which causes him to back down and surrender to police. Although Frasier initially refuses to take Lilith back after all this, her pathetic sobbing wins him over, and he hesitantly reconciles with her.

Role in Frasier

Spin-off development

When Cheers ended in 1993, at first the creators did not plan to spin off the character from the predecessor because they were concerned that a spinoff might fail. Instead, they wanted to cast Kelsey Grammer as a paraplegic millionaire resembling Malcolm Forbes, "a magazine mogul [and] a motorcycle enthusiast". The idea was deemed unsuitable and scrapped. Then the show's creators decided to move Frasier Crane out of Boston to avoid any resemblance to Cheers. The spinoff idea would have focused primarily on "his work at a radio station", but they found it resembled an older sitcom, WKRP in Cincinnati, too much. Therefore, they decided to add in his private life, such as his father Martin and brother Niles.[18] In his titular spin-off, Frasier becomes "haughty, disdainful, and exceedingly uptight."[19]

Moving to Seattle

After Cheers, Frasier and Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) divorce offscreen, and Lilith is awarded custody of their son Frederick, with Frasier granted visiting rights. In the pilot "The Good Son", Frasier explains that he left Boston because he felt that his life and career had grown stagnant (and he had been publicly humiliated after climbing onto a ledge and threatening to commit suicide before being talked down). Therefore, he returned to his original hometown of Seattle, where his father Martin (John Mahoney) and brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) live, to have a fresh start.

Frasier works for the radio station, KACL, as the host of his psychotherapeutic radio show, The Dr. Frasier Crane Show, produced by his producer and friend, Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin), who has many ex-boyfriends. Later, his father Martin, a retired Seattle Police Department detective who was shot in the line of duty, ends up moving in with him. Frasier is worried about his father in his current state as he can barely walk, and requires a cane to move. In Cheers, Frasier says that his father is dead, and that he was a scientist. He also says that he is an only child.[20] This inconsistency is later explained in "The Show Where Sam Shows Up": At Frasier's apartment, Sam Malone (Ted Danson) tells Martin and Niles what Frasier had said about them, and Frasier explains that he was trying to distance himself from his family at the time. In Cheers, Frasier tells bar patrons that he is an orphan.[20] He confirms in "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (1988) that his mother Hester, portrayed by Nancy Marchand in "Diane Meets Mom" (1984) and then by Rita Wilson in flashbacks in "Mamma Mia" (1999) and "Don Juan in Hell: Part 2" (2001), is dead off-screen.

Frasier hires a live-in physical therapist, Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves), to care for Martin. Daphne is an eccentric, working class Englishwoman who professes to be "a bit psychic". Moreover, Martin brings his beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Eddie, whom Frasier is uncomfortable around. After some initial hostility, Frasier grows very close to his new family.

Life with Martin and Niles

During the course of the spin-off's run, especially in scenes at Frasier's apartment, Frasier and Martin regularly fight over the living arrangements and each other's personalities: Frasier is intellectual, elitist, and mild-mannered, while Martin is a rugged man of simple tastes who speaks (according to Frasier) in words that no "sophisticated, educated" person could understand.[14] While Frasier has many common interests with Niles and shares adventures (or misadventures) with him, he has little in common with his father, Martin.

In "Dinner at Eight" (1993), Martin takes Frasier and Niles to a themed steakhouse, where health-conscious Frasier and Niles criticize the food, the restaurant's customs, and the clientele. Martin becomes frustrated and angry before leaving, remarking upon departing that their mother, Hester, would be disappointed with their behavior. Frasier and Niles try to prove that they are not "snobs" by finishing their meal, although it takes them until after closing time. Ironically, in the Cheers season seven episode "I Kid You Not" (1988), Frasier invites Carla and her son Ludlow to a fine dining restaurant, but Carla and Ludlow criticize and mock it, enraging Frasier.

In "Chess Pains" (1996), Frasier teaches Martin how to play chess, but is horrified when Martin becomes a better player than him, due to Martin's seasoned insight as a police detective. Frasier becomes obsessed with winning against his father until Frasier wins one match and Martin does not want to play with Frasier anymore. One late night, Frasier wakes Martin up and asks him whether he lost the chess match on purpose. Martin responds that Frasier "won, fair and square" and nothing more. In the Cheers season five episode "Spellbound" (1987), dimwitted Woody Boyd consistently beats Frasier in chess, frustrating Frasier.

In an episode of the seventh season "A Tsar Is Born" (1999), Martin takes an old family clock, which Frasier and Niles consider ugly, to exhibit on the television show Antiques Roadshow. As the boys soon discover, the clock is related to their ancestors and royalty, and may be worth a fortune, and heightens their expectations of being descended from royalty. Unfortunately, when they try to sell the clock later, the brothers learn from an antique specialist that it was stolen from the daughter of Tsar Alexander II. Moreover, their great-great-grandmother was discovered to have been the clock thief and the daughter's scullery maid, and is discovered to have later been a prostitute in New York City. Therefore, the brothers are left without a fortune, a clock, and their royal dreams are destroyed, as Frasier puts it, they are descended from "thieves and whores". Much to their anger, Martin buys a Winnebago RV with money Frasier claimed were the proceeds from selling the clock.

Reunion with Lilith and Frederick

Actress Bebe Neuwirth left Cheers for fear of becoming typecast and to do Broadway; she did not expect to appear recurrently in Frasier.[21] Cheers and Frasier writers Ken Levine and David Isaacs found chemistry of Frasier and Lilith "special" enough to compare them with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy on Prozac.[22] In "The Show Where Lilith Comes Back" (1994), Lilith surprises Frasier by dialing to the radio show. They later make love in a hotel room, but end up regretting it, prompting them to part ways again. They decide to remain friends and help each other co-parent their son Frederick (Trevor Einhorn),[23] who also appears occasionally in this spin-off. In "Adventures in Paradise, Part Two" (1994), Lilith gets engaged to her fiancé Brian (James Morrison), much to Frasier's chagrin. In "A Lilith Thanksgiving" (1996), Frasier and Lilith have Frederick admitted into a private school after they annoy the administrator (Paxton Whitehead) several times on Thanksgiving. In "The Unnatural" (1997), Frasier is proven as unathletic and bad at softball, which he reluctantly admits to Frederick. Then Frasier tells him that, when Frasier was a third-grade elementary student, Martin was bad at math.

In "Room Service" (1998), Lilith is recently divorced from her husband Brian for his gay affair. Frasier attempts to renew the relationship, but changes his mind when he finds out, to his horror, that Lilith and Niles had a drunken one-night stand. Lilith last appears in "Guns 'N Neuroses" (2003), in which she and Frasier are accidentally set up to go on a blind date. Lilith and Frasier are close to restarting a relationship in the hotel room, but they are interrupted by a loud argument between a young married couple next door. Frasier and Lilith are able to resolve the couple's dispute, spend the night together watching television, and finally fall asleep on the couch without having had sex. The next morning, they part ways with a tender final onscreen moment together.

Reunions with Cheers characters

With the exception of Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), all the surviving main cast members of Cheers appear in the show at various points. In "The Show Where Sam Shows Up" (1995), Sam Malone reunites with Frasier in Seattle. Later, Frasier is discovered to have slept with Sam's fiancée Sheila (Téa Leoni), but Sam has not discovered the affair, much to Frasier's relief. Nevertheless, Sam finds out her dalliances with Paul Krapence (Paul Willson) and Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger), though Sam isn't initially angry when told of her infidelity with Paul when Sheila reveals she slept with Cliff (something that shocked and horrified both Sam and Frasier) it leads to him ending the romantic relationship (. In "The Show Where Diane Comes Back" (1996), Frasier is reunited with Diane Chambers and learns that due to an accident with her and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (Jane Seymour) resulted in much of her personal life being turned upside down and the financial backers for her upcoming play rescinding their support, prompting him to support it instead. The play turns out to be based on their relationship in Boston, including her leaving him at the altar. Frasier angrily confronts her about it, but they end up reconciling.

In "The Show Where Woody Shows Up" (1999), Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson), still married to Kelly with his son and daughter, accidentally reunites with Frasier after landing in the wrong destination, Seattle. However, they realize that they are no longer friends, as their lives are too different. Nevertheless, they admit that they had good times together in Boston, and they will always think about each other. In "Cheerful Goodbyes" (2002), Frasier arrives to Boston for a psychiatric conference. At the airport, Frasier unexpectedly bumps into Cliff Clavin and is invited to Cliff's retirement party the following evening, where he is reunited with Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman) and then briefly Norm Peterson (George Wendt). Later, Cliff confides in Frasier that he fears that his friends will not miss him. Frasier tells everyone to say a nice farewell to Cliff; even Carla, who hates him. Moved, Cliff decides to stay in Boston, much to Carla's annoyance.

Final years: 2003–04

In "Caught in the Act" (2004), Frasier's ex-wife Nanette Guzman (Laurie Metcalf), tries to rekindle their relationship, but Frasier refuses. (The character was previously portrayed by Emma Thompson in Cheers episode "One Hugs, the Other Doesn't" (1992) and by Dina Spybey in "Don Juan in Hell, Part 2" (2001) as part of Frasier's imaginary dream.) Later, he falls in love with Charlotte Connor (Laura Linney), but the romance turns out to be short-lived when she moves to Chicago. In the 2004 two-part series finale, "Goodnight, Seattle", Frasier is offered a job as the host of his own television talk show, located in San Francisco and has decided to accept the job. However, in the final scene of the show, it is revealed that Frasier has boarded a plane to Chicago, implying he will be with Charlotte.

Other appearances

Kelsey Grammer has made several appearances as Dr. Frasier Crane outside of Cheers and Frasier.

An animated version of the character appears in The Simpsons episode "Fear of Flying", although Grammer, who voices Sideshow Bob on the show, does not voice the character of Frasier.

Characterization and analysis

Frasier Crane is a licensed psychiatrist who is, as Kelsey Grammer described, "flawed, silly, pompous, and full of himself, [yet] kind [and] vulnerable."[24] Judy Berman from Flavor Wire describes him as also "a child prodigy, theater geek, and frequent target for bullies."[25] According to Cheers and Frasier writer Peter Casey, Frasier is "very complicated, very intelligent, but also very insecure;" he may have solutions to such problems as a psychiatrist but is clueless about himself.[18]

Reception

Popularity

According to a 1993 telephone survey before the Frasier premiere and the Cheers finale, Sam Malone (Ted Danson) scored 26 percent as a favorite character, and Frasier Crane scored 1 percent.[26][27] In response to the question of spinning off a character, 15 percent voted Sam, 12 percent voted Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson), 10 percent voted Norm Peterson (George Wendt), and 29 percent voted no spin-offs.[27] Frasier Crane, whose own spin-off Frasier debuted in September 1993, was voted by 2 percent to have his own show.[28]

Critical reaction

At the time Cheers originally aired, Rick Sherwood from Los Angeles disdained Frasier Crane and his existence as part of the "Sam and Diane" dynamic.[29] Sherwood found Frasier's frequent appearances in the bar setting ("his [former] girlfriend's former lover's bar") responsible for turning Cheers into "as believable as [conservative] Archie Bunker [from All in the Family] voting for a liberal Democrat."[29] Later, while the character became more prominent in the series, inspiring a spin-off Frasier, in a 1999 book Writing and Responsibility, Beverly West and Jason Bergund noted that Frasier's father Martin was supposed to be dead in Cheers but turns out still alive in Frasier, calling it inconsistent with "a bout of amnesia[,] poor scriptwriting", or a desperation to elicit more laughter.[20] (In "The Show Where Sam Shows Up" [1995], Frasier addresses the inconsistency by explaining that he told his friends Martin was dead after an argument with him.) In another book TV Therapy, Frasier Crane in Cheers is considered "high-strung [and] pseudo-sophisticated" and an attraction to 1980s demographics of "anti-intellectual snobbery",[30] but Frasier in Frasier is considered a good, positive role model for intellectuality and sophistication.[31] In 2004, he was ranked by Bravo No. 26 of Bravo's The 100 Greatest TV Characters of all-time.[32][33] In 2009, the National Lampoon website ranked him No. 20 of "Top 20 Sitcom Characters You'd Kill in Real Life" and called him "hilarious" in the fictional world and "unbearable" in the real world.[34]

Robert Bianco from USA Today considered Frasier Crane masculine in the days of "Fred Astaire and William Powell" instead of recent "beer-belching" days of the reality show, Survivor. Bianco found series of Frasier's love life repetitive and "tiring".[35] Gillian Flynn from Entertainment Weekly considered Frasier Crane's "diction" an inspiration of Fringe's Walter Bishop (John Noble), who has an addition of "daffiness" of roles portrayed by actor Christopher Lloyd.[36] Joe Sixpack, a pseudonymous name for writer Don Russell, called Frasier an "insufferable twerp".[37] An internet user from Ken Levine's blog considered Frasier a successor to more prestigious, experienced Bostonian medical doctor and surgeon Charles Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) from the television series M*A*S*H. However, Levine did not acknowledge it when Frasier was the new character in Cheers in 1984.[38] (Coincidentally, in the Frasier episode "Fathers and Son" (2003), actor Stiers, portrayer of Winchester, appears as Hester Crane's former lab assistant Leland Barton, who is suspected as Frasier and Niles' biological father.) Television Without Pity called Frasier "snooty and pretentious", even if he may be "smart" on television and a "rare" species of all characters.[39] Steve Silverman from Screen Junkies praised Kelsey Grammer's performance as Frasier Crane but found them "predictable". Silverman thought that Grammer did not deserve an Emmy, especially in 1998. In note, Silverman deemed the character Frasier as "a windbag with a sense of humor" and "a whining schoolboy with a series of lame excuses."[40] Lance Mannion from his Typepad blog depicted Grammer as partially responsible for turning Cheers "from a light romantic into farce" by physical comedy.[41]

Reviewers on Frasier and Lilith

Martha Nolan from The New York Times called Frasier and Lilith "repressed" when married together in Cheers.[42] Josh Bell from About.com called Frasier and his ex-wife Lilith Sternin one of the "best sitcom divorced couples" of all-time.[23] Steven H. Scheuer from Sarasota Herald-Tribune considered Lilith's significance to and marriage with Frasier "fun" to watch, especially when, in "Severe Crane Damage" (1990), she used comparisons between "the duller good boy" Frasier and "the interesting bad boy" Sam Malone as "psychiatric examples of the good boy-bad boy syndrome".[43] Faye Zuckerman and John Martin from The New York Times called their marriage in Cheers a hilariously "perfect mismatch".[44] Television critic Kevin McDonough from New York praised Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth's performances as "repressed individuals" and "separate couple on TV" with "acidic and hilarious" chemistry together.[45] Lance Mannion referred to Frasier and Lilith as separate halves of Diane Chambers.[41]

Accolades

For his performance as Frasier Crane in Cheers, Kelsey Grammer was Emmy Award-nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1988 and 1990.[46][47] For the same role in Wings episode "Planes, Trains, and Visiting Cranes", he was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 1992 Emmy Awards.[46]

For the same role in Cheers spin-off Frasier, Grammer was consecutively nominated as an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series during the show's whole run except in 2003. He won that Lead category in 1994, 1995, 1998, and 2004.[46] He earned eight Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) throughout the series's whole run and won that category in 1996 and 2001.[48] Grammer won American Comedy Awards as the Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) in 1995[49] and 1996.[50] Grammer won the Screen Actors Guild Award as part of an ensemble cast of Frasier in 2000.[51]

Notes

  1. ^ Various episodes like "The Late Dr. Crane" and "Back Talk" (both 1999) inconsistently claim different dates as Frasier's exact birth date. A book by Dennis A. Bjorklund verifies just his birth year as 1952.[3]
  2. ^ Via archive footage

References

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  2. ^ Gumbel, Andrew (May 15, 2004). "Kelsey Grammer: The darker side of TV's favourite shrink". The Independent.
  3. ^ a b Bjorklund 1993, p. 257.
  4. ^ Isenberg, Barbara (September 21, 2003). "Cheers to the long run". LA Times. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  5. ^ "Condo by condo, Seattle has become a lot like Frasier". Seattle Times. May 13, 2004. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  6. ^ Picheta, Rob (February 25, 2021). "'Frasier' is being rebooted, with Kelsey Grammer reprising the role 17 years after show ended". CNN.
  7. ^ "`Cheers' Sam Gets a Rival." Ocala Star-Banner: TV Week [Ocala, FL] 18 August 1984: 19. Google News. Web. 31 March 2012.
  8. ^ a b c Raftery, Brian (October 2012). "The Best TV Show That's Ever Been". GQ. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  9. ^ "`Frasier' Says 'Goodnight, Seattle' for Good." St. Paul Pioneer Press [St. Paul, MN] 13 May 2004: E1. Web. 06 April 2012.(subscription required)
  10. ^ Filichia, Peter. "John Lithgow to appear at McCarter Theatre." NJ.com 05 April 2010. Web. 06 April 2012.
  11. ^ Neal, Rome. "'Frasier' Meets 'Becker'." CBS News 11 February 2009. Web. 06 April 2012.
  12. ^ Levine, Ken (June 6, 2008). "One more question..." ...by Ken Levine. from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  13. ^ "The Ready-for-Primetime Facebook". The Harvard Crimson. October 17, 2003. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c Gates 1998, p. 1
  15. ^ Arseneau, Adam (July 12, 2004). . DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  16. ^ Gates 1998, p. 1.
  17. ^ Brown 2005, p. 257.
  18. ^ a b Peter Casey (May 12, 2004). "So how did Frasier come about?". "USA Today" (Interview). Interviewed by Gary Levin. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  19. ^ Harper, Jacob (September 26, 2013). "The Spin-Off Series that (Actually) Found Success". Equities.com.
  20. ^ a b c Tighe, Carl (2004). Writing and Responsibility. London: Psychology Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780415345637. Retrieved June 24, 2012. Google Books.
  21. ^ Dominguez, Robert (May 13, 2004). "Not Much Adieu About Lilith". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  22. ^ Graham, Jefferson (November 15, 1994). "Her love for Frasier lures Bebe Neuwirth for return visit". USA Today. p. 3-D. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  23. ^ a b Bell, Josh. "The Best Sitcom Divorces". About.com. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  24. ^ Gates 1998, p. 2.
  25. ^ Berman, Judy (November 8, 2011). "TV's Most Memorable Shrinks: Frasier Crane, Cheers and Frasier". FlavorWire.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  26. ^ Mills, Kim I. "TV viewers glad Sam stayed single." The Sunday Gazette [Schenectady, NY] 2 May 1993: A3. Google News. Web. 21 Jan. 2012. The margin of error in the survey was ±3, according to the polls. In this web edition, scroll down to see the title of the headline.
  27. ^ a b Leefler, Pete. "Show Piles Up Viewer Cheers." The Morning Call [Allentown, NY] 2 May 1993: A01. Web. 17 Jan. 2012. (subscription required)
  28. ^ "Mixed Reaction to Post-Seinfeld Era." Pew Research Center 10 May 1998. Web. Retrieved 10 Feb. 2012.
  29. ^ a b Sherwood, Rick (October 31, 1985). "'Cheers' is back in fine, funny form". The Gainesville Sun. p. 9A.
  30. ^ TV Therapy 2005, p. 57, "You've Got a Friend TV".
  31. ^ TV Therapy 2005, p. 44, "Diva TV".
  32. ^ "Kelsey's Launches Ad Campaign with Cheers TV Theme Song." Canada NewsWire 03 Feb. 2008. Web. 10 Feb. 2012.
  33. ^ "." Bravo, 2004. Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. Archived from the original.
  34. ^ Economou, Thane. "." National Lampoon 27 May 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.
  35. ^ Bianco, Robert. "Sophisticated 'Frasier' signs off." USA Today 29 March 2004. Web. 20 May 2012 [1].
  36. ^ Flynn, Gillian. "Fringe (2008)." Entertainment Weekly 17 September 2008. Web. 20 May 2012 [2].
  37. ^ Joe Sixpack, pseudonymous for Don Russell (March 23, 2007). "The Hall of Foam: The 20 bartenders I wish could pour for me". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 65. Record no. at NewsBank: 7006886267. from JoeSixPack.net.
  38. ^ Levine, Ken (April 13, 2012). "What scripts do you need to get an assignment or representation?". ...by Ken Levine. from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  39. ^ Ariano, Tara; Sarah D. Bunting (2006). Television Without Pity: 752 Things We Love to Hate (And Hate to Love) About TV. Philadelphia: Quirk Books. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-59474-117-3. ISBN 1-59474-117-4. Distributed in North America by Chronicle Books (San Francisco)
  40. ^ Steve Silverman. "5 Of The Most Overrated Best Actor Emmy Winners, January 7". Screen Junkies. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  41. ^ a b Mannion, Lance (June 21, 2006). "Shelley, what were you thinking?". Typepad.com. from the original on August 17, 2013.
  42. ^ Nolan, Martha (May 16, 1993). "The Best of Cheers: 11-year Run of TV Hit Leaves Fans with Fond Memories". Sunday Star-News. The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  43. ^ Scheuer, Steven H (February 15, 1990). "Lilith Labels Frasier a 'Good Boy on Cheers". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, Florida. p. 7E. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  44. ^ Zuckerman, Faye; John Martin (June 24, 1997). "Lilith, Frasier perfect together". Telegraph Herald. The New York Times Syndicate. p. 13B. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  45. ^ McDonough, Kevin (March 3, 1998). "Exes mark the spot on Something So Right". Star-Banner. Ocala, Florida. p. 9C. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  46. ^ a b c "Kelsey Grammer". Emmys.com. 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012. There were no nominations for guest performances in television series in 1992 Primetime Emmy Awards.
  47. ^ Bjorklund 1993, pp. 460–461.
  48. ^ "Winners & Nominees: Kelsey Grammer". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  49. ^ Belcher, Walt (March 7, 1995). "Awards prove a laughing matter". The Tampa Tribune. p. 4 at the Florida/Metro section – via NewsBank. ninth annual 'American Comedy Awards' presentations
  50. ^ "Get Shorty, Frasier win comedy honors". The Tampa Tribune. Associated Press. February 13, 1996. p. 4 at the Florida/Metro section – via NewsBank.
  51. ^ "The 6th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards." Screen Actors Guild Awards, 2000. Web. 30 March 2012. He has been nominated as a "Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" many times and did not win once individually.

Bibliography

  • Bjorklund, Dennis A. (1993). Cheers TV Show: A Comprehensive Reference. Praetorian Publishing. ISBN 9780967985237. Retrieved January 31, 2020 – via Google Books. Another edition
  • Brown, Robert S. (2005). "Cheers: Searching for the Ideal Public Sphere in the Ideal Public House". The Sitcom Reader: America Viewed and Skewed. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. pp. 253–260. ISBN 978-0-7914-6570-7.
  • Gates, Anita (April 19, 1998). "TELEVISION: Yes, America Has a Class System. See Frasier". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  • West, Beverly; Bergund, Jason (2005). TV Therapy: The Television Guide To Life. New York: Bantam Dell, an imprint of Random House, Inc. ISBN 978-0-385-33902-5.

External links

    frasier, crane, frasier, winslow, crane, born, 1952, note, fictional, character, both, supporting, character, american, television, sitcom, cheers, titular, protagonist, spin, frasier, portrayed, kelsey, grammer, character, debuted, cheers, third, season, prem. Dr Frasier Winslow Crane 2 born c 1952 3 note 1 is a fictional character who is both a supporting character on the American television sitcom Cheers and the titular protagonist of its spin off Frasier portrayed by Kelsey Grammer The character debuted in the Cheers third season premiere Rebound Part 1 1984 as Diane Chambers s love interest part of the Sam and Diane story arc Intended to appear for only a few episodes Grammer s performance for the role was praised by producers prompting them to expand his role and to increase his prominence Later in Cheers Frasier marries Lilith Sternin Bebe Neuwirth and has a son Frederick After Cheers ended the character moved to a spin off series Frasier the span of his overall television appearances totaling twenty years 4 5 In the spin off Frasier moves back to his birthplace Seattle after his divorce from Lilith who retained custody of Frederick in Boston and is reunited with a newly created family his estranged father Martin and brother Niles Dr Frasier CraneCheers Frasier characterDr Frasier Crane doing his radio show at KACL in the Frasier episode Shrink Wrap 1995 First appearanceCheers Rebound Part 1 episode 3 01 Created byGlen Charles Les CharlesPortrayed byKelsey GrammerIn universe informationNicknameDoc FrasGenderMaleOccupationPsychiatrist 1 1983 1993 Radio host and psychotherapist 1993 2004 FamilyMartin Crane father Hester Crane mother deceased Niles Crane brother SpouseNanette Nanny G Guzman before 1984 Lilith Sternin 1988 1993 ChildrenFrederick CraneRelativesWalt Crane uncle Zora Crane aunt Nikos Crane cousin David Crane nephew via Niles Maris Crane ex sister in law Daphne Moon sister in law ReligionEpiscopalianNationalityAmericanGrammer received award recognitions for portraying this character in these two shows in addition to a 1992 one time appearance in Wings For his portrayal in Cheers Grammer was nominated twice as the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series but did not win that category For portraying the character in Frasier Kelsey Grammer won four Emmy Awards out of eleven nominations as the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Awards out of eight nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy In February 2021 ViacomCBS now Paramount Global announced that Grammer would reprise the character in a new series set to air on the new streaming service Paramount 6 Contents 1 Creation and casting 2 Role in Cheers 3 Role in Frasier 3 1 Spin off development 3 2 Moving to Seattle 3 3 Life with Martin and Niles 3 3 1 Reunion with Lilith and Frederick 3 4 Reunions with Cheers characters 3 5 Final years 2003 04 4 Other appearances 5 Characterization and analysis 6 Reception 6 1 Popularity 6 2 Critical reaction 6 3 Reviewers on Frasier and Lilith 6 4 Accolades 7 Notes 8 References 8 1 Bibliography 9 External linksCreation and casting Edit Kelsey Grammer portrayer of Frasier Crane since 1984 The character Frasier Crane was created in the third season of Cheers 1984 1985 by series creators Glen and Les Charles as Diane Chambers s Shelley Long romantic and intellectual ideal following her breakup with Sam Malone Ted Danson Not only Sam Malone s rival and opposite Frasier Crane was also part of the love triangle a different form of the Sam Diane relationship said Glen Charles 7 The show s writers initially conceived the character as the role Ralph Bellamy used to play in Cary Grant movies the guy the lady falls in love with but is not real You just know he doesn t have the sexual dynamism Grant does 8 John Lithgow was originally chosen by Cheers producers for the role but turned it down 9 10 11 Grammer believed that he had failed the audition because no one laughed but was chosen because of the quality of his performance with Danson 8 Frasier was supposed to only appear on a few episodes before Diane left him but Grammer s performance was praised by series executives leading to an extended role in the series 12 His character was not universally popular however for coming between Sam and Diane a viewer approached Grammer asking Are you that pin dick that plays Frasier and the show received fan mail denouncing Grammer 8 Role in Cheers EditFrasier Crane an alumnus of Harvard University Harvard Medical School 13 and Oxford University debuted in the two part episode Rebound 1984 the premiere of Cheers season three 1984 85 as a psychiatrist to help bartender Sam Malone recover from a brief return to alcoholism and also cope with his breakup from Diane Chambers Also Diane s fiance throughout the third season 14 he and Diane are supposed to wed in Italy in Rescue Me 1985 the finale of season three However in Birth Death Love and Rice 1985 the premiere of season four 1985 86 Frasier enters the bar and tells Sam that he was jilted by Diane at the altar in Europe 14 A despondent Frasier who gave up his practice to go to Europe loses his job lecturing at a university in Europe Later in season four he begins to regularly attend Cheers for drinks and finds himself depending more and more on alcohol In The Triangle 1986 Sam feigns symptoms of depression planned by Diane to help Frasier recover from alcoholism and regain his own self confidence This leads Frasier to conclude that Sam s symptoms indicate his love for Diane However upon arrival Frasier sees Sam and Diane arguing in the bar office Sam admits the whole plan Furious Frasier declares himself to be sober refuses to be a part of their relationship and vows to practice psychiatry again The character finally becomes a permanent fixture among the other bar patrons by the end of season three and adds to his comedic repertoire an occasional penchant for commenting on the personality flaws of the other Cheers regulars while still managing to remain a likable addition to the gang 15 16 As his role is expanded Frasier becomes romantically involved with a stereotypical intelligent ice queen 17 Lilith Sternin Bebe Neuwirth Their first date in Second Time Around 1986 does not go well they exchange insults with each other until she leaves the bar disappointing him In Abnormal Psychology 1986 Frasier and Lilith feel mutual attraction after Diane gives Lilith a makeover At first reluctant to start anew they then decide to go on another date They live together for a year before being married one month before Our Hourly Bread 1988 as revealed in the episode and give birth to their son Frederick in The Stork Brings a Crane 1989 In Smotherly Love 1992 they re enact their wedding to please Lilith s mother Betty Marilyn Cooper who was irritated that she had not been present for their marriage In One Hugs the Other Doesn t 1992 Frasier is revealed to have been previously married to Nanette Guzman Emma Thompson now known as the popular children s entertainer Nanny G When Nanette sings a song implying her possible feelings for Frasier despite being fully aware he s remarried Lilith attacks her during Frederick s second birthday party In Teaching with the Enemy 1992 Lilith admits her affair with another man Dr Louis Pascal Peter Vogt dooming their marriage In Is There a Doctor in the Howe 1993 a distraught Frasier is going to sleep with Rebecca Howe in his bed until Lilith unexpectedly returns and then in the following episode The Bar Manager The Shrink His Wife and Her Lover 1993 storms out the room and then heads to Cheers There Lilith reveals that the eco pod experiment with Pascal was a disaster Pascal turned out to be claustrophobic among other mental problems and she abandoned the project to return to Boston Frasier Rebecca and eventually Pascal converge on Cheers in pursuit of Lilith Pascal armed with a pistol demands Lilith return to him threatening to shoot Frasier and the others Lilith demands that he shoot her first which causes him to back down and surrender to police Although Frasier initially refuses to take Lilith back after all this her pathetic sobbing wins him over and he hesitantly reconciles with her Role in Frasier EditSpin off development Edit When Cheers ended in 1993 at first the creators did not plan to spin off the character from the predecessor because they were concerned that a spinoff might fail Instead they wanted to cast Kelsey Grammer as a paraplegic millionaire resembling Malcolm Forbes a magazine mogul and a motorcycle enthusiast The idea was deemed unsuitable and scrapped Then the show s creators decided to move Frasier Crane out of Boston to avoid any resemblance to Cheers The spinoff idea would have focused primarily on his work at a radio station but they found it resembled an older sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati too much Therefore they decided to add in his private life such as his father Martin and brother Niles 18 In his titular spin off Frasier becomes haughty disdainful and exceedingly uptight 19 Moving to Seattle Edit After Cheers Frasier and Lilith Bebe Neuwirth divorce offscreen and Lilith is awarded custody of their son Frederick with Frasier granted visiting rights In the pilot The Good Son Frasier explains that he left Boston because he felt that his life and career had grown stagnant and he had been publicly humiliated after climbing onto a ledge and threatening to commit suicide before being talked down Therefore he returned to his original hometown of Seattle where his father Martin John Mahoney and brother Niles David Hyde Pierce live to have a fresh start Frasier works for the radio station KACL as the host of his psychotherapeutic radio show The Dr Frasier Crane Show produced by his producer and friend Roz Doyle Peri Gilpin who has many ex boyfriends Later his father Martin a retired Seattle Police Department detective who was shot in the line of duty ends up moving in with him Frasier is worried about his father in his current state as he can barely walk and requires a cane to move In Cheers Frasier says that his father is dead and that he was a scientist He also says that he is an only child 20 This inconsistency is later explained in The Show Where Sam Shows Up At Frasier s apartment Sam Malone Ted Danson tells Martin and Niles what Frasier had said about them and Frasier explains that he was trying to distance himself from his family at the time In Cheers Frasier tells bar patrons that he is an orphan 20 He confirms in To All the Girls I ve Loved Before 1988 that his mother Hester portrayed by Nancy Marchand in Diane Meets Mom 1984 and then by Rita Wilson in flashbacks in Mamma Mia 1999 and Don Juan in Hell Part 2 2001 is dead off screen Frasier hires a live in physical therapist Daphne Moon Jane Leeves to care for Martin Daphne is an eccentric working class Englishwoman who professes to be a bit psychic Moreover Martin brings his beloved Jack Russell Terrier Eddie whom Frasier is uncomfortable around After some initial hostility Frasier grows very close to his new family Life with Martin and Niles Edit During the course of the spin off s run especially in scenes at Frasier s apartment Frasier and Martin regularly fight over the living arrangements and each other s personalities Frasier is intellectual elitist and mild mannered while Martin is a rugged man of simple tastes who speaks according to Frasier in words that no sophisticated educated person could understand 14 While Frasier has many common interests with Niles and shares adventures or misadventures with him he has little in common with his father Martin In Dinner at Eight 1993 Martin takes Frasier and Niles to a themed steakhouse where health conscious Frasier and Niles criticize the food the restaurant s customs and the clientele Martin becomes frustrated and angry before leaving remarking upon departing that their mother Hester would be disappointed with their behavior Frasier and Niles try to prove that they are not snobs by finishing their meal although it takes them until after closing time Ironically in the Cheers season seven episode I Kid You Not 1988 Frasier invites Carla and her son Ludlow to a fine dining restaurant but Carla and Ludlow criticize and mock it enraging Frasier In Chess Pains 1996 Frasier teaches Martin how to play chess but is horrified when Martin becomes a better player than him due to Martin s seasoned insight as a police detective Frasier becomes obsessed with winning against his father until Frasier wins one match and Martin does not want to play with Frasier anymore One late night Frasier wakes Martin up and asks him whether he lost the chess match on purpose Martin responds that Frasier won fair and square and nothing more In the Cheers season five episode Spellbound 1987 dimwitted Woody Boyd consistently beats Frasier in chess frustrating Frasier In an episode of the seventh season A Tsar Is Born 1999 Martin takes an old family clock which Frasier and Niles consider ugly to exhibit on the television show Antiques Roadshow As the boys soon discover the clock is related to their ancestors and royalty and may be worth a fortune and heightens their expectations of being descended from royalty Unfortunately when they try to sell the clock later the brothers learn from an antique specialist that it was stolen from the daughter of Tsar Alexander II Moreover their great great grandmother was discovered to have been the clock thief and the daughter s scullery maid and is discovered to have later been a prostitute in New York City Therefore the brothers are left without a fortune a clock and their royal dreams are destroyed as Frasier puts it they are descended from thieves and whores Much to their anger Martin buys a Winnebago RV with money Frasier claimed were the proceeds from selling the clock Reunion with Lilith and Frederick Edit Actress Bebe Neuwirth left Cheers for fear of becoming typecast and to do Broadway she did not expect to appear recurrently in Frasier 21 Cheers and Frasier writers Ken Levine and David Isaacs found chemistry of Frasier and Lilith special enough to compare them with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy on Prozac 22 In The Show Where Lilith Comes Back 1994 Lilith surprises Frasier by dialing to the radio show They later make love in a hotel room but end up regretting it prompting them to part ways again They decide to remain friends and help each other co parent their son Frederick Trevor Einhorn 23 who also appears occasionally in this spin off In Adventures in Paradise Part Two 1994 Lilith gets engaged to her fiance Brian James Morrison much to Frasier s chagrin In A Lilith Thanksgiving 1996 Frasier and Lilith have Frederick admitted into a private school after they annoy the administrator Paxton Whitehead several times on Thanksgiving In The Unnatural 1997 Frasier is proven as unathletic and bad at softball which he reluctantly admits to Frederick Then Frasier tells him that when Frasier was a third grade elementary student Martin was bad at math In Room Service 1998 Lilith is recently divorced from her husband Brian for his gay affair Frasier attempts to renew the relationship but changes his mind when he finds out to his horror that Lilith and Niles had a drunken one night stand Lilith last appears in Guns N Neuroses 2003 in which she and Frasier are accidentally set up to go on a blind date Lilith and Frasier are close to restarting a relationship in the hotel room but they are interrupted by a loud argument between a young married couple next door Frasier and Lilith are able to resolve the couple s dispute spend the night together watching television and finally fall asleep on the couch without having had sex The next morning they part ways with a tender final onscreen moment together Reunions with Cheers characters Edit With the exception of Rebecca Howe Kirstie Alley all the surviving main cast members of Cheers appear in the show at various points In The Show Where Sam Shows Up 1995 Sam Malone reunites with Frasier in Seattle Later Frasier is discovered to have slept with Sam s fiancee Sheila Tea Leoni but Sam has not discovered the affair much to Frasier s relief Nevertheless Sam finds out her dalliances with Paul Krapence Paul Willson and Cliff Clavin John Ratzenberger though Sam isn t initially angry when told of her infidelity with Paul when Sheila reveals she slept with Cliff something that shocked and horrified both Sam and Frasier it leads to him ending the romantic relationship In The Show Where Diane Comes Back 1996 Frasier is reunited with Diane Chambers and learns that due to an accident with her and Dr Quinn Medicine Woman Jane Seymour resulted in much of her personal life being turned upside down and the financial backers for her upcoming play rescinding their support prompting him to support it instead The play turns out to be based on their relationship in Boston including her leaving him at the altar Frasier angrily confronts her about it but they end up reconciling In The Show Where Woody Shows Up 1999 Woody Boyd Woody Harrelson still married to Kelly with his son and daughter accidentally reunites with Frasier after landing in the wrong destination Seattle However they realize that they are no longer friends as their lives are too different Nevertheless they admit that they had good times together in Boston and they will always think about each other In Cheerful Goodbyes 2002 Frasier arrives to Boston for a psychiatric conference At the airport Frasier unexpectedly bumps into Cliff Clavin and is invited to Cliff s retirement party the following evening where he is reunited with Carla Tortelli Rhea Perlman and then briefly Norm Peterson George Wendt Later Cliff confides in Frasier that he fears that his friends will not miss him Frasier tells everyone to say a nice farewell to Cliff even Carla who hates him Moved Cliff decides to stay in Boston much to Carla s annoyance Final years 2003 04 Edit In Caught in the Act 2004 Frasier s ex wife Nanette Guzman Laurie Metcalf tries to rekindle their relationship but Frasier refuses The character was previously portrayed by Emma Thompson in Cheers episode One Hugs the Other Doesn t 1992 and by Dina Spybey in Don Juan in Hell Part 2 2001 as part of Frasier s imaginary dream Later he falls in love with Charlotte Connor Laura Linney but the romance turns out to be short lived when she moves to Chicago In the 2004 two part series finale Goodnight Seattle Frasier is offered a job as the host of his own television talk show located in San Francisco and has decided to accept the job However in the final scene of the show it is revealed that Frasier has boarded a plane to Chicago implying he will be with Charlotte Other appearances EditKelsey Grammer has made several appearances as Dr Frasier Crane outside of Cheers and Frasier Mickey s 60th Birthday 1988 Walt Disney s Wonderful World of Color Season 34 Episode 15 Disneyland s 35th Anniversary Celebration 1990 The Earth Day Special 1990 Wings Season 3 Episode 16 Planes Trains and Visiting Cranes 1992 The John Larroquette Show Season 3 Episode 1 More Changes 1995 note 2 Dr Pepper TV Commercial 2008 An animated version of the character appears in The Simpsons episode Fear of Flying although Grammer who voices Sideshow Bob on the show does not voice the character of Frasier Characterization and analysis EditFrasier Crane is a licensed psychiatrist who is as Kelsey Grammer described flawed silly pompous and full of himself yet kind and vulnerable 24 Judy Berman from Flavor Wire describes him as also a child prodigy theater geek and frequent target for bullies 25 According to Cheers and Frasier writer Peter Casey Frasier is very complicated very intelligent but also very insecure he may have solutions to such problems as a psychiatrist but is clueless about himself 18 Reception EditPopularity Edit According to a 1993 telephone survey before the Frasier premiere and the Cheers finale Sam Malone Ted Danson scored 26 percent as a favorite character and Frasier Crane scored 1 percent 26 27 In response to the question of spinning off a character 15 percent voted Sam 12 percent voted Woody Boyd Woody Harrelson 10 percent voted Norm Peterson George Wendt and 29 percent voted no spin offs 27 Frasier Crane whose own spin off Frasier debuted in September 1993 was voted by 2 percent to have his own show 28 Critical reaction Edit At the time Cheers originally aired Rick Sherwood from Los Angeles disdained Frasier Crane and his existence as part of the Sam and Diane dynamic 29 Sherwood found Frasier s frequent appearances in the bar setting his former girlfriend s former lover s bar responsible for turning Cheers into as believable as conservative Archie Bunker from All in the Family voting for a liberal Democrat 29 Later while the character became more prominent in the series inspiring a spin off Frasier in a 1999 book Writing and Responsibility Beverly West and Jason Bergund noted that Frasier s father Martin was supposed to be dead in Cheers but turns out still alive in Frasier calling it inconsistent with a bout of amnesia poor scriptwriting or a desperation to elicit more laughter 20 In The Show Where Sam Shows Up 1995 Frasier addresses the inconsistency by explaining that he told his friends Martin was dead after an argument with him In another book TV Therapy Frasier Crane in Cheers is considered high strung and pseudo sophisticated and an attraction to 1980s demographics of anti intellectual snobbery 30 but Frasier in Frasier is considered a good positive role model for intellectuality and sophistication 31 In 2004 he was ranked by Bravo No 26 of Bravo s The 100 Greatest TV Characters of all time 32 33 In 2009 the National Lampoon website ranked him No 20 of Top 20 Sitcom Characters You d Kill in Real Life and called him hilarious in the fictional world and unbearable in the real world 34 Robert Bianco from USA Today considered Frasier Crane masculine in the days of Fred Astaire and William Powell instead of recent beer belching days of the reality show Survivor Bianco found series of Frasier s love life repetitive and tiring 35 Gillian Flynn from Entertainment Weekly considered Frasier Crane s diction an inspiration of Fringe s Walter Bishop John Noble who has an addition of daffiness of roles portrayed by actor Christopher Lloyd 36 Joe Sixpack a pseudonymous name for writer Don Russell called Frasier an insufferable twerp 37 An internet user from Ken Levine s blog considered Frasier a successor to more prestigious experienced Bostonian medical doctor and surgeon Charles Winchester David Ogden Stiers from the television series M A S H However Levine did not acknowledge it when Frasier was the new character in Cheers in 1984 38 Coincidentally in the Frasier episode Fathers and Son 2003 actor Stiers portrayer of Winchester appears as Hester Crane s former lab assistant Leland Barton who is suspected as Frasier and Niles biological father Television Without Pity called Frasier snooty and pretentious even if he may be smart on television and a rare species of all characters 39 Steve Silverman from Screen Junkies praised Kelsey Grammer s performance as Frasier Crane but found them predictable Silverman thought that Grammer did not deserve an Emmy especially in 1998 In note Silverman deemed the character Frasier as a windbag with a sense of humor and a whining schoolboy with a series of lame excuses 40 Lance Mannion from his Typepad blog depicted Grammer as partially responsible for turning Cheers from a light romantic into farce by physical comedy 41 Reviewers on Frasier and Lilith Edit Martha Nolan from The New York Times called Frasier and Lilith repressed when married together in Cheers 42 Josh Bell from About com called Frasier and his ex wife Lilith Sternin one of the best sitcom divorced couples of all time 23 Steven H Scheuer from Sarasota Herald Tribune considered Lilith s significance to and marriage with Frasier fun to watch especially when in Severe Crane Damage 1990 she used comparisons between the duller good boy Frasier and the interesting bad boy Sam Malone as psychiatric examples of the good boy bad boy syndrome 43 Faye Zuckerman and John Martin from The New York Times called their marriage in Cheers a hilariously perfect mismatch 44 Television critic Kevin McDonough from New York praised Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth s performances as repressed individuals and separate couple on TV with acidic and hilarious chemistry together 45 Lance Mannion referred to Frasier and Lilith as separate halves of Diane Chambers 41 Accolades Edit For his performance as Frasier Crane in Cheers Kelsey Grammer was Emmy Award nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1988 and 1990 46 47 For the same role in Wings episode Planes Trains and Visiting Cranes he was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 1992 Emmy Awards 46 For the same role in Cheers spin off Frasier Grammer was consecutively nominated as an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series during the show s whole run except in 2003 He won that Lead category in 1994 1995 1998 and 2004 46 He earned eight Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy throughout the series s whole run and won that category in 1996 and 2001 48 Grammer won American Comedy Awards as the Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series Leading Role in 1995 49 and 1996 50 Grammer won the Screen Actors Guild Award as part of an ensemble cast of Frasier in 2000 51 Notes Edit Various episodes like The Late Dr Crane and Back Talk both 1999 inconsistently claim different dates as Frasier s exact birth date A book by Dennis A Bjorklund verifies just his birth year as 1952 3 Via archive footageReferences Edit Kolbert Elizabeth February 27 1994 TELEVISION A Chip Off The Old Sitcom The New York Times Retrieved August 16 2010 Gumbel Andrew May 15 2004 Kelsey Grammer The darker side of TV s favourite shrink The Independent a b Bjorklund 1993 p 257 Isenberg Barbara September 21 2003 Cheers to the long run LA Times Retrieved August 23 2010 Condo by condo Seattle has become a lot like Frasier Seattle Times May 13 2004 Retrieved July 2 2012 Picheta Rob February 25 2021 Frasier is being rebooted with Kelsey Grammer reprising the role 17 years after show ended CNN Cheers Sam Gets a Rival Ocala Star Banner TV Week Ocala FL 18 August 1984 19 Google News Web 31 March 2012 a b c Raftery Brian October 2012 The Best TV Show That s Ever Been GQ Retrieved September 27 2012 Frasier Says Goodnight Seattle for Good St Paul Pioneer Press St Paul MN 13 May 2004 E1 Web 06 April 2012 subscription required Filichia Peter John Lithgow to appear at McCarter Theatre NJ com 05 April 2010 Web 06 April 2012 Neal Rome Frasier Meets Becker CBS News 11 February 2009 Web 06 April 2012 Levine Ken June 6 2008 One more question by Ken Levine Archived from the original on March 8 2013 Retrieved July 19 2012 The Ready for Primetime Facebook The Harvard Crimson October 17 2003 Retrieved November 9 2015 a b c Gates 1998 p 1 Arseneau Adam July 12 2004 Cheers The Complete Third Season DVD Verdict Archived from the original on December 16 2012 Retrieved December 9 2012 Gates 1998 p 1 Brown 2005 p 257 a b Peter Casey May 12 2004 So how did Frasier come about USA Today Interview Interviewed by Gary Levin Retrieved November 9 2015 Harper Jacob September 26 2013 The Spin Off Series that Actually Found Success Equities com a b c Tighe Carl 2004 Writing and Responsibility London Psychology Press p 35 ISBN 9780415345637 Retrieved June 24 2012 Google Books Dominguez Robert May 13 2004 Not Much Adieu About Lilith New York Daily News Retrieved July 29 2012 Graham Jefferson November 15 1994 Her love for Frasier lures Bebe Neuwirth for return visit USA Today p 3 D Retrieved July 28 2012 a b Bell Josh The Best Sitcom Divorces About com Retrieved July 22 2012 Gates 1998 p 2 Berman Judy November 8 2011 TV s Most Memorable Shrinks Frasier Crane Cheers and Frasier FlavorWire com Retrieved November 9 2015 Mills Kim I TV viewers glad Sam stayed single The Sunday Gazette Schenectady NY 2 May 1993 A3 Google News Web 21 Jan 2012 The margin of error in the survey was 3 according to the polls In this web edition scroll down to see the title of the headline a b Leefler Pete Show Piles Up Viewer Cheers The Morning Call Allentown NY 2 May 1993 A01 Web 17 Jan 2012 subscription required Mixed Reaction to Post Seinfeld Era Pew Research Center 10 May 1998 Web Retrieved 10 Feb 2012 a b Sherwood Rick October 31 1985 Cheers is back in fine funny form The Gainesville Sun p 9A TV Therapy 2005 p 57 You ve Got a Friend TV TV Therapy 2005 p 44 Diva TV Kelsey s Launches Ad Campaign with Cheers TV Theme Song Canada NewsWire 03 Feb 2008 Web 10 Feb 2012 The 100 Greatest TV Characters Bravo 2004 Internet Archive Wayback Machine Web 10 Feb 2012 Archived from the original Economou Thane Top 20 Sitcom Characters You d Kill in Real Life National Lampoon 27 May 2009 Web 22 Feb 2012 Bianco Robert Sophisticated Frasier signs off USA Today 29 March 2004 Web 20 May 2012 1 Flynn Gillian Fringe 2008 Entertainment Weekly 17 September 2008 Web 20 May 2012 2 Joe Sixpack pseudonymous for Don Russell March 23 2007 The Hall of Foam The 20 bartenders I wish could pour for me Philadelphia Daily News Philadelphia Pennsylvania p 65 Record no at NewsBank 7006886267 Archived from JoeSixPack net Levine Ken April 13 2012 What scripts do you need to get an assignment or representation by Ken Levine Archived from the original on January 16 2013 Retrieved July 13 2012 Ariano Tara Sarah D Bunting 2006 Television Without Pity 752 Things We Love to Hate And Hate to Love About TV Philadelphia Quirk Books p 101 ISBN 978 1 59474 117 3 ISBN 1 59474 117 4 Distributed in North America by Chronicle Books San Francisco Steve Silverman 5 Of The Most Overrated Best Actor Emmy Winners January 7 Screen Junkies Retrieved September 25 2012 a b Mannion Lance June 21 2006 Shelley what were you thinking Typepad com Archived from the original on August 17 2013 Nolan Martha May 16 1993 The Best of Cheers 11 year Run of TV Hit Leaves Fans with Fond Memories Sunday Star News The New York Times Retrieved July 29 2012 Scheuer Steven H February 15 1990 Lilith Labels Frasier a Good Boy on Cheers Sarasota Herald Tribune Sarasota Florida p 7E Retrieved July 28 2012 Zuckerman Faye John Martin June 24 1997 Lilith Frasier perfect together Telegraph Herald The New York Times Syndicate p 13B Retrieved July 29 2012 McDonough Kevin March 3 1998 Exes mark the spot on Something So Right Star Banner Ocala Florida p 9C Retrieved July 29 2012 a b c Kelsey Grammer Emmys com 2012 Retrieved March 30 2012 There were no nominations for guest performances in television series in 1992 Primetime Emmy Awards Bjorklund 1993 pp 460 461 Winners amp Nominees Kelsey Grammer Golden Globe Awards Retrieved December 29 2018 Belcher Walt March 7 1995 Awards prove a laughing matter The Tampa Tribune p 4 at the Florida Metro section via NewsBank ninth annual American Comedy Awards presentations Get Shorty Frasier win comedy honors The Tampa Tribune Associated Press February 13 1996 p 4 at the Florida Metro section via NewsBank The 6th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards 2000 Web 30 March 2012 He has been nominated as a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series many times and did not win once individually Bibliography Edit Bjorklund Dennis A 1993 Cheers TV Show A Comprehensive Reference Praetorian Publishing ISBN 9780967985237 Retrieved January 31 2020 via Google Books Another edition Brown Robert S 2005 Cheers Searching for the Ideal Public Sphere in the Ideal Public House The Sitcom Reader America Viewed and Skewed Albany New York State University of New York Press pp 253 260 ISBN 978 0 7914 6570 7 Gates Anita April 19 1998 TELEVISION Yes America Has a Class System See Frasier The New York Times Retrieved November 3 2015 West Beverly Bergund Jason 2005 TV Therapy The Television Guide To Life New York Bantam Dell an imprint of Random House Inc ISBN 978 0 385 33902 5 External links EditDetailed Listing of Frasier Crane Locations in Seattle Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Frasier Crane amp oldid 1129348768, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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