Frasier
Paramount
***
I didn’t hate it.
So it is not the kind of full-throated endorsement you might find on a billboard. But given the general reaction to even the idea of bringing back Frasier, some might consider “I didn’t hate it” or “It’s not terrible”, another observation from the notebook, to be a result.
Rebooting a series beloved by so many was always going to be a gamble for Paramount, and for the show’s star, Kelsey Grammer.
While not number one in Rotten Tomatoes’ 200 best comedy shows of all time (that honour goes to Seinfeld), Frasier was the quintessential classy comedy.
Packed with zingers, sharp, clever, and genuinely moving when it had a mind to be, it was destined to be a joy forever via box sets and Channel 4 repeats. Then someone had the idea of springing the old boy from television’s retirement home.
Just him, though. There is no Marty (RIP John Mahoney), no Niles and Daphne (David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves, still working), and no Eddie (left the building in 2006, sob).
READ MORE Edinburgh v Bangor on University Challenge
Frasier 2023 has new characters, including Frasier’s now grown-up son, Freddy, and Daphne and Niles’ boy, David. The setting has been switched from Seattle to Boston, which is either a respectful nod to the past or another insult, depending on how welcoming you wanted to be.
Was anyone welcoming? Other than some executives hoping to make a buck, who was clamouring to bring the good psychiatrist back?
Enough shilly-shallying as Frasier would say. How good or bad is it?
The opening scene takes place at Boston airport where Alan Cornwall, an old professor pal of Frasier’s, is waiting to greet him “How was your father’s funeral?” asks Cornwall. Way to break it to us gently. Much of the episode is taken up with exposition as characters introduce each other.
Subscribe here for more TV reviews
Cornwall is played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, Only Fools and Horses’ Rodney as was. British, snooty, and sarcastic, Cornwall is a blend of Niles and Daphne. Also filling in for Niles is David (Anders Keith) who is an accident-prone fusspot.
Next we drop in on Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), Harvard dropout turned firefighter. Father and son do not get on. They are opposites failing to attract, chalk and cheese. Remind you of anyone?
READ MORE Scotland's Home of the Year finale
I won’t say more for fear of spoilers. I sneaked ahead to the third episode, just to make sure of my conclusions. Or could it be I was enjoying it?
The opening episode is lacklustre, and not all the characters work. There’s a college head of department (Toks Olagundoye) who might be a kind of Roz. She’s promising. Nicholas Lyndhurst’s character is flat and needs work.
Overall the new Frasier offers more in the way of smiles than laugh out loud moments. Of course it is not as good as the original. Yet every now and then Grammer gets his Frasier groove back and is impossible to resist.
Like I said, didn’t hate it.
Paramount, episodes 1 and 2 available Friday
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here