Why Kelsey Grammer Doesn’t Want ‘Frasier’ Reboot to Show the ‘Cheers’ Bar

Despite the being set in Boston, it may not be so easy to return to the iconic Cheers bar. The titular bar was the main setting for the NBC sitcom, which ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. While the original Frasier was set in Seattle, the Paramount+ series brings Dr. Frasier Crane back to the Massachusetts city where his old stomping ground is. EP Chris Harris previously teased the potential to explore the bar and what it could be today, and what happened after all these years. However, Kelsey Grammer would rather not do anything with it.

The actor made his debut as Frasier back in 1982 on Cheers, going on to star in his spinoff series. The bar was then mentioned on the premiere episode of the Frasier reboot, as the titular doctor mentioned he used to spend so much time at a bar back in the day. In regards to returning to Cheers, Grammer tells Variety he doesn’t think they “should do that. We don’t want to desecrate a national monument. I’m not sure how we can have it live up to anything but a desecration. I think we honor it by excluding it.”

The reasoning makes sense. The Cheers bar has become such an iconic piece of television history that returning to it and maybe even changing it would more or less ruin it. It was fun for Frasier to reference Cheers, even if he didn’t directly say the name. Those references could still be dropped in every once in a while, and at the very least, maybe even some relics from the fan-favorite bar could be hidden around the set. Plus, it should be noted that in the reboot, Frasier and co. hang out at a bar called Mahoney’s in honor of late Frasier star John Mahoney.

That’s the one thing about reboots. They can be either a hit or a miss, and right now, fans are mixed about . Rebooting and reviving a classic show can be hard, and it needs to be done right. Who knows what would happen if Frasier brought in the Cheers bar. While there would be a lot of nostalgia, there would definitely be those who would think they shouldn’t have brought it back. Grammer is right in thinking that it shouldn’t be touched. Just like any historic monument, Cheers remains untouchable.