Kelsey Grammer Says 'Frasier' Original Cast Not Returning for Reboot a 'Great Thing'
Most of the main cast members of Frasier are not returning for the upcoming reboot series on Paramount+, but Kelsey Grammer does not think that's a bad thing. In a new interview on Live with Kelly and Ryan this week, Grammer confirmed that Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce and Peri Gilpin will not be in the revival. However, he said that was not due to the location change, nor were they excluded on purpose.
"We were first circling it five years ago, and finally got through the development process," Grammer said of the upcoming Frasier revival. "It's been through several manifestations – we originally wanted everyone to be back, and we still moved Frasier, because he left Seattle in the previous incarnation. And this needs to be another act for him. Jane and David and Peri were sort of on the fence and we couldn't quite make it all happen. In the end, it turned out to be a great thing. Frasier's going back to Boston to tie up some loose ends in his life."
Frasier Crane began as a supporting character on Cheers which was set in Boston, Massachusetts, but is best known for his spinoff series which was set in Seattle, Washington. At the very end of Frasier, the main character moved again from Seattle to Chicago, Illinois. Some fans expected the show to be set in Chicago, and for the other characters from the show to be excluded for that reason. According to Grammer, they were actually invited to participate no matter where the show was set, but the stars didn't align for the full cast.
As for the setting, the Frasier revival will reportedly take place in Boston where the psychiatrist's story first began. After years of teases and development setbacks, the show is finally in production. It will air on Paramount+, and it is being directed by sitcom legend James Burrows for its first two episodes.
Grammer said that the story of this new series will essentially build up to a "conclusion" for Frasier's character arc, taking into consideration his time on Cheers and his own series. He said that he believes the character can carry a show even without his familiar ensemble, reasoning that he did just fine when he moved from Cheers to his own series.
"He's our brave little soldier that continues on in life, finding new challenges, and a new love and new people and a new city and stuff like that," he said. "I'm really very excited about it, and we'll certainly always honor the past. We have to honor the fact that John Mahoney died and that [Niles and Frasier's father Martin Crane] is no longer with us. We'll be dealing with that for sure."
Frasier is back in production now and is expected to premiere on Paramount+ sometime in mid-2023. So far, an exact premiere date has not been set, and some aspects of the series still remain under wraps. The original seasons of Frasier are streaming now on Paramount+ and Hulu.