fans Frasier They're excited to see Kelsey Grammer return to the iconic role in the new series Frasier. He returns to his roots, moving to Boston to be with his son Freddie (Jack Cutmore-Scott) and also teaching psychology at Harvard. This comedy-drama features an almost entirely new cast of characters, each a great addition to the series, but many of Grammer's previous cast mates return in cameo roles.
Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli are the creators of this innovation Frasier series. He is both a series writer and an executive producer. Frasier Season 2 premieres September 19, exclusively on Paramount+.
Screen Rant Interviewed Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli explaining why this is new Frasier the series is a spin-off, not a reboot. They also discuss the return of the multi-camera sitcom and why it works so well for such a show. Harris and Cristalli talk about finding a balance between bringing in cameos and characters from the past, while also exploring new and exciting stories with new main characters.
“There's nothing better than a live audience without a network,” a show like Frasier said.
Screen Rant: Can you talk about your decision to go with the multi-camera approach?
Chris Harris: There was no question, just like the original Frasier was multi-camera. The format has been in a bit of a slump lately, you could say 20 years, which is crazy because you go back to the 80s, 70s, 60s, that's how comedy was. Let's put on a play every week and shoot it with a world to see. It was great to be back, not only for Kelsey, but for us too, because nothing beats that feeling. Nothing beats a live audience working without a network feel, and for us, at least, that's what we love, and that's what I respond to when I look at multi-cams.
You are at home, watching a show, watching, hopefully, looking at the people you love, the found family, or the real family you feel, and laugh. You experience emotions with other people and you with other people, and there's something so beautiful about how communal that is. We loved trying to bring that back on this show.
Frasier Isn't A Reboot Without The Press Around It
“It's hard to call it a reboot because you're not on the same sets. It feels more like a spin-off for us.”
Screen Rant: What it was like to bring Frasier is he coming back on this show? It feels more like a spin-off than a reboot.
Joe Cristalli: Yeah, I think so. We kept the Frasier name, but you could have called it The Cranes, because it really is, Applause was a show, another Frasier show. This is another show. It's hard to call it a reboot because you're not on the same sets, you don't have the same actors and characters, but it feels more like a spin-off to us as well. I liked the original, so it's terrible. It was terrible to bring that back because it's such a high bar. The original show is one of the best comedies of all time, so the idea that we can do it again and we're going to do it better is crazy.
Writing for Kelsey and Frasier was so much fun that doing a new show felt like it took some of that pressure off. It would be great to do a version with Jane and David and Peri and do that show again, but we're not going to do that show again. This show is perfect, we can't make it better. We can do our own show and hopefully bring those people in and sprinkle them in. It's going to be fun in its own right, but doing your own version of the show takes that pressure off, and hopefully, people just enjoy the Frasier character as much as they did before. I hope they do because Kelsey is still as sharp as ever so it was ours to fail and thankfully not yet.
Cheers to More Cameos, Frasier Season 2 and Beyond
“We haven't brought Chopper Dave back yet. We've got to do three, four, five more seasons. We've got to get everybody involved.”
Screen Rant: Can you talk about finding the balance between when you're going to get people on camera and when you're going to focus on this new core group?
Chris Harris: Yeah, it's totally about finding a balance. This is absolutely true. In the first season, we wanted to make sure we built our world first and didn't rely on too many appearances. We got to play a little bit more in season two, which was amazing because there are so many people from the original series that we can't wait to see again, and there's a good amount of them in season two. It's always nice to have them back and integrated into the show.
Joe Cristalli: We haven't brought back Chopper Dave yet. We have to do three, four, five more seasons. We have to include everyone.
Chris Harris: It's almost like cheating because the characters and the actors are so fun and sharp that we immediately know who that character is. Lines and jokes come easy, but we're not above fooling around.
Screen Rant: Is there anyone you haven't brought in yet?
Joe Cristalli: Yes. There are a few people we're going to love, and honestly it's just finding the right story for some of those people and making sure the schedules line up, but ideally we'll get everyone we want from the original and the cheers. There are so many people we haven't met yet. I don't even know if I can pick a favorite. There are many options.
Chris Harris: One area is that we haven't yet capitalized on the fact that Fraser is back in Boston and that's where Cheers takes place. So there's a whole cast of characters. Obviously, Bebe was part of it. Lilith, but we'd love for Frasier to meet someone along the way at some point.
More on Frasier Season 2
The series follows Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston to face new challenges, make new relationships, and finally fulfill an old dream or two.
Check out our other interviews with the cast and creators Frasier 2 seasons:
Frasier Season 2 premieres September 19, exclusively on Paramount+.
Source: Screen Rant Plus