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Though he was initially reluctant to do so, Kelsey Grammer allowed his Cheers character, Dr. Frasier Crane, to be spun off into a separate series in 1993. Millions of Frasier fans are glad that he did. Since I certainly count myself among those fans, I thought I’d share more about how the series came to be.
1. Why the first idea didn’t work
Early in 1993, Kelsey Grammer approached David Lee, David Angell, and Peter Casey (the brains behind the sitcom Wings) and asked if they’d be interested in creating a show for him. Grammer knew that Cheers’ days were numbered, and thought it was time to strike out on his own. Both he and the creative team thought that any use of the Frasier Crane character would encourage unfair comparisons to Cheers, so their initial ideas involved Kelsey playing a paralyzed media mogul cared for by a street-smart nurse in a Manhattan penthouse. Paramount hated the idea and convinced all concerned that they’d be nuts not to capitalize on the built-in Cheers audience.
2. The Secret Behind the Show’s Setting
Once it was agreed that Grammer would continue as Dr. Crane, the creators still wanted to distance themselves from Boston and the whole “crossover syndrome.” They knew that the network would insist on having both Wings and former Cheers characters make guest appearances if the show was set anywhere in Massachusetts, so they moved Frasier across the country to Seattle. The gourmet coffee scene was taking root in that area, which provided a central meeting place for the characters. The creators didn’t want Frasier Crane to work in private practice, which had already been done in The Bob Newhart Show. Grammer’s resonant voice seemed natural for radio, so the concept of a call-in psychiatry show seemed natural. WKRP in Cincinnati had been set at a radio station, however, so writers needed to develop some sort of home life for Frasier.
3. The Real Life Inspiration
As it happened, David Lee was an only child and his father had recently suffered a debilitating stroke. Lee had to move back in with his mom for a while to help care for his dad during his rehabilitation. That situation gave him an idea. Why not have Frasier suddenly be forced to care for an aging parent? This role was filled by John Mahoney as Frasier’s father Martin, a retired policeman who’d been injured in the line of duty. Not only would this angle provide the series with plots revolving around him at home, it also allowed the creators to incorporate one of their original ideas from their first series pitch – a home health care worker.
4. Daphne Moon or Daphne Luna?
The production team had Rosie Perez in mind to play Martin’s nurse during their original pitch. But Warren Littlefield, then the president of NBC, thought that British actress Jane Leeves was perfect for the role. Kelsey had reservations about Jane; he thought an English character in such a role might be too reminiscent of Nanny and the Professor. But after a series of screen tests, it became apparent that Leeves brought the perfect mix of quirkiness, fun and warmth to the character and was hired.
5. How Poor Phoebe Got Fired
The role of Frasier’s producer was the least developed when the pilot script was written. A casting call was announced and the role was eventually whittled down to two actresses: Lisa Kudrow and Peri Gilpin. The producers found Kudrow to be extremely funny, and able to make even the most mundane lines sound hilarious, so she was hired. During the first few days of rehearsals for the pilot episode, however, the writers found themselves having to re-write the characters of Roz and Frasier. It seemed that while Lisa was funny, she just couldn’t play “forceful.” It soon became apparent that that the role of Roz would have to fall to someone who, although less educated than Dr. Crane, would be in control of things at the radio station. They needed a character who could hold her own whenever Frasier became too pompous, and that someone was Peri Gilpin. Lisa was a trouper when the news was delivered, and landing a role on Friends the following year certainly helped to ease her pain.
Comments (25)
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I find it interesting that Lisa Kudrow was fired from Frasier. I also know that Ray Romano was fired after being cast for Newsradio as the handyman/electrician. Does anybody know of any other instances like this?
posted by paulr on 2-27-2008 at 9:23 am
Great post, Kara! Is anyone watching Kelsey Grammer’s new show on Fox? (Is that even still on?)
posted by Jason on 2-27-2008 at 9:55 am
Great post! I really think Frasier *does* belong on the list of ’smartest’ TV shows linked by Miss Cellania today – although I don’t agree with many of their other choices. (Leave off Gillmore Girls? Seriously?)
Jason – my wife and I watched the Fox show when it first started, and while it was funny enough, it just didn’t pull us in for some reason. Not sure if it’s still going or not.
posted by Roger on 2-27-2008 at 10:15 am
Frasier will forever live in my mind as the only interesting tv show on at 2 in the morning the night before my son was born.
posted by beth on 2-27-2008 at 10:28 am
Anyone interested in more Frasier background should check out Ken Levine’s blog: kenlevine dot blogspot dot com. Ken is a comedy writer/producer and was a key player in Mash, Cheers, Wings, Frasier and many other classic shows.
posted by mac on 2-27-2008 at 10:32 am
I also remember reading ages ago that David Hyde Pierce lobbied the producers to create Fraiser’s brother, Niles, after Pierce’s mom commented that Pierce and Grammer looked like brothers.
posted by Lindsey on 2-27-2008 at 11:55 am
Grammer’s new show is Back to You. It is returning next week on Fox. They’ve been plugging it on American Idol this week.
posted by Joanna on 2-27-2008 at 11:55 am
I liked this show even tho I can see why some people thought it was pretentious (tho that was part of the humor of it).
also, im sure most people know this but Kelsey Grammer sang the theme song for the show.
paulr i dont know of any other instances but Ray Romano as the handyman on Newsradio (fantastic show too)? Ugh. Joe Rogan=hotness.
posted by Rob on 2-27-2008 at 12:08 pm
As far as others who were hired then fired, how about the big Marty McFly switcharoo from Back to the Future. Everybody wanted Michael J Fox, but with Family Ties they would not make it work so Eric Stultz was hired. Unfortunately, Eric (as funny as he is) brought an ick factor to the interaction between Marty and his younger mom instead of an embarrassing interaction. Michael agreed to work a lot of nights on Back to the Future to make it work. And a great Trilogy was born! Luckily Eric’s humorous appeal was well utilized in Pulp Fiction – could you see Michael J Fox as a drug dealer running around in a terry robe?
posted by Karen on 2-27-2008 at 12:08 pm
The closest I’ve come to watching Frasier is when David Hyde Pierce plays Sideshow Bob’s brother on The Simpsons.
posted by Melodye on 2-27-2008 at 1:16 pm
paulr:
Another example would be Jerry Seinfeld on Benson.
posted by Zach on 2-27-2008 at 2:25 pm
What about David Hyde Pierce, from Saratoga, NY?
posted by gus on 2-27-2008 at 2:33 pm
On Cheers didn’t Frasier say his parents were dead?
posted by BKReporter on 2-27-2008 at 2:41 pm
I have a hard time believing anyone would see Frazier and think about Nanny and the Professor!
posted by Miss Cellania on 2-27-2008 at 3:55 pm
I loved watching Fraiser but mainly because of David Hyde Pierce. He is (or was) the funnier of the two brothers, I thought. I was glad when he and Daphne Moon finally got together.
posted by Melinda on 2-27-2008 at 7:31 pm
Yes, Frasier did once say that his father was dead on “Cheers,” and they called back to it when Ted Danson appeared as Sam in one of the early seasons of “Frasier.”
Frasier’s defense: “Well, we’d just had a fight.”
posted by George on 2-27-2008 at 8:19 pm
Frasier is still one of the smartest, most well written comedies ever.
posted by Mary on 2-28-2008 at 6:54 am
Not only was it mentioned that Frasier’s father was dead on Cheers, but John Mahoney actually had a small role in an episode (and not, obviously, as Martin Crane).
George–that’s funny! I didn’t catch that reference.
posted by MO on 2-28-2008 at 4:13 pm
New Series: Back to You
Break Out star:
Ty Burrell
Role: Gary Crezyzewski
Just as Niles seemed to steal the show from Frasier, This guy could steal the show from everyone. On one of the first shows, he had to test a stun gun on air, we laughed so hard tears were coming down our cheeks. Watch the show for him.
posted by PStella on 3-9-2008 at 12:25 pm
thank you, karen, for the btf trivia! that is my favorite movie [and the sequels are just as good].. i can’t imagine another marty mcfly!!
as far as frasier being pretentious, that is what makes the show hilarious! for all his beluga caviar and extra-dry sherry, he continually backs himself into outrageously untenable positions, just like the most dimwitted slack-jaw among us. see ‘frasier’s curse’ [season 6] or ‘the doctor is out’ [season 11] for further edification! =]
posted by sarah on 4-7-2008 at 6:06 pm
Chris,
You are sooo not alone. I used to rib my parents for watching Frasier. Years later, out of lack of anything else to watch I gave it a try. Boy do I owe them an apology.
This show is/was unbelievable, and deserves every emmy it ever received. IMHO, it tops all of the greats: WKRP, Mash, Cheers, even Friends.
Strangely enough, as much as I absolutely love this show, I know if I were ever stuck with either character for an extended period I would surely be indicted for murder.
We are likely to never see a show of this caliber again. :(
posted by Winthrop Rutherford on 10-2-2008 at 4:20 pm
BTW, Lisa Kudrow enjoyed a stint on Mad About You in much the same role as she played on Friends.
posted by Winthrop Rutherford on 10-2-2008 at 4:25 pm
winthrop is right, lisa kudrow appeared as ursula (phoebe’s twin sister) on mad about you i guess. i can’t tell which tv show i love best- frasier or friends. anyone?
posted by melanie on 11-3-2008 at 5:06 pm
I loved Frasier TV Show and its cast of characters dearly.I try to watch it as much as possible! The humor is intelligent in this show.Simply one of the best sitcoms on tv ever! This series has a very good cast and script writers.
posted by momsen on 6-22-2009 at 6:30 am
I’m not able to pull it up here, but do google the Frasier cast’s parody of Star Trek. Absolutely phenomenal! :)
posted by Helenann on 9-4-2009 at 4:18 pm