Frasier

Overview

Frasier is a spin-off from the popular sitcom Cheers. It follows the exploits of Dr. Frasier Crane as he returns to his hometown of Seattle after an off screen divorce, as he attempts to establish relationships with; his father Martin and his physical therapist Daphne Moon; brother Niles; and coworker Roz Doyle. Episodes usually revolve around a social situation which becomes increasingly (and unnecessarily) farcical. A recurring theme is that as a psychiatrist, Frasier demonstrates an ability to provide sound advice for others while his own decisions usually result in awkward or otherwise unfavorable outcomes, while his less educated blue collar father often advises him well, Frasier is typically too pompous to follow this advice and again this leads to misunderstanding and farce.

Frasier aired on NBC between 1993 and 2004, running for 11 seasons and 264 episodes. Frasier was critically acclaimed, winning numerous awards including dozens of emmy's. Kelsey Grammer is also well known for playing Sideshow Bob in the Simpsons, a verbose intellectual childrens entertainer who shares several traits with Frasier. David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney also joined Grammer as guest actors on the Simpsons as Cecil and Robert Terwilliger, parallels to their well know Frasier characters. A number of the callers heard phoning Frasier's radio show are celebrity's performing cameos. The actors phoned the studio to record their lines and were credited at the end of each season.

Characters

Frasier Crane

Frasier Crane ( Kelsey Grammer) is a psychiatrist, while originally born in Seattle he previously resided in the Boston area where he lived with his wife Lilith and son Fredrick (who occasionally feature in episodes of Frasier) until his divorce at which point he returns to Seattle. Upon moving to Seattle he attempts to repair his relationship with his estranged father Martin Crane by suggesting that he live with him as Martin is struggling to live on his own due to an injury which ended his police service. As a result Martin requires a live in therapist, Daphne Moon, whom he enjoys a rapport with while Frasier finds her initially irritating for her belief in psychic powers and various other mannerisms.

Frasier finds that their presence is an imposition on his life, which the show derives a great deal of humor from, and while he and Martin experience various arguments and disagreements their relationship develops over the course of the series as Frasier had intended. The same is true for most of the series central characters, and while the show is generally a lighthearted situation comedy it also devotes time to developing these characters across the series.

Frasier is fairly intelligent, attaining his medical degree through joint study at Harvard and Oxford. He also harbors a number of high brow interests in areas such as literature, wine and opera. These interests mesh well with his brother Niles who is similarly refined, however they are seen to be pretentious by most other characters and Frasier & Niles are typically seen as snobbish because of this and their erudite speech. Both Frasier and his brother are shown to wear tailored Armani suits and Italian loafers, and both take great pride in dressing well. Despite his intelligence, Frasier usually makes very poor choices in his personal life which is a running joke within the series, and he often disregards advice from other characters who while less educated than Frasier, normally offer sound guidance. He is frequently shown to be pompous, and while he is a skilled orator his grand speeches are usually undercut by other characters.

A recurring theme is Frasier's lack of success with women. While he often dates he is usually unsuccessful in relationships, though this is often due to poor decisions on his part or his tendency to overanalyse events.

Niles Crane

Niles Crane ( David Hyde Pierce) is Frasier's brother, and is similarly pompous and refined. He shares almost all of his brothers interests and while similar, differs in small yet important areas. For example, Niles is also a psychiatrist though while Frasier is a Freudian Niles is a Jungian and Niles attained his degree through joint study at the University's of Yale and Cambridge. He is in many ways a parallel to Frasier, though many of his idiosyncrasies make him an arguably exaggerated version of his brother.

In the episode "I.Q" it is revealed that Niles has a 156 point IQ score, considerably higher than Frasier's and their competitiveness recurs across numerous episodes. While both are intelligent, Niles and Frasier are both frequently shown to have little athletic skill (but often play squash offscreen) much to the chagrin of their sports loving father Martin. Numerous references are made to their disastrous experiences in high school gym class and little league baseball, and both are shown to be ignorant of common sports terminology such as the phrases "double header" or "hat trick". Though competitive, the brothers are extremely close, likely due to their many shared interests.

Niles often derides Frasier's radio show, ostensibly because it is below his high standards of practice, referring to it as a "fast food approach to psychiatry" but this is also somewhat due to envy of his brothers fame and large audience. Over the course of the series he can be seen to become less fastidious and more easy going, eventually marrying Daphne Moon.

Niles wife Maris is never actually shown on-screen, though is described in great detail and can be assumed to be incredibly thin, refined and cold. Martin and Frasier enjoy teasing Niles with remarks about Maris strange quality's. Niles has an infatuation for Daphne Moon, who is oblivious for several seasons until his feelings are revealed. David Hyde Pierce won four emmy awards for his portrayal of Niles Crane.

Martin Crane

Martin Crane ( John Mahoney) is the father of Niles & Frasier Crane, he moves in with Frasier at the beginning of the series and requires the services of physical therapist Daphne Moon due to a hip injury sustained during his police service. He is at heart a blue collar man who enjoys simple, relatable pleasures such as sports, beer, television and has a deep fondness for his jack russel terrier Eddie. His interests contradict his sons more sophisticated pass times, and their lack of common ground is a recurring joke within the series, with Martin usually deriding his sons more high brow aspirations.

Martin is known to have served in the US army during the Korean war, as well as several branches of the Seattle police department in which he eventually became a homicide detective (though he mentions working in vice as well as mounted patrol during the series. His experience as a detective afford him skills in deductive reasoning, and much more guile and intelligence than his sons give him credit for. He met his wife Hester at a crime scene, as she was the attending crime scene psychiatrist and the two married soon after. It is understood that the two had a long and happy marriage, though Hester dies several years before the series begins causing further separation between Martin and his sons. Initially he is uninterested in seeing other women, seeing it as disrespectful to his late wife, however he begins dating during the series and eventually remarries.

Martin favors Ballantine ale as his drink of choice, contrasting with his sons love of fine wines and sherry. He is seen to get on well with most of Frasier's old friends from Cheers, especially Norm Peterson (a fellow beer lover) and Sam Malone (due to his major league baseball career) and visits his favorite bar owned by his longtime friend Duke during early seasons, switching to police bar McGinty's after Dukes is bulldozed. Martin shy's away from shows of affection, but makes it known occasionally that he genuinely loves his sons and dearly misses his wife. He insists on bringing his tattered yet beloved recliner with him to the condo, which Frasier considers hideous as it ruins the decor of his apartment.

Eddie

Eddie (Moose/Enzo) is Martin Crane's pet, and appeared in over 190 episodes during the series. He was portrayed by two dogs, first Moose and then Enzo. He seems to enjoy staring at Frasier, much to his annoyance, prompting Frasier to exclaim "Am I some sort of canine enigma!?". Frasier is typically irritated by Eddie's tendency to roll on his his expensive furniture, and is envious of Martins unabashed show of affection for him. His intelligence seems to vacillate, often he is unable to learn simple trick while at times he seems almost sentient - able to understand the prospect of taking a bath or going to the vet.

Roz Doyle

Roz Doyle ( Peri Gilpin) is Frasier's radio producer at KACL, and becomes one of his closest friends after an initial period of distance caused by Frasier's pompousness clashing with her down to earth nature. Roz is characterised by her promiscuity, a trait which Niles enjoys ridiculing her for. Roz dislikes Niles for a number of seasons as she feels he looks down on her, and insults him in kind for his foppish demeanor. She does however have a steady friendship with Martin, due to their shared blue collar personality's.

Coworkers Bulldog and Noel Shempsky share an infatuation for her, but neither is respected by her, although she does engage in a regretted tryst with Bulldog. She also at one point, has sex with Frasier although both write it off as a drunken accident and don't allow it to affect their friendship. During the fifth season, Roz becomes pregnant and gives birth to her daughter Alice May Doyle who recurs several times during subsequent seasons. It is revealed in the final episode that she becomes station manager at KACL.

Daphne Moon

Daphne Moon ( Jane Leeves) serves as Martin Crane's physical therapist, and lives in the condo along with Martin and Frasier. She performs various tasks ancillary for the Crane family, mostly domestic chores such as cleaning and laundry and Frasier often insists that she answer the door for guests much to her chagrin. Her belief in her own psychic powers became a running source of comic relief, as did her ignorance of Niles infatuation with her.

She comes from a family of 8 brothers, and migrated from England sometime before the series began. Her family are featured on the show a handful of times, her: mother Gertrude ( Millicent Martin), father Harry ( Brian Cox) and brothers Michael ( Robbie Coltrane) Simon ( Anthony LaPaglia) and Stephen ( Richard E Grant) all make appearances while her brother Billy and "Grammy Moon" are mentioned occasionally. Daphne has a penchant for telling long anecdotes, which either become obtuse or overtly unsettling leaving the Crane men either puzzled or disturbed by their conclusion. She also displays a talent for billiards and mentions a short lived acting career.

She comes very close to marrying divorce lawyer Donny, however leaves him at the altar after Niles professes his love for her. They are eventually married and have a child (named David in tribute to series creator David Angell), and are shown to be very happy together.

Bob "Bulldog" Brisco

Bob Brisco ( Dan Butler) or as he is more commonly known "Bulldog" is a semi regular recurring character, who serves as a radio host at KACL presenting the "Gonzo sports show". He is a boorish and loud man, his catchphrase is vehemently shouting "THIS STINKS! THIS IS TOTAL BS!" whenever he loses something or is aggrieved in some way, before suddenly stopping when finding his lost item etc. He is a womaniser, and a very callous individual although he has occasional bouts of sentimentality although rarely shows any form of contrition and enjoys bullying Frasier.

Locations

The Apartment

Frasier's apartment is the focal point of the series, almost every episode visits the condo at some point and the bulk of the series takes place here. The apartment serves as a personification of Frasier's personality, and is lavishly decorated with expensive furniture, artwork and painted in earth tones. The large sofa in the living room is said by Frasier to be a replica of the couch Coco Chanel had in her Paris apartment. An Eames chair is intermittently placed by the window, though it was originally to be situated where Martin's recliner resides. The condo is filled with various pieces of high end art, such as a glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly, numerous African artifacts, a blue and orange abstract Otterson painting and a decadent grand piano. Frasier at one point attempts an overhaul of his apartment, but can't find a new style he is comfortable with.

The apartment is located at the Elliot bay towers, room 1901 and boasts a stunning view of the Seattle skyline and the space needle. However no real building in Seattle offer this view, and the backdrop is a canvas, the picture of which was taken from Kerry Park. The apartment itself is luxurious, with several on suite bathrooms, an open plan living room which leads into a kitchen and several bedrooms. Niles apartment is occasionally seen, and is even more lavish, featuring several floors and an extensive library.

Cafe Nervosa

One of the most frequently visited locations in the series, Cafe Nervosa is a hub for the central characters as it is know to be in close proximity to KACL studios and Frasier regularly meets with friends and family there. The episode "My coffee with Niles" takes place entirely within the confines of the cafe and is a "bottle show" in that regard. The baristas are often interchangeable, with only a handful recurring across more than a few episodes. Frasier and Niles enjoy ordering exotic coffees such as the "Kenyan blend", normally with biscotti although Martin frowns on using the word, preferring to call them cookies. Most of the cast is encountered here at one time or another, and the cafe has no stools in order to differentiate it from the Cheers bar.

1	The Good Son	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	09/16/1993
2	Space Quest	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	09/23/1993
3	Dinner at Eight	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	09/30/1993
4	I Hate Frasier Crane	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	10/07/1993
5	Here's Looking at You	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	10/14/1993
6	The Crucible	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	10/21/1993
7	Call Me Irresponsible	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	10/28/1993
8	Beloved Infidel	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	11/04/1993
9	Selling Out	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	11/11/1993
10	Oops	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	11/18/1993
11	Death Becomes Him	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	12/02/1993
12	Miracle on Third or Fourth Street	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	12/16/1993
13	Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	01/06/1994
14	Can't Buy Me Love	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	01/20/1994
15	You Can't Tell a Crook by His Cover	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	01/27/1994
16	The Show Where Lilith Comes Back	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	02/03/1994
17	A Mid-Winter Night's Dream	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	02/10/1994
18	And the Whimper Is...	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	02/17/1994
19	Give Him the Chair!	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	03/17/1994
20	Fortysomething	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	03/31/1994
21	Travels with Martin	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	04/14/1994
22	Author, Author	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	05/05/1994
23	Frasier Crane's Day Off	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	05/12/1994
24	My Coffee with Niles	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5	05/19/1994

Name	Frasier
Status	Ended
Date of 1st Airing	Sept. 16, 1993
Date of Last Airing	May 13, 2004
Show Type
Original Air Day	Monday
Original Air Time
Show Length	24
Network(s)	NBC
Language(s)	Add a new language English
Genre(s)	Add a new genre Sitcom
Theme(s)	Add a new theme
Alias(es)

David Hyde Pierce	Niles Crane	263 eps.
Jane Leeves	Daphne Moon	263 eps.
John Mahoney	Martin Crane	263 eps.
Peri Gilpin	Roz Doyle	263 eps.
Kelsey Grammer	Frasier Crane	263 eps.
Moose	Eddie	194 eps.
Enzo the Dog	Eddie	104 eps.
Dan Butler		52 eps.
Tom McGowan		42 eps.
Edward Hibbert		29 eps.