Sitcoms had been round for years earlier than the ’90s, however that decade appears to have been a golden age for the format. Does the actual fact I grew up in that individual decade play into this opinion? Properly, sure. However with exhibits similar to “Buddies,” “Seinfeld,” and “Frasier” rising in the course of the ’90s, it is arduous to argue in opposition to the truth that the ultimate years of the millennium produced a number of the best sitcoms to grace the small display.
After all, if you happen to occurred to develop up within the ’80s, there are many different examples you can level to that would definitely make a great case for that individual decade being the apex of sitcoms. Take the present on which Frasier Crane himself debuted, for instance: “Cheers.” The legendary collection premiered in 1982 and ran for 11 seasons till 1993 — the identical 12 months the “Frasier” spin-off launched. By that time, Kelsey Grammer had change into a longtime sitcom star along with his position as Dr. Crane, having appeared in “Cheers” since its third season and turning into a important solid member in its fifth.
When “Frasier” was being developed, there was one huge concern about Grammer, nonetheless — specifically whether or not he might go from an ensemble character to a number one man with an emotional through-line. Fortunately, the actor proved these issues to be unfounded, turning into much more well-known for portraying the fussy psychiatrist all through 11 extra seasons of “Frasier.” It stays Grammer’s best-known position and primarily gave him a profession.
With the launch of the “Frasier” revival collection in 2023, Grammar proved that his knack for putting that steadiness between snooty and lovable as Dr. Crane remained absolutely intact, making the case as soon as once more that Frasier was the position he was born to play. Which is why it is shocking to listen to that when he first auditioned for “Cheers,” he wasn’t all that enthused concerning the concept of showing in a sitcom in any respect.
Kelsey Grammer was a sitcom snob
At a 2024 Q&A forward of the debut of “Frasier” season 2, Kelsey Grammer spoke about how he was a “sitcom snob” when he first auditioned for the position of Frasier. The actor recalled being requested to learn for the position of the physician, who debuted as a love curiosity for Diane Chambers (Shelley Lengthy) earlier than turning into a important solid member. The actor stated:
“I acquired a request to learn for Frasier for this present known as ‘Cheers’ that was a sitcom on NBC, and I believed, ‘Is that the one with the blonde woman within the bar?’ and so they stated, ‘Yeah, that is it, it is actually widespread.’ I stated, ‘You are kidding.’ I noticed the pilot I believed it was horrible.”
After all, in 2024, that standpoint appears ridiculous, however on the time Grammer was working within the theater and wished to be taken severely as a performer — one thing he believed turning into a sitcom actor would jeopardize. When he acquired the decision to audition for “Cheers” he had a job as an understudy for the unique Broadway manufacturing of “Hurlyburly” — David Rabe’s satirical play concerning the lives of low-level Hollywood administrators, actors, and writers. As such, Grammer wasn’t all that enthused on the considered turning into what he appeared to view as a equally “low-level” sitcom actor. He recalled, “I believed the sitcom was a horrible type of expression so it is typical that I would find yourself making my whole life primarily based upon being on sitcoms”
Grammer additionally spoke to Cigar Aficionado about first getting the decision for “Cheers,” saying:
“I acquired known as in for what they name a character learn, and a few weeks later they flew me out to California and gave me the job. I used to be such a snooty child about working in TV. I believed, ‘Pricey God, this might smash my profession.'”
Removed from ruining it, Grammar’s position on “Cheers” ended up making the person’s profession.
Kelsey Grammer is not the one Frasier actor who began as a sitcom snob
Sitcoms won’t be thought to be the very best type of creative expression, however that popularity actually is not all that well-earned. When achieved proper, sitcoms can come throughout as pleasant little stage performs, and within the case of exhibits like “Frasier,” can transcend this to show some actual emotional depth. The well-known “Ski-Lodge” episode of “Frasier” is an ideal instance of a brilliantly executed farce that actually conveys the sensation of watching an impressively staged theater manufacturing — which is actually what the present is. However “Frasier” additionally delivered extra depth, particularly with the titular physician’s relationship to his father, which is a central theme of the present and yielded some really touching moments all through its 11-season run.
As such, it is unusual to assume that Kelsey Grammer was such a snob concerning the style. But it surely seems he wasn’t the one one. In an eerie echo of his co-star’s perspective to “Cheers, David Hyde Pierce, who performed Frasier’s brother Niles, thought the “Frasier” pilot script was “horrible” when he first signed on. After all, that feeling rapidly pale as soon as the present acquired going, but it surely wasn’t the tip of the present’s relationship to “sitcom snobs.”
When the revival collection debuted in 2023, it featured an entire new ensemble, which included Canadian actress Jess Salgueiro as Frasier’s neighbor. Because it occurs, Salgueiro herself admitted to being a “sitcom snob” earlier than her casting within the collection, earlier than coming to respect the format after performing within the very first episode. As she informed the Toronto Star “After my first episode, I used to be like, ‘That is the toughest factor I’ve ever achieved in my life.'”
Other than turning into a legendary sitcom in its personal proper, then, “Frasier” also can declare to have transformed many a sitcom snob in its time on air.
