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 exact decade play into this opinion? Effectively, sure. However with exhibits corresponding to “Buddies,” “Seinfeld,” and “Frasier” rising throughout the ’90s, it is arduous to argue towards the truth that the ultimate years of the millennium produced a number of the most interesting sitcoms to grace the small display.
After all, in the event you occurred to develop up within the ’80s, there are many different examples you could possibly level to that will surely make a great case for that exact decade being the apex of sitcoms. Take the present on which Frasier Crane himself debuted, for instance: “Cheers.” The legendary sequence premiered in 1982 and ran for 11 seasons till 1993 — the identical yr the “Frasier” spin-off launched. By that time, Kelsey Grammer had change into a longtime sitcom star together with his position as Dr. Crane, having appeared in “Cheers” since its third season and changing into a primary forged member in its fifth.
When “Frasier” was being developed, there was one huge concern about Grammer, nonetheless — particularly whether or not he may go from an ensemble character to a number one man with an emotional through-line. Fortunately, the actor proved these considerations to be unfounded, changing 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 sequence in 2023, Grammar proved that his knack for placing 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 changing into a primary forged member. The actor stated:
“I received a request to learn for Frasier for this present known as ‘Cheers’ that was a sitcom on NBC, and I assumed, ‘Is that the one with the blonde lady within the bar?’ they usually stated, ‘Yeah, that is it, it is actually fashionable.’ I stated, ‘You are kidding.’ I noticed the pilot I assumed it was horrible.”
After all, in 2024, that viewpoint appears ridiculous, however on the time Grammer was working within the theater and wished to be taken critically as a performer — one thing he believed changing into a sitcom actor would jeopardize. When he received 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 changing into what he appeared to view as a equally “low-level” sitcom actor. He recalled, “I assumed the sitcom was a horrible type of expression so it is typical that I might find yourself making my total life based mostly upon being on sitcoms”
Grammer additionally spoke to Cigar Aficionado about first getting the decision for “Cheers,” saying:
“I received known as in for what they name a persona 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 assumed, ‘Expensive God, this might spoil 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 considered the very best type of inventive expression, however that repute actually is not all that well-earned. When finished 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 basically 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 suppose that Kelsey Grammer was such a snob concerning the style. Nevertheless it seems he wasn’t the one one. In an eerie echo of his co-star’s angle 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 light as soon as the present received going, nevertheless it wasn’t the top of the present’s relationship to “sitcom snobs.”
When the revival sequence 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 sequence, 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 finished in my life.'”
Except for changing into a legendary sitcom in its personal proper, then, “Frasier” may also declare to have transformed many a sitcom snob in its time on air.