'Frasier' reboot review: Is the new Paramount+ show worth watching?
Kelsey Grammer returns as Frasier Crane in a revival series to the famed 1990s, 2000s sitcom
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Almost 20 years after Frasier came to an end in 2004, Kelsey Grammer has returned to the role of Frasier Crane in a reboot of the series, streaming on Paramount+.
Watch Frasier on Paramount+ with a 7-day free trial, then $9.99/month
Where to watch 'Frasier'
The new Frasier series is streaming on Paramount+, beginning Oct. 12 in Canada and the U.S., and Oct. 13 internationally.
The original Frasier series is also available on Paramount+.
How many episodes are in the new 'Frasier' series
The first season is 10 episode, premiering with the first two episodes, and a weekly release schedule for the rest of the season.
Who is in the 'Frasier' reboot show
The Paramount+ Frasier show stars the series' original lead Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane.
Peri Gilpin will also be returning as Roz Doyle and Bebe Neuwirth is expected to make an appearance as Fraiser's ex-wife Lilith Sternin.
The rest of the cast will be new to the world of Frasier, including Jack Cutmore-Scott playing Frasier's son Freddy, Anders Keith playing Frasier's nephew David, and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Frasier's friend Alan Cornwall.
Jess Salgueiro plays Freddy's friend Eve and Toks Olagundoye plays Olivia, head of Harvard's psychology department.
Watch Frasier on Paramount+ with a 7-day free trial, then $9.99/month
What is the 'Frasier' reboot about
The new Frasier series begins with the show's title star returning to Boston, just after his father's funeral (in the original series Frasier's father was played by John Mahoney, who died in 2018). Frasier is returning to Boston with his nephew, Harvard student David (Anders Keith).
We're initially introduced to Frasier's friend and Harvard professor Alan Cornwall. Frasier is in Boston to guest lecture in one of Alan's classes.
The show's lead character also plans to connect with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), particularly after Freddy had to miss his grandfather's funeral. There's still a bit of tension in that relationship since Freddy made the decision to drop out of Harvard to become a Boston firefighter.
But when Frasier gets to Freddy's apartment, there's a woman he's never heard of before, Eve (Jess Salgueiro). While initially Frasier thinks this is Freddy's girlfriend, it's more complicated than that (but we won't completely ruin the surprise).
Through a combination of Frasier reconnecting with his son and being wooed by Olivia (Toks Olagundoye), the head of Harvard's psychology department, to become a full-time professor at the school, Frasier makes Boston his home to set us off for the 10-episode season of the show.
Is the new 'Frasier' show worth watching?
We can't say we absolutely needed a Frasier reboot, but now that we have one, we have to admit that there are certainly some elements in this new show's first five episodes that will compel you to keep watching.
The entire tone of this Paramount+ Frasier show very much harkens back to the '90s sitcom days, from the live studio audience, to the sometimes cheesy jokes, and specifically for Frasier, the closing tag over the "Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs" song.
There is comfort to the new Frasier in its approach to comedy that's very circumstantial and situational, and Grammer proves why he deserved to win so many Emmy and Golden Globe awards for playing Frasier.
We do have to highlight that Nicholas Lyndhurst, in particular, is a welcome addition to the cast. While many have been concerned about the lack of original Frasier stars returning to this new show, Lyndhurst eases that rough point. The banter between Lyndhurst and Grammer is engaging, amplified even more when Toks Olagundoye joins them.
Niles' son David, Frasier's nephew, also has a really appealing frantic, neuroticism to watch.
Frasier still has that pretentious element of the past and there's a welcome dynamic between him and his son, who wants nothing to do with any of that pretentiousness.
For fans of Grammer's previous work, there are a few comedic nods to the Frasier of the past, and even the actor's role on Cheers, but how much to connect with the past may be a bit of the downfall for the new show.
It's not a reboot situation where you need to have watched the original Frasier series to enjoy, but it's also not really moving the original story forward at all. We can't say it's purely an extension of the original, but there's nothing particularly fresh in the show either.
There's certainly a lot in this new series to give you a chuckle and it is entertaining, we're just not sure how memorable this reboot will really be.
