Frasier Reboot Season 2’s Original Cast Updates Confirm Kelsey Grammer’s Revival Plan Failed

As exciting as the Frasier reboot season 2 has some exciting original cast updates, they confirm that Kelsey Grammer’s original plan for the revival failed. Grammer’s role in the Paramount+ show goes beyond his on-screen role. Besides reprising his iconic role as Frasier Crane, he was also instrumental in getting the show off the ground. Inspired by the success of the original Roseanne revival, he started tinkering about how to bring the beloved snooty therapist back on the screen. He achieved that with the 10-episode Frasier reboot season 1, and now he and his team are working on the follow-up.

With Martin Crane’s return ruled out due to John Mahoney’s death, David Hyde Pierce was invited to return as Niles Crane. However, he turned down the opportunity. Ultimately, Grammer, with co-creators Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli decided to bring Frasier back to Boston. Surrounded by a new ensemble, his main priority was to reconnect with his grown-up son, Freddy, which he achieved in the Frasier reboot season 1 finale. The way its sophomore year is shaping up, however, confirms that Grammer’s original vision for the revival didn’t work.

Kelsey Grammer Didn’t Want To Do A Repeat Of The Seattle Show In The Frasier Revival

As a major creative force behind the series, Grammer has been heavily involved in crafting Frasier’s final act in Boston. This makes sense, considering that no one knows the character better than he does. Despite his initial attempt to bring back Niles and Jane Leeves’ Daphne, he has been clear about not wanting to do a repeat of what they did with the Seattle show. He recognized that leaning far too much on nostalgia doesn’t do revivals good. On the heels of the show’s renewal from Paramount+, Grammer doubled down on this sentiment for the Frasier reboot season 2, saying:

There was a sense of, I’m trying to think of the right word, vindication. In my heart, I thought, ‘I know we can do this and I know we can do it really well.’ And I didn’t want to do what some of the other shows had done, sort of come back and be the same show. I thought this all played exactly how it was meant to be. And Frasier’s still alive, and he has a new story to tell and a new series of people to do it with, and it’s been fantastic.

For context, the original Frasier show was both a critical and commercial success for NBC. It won a whopping 37 Primetime Emmy Awards, which was a record for a scripted show at that time. Despite this, getting the reboot off the ground wasn’t easy. This may have even been a factor in the skepticism to revisit the comedy. While comparisons are inevitable, Grammer realized that just repeating what he did in the Seattle show would be detrimental to the revival’s success. So, the Frasier reboot season 1 limited references to the past and primarily focused on the present.

Frasier Reboot Season 2 Brings In So Many Original Characters

This will change in the Frasier reboot season 2 as it finally taps into the legacy of its parent series, with its most exciting updates coming from casting. Several guest stars will be coming, including some familiar faces from Frasier’s time in Seattle. After her appearance in the season 1 finale, Peri Gilpin is confirmed to return as Roz as a recurring guest star. Meanwhile, Dan Butler and Edward Hibbert will also reprise their roles as Bulldog Briscoe and Gil Chesterton. Most recently, it was announced that Harriet Sansom Harris will play Bebe Glazer will appear too.

All of these fan-favorite characters returning for the Frasier reboot are great. Roz’s reunion with Frasier in the Christmas-themed Frasier reboot season 1 finale was arguably one of the highlights of the whole show thus far. Chemistry cannot be faked, and that was fully displayed in every interaction that Gilpin and Grammer had in the revival. Given what was established in the original project, it’s safe to say that this would also be the case with Bulldog, Gil, and Bebe. That said, it’s curious how the Frasier reboot season 2 will handle their appearances, considering its limited episode count.

This goes against Grammer’s goal of doing something different for the Frasier reboot. It’s difficult to imagine that the aforementioned characters’ cameos won’t dominate the conversation about the upcoming year. Considering their well-established rapport with Grammer, it may even risk exposing some of the weaknesses of the new ensemble.

Unlike its parent series which had upwards of 20 episodes per year, the Paramount+ revival only has 10. This means that a significant number of the new outings will feature these legacy characters, especially since Gilpin is expected to appear multiple times with her recurring guest star status. This goes against Grammer’s goal of doing something different for the Frasier reboot. It’s difficult to imagine that the aforementioned characters’ cameos won’t dominate the conversation about the upcoming year. Considering their well-established rapport with Grammer, it may even risk exposing some of the weaknesses of the new ensemble.

Why Frasier Reboot Still Needs To Fix Its Cast Problems

Bringing back four standout characters will definitely be a treat for long-time followers of Frasier. However, while Gilpin’s initial comeback resulted in a longer stint in season 2, the Frasier reboot can rely on the possibility that they will be back for the potential third season. Even then, the Paramount+ revival shouldn’t rely on their cameos. Granted that nostalgia can be a very powerful tool for this type of project, but it cannot be the only to sustain it. So, the Frasier reboot still needs to address the issues that its core ensemble has.

Admittedly, competing with the original Frasier cast would be a losing battle. This doesn’t mean, however, that the new show doesn’t need to improve. All the actors are great with what they are given, but Grammer and his creative team need to find better ways to present and utilize them. For starters, Nicholas Lyndhurst is brilliant as Alan Cornwall, so he and his relationship with Frasier, as problematic as it is for the canon, should have more focus in season 2. Meanwhile, Freddy and David’s relationship also has the potential to be great, as the third generation of Crane men.

How The Frasier Reboot Can Better Use Nostalgia To Its Advantage

Cameos are great, but the Frasier reboot needs to be more intentional with them after season 2. Bringing in so many fan favorites next season risks leaving them with no more possible special appearances moving forward. If the Frasier reboot is renewed for a third year, it needs to make sure that it is finally able to bring in arguably its most-requested legacy character — Niles. It shouldn’t be difficult to explain his and Daphne’s visit to Boston, considering David’s time at Harvard.

Assuming that this can be done, the Frasier reboot season 3 must limit their original guest star to them. Instead of padding the year with more cameos, it should build on the stories of its existing core cast, which would already be substantial by then. If the Paramount+ show still fails to recruit Pierce and Jane Leeves for an appearance, maybe it can tap some characters from Cheers for nostalgia. However, their appearance should not dominate the whole year.