The upcoming Frasier revival will reunite the good doctor with ex-wife Lilith, which might allow the show to payoff an old Cheers flashforward.
The revival of Frasier can pay off a Cheers flashforward scene involving an older Lilith. The character of Dr. Frasier Crane had an interesting journey, starting as a guest character introduced during Cheers’ third season. The role was written with John Lithgow in mind, but after he passed Kelsey Grammer took over and proved so popular he became a cast member. Even the Frasier spinoff wasn’t supposed to star Frasier Crane, but after an attempt to build an original sitcom around Grammer failed, it was decided to base it around his troubled psychiatrist.
The upcoming Frasier revival will see Grammer dust off the character’s sherry glass and head back to his old haunt Boston. While most of the cast of Frasier won’t be returning, the revival will bring back Crane’s ex-wife Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth). The first episode of the new series sees Frasier attending a birthday party for their son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), which will apparently see some tension between him and Lilith. While Frasier saw the title character and Lilith form a warm friendship post-divorce, the fact they’ll be living in the same city could pay off an old Cheers gag.
Cheers’ Flashforward Revealed Lilith & Frasier Were Still Married
“I’m OK, You’re Defective” was a season 10 episode of Cheers, and featured a subplot where Frasier is pushed by Lilith to put together his will. Meanwhile, the main story follows Sam as he takes a fertility test, but by the end of the episode, he decides not to look at the results. The ending cuts forward decades later, where an elderly Lilith and grown Freddy are gathered to hear Frasier’s will read after his death. When the lawyer opens the envelope, it’s revealed it contains Sam’s sperm count, and that Frasier’s actual will was accidentally destroyed by Sam decades ago.
Aside from being a funny punchline, this Cheers flashforward reveals that Lilith and Frasier were still married in their twilight years. Of course, this scene was written long before Frasier saw the pair get a divorce, and even fans of both shows have likely forgotten about this scene. Frasier resisted the temptation to have the pair get back together, but considering they lived in different cities, there was no real chance of that happening. Now the revival will find them both in Boston, maybe this Cheers epilogue could still work.
Why Frasier & Lilith Shouldn’t Get Back Together In The Revival
While it might sound like a good idea to see Frasier and Lilith reunite in the reboot, that would be a mistake. Their marriage didn’t work for a reason, and the original Frasier was the rare series to depict a healthy friendship between a divorced couple. Rekindling that romance could make for a great storyline for an episode or two, but inevitably the reasons they parted will resurface. Having Frasier and Lilith getting remarried would certainly pay off the aforementioned Cheers gag – but that’s hardly an essential reason to make it happen either.
