Cheers Co-Creator James Burrows Debunks Possible Reboot: “No, You’re Not Going To Touch That”
Burrows is reuniting with Cheers star Kelsey Grammar, directing two episodes of Paramount+’s Frasier reboot.
Before hosting his radio talk show, Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) was a frequent guest of the bar where everybody knew his name. Now that Grammer is reprising the role of the beloved psychiatrist for Paramount+’s upcoming Frasier sequel series, it’s only natural to wonder if a Cheers reboot could be next. According to Cheers co-creator James Burrows a Cheers reboot or revival won’t happen. In a recent interview with TV Insider, Burrows said:
“No. No, you’re not going to touch that. We talked about going on after Ted [Danson] left and we said, “No, this is it. Wrap it up, put it out there on a satellite TV and [syndication], and let people enjoy it.”
Danson, who starred in the series during its entirety as Sam Malone, also previously rejected the idea of a Cheers revival. During a 2018 interview on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers, Danson joked:
“It’d be a bunch of people in their 70s in a bar going, ‘What? What? A horse walked into a what?’ Maybe ‘Cheers, The Old Age Home.'”
As the crowd seemed into the possibility, Danson quickly added:
“Don’t worry. It won’t happen to you.”
Burrows is a renowned television director who has worked on popular series including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Will & Grace, Rhoda, Laverne & Shirley, Wings, NewsRadio, Two and a Half Men, and 2 Broke Girls. In the early 1980s, Burrows co-created Cheers alongside Glen Gerald Charles and Les Charles. The Boston-based series was a hit with critics and viewers, earning 28 Primetime Emmy Awards during its 11 season run.
James Burrows Reunites with Kelsey Grammer
Despite shooting down the idea of a Cheers revival, the television legend is reuniting with Grammer; he directs two episodes of Paramount+’s upcoming Frasier reboot. During Frasier’s original run, Burrows directed 32 episodes including the pilot.
Grammer joined the cast of Cheers in 1984 during its third season as a love interest of Diane Chambers’ (Shelley Long). A spinoff of Cheers, Frasier began shortly after Cheers concluded in 1993, and saw the titular character leave Boston for Seattle. The sequel series will see Frasier back in Boston, which has left some fans of the shows hopeful to see some of those Cheers regulars reunite with Frasier. While that remains to be seen, Grammer did tease the possibility during a May appearance on This Morning, saying audiences “may see some” of the Cheers cast on the Frasier reboot.
While Grammer is the only Frasier cast member returning in a starring role, Bebe Neuwirth (who was introduced during Cheers) and Peri Glipin will return as Lilith Sternin and Roz Doyle, respectively, in guest roles. Frasier, which is scheduled for premiere this year on Paramount+, also stars Jack Cutmore-Scott as Frederick, Frasier and Lilith’s son, Nicholas Lyndhurst as Alan, a psychology professor and Frasier’s college friend, Anders Keith as David, Frasier’s nephew and Daphne and Nile’s son, Toks Olagundoye as Olivia and Jess Salguerio as Eve.
