TV Insider and other members of the Television Critics Association were invited to the Paramount Studios lot earlier this week to visit the set of Frasier and attend a table read of an upcoming episode.
During a follow up Q&A session, series star Kelsey Grammer AKA Dr. Frasier Crane, shared he’s nursing a desire to have original series Cheers stars Ted Danson (Sam Malone) and Shelley Long (Diane Chambers), Frasier’s former fiancée, guest on the show to explore who they are today, and, in Diane’s case, give Frasier some closure.
How might the show – if at all – address the passing of Rebecca Howe in light of the 2022 passing of her portrayer, Kirstie Alley? TV Insider asked Frasier’s executive producers/writers Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli about how they might handle this delicate subject.
“Kirstie had an impossible task,” Harris tells TV Insider about the actress joining the show after Long’s much-publicized departure from the series at the height of its popularity in 1987.
Thanks to Alley and the character of Rebecca, the show became rejuvenated. “No one expected it,” Harris says. “We’ve talked to Cheers writers and [director] Jimmy Burrows. It took two episodes for them to find out that [Rebecca] is not as put together as she thinks. Then, she just soared. She was amazing. [Kirstie] not only stepped into Shelley’s shoes, but she revitalized the show and it turned into a continuation of the show.”
Somehow, sitcoms are able to incorporate death into their stories. “It would be amazing to bring in characters from Cheers,” Harris muses. “I imagine that [Rebecca’s fate] could be something that they could explore, talk about. One of the things that Kelsey likes to embrace is that Frasier isn’t 30 anymore. He’s in a different part in his life. It could be a tribute and something nuanced to explore.”
As previously reported, there will be an episode in which Frasier returns to Seattle, where he lived in between the Cheers finale and the Frasier revival. “Frasier feels like he has some unfinished business there,” Cristalli says. “We knew we wanted to see Gil [Edward Hibbert], ‘Bulldog’ [Dan Butler], and Roz [Peri Gilpin]. We wanted to find an organic reason for him to go to Seattle and see McGinty’s again. He’s there to help Roz with a tribute special to [radio station] KACL.”
In addition to Frasier’s old radio station pals, there’s also a host of love interests he had over the years who could reprise their roles at some point in the revival series.
“We’d love to see them, and we’d be happy to get any of the back,” says Cristalli. “We’re going through [the names]. We only have so much space. We need to make sure we’re not losing sight of our current cast, too. That’s the most important thing. This is about Frasier’s time in Boston now.”
Should CBS and Paramount decide that Frasier needs to increase its episode order and/or be back on broadcast television, the scribes/showrunners say that they’re up for it.
“I’d just need three days to take a nap,” jokes Harris.
“A long weekend would be great,” chuckles Cristalli.
