James Burrows, who has directed episodes of Cheers and Frasier, claims the upcoming Frasier reboot is as good, if not better than the original show.
Frasier director James Burrows claims the upcoming reboot is just as good, if not better than the original show. Coming to Paramount+, the revival will once again feature the return of Kelsey Grammer’s psychiatrist Frasier Crane, who was first introduced in Cheers season 3 in 1984 before receiving his own eponymous spin-off in 1993. The reboot will also return to the original setting of Cheers, Boston, where Frasier now faces new challenges and forges new relationships without much of the original cast.
Ahead of the Frasier reboot release date on October 12, Burrows made a bold claim about the show in an interview with The Guardian. Burrows, who directed 237 episodes of Cheers and 32 episodes of the original Frasier – says the upcoming reboot, which he directed the first two episodes of, is just as good, if not better than the original show. Read his full quote below:
My goal was to protect the character. To make sure that the writing was equal to, if not better than, the original, and in essence to protect Kelsey. But I found that the writing was exquisite, certainly as good as the previous show, and so was the cast.
Could The Frasier Reboot Actually Be Better Than The Original Show?
Burrows saying the reboot could be just as good, if not better than the original show is clearly a bold claim. Frasier aired for 11 successful seasons from 1993 to 2004 and enjoyed consistently strong ratings during its run. It’s one of the rare spinoffs to match, or arguably even eclipse the quality of its parent show, winning a total of 37 Emmys, including the award for Outstanding Comedy Series for five consecutive years, along with wins for writing and acting.
Today, Frasier still stands as one of the most acclaimed comedies of all time, so the revival certainly has a lot to live up to. However, the reboot’s biggest challenge is recapturing this magic without the original cast. Though the series owes its namesake to Frasier Crane, his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and father Martin (played the late John Mahoney) were just as instrumental to the show’s success, both of whom did not return for the reboot.
Instead, the revival has essentially replaced its missing characters. Frasier’s professor friend Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst) appears to be a stand-in for Niles, and there is a new central father-son dynamic between Frasier and Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott). Whether this formula results in a show of equal quality, or perhaps even better than the original, remains to be seen when the Frasier reboot premieres October 12 on Paramount+.
