Frasier (2023) had a nearly impossible task. It had to continue the legacies of its parent and grandparent series with a mostly new cast and situation. The first few episodes of this reboot/revival had clear potential, but it was easy to tell that it hadn't found its footing. I could tell that ingredients were there, with Kelsey Grammer as good as ever the rest of the cast ranging from passable (Anders Keith) to great (Jess Salguero) as well a recreation of Frasier's signature misunderstanding-based humor by the writers, so I gave the show another chance. The show seemed to fall into place with this episode, with a genuine chemistry emerging in the cast and a plot that echoes the white collar/blue collar culture clash of the original Frasier without feeling like a rip-off. Anders Keith as David Crane was finally put to good use and was used as something other than an impression of David Hyde Pierce as Niles. But the breakout characters were Freddy Crane's firefighter coworkers, and especially Moose, portrayed by Jimmy Dunn. I liked his implied hidden depths. To those Frasier (1993) fans who were put off by the first episode feeling uncomfortable, I recommend giving the series another chance, starting with this episode. If the remaining episodes can maintain this level of quality, Frasier 2023 has potential to be a worthy successor to Frasier (1993) and Cheers, if not quite a match.
Review of Trivial Pursuits
