Paramount+ has given the go-ahead to a reboot of the popular NBC comedy Frasier after the project languished in development limbo for quite some time. Almost two decades have passed since the original show’s finale, so plenty of adjustments will need to be made for the resurrection. One constant, though, is that Kelsey Grammer will once again play the egocentric psychologist Frasier Crane on the show.
Grammer has started dropping hints about the highly anticipated resurrection, including how it will deal with the loss of one of the show’s big stars—John Mahoney—which have been kept under wraps thus far. Mahoney, who played Martin Crane, Frasier’s dad, passed away in 2018, so he won’t be appearing in the remake. However, it’s probable that a number of the show’s other original cast members will. Mahoney’s contributions were crucial to the show’s success, as evidenced by the fact that he was nominated for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a SAG Award.
Star and executive producer Kelsey Grammer recently told Fox Digital that the new series will be respectful of Mahoney’s legacy. “His loss is and was heartbreaking, and adequate respect must be paid in honour of the amazing guy he was and the contribution he made to the programme and the acting industry,” Grammer stated. Grammer went on to say that the show “will most certainly be honouring him according to his merit,” calling the late actor “a man of merit” and “a kind man,” and adding that the “world cannot afford to lose at any time.”
The revival was picked up by Paramount+, and it was revealed that the show’s lead character would be moving to a new city. Like Kelsey Grammer, John Mahoney’s character was introduced in Cheers, the parent series that spun Frasier after it ended in 1993. In Frasier, Mahoney’s character would go on to be explored as the patriarch of the Crane family, a war veteran and retired police detective whose down-to-earth and simple disposition served as a sharp contrast to Frasier and his younger brother Niles’ (David Hyde Pierce) haughty personality and helped. For the revival, Kelsey Grammer, Tom Russo, and Jordan McMahon have teamed up with writers Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli.
More information, such as casting announcements and the commencement of production, will likely be revealed as the revived series develops.