Frasier Reboot - What We Know So Far
Frasier's callin' again!
Kelsey Grammer is returning to his iconic role of Dr. Frasier Crane in a revival of the classic sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004.
News of the Frasier revival dropped on February 24, 2021, when ViacomCBS formally unveiled its upcoming streaming platform Paramount+. As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, How I Met Your Mother's Chris Harris and Life in Pieces' Joe Cristalli are on board the revival to write the new episodes, with Grammer's Grammnet Productions producing the series alongside CBS Studios. The two writers will also be executive producers next to Grammer, Jordan McMahon, and Tom Russo. CBS Studios President David Stapf teased in a statement there's a "brilliant creative plan" behind the series that the studio is excited to show audiences.
"Frasier is one of the most acclaimed comedies in modern television history and truly defines premium storytelling. There has long been a call from fans for its return, and that call is now answered thanks to the amazing Kelsey Grammer reprising his iconic role of Dr. Frasier Crane and a brilliant creative plan from Joe, Chris, and Kelsey," said Stapf. "We can't wait to reveal its next chapter on Paramount+."
So, we know that Grammer is coming back, and there's all this chatter about Paramount+, but what about the facts and figures? When will the Frasier revival be released? Who will join Grammer in the revival's cast? And how exactly can you watch the new series? Concrete details are limited as of this writing, but let's take some educated guesses as we run through everything we know about the Frasier revival so far.
What might be the release date for the Frasier reboot?
As of this writing (late February 2021), the Frasier revival doesn't have a set release date because ViacomCBS hasn't announced one. That's to be expected, since the existence of the project was only just made public knowledge. It isn't all bad news, however, as there is some estimating that can be done to theorize when audiences might be able to "hear the blues a-calling" once more.
Television shows can run for any number of episodes – Black Mirror's most recent season was only three episodes long, while primetime shows can air anywhere between 12 and 24 or more episodes per season — which means that production time can vary. Perhaps a show has to film in batches, airing parts A and B of a season with a mid-season finale in between, and is only comfortable premiering a new season when it has a certain number of fresh installments already filmed. That can certainly push the release date back by as much as a few months to accommodate for shooting and editing time. With other projects, the principal photography phase of production is shorter because the episode count is lower, and thus the release date for a season comes not long after the new episodes were announced.
With the Frasier revival, there are two factors at play: It's a reboot, so it likely won't be very many episodes and thus won't take too long to film; and it's a streaming original (more on that later), so it's plausible that all the episodes will need to be in the can before it can premiere. If we estimate that filming will begin in a few months' time, after the project's team gets all its necessary ducks in a row, and that the reboot will be about eight to ten episodes (compared to the 24 per season that Frasier had during its original run), that puts the end of shooting at around late 2021 at the very earliest. And that puts a possible release date somewhere in mid-2022 — again, at the absolute soonest. It could be that the Frasier reboot doesn't start filming until 2022 and won't arrive until 2023. Anything can happen.
Of course, this is all just guesswork, and nothing should be taken as gospel until ViacomCBS and/or the Frasier revival team makes an announcement regarding the release date.
Who will be in the cast of the Frasier revival?
As of February 24, 2021, only original Frasier cast member confirmed to appear in the revival is Grammer — who brilliantly portrayed psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane navigating his new bachelor life in Seattle, hosting his own talk-radio psychiatry show and developing a friendship with his polar-opposite producer, taking care of his father, competing with his brother (a fellow psychiatrist), and bonding with his father's live-in caretaker, whom his brother is in love with. It stands to reason that all but one of the four other main characters of Frasier will take part in the revival, and that their original actors will return to play them.
Peri Gilpin may very well reprise her role as Roz Doyle, the producer of The Dr. Frasier Crane Show, who's outspoken, confident, and very witty, with a voice many of Frasier's listeners poke fun at. David Hyde Pierce could come back to play Frasier's neurotic, snobbish, germaphobic brother Niles. And if all goes to plan, Jane Leeves will be back as Daphne Moon, the kindhearted, eccentric English physiotherapist who takes care of the Cranes' father and who eventually marries and has a child with Niles.
The only actor who played one of the main characters in Frasier who can't return for the revival is John Mahoney, who portrayed Martin Crane. Martin is Frasier and Niles' father, who worked as a Seattle police detective until a gunshot injury forced him to retire. Sadly, Mahoney died in February 2018 at the age of 77 (via Variety).
Fans will have to wait for official word on Gilpin, Pierce, and Leeves' potential involvement with the Frasier reboot. No matter who does or doesn't board the revival, though, one thing's clear: Grammer is excited about playing Frasier Crane again. "Having spent over 20 years of my creative life on the Paramount lot, both producing shows and performing in several, I'd like to congratulate Paramount+ on its entry into the streaming world," he said in a statement (via Deadline). "I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane."
How to watch the Fraiser reboot
Now, this one is easy: Whenever the Frasier reboot premieres, it will be available to stream on Paramount+, the streaming service soon-to-be-formerly-known as CBS All Access.
The formal rebranding is set to take place on March 4, 2021, and will expand into other international territories in the months thereafter. According to The Verge, CBS All Access will become Paramount+ in Latin America on March 4 as well, and the switchover will happen in Nordic countries on March 25, then in Australia sometime in mid-2021.
Currently, CBS All Access boasts around 30 million global subscribers, with 19 million of those based in the U.S., according to CNN. The company is aiming to have between 60 and 75 million subscribers by the time 2024 rolls around, and pushing new content like the Frasier revival is an excellent way of drawing in new customers.
Anyone looking to subscribe to CBS All Access before it becomes Paramount+ can enjoy a seven-day free trail. If you like what the platform already has available and want to stick around for what's to come, you can either continue your subscription with a limited-commercial option for $5.99 USD per month or a commercial-free plan for $9.99 USD per month. Annual subscriptions are also two-tiered: $59.99 USD for the plan with commercials, and $99.99 USD for the one without. According to CNN, in June 2021, the commercials-included plan will drop down to $4.99 USD per month. No word yet on whether the annual plans will change in price.