Frasier

It may have started life as a hopeful spin-off from 'Cheers', but right from the very first episodes, 'Frasier' proved that it had enough style and substance of its own to become a TV legend. Granted, it went on for a couple of seasons too many, and toward the end was clearly starting to suffer from a lack of fresh ideas, but for the most part this was a hilarious, insightful and often very moving programme that my Friday nights throughout the late 90s just wouldn't have been complete without. After so many years of viewing, Frasier, Niles, Martin, Daphne, Roz and Eddie feel like more than just TV characters - they're like your very own neighbours, or even great friends.

Indeed, 'Frasier' worked so well throughout most of its run not just because of the sharp, intelligent scripting, but also due to the sheer depth of its central characters and the ongoing focus on their relationships with each other. The characterisation here was always so rich and meaningful, taking us right from Dr Frasier Crane himself, the highbrow, slightly arrogant but good-natured radio shrink, to his more laidback everyman father Martin (a retired police officer now living with his son), and prissy younger brother Niles, a fellow psychiatrist who fits two slots as both Frasier's best friend and his mortal enemy! A lot of the episodes revolved around their family troubles and clashes of interest, but were handled in a very meticulous way, and the morals always felt smooth and genuine. Though rarely quite able to see eye-to-eye with each other, you got a good sense over the course of the series that the Crane men were gradually learning to bond and grow closer together, in spite of their differences. And that's one of the aspects of 'Frasier' that roped me in head and shoulders above its other contemporary sitcoms - it was never afraid to mix heart and poignancy with its laugh-out-loud hilarity. Episodes like 'Martin does it his way', 'Our Father whose Art Ain't in Heaven' and 'Roz's Krantz and Gouldenstein are Dead' are classic examples.

Daphne Moon, Martin's amiable English physiotherapist, and Roz Doyle, Frasier's sassy producer, were also great characters who added their own unique streaks of humour and personality to the format. Even Maris, a personage who was never seen but talked about at many an ingenious moment, managed to make her mark - it's to the credit of those wily scriptwriters that they could always have you feeling her presence solely on the word-of-mouth of other characters. On the side, any episode featuring Bebe, Frasier's positively demonic agent, can almost guarantee a laugh-riot - she was utterly hilarious, and there was never another semi-regular character quite like her.

In terms of acting quality, the central cast was always strong, particularly Kelsey Grammar, at his utmost prime not just in fulfilling the role of our protagonist, but also in singing 'Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs' over the end-credits of every episode (who knew what those words were supposed to mean, but it was a great theme song! I still catch myself humming it from time to time).

I'll also come clean with my unswerving admiration for Moose, the canine performer who rounded off the Crane household in the role of Eddie, Martin's Jack Russell, for most of the series (before retiring and being replaced by his offspring Enzo for the final fifth). Seriously, he's got to be the most talented animal actor since that cat who played Tao in 'The Incredible Journey'. Those various antics of his amounted to a lot more than just a few dumb pet tricks to secure easy "aww" reactions from the audience - Eddie had easily as much personality as any of the human ensemble, a subtle and canny little dog who's good at getting what he wants and working his way round the no-nonsense Frasier.

As you've probably guessed by now, I loved this show and its cast of characters dearly, and was sorry to see it go in 2004, but at the same time I was pretty much aware that it had run its course. They were starting to rehash older concepts, like Frasier losing Martin's chair, which is always a bad sign. Also, too many OTT British accents from non-British guest actors had a few of us clenching our teeth this side of the Atlantic (Anthony LaPaglia, I'm looking mainly in your direction here!). But I digress, because the general history of this sitcom was just fantastic. Even if the latter-day episodes were a little weaker than the previous instalments, it's the truly great material that, in the end, really stays with you. And throughout the years there was so, so much of it.

Mark my words - this show is all set in time to go down as the classic US sitcom of the 90s. 'Friends' may have gotten the greater media coverage when it left its own building in the same year, but 'Frasier' will always be the superior show.

Grade: A

Simply one of the best sitcoms on tv ever! This series has a very good cast and script writers. I recommend this to everyone who likes intelligent comedies. Many of the sitcoms on tv are poor but this one really shines. Saturday nights wouldn´t be Saturday nights without it.

Rather like Friends and Seinfeld, Frasier is one of those sitcoms of the 90's with mass appeal. While it probably isn't as internationally famous as "Friends" it is every bit as good as it. Over the years, "Frasier" has remained a consistently entertaining and ultimately satisfying sitcom. It always has fresh, witty material and hopefully will continue for another few years. The cast all work perfectly together, the overall effect is very good. "Frasier" is one of the best sitcoms on television today.

This is a good show. Hilarious, in fact! I am sad to see it didn't get as much publicity as "Seinfeld" and "Friends" over the years, perhaps then it would have gotten a bigger fan base. This show's humour is refined and elegant, and it's always funny to see Frasier's ego grow.

When I first immigrated to Canada I was living in a bachelor apartment which was too small for...well everything. The only entertainment I had was my little TV (small TV for a small apt). This show literally saved me from killing myself. If it wasn't for this show, I would have probably jumped out the balcony or something. Every time I came home in the evening from a fruitless job search, I would turn on the TV and started watching Frasier 2-3 hours straight. And all the situations portrayed in the show with an optimistic look on life really helped me a lot. Frasier became my TV psychologist.

This is an awesome show with very intelligent dialogs and conversations. The show begins with Frasier moving to Seattle from Boston (this character is originally from Cheers). He takes a job at a radio station as a radio psychologist. He is over-intellectual, over-refined, witty, sarcastic and a little snobby..but in a delightful way. However, he is still awkward with women, sometimes with his relation with his father and others. After all, he is a human being too. His brother Niles Crane is just like his older brother (maybe a higher IQ, was it 4 points higher??), only more neurotic and probably more insecure with women. Niles character was initially meant to be just a secondary character but as the show developed, his character became very essential. The situations that arise from his untold love for Daphne (Martin/Frasier's father's physical therapist) are just hilarious. Roz Doyle, Frasier's producer, is another important character who loves men just a little too much. But she is more complicated than just a simple fool-for-men character (wonderfully portrayed by Peri Gilpin). Martin Crane is probably the most rational, most practical of all and it is a wonder how Frasier and Niles fell so far away from the tree in that department. Daphne Moon, love object of Niles Crane, is a delightful young woman from Manchester, UK who lives in the same house and is practically a member of the Crane family. Although just a dog, Eddie is a very important part of the show. Eddie is so lovable and probably the best company of Martin Crane. There are so many other notable characters, such as Bulldog (a womanizer with sports-dude attitude), Maris, Niles' wife, who doesn't appear in the show at all but the jokes about her are enough to count her in as an essential character, and Frasier's ex-wife and son.

Overall, Frasier is an unforgettable comedy sitcom that has been superbly successful for 10 years and received many awards. And if I am not mistaken, Kelsey Grammar (Frasier) has the record as the actor who portrayed the same character in TV series for more than 20 years (Cheers and Frasier). I own the entire DVD box-set collection and recommend it to everyone who enjoys intelligent comedy.