fans of Fraser They are thrilled to see Kelsey Grammer return to the iconic role in a new series, also titled Fraser. He returns to his roots, moves to Boston to be with his son Freddie (Jack Cutmore-Scott), as well as study psychology at Harvard. The comedy-drama boasts almost all-new characters, each of whom makes a great addition to the series, but many of Grammer’s previous castmates return in cameo roles.
Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli are the creators of this new one Fraser Series. They both write the series and executive produce as well. Fraser Season 2 premieres September 19, exclusively on Paramount+.
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Screen Rant Interviewed Chris Harris and Joe Crystali, who explain why this new Fraser Series is a spin-off, not a reboot. They also discuss bringing back the multi-cam sitcom and why it works so well for a show like this. Harris and Cristalli talk about finding the balance between bringing in cameos and characters from the past, while also exploring new and exciting storylines with the new main characters.
“Nothing beats that live audience working-without-a-net feel” of a show like Frasier.
Screen Rant: Can you talk about the decision to stick with the multi-cam approach?
Chris Harris: There’s no question, just like Frasier, the original, was multi-cam. The format has been in a bit of a slump the last, you could even say 20 years, which is crazy because you go back to the 80s, the 70s, the 60s, that’s what comedy was. It was let’s put on a stage play every week and shoot it with a world to see. To come back to it was such a pleasure, not only for Kelsey, but for us, just because nothing beats that feeling. Nothing beats the live audience, working without a network feel, and for us, at least, that’s what we love, and that’s what I respond to when I watch multi-cams.
You’re at home, you’re watching a show, you’re watching, hopefully, people you love, you’re getting a glimpse of a found family or a real family that you can feel a part of, and you’re laughing with other people, and you’re experiencing emotions with other people, and there’s something so wonderful about how common that is. We would love an effort to bring that back on the show.
Frasier is not a reboot regardless of the press surrounding it
“It’s hard to call it a reboot since you’re not on the same sets. It feels more like a spin-off to us.”
Screen Rant: What is it like fetching Fraser Back in the show? It feels more like a spin-off than a reboot.
Joe Crystali: Yeah, I think so. We kept the name looser, but you could have called it The Cranes, because it really was, Cheers was one show, Frasier’s another show. This is another show. It’s hard to call it a reboot, since you’re not on the same sets, you don’t have all the same actors and characters, but it feels more like a spin-off to us, too. I loved the original, so it’s terrible. It was terrifying to bring that back because it’s such a high bar. The original show is one of the best comedies of all time, so the idea of ​​us doing it again, and we’re going to do it better, is crazy to even think about.
It was just so much fun writing for Kelsey and the character of Frasier that a new show felt like it took some of​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ It would have been great to do the version with Jane and David and Perry, and do the show again, but we’re not going to recreate the show. The show is perfect, we can’t make it better. We can do our own show, and hopefully bring the people in, and splash them in. It’s going to be fun in its own way, but it’s going to be fun in its own way, but it’s going to take a lot of pressure off, and hopefully, people just enjoy Frasier the character as much as they did before. Which hopefully they do, because Kelsey is still as sharp as ever, so it was ours to rely on, and thankfully, I don’t think we have yet.
The more cameos, the merrier for Frasier Season 2 and beyond
“We haven’t even brought Chopper Dave back yet. We have to do like three, four, five more seasons. We have to get everybody in.”
Screen Rant: Can you talk about finding the balance between when you’ll bring in people for cameos and when you’ll focus on the new core group?
Chris Harris: Yeah, it’s totally about finding a balance. That’s exactly right. In the first season, we wanted to make sure we established our own world first, and not rely on too many appearances. In the second season, we got to play a little bit more, which was awesome because there are so many people from the original series that we can’t wait to see again, and we have a good amount of them in The second season. It’s always a pleasure to bring them back and integrate them into the show.
Joe Cristali: We haven’t even brought Chopper Dave back yet. We have to do like three, four, five more seasons. We have to get everyone in.
Chris Harris: It’s almost like cheating, because the characters and the actors are so fun and sharp that we immediately know who the character is. The lines and the jokes come easily, but we’re not above cheating.
Screen Rant: Is there anyone that you’d like to bring in that you haven’t yet?
Joe Crystal: Yes. There are some people we would love, and honestly, it’s just finding the right story for some of those people and making sure the schedules line up, but ideally, we’ll get everyone we want from The original and cheers. There are so many people we haven’t seen yet. I don’t even know if I could pick a favorite. There are so many options.
Chris Harris: One area is that we still haven’t taken advantage of the fact that Fraser is back in Boston, and that’s where Cheers was. So it’s a whole group of letters. Of course, Bebe was part of that. Lilith, but we would like Fraser to meet someone along the way.
More on Frasier Season 2
The series follows Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) into the next chapter of his life after he returns to Boston to face new challenges, form new relationships and—hopefully—finally fulfill an old dream or two.
Check out our other interviews with the cast and creatives of Fraser Season 2:
Fraser Season 2 premieres September 19, exclusively on Paramount+.
Source: Screen Rant Plus