For Kelsey Grammer, bringing Frasier Crane back to Boston on an upcoming Paramount+ series isn’t just an opportunity to revive an iconic character. It’s a spiritual calling.
In a new interview with The Independent, Grammer opened up about the impact that playing Frasier Crane through nine seasons of “Cheers” and 11 seasons of “Frasier” has had on his life. He said that he has always tried to use the character to promote virtue and morality — something he hopes the upcoming batch of episodes will continue to do.
“The ethics of ‘Frasier’ – the study of good, let’s say – was important to us,” Grammer said. “It seemed important to all the people that were involved in the original one, and it has remained important in the show today.”
He took things a step further by saying that playing the pretentious psychiatrist is a form of ministry for him, as he sees the character as an opportunity to spread his values to the world.
“’Frasier’ has been my ministry, you could say,” he said. “He’s trying to spread the good word, to put some love in the world – and tolerance, true tolerance. Those are powerful words, but most people use them to manipulate. I think tolerance is a beautiful, beautiful concept. Not particularly realised in behaviour in our country, but still a good goal.”
When asked about the details of the upcoming Paramount+ reboot, Grammer maintained his position that it’s less of a continuation of “Frasier” than a third unique show about the character of Frasier Crane.
“This isn’t really a spin-off,” he said. “It’s more of a third act, or fourth act. A spin-off of a spin-off.”
Grammer also heaped praise on some of the new cast members and hinted that he thinks the new show has the potential to meet — or even exceed — the standard set by “Frasier” and “Cheers.”
“At first, you cast these people, you’ve never seen them before,” he said. “And boy, by about the middle of the second show, I thought, ‘Son of a gun. He’s actually doing it. He’s like Frasier’s kid. Wow.’ So I think it’s gonna be a great discovery for people. There’s some new people on the show to really fall in love with, and arguably it may even be funnier.”
