Written by Robert Scucci | Published
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m not looking South ParkI’m looking at many, unhealthy amounts Frasier. I have a projector in my bedroom that projects a 150-inch picture on the wall, and most of the time, Frasier Crane’s big, bulbous head hovers over me like a sleep-deprived demon constantly telling me in no uncertain terms to listen. Like many long-running sitcoms, entering a series like this one Frasier he can feel frustrated. While the show is mostly episodic, it’s not without continuity spanning season to season, which can make it difficult for newcomers to find a solid entry point.
The obvious answer to the question “where should I start looking?” Frasier?” Season one, episode one. Google’s amazing AI search results will tell you exactly that, but let’s not go with the obvious answer here. My work, like rabid Frasier fan, it’s a focus on the series’ golden age, which is surprisingly hard to put down because Frasier rarely missed throughout its 11-season run. As long as you completely ignore the latest reboot attempt, you’ll be fine, but for now, let’s get into a few programs that, in my mind, represent the highest value. Frasier.
Frasier Has Always Been a Comedy of Errors
The majority Frasier The episodes serve as straight-up comedy of errors, built around people who should by all means be considered extremely intelligent and experienced in interpersonal communication. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Niles Crane (David Hyde Pierce) are both Ivy League graduates and psychiatrists who command a certain amount of respect from their peers. Their father, Marty (John Mahoney), is a retired detective who can read a room on a more natural level than academically. Usually, Marty is the smartest guy in the room, which worries the Crane brothers forever because they value academic discipline above all else.
Niles, married to the unhappy Maris, famously never seen on screen, is obsessed with Marty’s home health aide, Daphne (Jane Leeves). Daphne is totally oblivious to her obsession despite the fact that it’s obvious to everyone, including Roz (Peri Gilpin), Frasier’s smart-mouthed radio producer.
With the main character summary out of the way, we can get into what I think are two of the best entry points to the series: Season 3’s “Look Before You Leap” and Season 6’s “The Seal Who Came To Dinner.”
“Look Before You Leap”
“Look Before You Leap” plays very well on the above dynamic, giving every single main character a moment to shine in the worst way possible. When Frasier decides to celebrate the upcoming Leap Year by breaking out of his routine and “jumping around,” he encourages everyone on his route to do the same.
Frasier wants to abandon his annual “Buttons and Bows” during a PBS call and instead perform “Ella mi fu rapita / Parmi veder le lagrime” from Verdi. Rigoletto. Hellbent on making sure everyone jumps, he pushes Roz to reconnect with a missed romantic connection from her daily bus ride, Daphne to finally try the haircut she’s been thinking about, Marty to fly to Montana to visit a friend whose birthday falls on February 29, and Niles to stop letting Maris go all over him.
As expected, all of Frasier’s advice backfires spectacularly. Roz finds herself attracted to a married man who is too serious to have an affair, Marty’s plane crashes on takeoff, and Daphne’s haircut is so painful that her emotional breakdown wakes up Niles. This prompts him to rush home and sleep with Maris to curb his desires, culminating in one of the series’ lines, “I don’t care, Niles has to have it!”
Frasier, finally realizing the error of his ways, reverts to singing “Buttons and Bows” on live television instead of the elaborate aria he had originally planned. This becomes the ultimate humiliating ritual because he was so engrossed in reading a Verdi piece that he forgets the words to a very simple song.
Every character follows Frasier’s “jump” philosophy and learns the hard way that sticking with the status quo might be the smarter move. Frasier backs out like a coward at the last minute and ends up in the most public humiliation of all, hoisted by his own petard.
“Sign for Dinner” Fade to Black
Focusing heavily on the dynamic between Frasier and Niles, Season 6’s “The Seal Who Came To Dinner” is a masterpiece in showing how the smartest guys in the room are also the dumbest. When Niles has a chance to win a Golden Apron Award with his gourmet team, he is terrified by the idea of hosting a dinner at Shangri-La, the bachelor pad he lives in while navigating his brutal divorce from Maris.
At first he wants Frasier to host the party at his luxury apartment, but a small crack in Frasier’s window makes him reconsider because everything needs to be right for the people he’s trying to impress. Niles instead suggests hosting a dinner at one of Maris’ many beach resorts while he’s abroad, which provides the added bonus of a front-row seat to the rainstorm his guests are eager to see.
At first, the night seems to be going well. That changes when Frasier and Niles find a dead seal washed up on the beach, accompanied by an unbearable stench. Terrified, the brothers decide they need to dispose of the body before the visitors arrive, stabbing the seal and cutting it with one of Maris’ clothes so it can sink under the water.
Maris’ rowdy neighbor and the police quickly jump to a very different conclusion, suspecting that the Crane brothers killed Maris and dumped her body in the ocean before quietly hosting the party. As expected, the night turns chaotic, and Frasier and Niles are dragged away in handcuffs, completely confused as to where everything went wrong.
All of Frasier is Great
With all that said, it’s hard to think of a single episode of Frasier that falls short in its chaotic delivery, especially since the entire series thrives on how poorly its characters interact. “Look Before You Leap” and “The Seal Who Came To Dinner” stand out because they rely so heavily on the constant banter, which keeps the comedy from beginning to end.
Every action has a tragic outcome, and these episodes highlight the main character while pointing you to a dynamic you’ll see throughout the series. If you like what you see here, from Season 1, Episode 1 will feel like a natural next step. If you can’t handle the sarcasm, though, it might be time to stick to a different ’90s sitcom.
Frasier airs on Paramount+.
