With the release of the Frasier revival series, audiences were delighted to be reunited with Dr. Frasier Crane and enjoy all the hilarious quips, clever dialogue, and laugh-out-loud quotes the original series was known for. With Kelsey Grammer back as Frasier and the introduction of an entirely new cast and setting, the latest version of Frasier had a lot to live up to, and for the most part, it succeeded well. Seeing the latest episodes of Frasier was like meeting up with an old friend who had not lost any of their innate charm and hilarious turn of phrase.
While Frasier himself provided many of the best quotes in Frasier, the supporting cast was just as important. Frasier’s son Freddy, neighbor Eve, nephew David, and colleagues Alan and Olivia imbued the series with enjoyable humor. As Frasier moved back to Boston to start his third act, there was no shortage of hilarious quotes amid his antics. While the Frasier revival has not yet carved out the kind of long-lasting legacy of previous series like Cheers or the original Frasier, its early days and the best quotes from the reboot hint that it could have a bright future ahead.
The first episode of the Frasier revival had a lot riding on it, and it was important that it felt like a worthy successor to the original series if the show wanted to succeed. While viewers would tune in to see Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane again, it was hard to tell how they would react to the lack of characters like Niles and the introduction of new secondary cast members. This pressure to succeed was even slyly referenced in the first episode when Frasier stated, “I’m no stranger to an underperforming dinner party.”
Frasier uttered the line as Freddy avoided revealing that he lived in his apartment with Eve and her baby, but as he stated, “I had high hopes” about reconnecting with his son, it’s hard not to relate it to the reboot itself. With memories of the hapless dinner parties in the original series, this latest season felt like a dinner party that hadn’t properly started yet. While new characters were being introduced and the reboot was finding its feet, it was hard to determine if Frasier would be an underperforming dinner party or the night of a lifetime.
Following the death of his father and the end of his psychology talk show, Dr. Frasier Crane moved back to Boston and sought to rekindle his relationship with his son Freddy. After arriving at his door unannounced, Freddy was slightly perplexed by Frasier’s newfound interest in being in his life, but he invited him into his home nonetheless. Always a man of impeccable taste, Frasier couldn’t help but scoff at Freddy’s apartment as he entered and said: “Your place is… When I started that sentence, I thought I’d think of something.”
This hilarious line from Frasier felt like it aligned exactly with the version of the character last seen in the original Frasier series. While Frasier tried to be courteous and polite to his son, his lack of appreciation for anything low-brow and his high-society taste meant he could not hold back his true feelings about Freddy’s apartment. Although Freddy’s apartment may not have been up to standard for Frasier, by the average person’s expectations, he lived in a pretty nice Boston apartment.
After Frasier convinced Freddy to move out of Eve’s apartment and instead move across the hall to live with him, the pair’s mismatched opinions was major fodder for hilarious interactions. This came quickly as Freddy decided to double up and buy an air hockey table instead of a new dining room table. While Frasier looked shocked at the purchase, Freddy couldn’t help but enjoy it as he slightly taunted his father while they attempted to eat a meal amid the flashing flights and gaudy designs.
While Frasier normally gets the wittiest lines, Freddy was quick on his feet after his father had a glass on the hockey table without a coaster. Freddy shot up and said, “Oh, Dad! Please, use a puck.” Frasier couldn’t help but look dejected at this funny suggestion, which was made even more hilarious after he asked Freddy to pass the salt. In a demonstration of all the unique uses of the hockey table, Freddy slid the salt over to his father before Frasier confronted him about trying to get revenge for how controlling he’d been about their new apartment.
In the Frasier reboot, Dr. Frasier Crane was trying to carve out a new life away from the daytime psychology talk show he had starred in in the years since the original Frasier series finished. While earlier episodes hinted at what Frasier’s TV show looked like, it wasn’t until the third episode, “First Class,” that the show’s true nature was revealed. While the first season started as a nuanced and insightful exploration of psychological themes, after Frasier showed Alan a clip from Season 13, it was clear that the series devolved over the years.
With a new upbeat theme song, dancing, and a signature ‘”thinking cap,” The Dr. Crane Show was turned into a horrifying mixture of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Dr. Phil that was a million miles away from the compassionate psychological series Frasier sought to produce. As Frasier announced the theme of that episode, he said, “Today on our show, I’ll be delving into the mind of the world’s smartest pig: Albert Swinestein!” While Frasier may not look back on his show fondly, more hilarious clips from the Dr. Crane Show were on the wishlist for Frasier Season 2.
As Frasier and his son can’t help but rub each other the wrong way, Freddy goes back to his old apartment to vent about his father with Eve, only to notice after barging in that she left the front door unlocked. Concerned for her safety, Freddy said, “By the way, you should really lock the door,” adding that they “live in Boston,” where “they literally named a strangler after us.” While this hilarious line gained a big laugh from the studio audience, Eve was not too concerned, although it still stood as one of the funniest lines in the entire revival series of Frasier.
With this line, Freddy was referencing the Boston Strangler, a notorious killer who murdered 13 women in Boston during the early 1960s. With a killer on the loose, the newspapers at the time widely covered the story, and after two years, the perpetrator was finally apprehended and gave a full confession (via Time.) While this was a very dark joke from Freddy, it showcased how dangerous it can be to leave an apartment door unlocked, and the lengths people in urban areas should go to ensure their safety.
With the guest appearance of Lillith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth) in the seventh episode, “Freddy’s Birthday,” audiences got to witness Frasier and Lillith reunited as they bickered with one another about Freddy’s upcoming birthday. Frasier and Lillith always had an acrimonious relationship with one another throughout the original run of Frasier, and, as a divorced couple, Lillith occasionally brought Freddy to Seattle to see his father. The pair’s negative relationship with one another obviously left a mark on Freddy as he interrupted their argument to state, “This had been a great trip down repressed memory land.”
While this quick remark from Freddy was played for laughs, it also gave great insight into his character and showed that his role as a child of divorce affected him. Even as an adult, Freddy was still frustrated watching his parents struggle to get along, so he “cordially uninvited” both of them to his birthday to solve the issue. While Frasier and Lillith then agreed to keep things civil if they were allowed to attend, the way they later acted at the party was anything but.
Dr. Frasier Crane could not help but hold back his shock when confronted with his ex-wife and the mother of his child, Lillith Sternin, in the seventh episode of the revival series. Frasier and Lillith always had a difficult relationship after she had an affair and left him for another man in the final series of Cheers. With this bitter backstory in mind, it was no surprise that Frasier was quick with a hostile jap the moment he noticed that Freddy was sitting with Lillith in the bar.
The first thing Frasier said after seeing his ex-wife was, “Lilith. Dear God. Who looked in the mirror and said your name three times?” This was a hilarious reference to the Bloody Mary folklore legend about conjuring a deranged spirit that also alluded to the horror movie Candyman. Frasier’s offensive remark showcased that although so many decades had passed since the end of their relationship, he was still quick to be on the offensive and that he and Lilith’s argumentative nature had not been repaired one bit since the end of the original run of Frasier.
The love life of Dr. Frasier Crane has been far from simple, as audiences have watched him struggle to find the one throughout three television series now, including Cheers, the original run of Frasier, and the revival series. Despite all his hardships, Frasier remained an optimist and was very excited when Eve revealed she wanted to set him up. This “dewy-eyed optimism” led to Alan stating how proud they all were of Frasier, and even though love has been “punching you in the face” for three decades, he’s still willing to give a new relationship a shot.
To make the point stick even further, Alan said they were impressed at how he’s “lurched from one failed marriage to another” and still has not given hope. While Alan’s remarks may have been offensive, they called back the many failed relationships Frasier has been involved in since Frasier’s character debuted in the third season of Cheers in 1984. With a long history of being unlucky in love, viewers can only hope Frasier finally gets his happy ending in this revival series.
Without any previous mention of Dr. Frasier Crane’s equally eccentric brother, the third episode of the Frasier revival featured a secret reference to Niles Crane that got viewers excited about his potential later appearance in the show. As Frasier struggled with his new position teaching at Harvard, Freddy told him that he couldn’t worry about quitting and that he had a long history of it. Freddy referenced his radio show and television talk show before finally mentioning his uncle and stating: “Didn’t you and Uncle Niles once have a restaurant that you quit after like one day?”
While this line from Freddy was funny enough on its own, it also brought back memories of the original Frasier series episode “The Innkeepers,” which saw Frasier and Niles briefly try their hands at being restaurateurs before swiftly shutting down the place. This classic episode from the second season of the original Frasier was one of the best series. It was exciting to hear it referenced by Freddy so many years later. Quotes like these prove that for the latest version of Frasier to succeed, it needs to embrace the past while carving out something new.