Frasier

I was not expecting a duplicate of the first act but I had high hopes of seeing the continuation of the "loveably pompous" Frasier Crane. Unfortunately, it seems like most of what was at the Dr.'s core was removed in this reboot or was never really there in the last. Wearing sneakers, settling to live in an average apartment, patronizing a run-of-mill bar (Cheers was different). Are we to believe he went from national celebrity to teaching and no longer wants the finer things in life or that he no longer wants to help people through psychiatry ... to many things the doctor we know, would not suscribe to. Without the uptight, buttoned up, picky, elitist, notoriety status grabbing snob...what do you have? You have my next door neighbor's story of his rocky relationship with his kid...I don't need tv for that!

I'm my opinion, tv stardom should have been the present, not the past. Think of how many crazy sit-in guests he could have had and the potential for drama and characters behind the scenes of a tv show. Not to mention what great apartments with a fantastic view he could have had in Chicago. Additionally, keeping intact his pseudo-aristocratic nature would have made his relationship with his son more challenging and exciting.

This has so potential but the writers are just not that great on this. I hate to say it because I know they're just doing a job but everything seems Forced, the jokes aren't funny. It has so much great potential though I think they need to bring on some better writers to make this Next season pop.

The original Fraser, from the very first episode, was unbelievably amazing, introducing the cast was seamlessly done. Not a big fan of the neighbor with the baby. I don't really think she adds anything to the show. She's a great actress, but the show doesn't move well with that character.

I've had maybe one or two laugh out loud moments, but the rest of it was just ehhh.

Better writing and better character development in my opinion will fix the show.

He picks up his character and doesn't skip a beat! Just the rest of the cast can't keep up with him.

He keeps me coming back or I wouldn't have made it past the first episode.

First, the laugh track. Make it stop, can we do a real audience?

Secondly, the entire new cast of the show is meh...at best.

The original was a really tough act to follow and knowing that, casting could have stepped it up.

The new cast/writing goes for the standard and prescribed laughs, which have become common in newer sitcoms.

The actor delivery becomes formulaic. It's as if they wandered off a Disney set and found themselves on this show; confused and insecure.

There isn't anything much unique about the new show Frasier, other than it taking place in Boston and reuniting with his son.

What made Cheers and Frasier (the original) interesting, each show was character/actor/story driven. This reboot seemed rushed and disorganized.

Lastly, locations and sets arent very dynamic. Cheers and Frasier (the original) took had more interesting set location; The bar in Cheers, the apartment (original Frasier), cafe nervosa, the radio station...the sets became a character in and of themselves.

After episode 6, it does start to pick up. The scripts are more tightly written with Frazier's antics. There are cameo performances from Lilith and Roz.

I'm just not in love with it, like the original. I'm hoping the show can recast or at least find its rhythm.

I love the original Frasier show. It was excellent, smart writing and genuine laughs.

Fast forward to this show and I immediately noticed it felt different - a LOT different. From the get go, this show feels like a sitcom from the 70s or 80s with the absolutely dreadful cheap laugh tracks and quick-fire predictable "jokes" that happen every 5 seconds. Then there's the writing, so far it has zero of the flair from the original. Frasier doesn't quite *act* like the Frasier we all know. The nephew, professors and Frederick all feel like placeholders for quick-fire cheap and tired jokes.

But then...it gets serious, maybe a little too serious, but answers some important questions we were all thinking.

Then finally, it has a short build up of how Frasier plans to stay.

There's potential for later episodes to tone down the cheese sitcom feel to it. But overall this first episode was good/bad. Bad mostly wins out but the serious part gives me hope for great writing like that in future episodes, so it gets a 5/10.

Is this as good as the best seasons of the original series? Of course not. Expecting that would be a fools errand. But does it have its charms? Sure.

The inversion of the original plot is a nice way to both complete Frasier's character arc, while maintaining a generally familiar dynamic.

And unlike the original, which hit the ground running from the very first episode (perhaps more so than any other show), this one does have some room for improvement. The cast is inconsistent, most notably in the questionable casting of Freddy and David. That said, Eve & Alan are both excellent.

This is television comfort food. It's not meant to be anything more than this. Some of the jokes fall flat, some don't. There is an excellent joke in the fifth episode where Alan accentuates the punchline by cracking a chestnut with a gauntlet he's accidentally gotten his hand stuck in. Moments like this have flashes of the original's brilliance, but for the most part this is a show full of smiles but not full of laughs.

If you just want to see Kelsey Grammar back in the role of Fraiser, and can stomach the idea that nothing will ever match the original, then the show is well worth a watch.