HRHRaider

I loved the show during its NBC run, and have begun catching the reruns on HUB. Of course Michael J. Fox was the comic centerpiece of the show, but watching it again I am reminded how consistently and brilliantly funny Michael Gross was as father Steven Keaton. He was almost always a supporting player on a show that focused more on the children's lives, which allowed him to deliver some of the best lines, usually with a look of utter confusion. Although the character was a '60s Berkeley hippie, he was as over-protective of his daughters as any father on television. No matter how serious the main story line may have been in a particular episode, he would always provide the comic relief with either Alex or Jennifer. An underrated performer in an underrated show.

One of the funniest episodes of this series. While substituting for Niles at the Opera on Valentine's Day, Martin claims to be gay to avoid getting fixed up with the mother of a woman Frasier is interested in. Martin gets some comeuppance when Frasier's date then brings along her gay uncle as a match for Martin. Niles gets dragged into the charade, and David Hyde Pierce is at his best. When I first watched this episode, it reminded me of the Christmas episode from Season 6, where the Cranes pretend to be Jewish so as to not offend the mother of Frasier's new Jewish girlfriend. As luck would happen the Christmas episode aired as a syndicated rerun later that very night.