At the premiere of his new Netflix movie Like Father last night, Kelsey Grammer revealed that he has his doubts about reviving the beloved TV character he played in not one but two iconic sitcoms, but echoed Frasier Crane’s call-in catchphrase: “I’m listening.†“Honestly, I’m not sure it’s something I really want to do,†Grammer told Vulture of the recently floated but still fuzzily defined notion of bringing back the character he played on 8 seasons of Cheers and 11 seasons of its spinoff Frasier, winning four Emmys along the way. “We are discussing what is the right thing to try to do. What would make it interesting? That’s the nut that must be cracked.â€
Contrary to some initial media reports that a Frasier return would once again see the good doctor rebuilding his life in a brand-new city (Frasier was last seen departing his hometown Seattle for Chicago, pursuing his latest love interest), Grammer said another fresh slate is not necessarily the setup he envisions: “I do not picture that, no.†Rather, Grammer believes any revival would need to make ample room for other Frasier cast members. “Certainly I think everyone that was on the show should be on this show, and then go from there,†he said. “I know that some people have written things that are different than that, but they got a lot of it wrong.â€
One possibility Grammer does entertain is the notion of reuniting Frasier with his son Frederick, who, raised by his ex-wife in Boston, was long separated by distance and would now be around 30 years old. “I think there’s certainly some distance to go with that,†said Grammer. “I think there’s a kernel of good thinking there — that the relationship becomes the Martin–Frasier relationship.â€
He also wouldn’t expect to change up the framework by dropping Frasier into a single-camera comedy or dramedy-style format. “It’s a great way to live, it’s a great way to work,†Grammer says. “I would never walk away from that. I think it’s the best — the best fun, the most entertaining style of TV show. Its fall from grace for 20 years was basically due to reality television, and I think people have maybe played that card enough.â€
But even if Frasier finds his way to a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon, where he’d be free of the traditional constrictions of broadcast television, don’t look for the verbose shrink to add F-bombs into his already prodigious vocabulary. “I don’t think it’s in him to swear,†laughs Grammer. “I think ‘Oh my God!’ is as far as that goes.â€