You can’t keep Kelsey Grammer down. His snooty sweetie, Frasier Crane, was one of the more unlikely Cheers characters to helm a spinoff. Yet Frasier, after debuting more than 30 years ago, lasted for as many seasons as its parent show (and won more Emmys) and has now spawned a reboot. In its heyday, Frasier was known for being the highest-tone sitcom out there. It starred Grammer as the titular psychiatrist/radio host. After divorcing his Cheers wife (Bebe Neuwirth as Lilith Sternin), Frasier moves to Seattle and hosts a talk radio show at KACL. At work, he has a feisty friendship with his producer Roz (Peri Gilpin) and has a similar love-hate-but-actually-love thing going on with his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce). His father Martin (John Mahoney) moves in with him in the pilot, and loopy physical therapist Daphne (Jane Leeves) joins the household the next episode. From there, very little happened.
Frasier was a show beloved for its sweetness, as well as its low-stakes plot. Frasier and his brother Niles were basically too wealthy to have real problems, and their biggest upsets were over things like who became corkmaster of their wine club, or whether any given dinner party would be a success (spoiler: it won’t). Frasier lost his job, Niles got divorced, but none of those things really mattered compared to a fine glass of sherry. The well-appointed interiors, the constant navel-gazing, the coffee snobbery — it all screamed “end of history America.†It was a comfort show, where everyone basically cared for one another and nobody truly suffered. That’s how it became a beloved show to fall asleep to.
Like collectors of fine wine, we’ve gathered the best Frasier episodes and arranged them by vintage (season). It was desperately hard to limit the list to just 21; there’s a reason the show won so many Emmys. Here are the best farces, the worst dates, and some of the most queer-friendly sitcom episodes of the whole 1990s.
“Beloved Infidel†(Season 1, Episode 8)
Like all sitcoms, Frasier takes a few episodes to really get cooking. We have to establish the new characters and see what their dynamics are before we can really let them run wild and free. This episode solidifies the Cranes as a family of cucks. In this episode, Frasier and Niles learn that their beloved mother had an affair back in the day. Frasier and his dad finally bond over something, and it happens to be the experience of getting cheated on. This sets up a running theme of the show: the Crane men and their inability to have a truly meaningful relationship (until Niles and Daphne get together).
“The Show Where Lilith Comes Back†(Season 1, Episode 16)
Most of the Cheers gang made it on to Frasier eventually, but it makes sense that Lilith was the first to land in Seattle. Lilith is in town because she found a letter from Frasier begging for them to reconcile. Problem is, she thinks it’s recent, but it’s actually from almost a year ago. Lilith and Frasier have one night of passion together before coming to the rational decision to stay separated. It’s exactly what you’d expect from two therapists: all base biological urges reasoned away and plenty of closure to boot. Somehow Frasier even managed to have a low-stakes divorce.
“The Matchmaker†(Season 2, Episode 3)
Frasier was ahead of its time with how chill it was about the existence of gay people. (A low bar to clear, you say? Tell that to Friends.) It probably helped the show not age like milk that one creator, a few writers, and at least three recurring actors were gay men. “The Matchmaker†was the first queer episode of Frasier, centering on a classic Frasierian misunderstanding. Fras wants to set up Daphne with new station manager Tom (Eric Lutes). Problem is, Frasier is the only person at KACL who doesn’t know Tom’s gay. When Frasier asks Tom over for dinner, he thinks it’s a date, not a set-up. What sets this episode apart from practically the rest of the ’90s is the complete lack of gay panic. Frasier isn’t defensive about being perceived as gay. He doesn’t cast Tom as a predator for hitting on him. It’s just another faux pas in Frasier’s life, probably below picking the wrong wine to pair with fish.
“An Affair to Forget†(Season 2, Episode 21)
If you want to see David Hyde Pierce swashbuckle, this is pretty much your only option. Sure, there’s Treasure Planet, but that character is only voiced by Pierce, not embodied. “An Affair to Forget†has an incredible set piece at the end. Niles has beef with his never-seen wife’s fencing instructor, and he wants to confront and perhaps even duel him. But the fencing instructor only speaks German. This results in Niles and fencing instructor Gunnar clashing swords while the bi- and tri-lingual Frasier and Marta (Niles’s housekeeper, who speaks German but whose English is mid) translate.
“Moon Dance†(Season 3, Episode 13)
How the writers of Frasier managed to tease out Niles’s crush on Daphne for seven seasons without it getting horrendously creepy should be studied. It probably is, in some TV writing or cultural studies 201-type class. “Moon Dance†is a classic “circumstances conspire to give the crusher romantic one-on-one time with their crushee†TV ep. (See also: “The One With the East German Laundry Detergent†and every episode of Bones where they go undercover.) Here Niles and Daphne “pretend†to love each other, and share their first kiss. Of course, Daphne thinks it’s just to help make Niles seem like less of a sad sack after separating from Maris. She won’t know how he really feels for another [checks notes] FOUR SEASONS?!
“Look Before You Leap†(Season 3, Episode 16)
For those in the know, this is the episode with “Buttons and Bows.†For those even more in the know, this is the episode with “Niles gotta have it.†Frasier has one nice morning and suddenly it’s everyone else’s problem. Emboldened by a nice walk with Eddie the dog, Frasier urges everyone to take a leap of faith and try something new — with horrendous results. Roz Sleepless in Seattle’s a guy she met on the bus (he’s married), Daphne gets a haircut (looks shitty), Martin flies out to a friend’s birthday (plane crashes). Only Niles, who didn’t take Frasier’s advice, wins the day by fucking his estranged wife. Niles gotta have it!
“Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire†(Season 3, Episode 21)
The recurring character roster on Frasier is deep. There’s Bulldog, Gil Chesterton, Noel the Star Trek freak, and of course, Frasier’s completely unscrupulous agent Bebe Glazer. She pops up every season or so to be arch and camp at everyone then disappear. This time, the new station manager has charged Frasier with getting Bebe to quit smoking. That way, Bebe can marry the aging tycoon and Frasier can get his radio show nationally syndicated. Would you believe there are complications with this plan? Harriet Sansom Harris is a delightful side in the buffet of character actors that is Frasier, and this is her best episode.
“The Impossible Dream†(Season 4, Episode 3)
Only a show about sibling psychiatrists would dedicate an entire episode to dream interpretation. Frasier has a recurring gay dream and can’t sleep until he uncovers its meaning. Frasier never fails to find new details about psychiatry to mine for comedy, and this ep is full of them. It also highlights one of the most underrated aspects of the show: Frasier and Niles are always working on self-improvement. They want to become better people, better parents, better men. Frasier needs to get to the heart of this dream, even if it leads him to completely upending his identity, because it will help him lead an authentic existence. In a landscape of comedic sociopath protagonists, it’s nice to have a Frasier or two out there trying to lead a life with purpose and care. Plus, we get to find out Gil Chesterton (Edward Hibbert) keeps it pretty damn tight for a food critic.
“Head Game†(Season 4, Episode 5)
Also known as the rehab episode, Frasier only briefly appears in “Head Game†because Kelsey Grammer had to get treatment for substance abuse. Filling in for Frasier on KACL, Niles is deemed good luck for a SuperSonics player, and Martin enjoys the cushy treatment and status the NBA bestows on the family. But Niles is too good a therapist to let the baller go unanalyzed. “Head Game†is proof that Frasier could work without Frasier. But can Frasier (2023) work without Niles? Time will tell.
“Ham Radio†(Season 4, Episode 18)
Frasier is hoisted by his own petard? You don’t say. KACL lets Frasier do a live radioplay, a redo of the ’50s chiller classic Nightmare Inn. But just like his theater days in school, Frasier proves too exacting of a director. More dictator than collaborator, he alienates the actual professional actor doing about half the characters in the story. Enter Niles, who knew Nightmare Inn was going to be a nightmare before the first rehearsal.
“Halloween†(Season 5, Episode 3)
Season 5 had an unmatched number of farce episodes, and “Halloween†is among the best. It’s also one of the best failed-party episodes in the show (sorry, “To Kill a Talking Birdâ€), no easy feat. Roz is awaiting confirmation that she is pregnant — something that Niles half-overhears. Thinking Daphne is the pregnant one, and that Frasier is the impregnator, he gets shitfaced at his own Halloween party. Purposes are crossed, entendres are doubled, and eyelash glue figures heavily. It even features Camille Grammer, for the RHOBH-heads in the audience. “Halloween†is one of the best episodes of Frasier ever.
“The Ski Lodge†(Season 5, Episode 14)
Unfortunately for “Halloween,†“The Ski Lodge†is actually the best episode of Frasier. It may be one of the best sitcom episodes of all time. Niles, Frasier, Martin, Daphne, and Daphne’s friend Annie (played by literal fembot Cynthia LaMontagne) all take a romantic ski getaway together. They’re joined by ski instructor Guy in a triangle of love triangles. Niles wants Daphne, Daphne wants Guy, Frasier wants Annie, Annie wants Niles, and Guy also wants Niles. Add into the mix constant room-swapping and bed-sharing. It’s a masterclass in sitcom direction, plot structure, and bedroom farce. “The Ski Lodge†takes everything Frasier does well and distills it into rocket fuel. They should adapt this episode for the stage.
“Three Valentines†(Season 6, Episode 14)
Frasier loved to break an episode into three scenes, something Christopher Lloyd took with him to Modern Family. “Three Valentines†makes it on this list on the strength of the first segment, a silent movie rivaling the best of Chaplin. Niles wants to fix the crease in his pants, and it somehow ends in the apartment almost burning down. The segments with Daphne and Martin, and with Frasier on an ambiguous date-maybe-not-date with Virgina Madsen, are good, too. But the physical comedy prowess of David Hyde Pierce, plus the direction by Grammer, prove unparalleled.
“Shutout in Seattle†(Season 6, Episode 22, 23)
This two-parter sees each Crane fuck up their love life yet again: Frasier fucks it up with Faye (Amy Brenneman), Niles tries and fails to get Daphne off his mind with a Café Nervosa barista, and Martin breaks up with Bonnie (Alice Playten). The three men wind up together, singing “Goldfinger†in a bar. Once again, the Crane men lose at love. But they have each other.
“Momma Mia†(Season 7, Episode 1)
Frasier shares something in common with Modern Family besides a showrunner. Both shows play fast and loose with incest jokes. Over the 11 seasons of Frasier, Niles slept with his brother’s ex-wife, Martin briefly pretended to be dating Niles, and people constantly misinterpreted Niles and Frasier’s close brotherly relationship as something more intimate. But this Oedipal fantasia may take the cake. Frasier starts dating a woman (guest star Rita Wilson) who is the spitting image of his dead mother. Everyone is yucked out except Fras, who doesn’t even notice until home movies give indisputable proof. Leave it to the Freudian to pull this stunt.
“Back Talk†(Season 7, Episode 10)
Or “The One Where Daphne Finds Out,†to adapt another Must-See-TV show’s episode naming convention. The first seven seasons of Frasier put a lot of weight on the Niles/Daphne romance. It was the ’90s, and will-they-won’t-they was the style of the times. Season seven is when Frasier finally pulls the trigger and gets these two crazy kids together — but not before marrying them both off to the wrong partners. Many of the Niles/Daphne romance episodes are marred by Daphne’s horrific family and their even more horrific British accents of varying levels of authenticity. (That’s why the two-parter where Daphne leaves poor Donnie at the altar isn’t on this list.) This episode gives us sweet moments between Frasier and Daphne before pulling the romantic rug out from under the physical therapist. Of course, she finds out about Niles’ long-suffering crush via comedic misunderstanding! Do you even know what show you’re watching, bro?
“RDWRER†(Season 7, Episode 12)
Frasier, Niles, Martin, and Eddy don tuxes and take the Winnebago to Sun Valley to ring in the new millennium. But after a truck-stop dinner, Niles accidentally gets into the wrong RV and complications ensue. As we’ve already made clear, Frasier was one of the most “end of history†TV shows ever made, and as a depiction of the end of the 20th century, “RDWRER†encapsulates this. The Austin Powers references are particularly jarring to post-millennium ears.
“Taking Liberties†(Season 8, Episode 5)
Frasier owes much of its farcical vibe to P.G. Wodehouse, and this episode pays homage to one of that author’s most enduring characters. Victor Garber guest stars as Ferguson, Frasier’s new Jeeves-like butler. The man is so fancy, we never learn his first name. Ferguson tries to caution Daphne against getting her hopes up about Niles. He’s still pretending to be in a semi-happy marriage with Mel, the woman he married in season seven when Daphne got with Donnie. We hate Mel. We love this episode because it means we don’t ever have to see Mel again and because Niles stands up for his true beloved.
“The Proposal†(Season 9, Episode 15)
The Crane Boys are martyrs to their perfectionism. This episode sees Niles finally break that familial curse. Niles goes grandiose with his plans for the perfect proposal to Daphne, which are thwarted when she shows up at his apartment sick with the flu. Rather than try to force the perfect moment to happen, Niles simply speaks from the heart and freaks what he feels. It’s sweet, and perfectly undercut by Frasier’s SWAT-esque maneuvers to get the abandoned proposal’s string quartet, servers, little people dressed as cherubim, and Wolfgang Puck out of the apartment undetected.
“Rooms With a View†(Season 10, Episode 8)
What later seasons of Frasier lack in pleasant side characters (death to the entire Moon family) and coherent characterization (the less said about the episodes where Roz and Frasier toy with becoming a couple, the better), they make up for in formal inventiveness. Niles has a heart bypass, and the episode follows all the medical events in the Crane family past, present, and future. We see the start of the Crane sibling rivalry, single mother Roz doing her best, Martin dealing with his wife’s cancer diagnosis, and a glimpse of Niles and Daphne’s son David — who features heavily in the reboot.
“High Holidays†(Season 11, Episode 11)
Speaking of the reboot, this is the last Frederick episode of Frasier Prime. Freddy comes to Seattle a full goth, who has changed his whole personality to please a girl. But his dad wouldn’t know anything about that, now would he? Not only do we get to see Frederick inducted into the Crane Hall of Cucks, we also see Martin Crane stoned out of his gourd. The series finale “Goodnight, Seattle,†half a season later, may have the most import and schmaltz of any season 11 ep, but “High Holidays†has fridge pants.