You could say Joe Cristalli tweeted his role as an executive producer and co-showrunner on the new 鈥� 鈥� sitcom into existence.
About 10 years ago as a fledgling TV writer and 鈥淔rasier鈥� super fan, Cristalli started a Twitter account with 鈥渞andom jokes" about the show and character in the sitcoms 鈥淐heers鈥� and 鈥淔rasier.鈥�
鈥淚t was stupid and nobody cared about it. I think I had maybe 3,000 followers at its height," he recalled in a recent interview.
At this point, 鈥淔rasier鈥� had been off the air for 10 years, but Cristalli used it as "an outlet to practice writing because I was such a super fan and I just loved the style of joke-telling, so I would work on it.鈥�
A few years later, Cristalli read that Grammer was interested in reviving the character. He had his agent send a sample script and examples from his 鈥淔rasier鈥�-centric Twitter feed to Grammer's team. He was eventually hired alongside 鈥淗ow I Met Your Mother鈥� writer Chris Harris to be co-showrunners of a new 鈥淔rasier" series, debuting Oct. 12 on Paramount+.
This 鈥淔rasier鈥� stars Grammer in the title role of the high-brow psychiatrist, as he moves back to Boston. His son Freddy is now grown, working as a firefighter, and Frasier realizes he needs to prioritize their relationship (much in the way the character set out to connect with his retired police officer father, played by John Mahoney, in the original). He also begins a new career as a professor at Harvard.
Writing for the character is a fun challenge, said Harris, because 鈥渨hen you think of Frasier Crane speaking, you think of flowery language.鈥� Because of time constraints, every line can't be in Frasier-speak. 鈥淲e save those moments for certain times,鈥� said Harris.
They also reference the original series sparingly and smartly 鈥� which is an act of restraint that Cristalli said Harris helped him to understand.
鈥淚 put in a very specific reference to something in ('Frasier') season four, and I remember Chris very gently saying, 鈥楧o you think maybe we should do jokes that everyone will laugh at?鈥欌��
鈥淭here are analogies and callbacks to the old show, but we try not to do any of them shamelessly," Cristalli said. "We鈥檙e not going to just throw a recliner or a Jack Russell in, like we鈥檙e trying to do them subtly and elegantly. So if you catch them, great, but we鈥檙e not hanging everything on those jokes. I love (the references) ... but Chris makes a very good point. We want other people to like this show besides me.鈥�
The show is a throwback in that it's a multi-cam comedy taped in front of a live audience. Most comedies these days are single-cam and filmed without an audience.
Harris hopes the show is a success and provides a much-needed boost for the multi-cam format.
鈥淚 will say that nothing feels as much like showbiz as a tape night," said Harris. "There鈥檚 a working-without-a-net kind of feeling and you really are putting all your work and all your creativity out there for people to judge. You don鈥檛 know something works until you get that immediate response, but that immediate response is awesome.鈥�
("Taxi," 鈥淔riends,鈥� 鈥淲ill & Grace鈥�), who worked with Grammer on both 鈥淐heers鈥� and 鈥淔rasier,鈥� signed on to direct two episodes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a comfort because he didn鈥檛 have to do the show," said Cristalli. "He didn't have to help out. But he read the scripts, he was in the auditioning process, he was pitching jokes and genuinely laughing and enjoying himself. It just made everybody more relaxed because it鈥檚 a lot of pressure to bring back something this iconic.鈥�
Burrows shared his advice to the new actors on 鈥淔rasier鈥� (including Jack Cutmore-Scott as Freddy and Anders Keith as David, Frasier's nephew and the son of Niles and Daphne).
鈥淲hat I tell them is, 鈥榃hen we rehearse, Kelsey is at 50%. When he鈥檚 in front of an audience, he鈥檚 at 100% and you better be on that level otherwise you鈥檒l get blown away.' That鈥檚 what I used to tell guest stars on 'Cheers.' ... 鈥楾hey鈥檙e marking time in rehearsal. When they get on a stage and the laughter comes, if you don鈥檛 play up on their level, you鈥檙e going to disappear.鈥�"
Cristalli said Grammer slowly morphs into the character.
鈥淚n the first rehearsal day, he鈥檒l be in like, a T-shirt and shorts and it鈥檚 like, 鈥楬old on. That鈥檚 not. Who鈥檚 that? That鈥檚 not Frasier.鈥� The next day he鈥檚 got, you know, longer pants and the next day it's a blazer. and then all of a sudden it鈥檚 like, 鈥極h, wait a second, I see him now,鈥�" Cristalli said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a very clear distinction between Frasier and Kelsey Grammer, but he slips into those shoes real comfortably and it鈥檚 very seamless.鈥�
For the show's theme, composers and father-son duo Bruce and Jason Miller were brought in to update the original 鈥淭ossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs鈥� song. Bruce Miller composed the original 鈥滷rasier" theme. Grammer also sings this version.
The composers first did a 鈥渉ipper鈥� version 鈥渢hat had movement to it, and energy," Bruce Miller said. Grammer listened and suggested the sound reflect how the character is older now, and looking for calmness at this stage in his life. They went back and used a small band, which is the version that viewers will hear.
This 鈥淔rasier鈥� also has a bar, but it's not THE Its name, Mahoney's, is a tribute to John Mahoney, who died in 2018. Just as the Martin character was different than his sons, this set captures that juxtaposition. It's conceived as a place where both firefighters and academics gather.
鈥淚t's an older bar, something you would find near Cambridge,鈥� said set director Glenda Rovello.
鈥淭here's a sweet line where Frasier is in Mahoney's and remarks, 鈥業 may have spent too much time in a particular bar,鈥� which I made sure the boys kept because it was a wonderful tribute," Burrows said.
Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press
