Frasier - Inside the Brand New Series - Promo Trailer HD - Kevin Frazier (Entertainment Tonight) hosts a special sneak peek at the return of one of TV's most iconic characters, Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), in a hilarious new series streaming exclusively on Paramount+. Get an inside look at the new cast, Frasier's original debut on Cheers, the directors working behind the scenes to usher Frasier's return to Boston, a recording session that recaptures the magic of Frasier's memorable theme song, "Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs," and so much more. This program was previously recorded.
Stream the two-episode series premiere of Frasier on Friday October 13, exclusively on Paramount+ UK & Ireland
Stream the two-episode series premiere of Frasier on Friday October 13, exclusively on Paramount+ UK & Ireland
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00:00 If it isn't world-renowned psychiatrist and educator, Dr. Frazier Crane.
00:04 Please, they're friends. Just call me world-renowned.
00:07 For the first time in my life, I can say that Frazier Crane wants for nothing.
00:12 Aw, that's too bad. I had somebody that I wanted to set you up with.
00:14 I can be ready in five minutes.
00:16 I have great respect for firefighters.
00:18 But what I do is at least as important as what you do.
00:21 Sure, let's find someone who has low self-esteem and is also on fire and see which one of us they run to first.
00:26 [theme music]
00:28 After nearly two decades, Dr. Frazier Crane is back.
00:33 You know, it's been a while since we last saw Seattle's preeminent talk radio psychiatrist.
00:38 But, as you're about to see, he hasn't missed a beat.
00:41 Kelsey Grammer returns as Frazier in an all-new series, living in a new but familiar city,
00:46 a new career, and a fresh cast of characters that you are going to absolutely fall in love with.
00:51 Stick around because I'm here to lay out the full syllabus on what you need to know about the new Frazier,
00:56 streaming soon exclusively on Paramount+.
00:59 You know, Frazier's been through a lot in the years we've known him, but his story is far from finished.
01:08 In the new series, Frazier's put his life in the public eye behind him,
01:12 resolute in his desire to shape the minds of his field's next great thinkers.
01:16 All the while, he's working on improving his relationships and himself.
01:20 Here's just a little taste, in a mouse-bouche, if you will, of what you can expect from the new Frazier.
01:26 The theme of the new series, Frazier, the same. He's just looking for love.
01:29 He's just trying to seek love, to become the better of Frazier each day, the best man he can be.
01:35 Your place is so...
01:36 Damn, when I started that sentence, I thought I'd think of something.
01:40 And so Frazier wants to do right, even as he's tempted to do wrong.
01:45 That's sometimes where the comedy comes from.
01:47 [MUSIC]
01:50 Now is the right time to bring Frazier back, because he is not the same guy anymore.
01:54 He is a little wiser, he may actually be a little funnier, and he has a new mission in life.
01:59 I mean, he's got some loose ends to tie up in Boston, but he also has a relationship to carve out with his son.
02:06 This sort of agent stage, where we rejoin Frazier now, has a lot in common with where Martin Crane was in the original.
02:14 Dealing with that father-son, the adult father-son dynamic, feels a very natural place to pick up.
02:20 Frazier, he's always had a good relationship with his son.
02:23 As anybody who watched the old one, you saw him maybe once or twice a year.
02:26 So he's a good father, but it's nice seeing him actually be present and in his son's life.
02:30 The fact that you've seen him grow through several shows, and we're being very honest with where he is in his life,
02:37 exploring that, I think will be interesting for new fans, but very, very interesting and comforting to old fans.
02:44 It's like putting on a lovely, warm jumper or something like that. You just go, "Oh, that's better."
02:49 There will be the comfort of characters we're familiar with, and a world and a tone that we're familiar with,
02:55 but with also new characters and new premises.
02:57 They found the original tone, but they updated it.
03:01 I think what fans from the original series will embrace about this show, actually, is that it is at the same level.
03:06 That bombastic, fast-paced, sharp fun.
03:11 I think intelligent humor is something that Frazier offers. It always has.
03:15 It's a play that we're putting on every week, and that sort of connection with the audience
03:20 that you don't get with dramas or single-camera shows.
03:24 I think people are going to love that Kelsey Grammer truly did not miss a beat.
03:30 He's right back in the same Frazier zone.
03:33 The audience really loved the previous collection of characters.
03:36 I can't wait until they fall in love with this bunch.
03:38 They're going to see some wonderful things, things they did not expect.
03:42 It really is hard to believe it's been nearly 20 years since Kelsey Grammer's Frazier Crane
03:47 signed off from Seattle's revered talk radio station KACL.
03:51 But thanks to Paramount+, the ever-evolving story of Frazier that began all the way back in 1984
03:57 when he made his debut in Season 3 of Cheers and continued in his own spinoff
04:02 will once again deliver a surprising new chapter.
04:05 In the all-new Frazier, Kelsey Grammer returns to his iconic character
04:08 for the next phase in the life of everyone's favorite, if charmingly pretentious, TV psychiatrist.
04:14 He's headed back to his old haunt of Boston, Massachusetts,
04:17 while he tries to patch up his relationship with his adult son, Freddy.
04:21 Whether it's been a while since you've watched the original Frazier, or if the character is brand new to you,
04:26 don't worry. All 11 seasons of the classic series are streaming right now on Paramount+.
04:31 But if you just want a quick cheat sheet, you know I got you covered.
04:35 Let's take a look at The Good Doctor's journey so far.
04:38 I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're here, and how grateful we are that we have a chance to do this for you again.
04:45 Our love for this character is very sweet.
04:52 [applause]
04:54 People used to say, "How long can he play Frazier Crane?"
04:57 And this is when we were going on season 11, and you know, you can play the character as long as you can live.
05:02 There's never been anything like it. This funny character that came to me through these extraordinary people.
05:07 I remember when we were looking for an actor to play Frazier.
05:10 We got this videotape from New York. We fast-forwarded, and his face appeared.
05:15 We looked at that face, and it just made you laugh.
05:18 Thanks, Jim.
05:19 At the end of the second season of Cheers, Diane goes off and leaves Sam,
05:24 and we determined that she went into a mental hospital.
05:29 And in the mental hospital, she met a Dr. Frazier Crane, who helped her, and said, "Don't run away. Go back and confront your demons."
05:38 Hello. Sam.
05:41 She came back to the bar. Sam had gone off the wagon and was in disrepair, and Diane shows up in the first episode.
05:50 I came here to help.
05:53 What are you going to do? Help me out of all my happiness?
05:57 No. All I really want you to do is see a friend of mine.
06:01 Dr. Frazier Crane is sitting at the bar. We don't introduce him until halfway through the first scene.
06:06 Tell him to drop by. I'll try to fit him in between days.
06:09 Why don't you say hello to him right now?
06:11 Hello, Sam.
06:14 I'm Dr. Frazier Crane.
06:16 Frazier's a fascinating character because in Cheers, he's kind of a doofus, although he's a psychiatrist.
06:22 There's no such thing as a former patient.
06:24 I think you'll find that once you've been a patient of mine, I'm always there when you...
06:28 Oh, great. I'll bet this is important.
06:35 David Angel, David Lee, and Peter Casey, they had the faith and the foresight to see that they could take this character of Frazier and make him a leading man.
06:49 What the hell is that?
06:52 The windows are rattling, the walls are shaking, and I am talking to no one.
06:56 And it's a tribute to his ability because a lot of actors could not have done that.
07:00 People of Seattle, listen to me.
07:05 We are not barbarians. We are not Neanderthals, and we are not French.
07:11 Do you hear that, you?
07:15 We've crafted a world where he shines again, but in a new way.
07:19 Yeah, he's 20 years older, and he's still got the same sort of immutable spirit.
07:23 Frazier!
07:24 Corny!
07:26 Welcome back to Boston.
07:29 My God, you haven't aged a day.
07:31 And you.
07:32 Well, thanks for coming to pick me up, you hear me?
07:34 It's as simple as a dream. I woke up and said, "Oh, Frazier has to go back to Boston.
07:39 Frazier has unfinished business there."
07:41 I'm not sure I was ever my best self here.
07:43 I may have spent a little too much time at a certain bar.
07:47 A certain bar.
07:50 I'd like to say it's been great having this character in my life.
07:55 In another actor's shoes, this character could be detestable.
08:00 And Mr. Grammar makes him lovable.
08:04 Frazier's at his best, and funniest, when he's surrounded by an equally hilarious ensemble cast.
08:09 The new series introduces a host of new characters that complicate and enhance Frazier's life,
08:14 both personally and professionally.
08:16 Let's take a look at some of the faces who'll be joining Frazier on the next leg of his journey through life.
08:22 The key to any kind of lasting success in television is really that you fall in love with the characters,
08:26 and this is a great punch.
08:28 Who is Freddie Crane?
08:32 He's definitely got that kind of intellectual side that we love about Frazier,
08:36 but he's also got that blue collar work ethic and values that Martin embodied.
08:41 It's just not a good time.
08:42 When I told him I wanted to spend more time with him, he said no.
08:45 Have you considered that he hates you?
08:48 You know sometimes you have a friend where you can just sit in silence for hours,
08:51 you don't have to say anything.
08:53 I think Alan is that to Frazier.
08:55 The boys are back.
08:57 Watch out ladies, the lads are on the loose.
08:59 Mothers, lock up your daughters.
09:00 Daughters, lock up your mothers.
09:02 We've identified something that maybe a lot of people in America would like to work on,
09:05 getting closer with their family.
09:07 Hey fam.
09:08 David, what are you doing here?
09:10 David definitely inherited his father's clumsiness and neuroses,
09:16 but he also has his mother's heart.
09:19 I like characters where the first appearance is not at all what you're going to end up getting,
09:24 which is definitely Olivia.
09:25 If you're interested in obscure Europeans who haven't been published in 300 years,
09:29 you should just stay here and study Alan.
09:31 She's been through so much and she remains optimistic.
09:35 I'm just supposed to lie about who I am all night?
09:38 I know it's a lot to ask.
09:39 No, I love it.
09:40 I feel like she's super impressive to me.
09:44 They all screamed their parts, like there wasn't even a close second.
09:47 We found great people who embodied a lot of what we were hoping for in each character.
09:52 This whole team is amazing.
09:55 We all sort of gelled from day one.
09:57 I think Kelsey, he made it very clear that we were all equals and we're all in it together.
10:01 They're just a great bunch of people to work with.
10:03 I've found a family, you could say.
10:06 I love every single one of my cast mates.
10:07 I really look forward to coming here every single day.
10:09 I love them all very, very much.
10:11 What's been most remarkable about this is we've assembled the most extraordinary group of people.
10:15 We love the idea of keeping that cast together because it's such remarkable actors and such a wonderful chemistry.
10:20 At the emotional center of this show is the blooming relationship between Frazier and Freddie.
10:25 A mirror reflection of Frazier's loving but often tumultuous relationship with his own father.
10:31 While we as viewers have known Frederick since he was born, back in season eight of Cheers,
10:36 for the first time, we're going to see the kind of man he's become,
10:39 how he views his father, and how that all impacts Frazier himself.
10:44 Take a look.
10:45 Freddie! Surprise!
10:47 Dad! You're at my door. Unannounced.
10:52 Now there's a shorter way to say that. Surprise!
10:55 They are fundamentally different guys, that's what they discover.
10:57 And they are fundamentally also really, really father-like son.
11:01 We'll need like 100 to 150 episodes, I think, to really unpack that.
11:05 How's Freddie and Frazier's relationship at the beginning of season one?
11:11 Fraught, I think would probably be a good word.
11:13 Well, it starts out strained. It starts out comfortably distant.
11:17 They've been apart for 15 years.
11:19 Freddie, tonight I am cooking you a five-star meal, and I won't take no for an answer.
11:24 Would you take not now?
11:25 There's a lot of recalibration that has to happen, I think, for both of them.
11:28 What you doing here?
11:29 Surprised to see me risen from the grave?
11:32 Dad.
11:33 I'm still talking, Oedipus.
11:35 It takes a bit of peeling back of the onion to get there.
11:39 He loves his son. That's the biggest thing about him. He loves his son.
11:42 He is a good listener. He does really care about Freddie.
11:45 He's dropped the ball, definitely, over the course of Freddie's life.
11:48 He immediately sets out to attempt to fix the issue.
11:52 Thanks, Dad.
11:54 There is a kind of common ground between a couple of guys.
11:57 These are a couple of just guy guys.
12:00 This is all starting to feel a bit passive-aggressive.
12:03 You're trying to make a point. I wish you would just make it.
12:06 Okay.
12:07 I think the biggest thing that Freddie and Frazier have in common
12:15 that they might not be totally aware of is their sense of humor.
12:18 Weird, because I remember you saying you were moving to Boston so we could reconnect.
12:23 You know, I hate it when people quote me to me.
12:25 Makes it so much harder to object.
12:28 Well, it's the same thing that people always used to ask,
12:30 "How did those two sons come from Martin?"
12:32 Oh, gee, I don't know.
12:34 Oh, oh, oh, the food is to die for.
12:35 Niles, your country and your family are to die for. Food is to eat.
12:39 And I would always say to them, I mean, well, their goal in life was to be of service,
12:43 to do something good for other people.
12:45 I'd say that's pretty universal.
12:46 I'd say that's like a family trait that reflects right from granddad into grandson.
12:51 The comedic genius of Frazier doesn't just exist in front of the camera.
12:56 This show has some incredible behind-the-scenes talent,
12:59 not the least of whom is the legendary director James Burroughs,
13:02 co-creator of Cheers, and just a general sitcom TV legend.
13:06 Add to that the directing talents of Kelsey Grammer
13:09 and other skilled directors new to the world of Frazier,
13:11 and you've got yourself a clinic on how to put together a timeless sitcom.
13:16 You know, I'm going to be 30 next year,
13:18 and it's nice to, at the age of 30, be able to get my juices flowing again.
13:24 I had a great time doing the first two shows, and it added days to my life.
13:30 Doesn't it make you just a bit nervous putting a hundred-pound dumbbell
13:37 near a world-class Steinway?
13:39 I will stay away from the piano.
13:41 When they called and said, "Would you do it?" I leapt at it.
13:46 -You know, it's... -Thanks, Jim.
13:47 I'm here to protect the character as much as I can
13:51 and make sure he's being taken care of by the writers, and he has on this show.
13:55 And action!
13:57 The multi-camera sitcom is a writer's medium.
14:00 As a director, you have to respect what they do and their work,
14:05 and yet you must deal with your actors
14:09 so that the actors feel like they create something, too.
14:12 This doesn't feel organic to wait.
14:14 It'll be so organic on film.
14:16 He is the GOAT. James Burroughs is the GOAT.
14:21 And I can see in my work how he's influenced me.
14:24 He said something that I really took to heart.
14:26 "Don't forget to play. Go in and try things."
14:29 Welcome aboard. It's been years since I've had anyone here
14:31 with any passion, excitement, or even vital signs.
14:35 Here I am, this black woman, grew up in Philly,
14:38 raised by a single mom,
14:40 but me and my sister were Frazier and his brother.
14:43 I always wanted to see what happened to Frazier after it ended.
14:47 I have just executed a masterful spell of parenting.
14:50 Wonderful. And right on time, as Freddie's in his formative mid-30s.
14:55 It's about this show, this version of the show.
14:59 I didn't really go back to the past, although there's elements of it.
15:03 I kind of looked at it as something new.
15:05 Really, coming in and working with Kelsey for the first time
15:08 in this situation, I was kind of excited.
15:11 And for the final category, wine.
15:14 Ooh! Stand back. I've got this.
15:17 Well, this one showed me pretty much everything,
15:19 about the actual work of the cameras.
15:22 My notion about directing was I needed to never slow anybody down,
15:26 so it took me a long time to figure it out.
15:28 You have to do the work during the week.
15:30 On the show night, it's just riding the crest of the wave.
15:33 The audiences have been extraordinarily responsive,
15:36 and that's one of the keys of this whole live audience thing.
15:39 I mean, you know when we're off, or you know when we're on,
15:42 because they tell you.
15:43 It's all about the energy.
15:44 When I see my actors on that stage, holding and living in the laughter,
15:50 it's golden.
15:52 You were not there to plant the tree.
15:54 You were there to put little leaves on the tree.
15:57 It's a pleasure just being here, because everybody's not only so nice,
16:00 but it's a collaborative effort where things just keep getting better every day.
16:04 If we're having fun and doing the show, we like one another in the cast,
16:08 and that will come across the screen,
16:10 and you will feel the love that we all feel for one another in your home.
16:16 Cut.
16:18 [applause]
16:21 Bravo!
16:23 Grammer stepped into Frasier's low-first indie season three premiere of Cheers,
16:27 which first aired on September 27, 1984.
16:30 Now, after inhabiting this character for nearly 40 years,
16:33 Grammer is one of the most revered performers of his generation.
16:37 He's created a TV icon so beloved that his appeal reaches across generational lines.
16:43 With his return to the character in this new chapter of Frasier's life,
16:47 it's only fitting that his castmates salute their captain.
16:50 Working with Kelsey has been so amazing, truly.
16:55 [music]
16:58 He is the most genuinely charming man I've ever worked with.
17:02 The emotions that he feels, the excitement that he feels is authentic, it's real,
17:06 and that heart is, I think, what makes the show as good as it was.
17:09 Every time there's music on, he's dancing, you know?
17:12 He didn't skip a beat. He's right back into Frasier's shoes, and that is so impressive.
17:18 Nobody knows that guy better than Kelsey does, and he has great instincts.
17:21 He can get a laugh on a look.
17:23 Legendary. It's been awesome.
17:25 He's been very kind, going out of his way to let me know that I'm welcome on this set.
17:31 Acting opposite Kelsey is a huge amount of fun because he knows exactly what he's doing.
17:36 He is such a generous person.
17:40 People assume that he is very much like Frasier, and he's not.
17:45 I find him to be far more laid back.
17:48 When you just walk up and he's like, "Hey, what's going on, man?"
17:50 You just don't expect him to be so down to earth and so genuinely warm and caring.
17:54 He's so helpful. He's so approachable.
17:56 I think he makes it look really easy, and what he's doing is really masterful.
18:01 In one word, charmed, and he's an exquisite director, and it's the best fun.
18:06 It's not just a job for him. His investment in it is real, and it's palpable.
18:11 This is not surprising. He knows what he's doing, and he's very good at it.
18:14 It's amazing. He's decisive, but not domineering.
18:17 He's been so enthusiastic and so supportive and kind to all of us, and I can't thank him enough for that.
18:24 And now, here's something I know you diehard Frasier fans are really going to enjoy. Check it out.
18:29 Frasier has not left the building.
18:33 He's back. Back for good.
18:36 Y'all know how this goes.
18:39 Hey baby, I hear the blues a-callin', tossed salads and scrambled eggs.
18:45 When they came up with the show Frasier, they called and wanted a theme.
18:49 They wanted something that was kind of jazzy, so I wrote the song itself. I wrote the music.
18:57 Then I called my friend Darryl Finnessy to do the lyrics.
19:00 The instructions for the lyrics were, I remember David Angel saying,
19:04 "Don't mention Seattle. Don't mention Frasier. Don't mention psychiatrists.
19:09 Don't mention anything having to do with the show, but make it germane to the show."
19:13 So, Darryl did a good job. Tossed salads and scrambled eggs. Things that are mixed up.
19:18 When the show first went out, when we cut the pilot together, it didn't have music yet.
19:23 They hadn't bought it yet.
19:25 So, Bruce came up with this tune, and I actually said to the producers,
19:30 "Oh, by the way, I'm going to sing this song."
19:33 Because I always wanted to sing a theme song.
19:35 I thought, "Well, it's my time. This is the only shot I'll ever have."
19:38 So, I told them, "I'm doing the theme song." They said, "Well, okay."
19:43 It's nice when you have an actor that can sing.
19:45 Thank you.
19:46 You use it.
19:47 Hey baby, I hear the blues a-callin', tossed salads and scrambled eggs.
19:54 And maybe I seem a bit confused.
19:57 Yeah, maybe. But I got you pegged.
20:01 The thing I liked about the original spirit of the theme song, what we ended up having,
20:04 was the fact that he's always discovering life.
20:07 That it's always confusing. There's always something that'll surprise you.
20:10 But he's going to figure it out. And that's what I liked.
20:14 I got you pegged. It's going to be okay. I got this.
20:17 It's infused with personality. It's really fun.
20:19 And you can almost believe that it's the way Frazier would actually look at music.
20:24 So, it's been a fun kind of melding of two styles.
20:27 I'm really happy with where we are. And we're going to turn some heads.
20:33 Good night, Boston. We love you!
20:35 Good night, everybody!
20:37 I can hear the jazzy groove. And suddenly, I have a hankering for tossed salad and scrambled eggs.
20:43 So, I guess it's time to wrap up and say so long.
20:45 Listen, I hope you've enjoyed this look at the all-new Frazier, streaming soon exclusively on Paramount+.
20:51 There's going to be plenty of laughs, sentiment, and hijinks to go around.
20:55 Whether you're a high-ranking member of the Dr. Frazier Crane fan club,
20:58 or you're just discovering his genius for the first time.
21:01 And don't forget, you can also stream every episode of the classic Frazier and Cheers on Paramount+.
21:07 You know, as a huge Frazier fan myself, because Frazier loves Frazier,
21:11 can't wait to see the new adventures, relationships, and of course, laughter
21:15 that await the good doctor in the next phase of his life.
21:18 I'm Kevin Frazier. Thanks for watching.
21:21 [silence]