He was originally called Frasier Nye, and, way back when he was conceived as a supporting player on the hit sitcom Cheers, the people who created the character imagined John Lithgow in the part. But eventually the he was renamed Frasier Crane, and Kelsey Grammer played him for 20 years, in Cheers and then in its spinoff, Frasier. The authors’ focus in this 'cultural history' of a fictional character is on Frasier, but they can hardly ignore Cheers, since the differences between the two shows, and, indeed, the differences between Frasier as he appeared in both shows, which range from the obvious to the subtle, are central to the character and his development. Obvious: Cheers and Frasier had vastly different comic and dramatic tones. Subtle: in Cheers, Frasier once said his father, a research scientist, was dead, while in Frasier his father, Martin, a former cop, was very much alive. The authors explore various elements of Frasier— the show’s production design, its use of intertitle cards, its casting (Niles, Frasier’s brother, was in the show only because somebody noticed how much David Hyde Pierce resembled a younger Kelsey Grammer)—to show how the producers were determined to make a spinoff that was markedly different from the original show and to make a comedy unlike anything else on television. For fans of Frasier, and for anyone who enjoy solidly researched, entertainingly written books about the making of a television show, the book is absolutely a must-read.

Booklist, Starred Review

Frasier, the story of a Boston-psychiatrist-turned-Seattle-radio-show host, aired on prime-time television for 11 seasons, received 27 Golden Globes, and garnered a record 37 prime-time Emmys. A spin-off of the long-running bar-room comedy Cheers, Frasier stepped out of the typical trajectory of many Hollywood spin-offs and found a way to become its own show. Based on family relationships, Frasier portrayed interactions between elitist intellectuals (Frasier Crane and his brother, Niles) and a colorful cast composed of their father, Martin Crane (a blue-collar ex-cop who had been shot while on duty), Roz Doyle (Frasier’s sassy producer), Daphne Moon (Frasier’s live-in housekeeper and Martin’s physical therapist), and Eddie, the Jack Russell terrier really named Moose. The book discusses all elements of the program—character development, class issues, set design, gender roles, and even Martin’s favorite Eames lounge chair and ottoman. For those less familiar with Frasier, the authors included synopses of all 264 episodes. Siblings Joseph J. Darowski and Kate Darowski have written an engaging, enjoyable analysis of this long-running, award-winning show. This easy-to-read cultural history is ideal for the general reading public, as well as undergraduate and graduate students.

Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

Choice Reviews