Kelsey Grammer’s most beloved character — with the possible exception of Sideshow Bob and Money Plane’s Darius Emanuel Grouch III, aka “The Rumble” — is, of course, Dr. Frasier Crane. But the future of everyone’s favorite lovably pompous psychiatrist is now very much in doubt, following January’s news that the Frasier reboot was canceled by Paramount+ after just two seasons.
Still, Grammer seems determined to keep the show alive, possibly since all of his other non-Frasier sitcom projects have ended unceremoniously with metaphorical scrambled egg all over his face.
While CBS Studios is reportedly shopping the series around to other platforms, Grammer recently spoke to The New York Post and attempted to explain why exactly the streamer had nixed the revival. Grammer claimed that he feels “very positive” about Frasier 2.0’s chances of returning for a third season, and suggested that there’s “a better home for it.” Why? Because, according to Grammer, Paramount+ didn’t “really promote or spend much time on” the new Frasier.
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“The fellow that worked at Paramount+ when we first sold the show there left,” Grammer explained, “and so it sort of fell into their laps, the next administration, without having any real conscious (idea) what to do with it. So I think they gave it sort of a good try, but they weren’t particularly passionate about the project.”
Grammar went on to assure fans that the show will continue, underscoring that “passion” was the biggest problem with the streamer. “We’ll end up somewhere where people are passionate about it,” Grammar theorized. “Listen, it’s got a huge audience, a big following, and if people know where to find it, I think they will.”
While we obviously aren’t privy to all the behind-the-scenes goings on at Paramount+, from a consumer perspective, it actually seemed like the streamer did promote the show quite a bit. In addition to the constant ads on YouTube, they also staged publicity stunts featuring a 60-foot crane and food trucks serving “tossed salad and scrambled eggs.”
Sure, that strategy was weirdly literal, and arguably incredibly lame, but at least they were trying. Also, isn’t Grammer’s assertion that the show had a “huge audience” evidence that the company did do a good job promoting the show?
Grammer, perhaps unsurprisingly, didn’t point to two other factors that likely influenced the decision to cancel the show; fan reaction to reboot has been mixed at best. And Grammer’s reported $2 million per episode payday obviously makes for a very pricey production.
Grammer does seem to be right about the show’s viewership to some extent. When it launched on Paramount+, Frasier “ranked as the No. 1 original comedy premiere in terms of reach.” And more than two million people watched the show when it first aired on CBS, presumably appealing to the vast “people who don’t realize Paramount+ exists” demographic.
So it’s definitely possible that another company will pick up Frasier, as long as they’re willing to pay Grammer’s exorbitant fee. Or everyone involved could just let Frasier Crane stay dead, as Grammer suggested 30 years ago.
Content shared from www.cracked.com.