A while back, I wrote a piece regarding how the then upcoming Frasier show on Paramount+ just has to be okay. I basically wrote it because a lot of people were immediately writing it off since practically everyone except Kelsey Grammar playing the titular character was returning. Since Fraiser was one of the most popular sitcoms of its time, there were a lot of individuals who felt it would be dumb to even try making an “update” to something that was so good as it would never match the quality of the ’90s original. I wrote that piece because I did think the show had potential and I knew it had a snowball’s chance of being as good as the original. But all it needed to do was be good. It was a sitcom so, if it had a few good laughs in it, then it was worth making.

Now that Paramount+ has made the first two episodes available for the public to watch, I had to go see this new Frasier for myself and see if it did make me chuckle to prove its worth.

I do have to preface this review by saying this is going to be a SPOILER FREE review of the first two episodes of the new Frasier. I know both episodes have been out for a while on both Paramount+ and regular broadcast television. The thing is, that’s just for the United States. Us folks outside that country would either have to wait for a local network or streaming service to get them or find rather shady way to view them. So, yeah, this is a SPOILER FREE review.

This new Frasier series takes place a good two decades after the original series ended. Frasier is now a retired from the public eye after becoming a successful talk show psychologist. He initially returns to Boston to do a guest lecture at Harvard as a favor to his old college roommate, Alan Cornwall. However, he decides to stay as he wants to become closer to his son, Freddy Crane, who has become estranged after he quit college to become a firefighter. To this extent, he buys up the apartment building Freddy is living in so they can start living together and rebuilding their relationship.

First, I do have to talk about the best thing about the show and that would be Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane. There is just something so unmistakably about his portrayal of the character and, even after a couple of entire decades, he still manages to nail the performance. He’s still rather snooty and refined but, despite this, he’s still very likable. He’s pretty much the flawed human being he was in the original Frasier. Basically, Kelsey Grammer’s still got it.

I do like that, aside from one particular new person, the new characters aren’t exact replicas from the original show. There are strong similarities but at least they are not direct copies. Freddy Crane, Frasier’s son, is more of the everyman, much like the patriarch, Martin Crane, was in the original. He’s played by Jack Cutmore-Scott and he does a very decent portrayal of an everyman. It’s not as gruff as Martin but definitely isn’t as refined as his father. Their next door neighbor, Mia, gets along with Freddy and I guess she’s supposed to be a mix of Roz and Daphne in a way. It’s hard to tell as she doesn’t really get that much screentime in the first two episodes. She’s fun in her own way and does enough to earn her stay in the cast.

Alan Cornwall, Frasier’s old college roommate and close friend, is played by Nicholas Lyndhurst. He’s decidedly British and a little snooty but is rather quick-witted and more laissez-faire with his life. That means he doesn’t really take things too seriously. He even says that he’s hardly made any lectures in Harvard as he’s already tenured. He’s pretty much my favorite secondary character for now.

Unfortunately, this does lead me to the couple of characters I did not find endearing. The first would be Olivia, played by Toks Olagundoye. She’s the head of the psychology department of Harvard and recruited Frasier Crane as a teacher to increase her chances of a promotion. She’s kind of like Roz as she does come off as very sarcastic but just lacks the wit which made Roz a great character. The other character I just didn’t like from the first batch of episodes is David Crane, Niles and Daphne’s son who is attending Harvard as a freshman. He’s played by Anders Keith and, while he does manage to mirror Niles’ mannerisms and neurosis, he comes off as too dorky. Even Niles, who was a huge dork, was still smug about his upbringing. David Crane just lacks some kind of meaningful personality to make him stand out and not just be a reminder that Niles was in the original Frasier.

Okay, the actors and characters are all there. But what about the jokes. After all, Frasier was a hit sitcom because it was funny. So, how does this follow-up fare? I would actually say it did exceed my expectations a bit. Then again, my expectations weren’t all that high. While I did say that the new Frasier just had to be good, I didn’t expect it to be better than “just good.”

Why do I say that? Well, for the simple reason that it made me laugh several times. Sure, some of the jokes were a little cringey. That’s to be expected. But there were some surprisingly good gags here and there that did illicit more than just a chuckle from me. The writers do seem to understand the flow and type of humor the old Frasier and, while it doesn’t capture the old magic entirely, it does manage to follow it enough to be recognizable as Frasier.

So, is the new Frasier any good? I say it is but that’s only based from the first two episodes. Kelsey Grammer is definitely the highlight but the rest of the cast to an admirable job of trying to follow up on one of the best ensemble casts of old sitcoms. The most important thing is it’s actually funny. It’s not exactly hilarious but, then again, the first few episodes of Frasier weren’t all that either. I should know because I rewatched them. There is something about this new Frasier, though, that is really good and I do think people should give it a chance, even though you adore the classic sitcom and you think nothing can top it. Be a little like the titular Frasier Crane and try doing something a little bit risky.

Have you seen the new Frasier show? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!