The glory that is Frasier

[Hassled]

DS2 has recently discovered Frasier which means we have been watching an awful lot of it. I'd forgotten how unbelievably funny and clever it is - it never assumes that the audience is stupid, the acting is consistently brilliant (ridiculous English Moon brothers aside). I'm getting a bit obsessed with the celebs who voice the radio call-ins - list here.

Any other fans?

[NuzzleMyScratch]

Poor Kelsey, so tortured. This is a quote from a Frasier writer:

"He would ooze into the studio, his life all out of sorts. Jimmy would say "Action," and he would snap into Frasier and expound in this very erudite dialogue and be pitch-perfect. And Jimmy would yell "Cut!" and he would ooze back into Kelsey?glazed-over eyes, half asleep, going through whatever he was going through. It was the most amazing transformation I'd ever seen."

[Lighthousekeeping]

Thanks for that. He had a bad coke problem didnt he? I imagine he wouldve thought he was a cut above the rest. I could be wrong.

[Salbertina]

Really, Nuzzle? Had no idea..

[NuzzleMyScratch]

Definite alcohol and coke. I believe tragedies in his early life (his sister was murdered) helped him along.

[Badvoc]

Simply one of the best written comedies there has ever been.
I loved the one on last week where Frasier tries to recreate. 1940s radio show.
Genius :)
Niles is my face character but roz comes a close second - peri gilpin was in the short list for the role of phoebe in friends!
My fave episodes are the one where N and D do the tango "we fooled them all" and where the finally get together....sob.
Not a single bad episode though!

[Lighthousekeeping]

I thought phoebe was the original roz?

[anonacfr]

Yes Phoebe was the original Ros as far as I know. Which would have been aaaaaaaaawful! (Sorry Friends hater here)

[Panzee]

I thought the accents were bad on purpose? I'm assuming Robbie Coltrane can pull off a convincing British one...

[Badvoc]

Oh, I,thought it was the other way round!
So glad Peri got the job!

[Hassled]

I'm watching an episode called "Ros's Krantz and Gouldenstein are Dead" :o (Ros helps in an old people's home and becomes the angel of death).

[MsNobodyAgain]

That is a good one.

I love Niles and Bulldog as well. He was very comical.

I liked the episode where Niles had his pet bird stuck to his head and was trying to host a dinner party.

My boxset never gets put away.

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

Just dropping in to say I also adore It. The writing and acting are perfection! It never dates or gets old.

[lemonmuffin]

Niles is my favourite tv character ever.

Could any other actor have played that role so perfectly?

[anonacfr]

Yes Niles is genius.

Anyone remember the episode when Frasier finds this legendary hermit actor and helps him set up a play- turns out the actor is awful?
And the one with the legendary author who's finally written a second book and they destroy the only copy in existence?

The illegal caviar one was also superb- when Martin gets the brothers banned from their exclusive deli.

And the one where Niles and Frasier decide to write a book together and end up nearly killing each other.

Best comedy ever and it doesn't age.

Damn. I need to get me the boxset.

[MsNobodyAgain]

I remember those. Plus the dog food deli one with Martin.

The box set is currently 70 quid cheaper than when I ordered it in 2008, but I've had my moneys worth out of it.

[montage]

The very early episodes where Roz and Niles dislike each other and snipe at one another are brilliant.

Channel 4 censored (!) the episode recently where Niles comes across Roz and Martin in Nervosa and asks if he's interrupting anything, Roz says "Yes Niles, we eloped, I'm your new stepmother" and Niles says "Well, I'll be a sonofabitch!"

[montage]

I recently had a theme night and watched all the ones featuring Lilith, they were excellent.

The highlight was the "morning after" scenes when she had slept with Niles.

The dialogue between the 3 of them is awesome.

[Italiangreyhound]

I love the one where they think they are descended from Russian nobility!

[anonacfr]

I was looking at the boxset on Amazon but there were reviews from 2010 saying that the cardboard packaging was so terrible it actually damaged the discs.
Has anyone bought it recently? I so want it now. I never saw the one when Niles and Lilith sleep together.

[MsNobodyAgain]

I bought this one

Great packaging (each disc is kept in a perspex holder) but a silly amount of money compared to the other one.

[MsNobodyAgain]

Just noticed the reviews are basically copied from the other boxset, so there are whinges about the packaging that do not apply to what I've linked to above.

[anonacfr]

Wow. That's a lot of money.

I keep thinking of the best episodes now. Remember when Frasier had to pretend to be Jewish to impress a girlfriend's mother? And when Niles tries to set up Ros and Donnie at the lakeside cabin?

God I want to watch a Frasier marathon.

[pickledparsnip]

I love Frasier! Have started watching them all from the beginning. Forgot how fantastic it is.

[DonkeysDontRideBicycles]

Thanks for explaining about the Eddie role casting!

I loved the episode where Niles is hosting a fancy dress party and Roz thinks she's pregnant and Niles gets it into his head that Frasier has seduced and cast off Daphne. Hysterical.

Btw I do think Martin Crane deserved to find happiness with a new gf, he spent years sitting in that blessed armchair tolerating his sons' fussy pretensions or taking Eddie out for walks.

Some of the scenes in shows were so toe-curling but mirthful at the same time.

[MimsyBorogroves]

Love the series. Especially Three Valentines, and the Christmas episode where Frasier brings home a Jewish(?) girlfriend and Niles bursts out of the bathroom dressed as Jesus as he's in a nativity play.

One of my favourite lines is when Daphne is waxing lyrical about finding a "real man" whilst Niles hurriedly scrunches up the napkin he was using to make an origami figure.

D: "was that a little swan you just made?"
N: "no, it was a B-52"