I liked it. I really liked it.
Back when yours truly originally reviewed "Frasier" — Sept. 16, 1993 — it was nothing less than a rave.
Which is not to say that, looking back 11 years later, the review isn't sort of embarrassing. You see, I, um, misspelled Frasier as "Frazier." D'oh!
But here is that original review (with the mistaken spellings — d'oh! — corrected):
Thursday nights will never be the same. "Cheers" is gone, off to the unending world of syndicated reruns.
But "Cheers" fans can recapture a bit of the magic when the spinoff "Frasier" premieres tonight. Just don't come expecting to see just another version of the long-running hit. Instead, what we have here is a show that's very funny in its own right. As a matter of fact, it's my favorite new show of the season.
As unlikely as it may seem, Kelsey Grammer's character, Frasier Crane, is now the lynchpin for a show that has more laughs per minute than anything the four networks are premiering this fall — and it is much wittier than most anything else currently airing.
As "Frasier" opens, we discover that Frasier has divorced Lilith and moved to his hometown of Seattle. He's given up his private psychiatric practice and is dispensing advice on a call-in radio show.
"Six months ago, I was living in Boston. My wife had left me, which was very painful. Then she came back to me, which was excruciating," Frasier tells his listeners. "You see, I thought I could forgive her indiscretion, but I was only kidding myself. On top of that, my practice had grown stagnant, and my social life consisted of hanging around a bar night after night."
Instead of a bar, "Frasier' is set on two fronts — the radio station, where he works; and his home, which quickly becomes less than a haven.
We get to meet Frasier's brother, Niles — perfectly played by David Hyde Pierce (the suicidal son-in-law on "The Powers That Be.") Amazingly, Pierce not only acts like you'd expect Frasier's brother to act, but he looks like you'd expect Frasier's brother to look.
Like Frasier, Niles is a stuffy prig — and the two of them play off each other terrifically. When Niles notices Frasier has been ignoring him, Frasier says, "Oh, Niles, you're a psychiatrist. You know what it's like to listen to people prattling on endlessly about their mundane lives."
"Touche. And on that subject, I heard your show today," Niles responds.
The news Niles brings isn't good. Their father (John Mahoney), a retired policeman who's somewhat disabled, can no longer live alone. Plagued by guilt — and unable to convince Niles to take him — Frasier allows Dad to move in with him.
Big mistake. Dad, a irascible, unpleasant fellow, turns Frasier's life into a "living hell." And there's not just Dad, but his decidedly odd dog, Eddie.
Enter Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves, who played Miles' girlfriend on "Murphy Brown). Hired to be Dad's live-in companion, she's "a bit psychic" and perhaps a bit psychotic.
(And wait 'til you hear the story of Lupe Velez.)
It's an unusual bunch, and Grammer deftly handles his role as ringmaster of this circus. Perhaps because his character is already so familiar, Grammer's Frasier can elicit a huge laugh simply by intoning three or four words.
"Frasier" is no "After M*A*S*H." This is a genuinely funny show that could stand on its own even if there had never been a "Cheers."
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com