Kelsey Grammer Explains Why the Frasier Reboot Is Taking Things Back to Boston

Frasier Crane is heading to Boston on a mission.

The upcoming Paramount+ Frasier reboot—with Kelsey Grammer reprising his role as Frasier—will take place in Boston, the same city where viewers were introduced to Frasier on Cheers way back in 1984.

Grammer—who played Frasier on Cheers from 1984 to 1993 before starring on his character's titular spinoff from 1993 to 2004—revealed on Today Feb. 15 that "we've shot two already," and he explained why Frasier is returning to Beantown after all these years.

"Frasier is going back to Boston to put himself back in a place where he didn't feel like he had quite made it, where he left with his tail between his legs a little bit," Grammer told hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. "He wants to feel like he's conquered it again. He had such high hopes for Boston in his life. Fell in love, fell in love again, got divorced, had a child."

Grammer continued, "There's a lot going on in his life now. It's pointing him back home."

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As for what to expect when the former radio host returns, Grammer teased, "He wants to go become a writer of critical novels and it doesn't quite work out."

When viewers last saw Frasier in the 2004 Frasier finale, he had landed in Chicago in an apparent attempt to chase after Charlotte (Laura Linney), who had just moved to the Windy City.

"It's Frasier's fourth act, really," Grammer explained. "When he left Seattle in the previous show, he went to Chicago. There's a whole raft of time there that we'll discover a little bit about."

While Grammer reprises his iconic role on the reboot, other members of the original Frasier cast—including Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves)—won't be along for the ride. However, Grammer says the door isn't totally closed.

"Niles and Daphne are not coming back," he said. "If there is a spot for a one-off appearance and they're interested, I'm sure we would do something like that."

While we wait for the reboot, all 11 seasons of Frasier are available to stream on Hulu.

(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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