Kelsey Grammer Wants Original ‘Frasier’ Co-Stars For Reboot, Has “Stepping Point” In Mind As Series Marks 25th Anniversary

Kelsey Grammer has not settled yet on a premise worthy of a Frasier reboot, but he’s still on the hunt. The Emmy Award-winning actor provided an update and revealed more details about a possible third act for his most famous character, Dr. Frasier Crane, during a panel celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the hit NBC series as part of the USC Comedy Festival Vol. 4 held in Los Angeles on Saturday. It featured stars and producers remembering the late John Mahoney and sharing stories about the acclaimed series, including how David Hyde Pierce led to Frasier getting a brother.

“No, there’s been no premise that has come along that has the necessary fire,” Grammer said about the potential Frasier reboot that was first reported by Deadline in July. Grammer has been spearheading the effort at CBS TV Studios, meeting with potential writers.

“A lot of us are quite committed to the concept that you would never try to redo what we once had,” he added during the panel that also included Frasier co-stars Pierce, Jane Leeves, and Peri Gilpin, co-creators/executive producers Peter Casey and David Lee, director/exec producer James Burrows and writer/producer Anne Flett and Joe Keenan.

Grammer made it clear that he would like his Frasier cast mates to join him on the potential new series. “There has been some discussions; nothing is planned; There is nothing set in stone. In my own personal approach to what I’ve discussed with other people is that I wouldn’t want to do it without these guys,” he said, looking at Pierce and Leeves who were sitting next to him.

The Frasier leading man admitted the reboot would “have to have a different foundation” since it’s been 14 years since the show ended its 11 -season run in 2004. And while the perfect premise eludes him, he knows he wants “a new life with a new continuation for all of them but that they’re still together.”

While Grammer has been meeting with potential new writers pitching reboot concepts, there also could be original creative auspices coming back. “I have a personal interest because I’m out of work next year,” Casey quipped when asked about the possible Frasier followup.

Grammer is not sure what Frasier Crane’s been up to over the past 14 years, since the end of the show. But he does have something vaguely in mind for the continuation should a new show come to fruition.

“Whatever happens, in my mind, should be that he sorted out something that he hadn’t had sorted out previously. That would be the stepping point, so we’ll see.”

The panelists also took a trip back in time to reminisce about their time with actor John Mahoney, who died in February. Leeves was overcome with emotion as she remembered the man who played Frasier’s feisty dad Martin and what he meant to the cast.

“John was kind of the moral center for us all,” she said. “Whenever we had a problem or if something didn’t feel right, John always had the right answer for everything. He was wickedly funny, at other people’s expense a lot of the time. He was very special.”

Originally, Martin and Frasier’s relationship was supposed to be the driving force behind the series and there was no brother, according to creators Peter Casey and David Lee. The pair said things changed after a casting director shared a photo of Hyde Pierce, who looked like a younger Kelsey Grammer.

“After the guys offered me the part, I read the script and thought it was terrible,” said Hyde Pierce. “It was the pilot script and I thought they had written two of the same character, how dumb. But I was wrong.”

Nellie Andreeva contributed to this report.

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