Here's How the 'Frasier' Reboot Will Pay Tribute to John Mahoney

The Frasier reboot is going to be filled with a lot of fresh faces as Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) begins his new life in Boston, where he will forge new business and personal relationships, but also try to mend the one with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), a 30-year-old Boston firefighter, who isn’t that anxious to have anything to do with dear old dad.

But Frasier, who moved his own father into live with him in the original series, understands the importance of father-son relationships. Unfortunately, the passing of John Mahoney, who played Martin Crane, in 2018 means that Frasier’s dad won’t be on hand to help Frasier work though the issue with Freddy.

Related: Frasier Is In the Building! Everything to Know About the Frasier Reboot, Including the Premiere Date

"There's a lot of Martin in Freddy," director James Burrows, who directed the first two episodes of the revival, tells EW. "[Creators] Joe [Cristalli] and Chris [Harris] specifically wanted Frasier to deal with his son... because the relationship with Kelsey and Mahoney was wonderful. So, they tried to tap into that, and I think they succeeded."

In addition, Mahoney’s presence will be felt on the series as the neighborhood bar will be named Mahoney’s in his honor. It appears in a scene in the premiere episode.

"It's a wonderful scene at the end of the show," says Burrows. "It's about two-and-a-half, three minutes without any laughs. You've got to be brave to do that."

Rounding out the cast are Nicholas Lyndhurst as Frasier’s old college buddy turned university professor Alan; Toks Olagundoye as Olivia, Alan’s colleague and head of the university’s psychology department; Jess Salgueiro as Freddy’s roommate Eve; and Anders Keith as Frasier’s nephew David, Niles and Daphne’s son who follows Frasier to Boston.

Frasier will stream exclusively on Paramount+ beginning Oct. 12.

Next, See the Cast of Frasier Then and Now