To this day, Frasier is still one of the most unique sitcoms I've ever seen, a blend of domestic, situational, and workplace built on Rube Goldberg-esque farces. While Season 1 is a bit more standard than most Frasier seasons, it's still a solid start for the series.
Frasier is about the titular character, a psychologist who moves to Seattle after the events of the show Cheers. In Seattle, he's forced to move in with his father Martin and his caretaker Daphne. There's also Frasier's brother Niles and his producer Roz, who play fairly large roles in the show as well. What makes Frasier so unique compared to most sitcoms I've seen is how it doesn't necessarily fit into a particular genre. There's a domestic element to it with Martin, but there's also moments that feel more like a workplace comedy, entire storylines that take place at Frasier's radio job. I think the later seasons do a better job of mixing these disparate elements as the cast gets closer and closer, this season they feel a bit separate, but it's a different take on the genre. The later seasons also start to develop overarching storylines and more complex farce storylines, while Season 1 is mostly episodic and standard sitcom fare.
While structurally Frasier hasn't fully come into its own in Season 1, it absolutely nailed the writing and characters from the very first episode. To this day, Frasier still has one of my favorite pilots in TV history, though the show struggles to top it until about halfway through the season. It obviously helps that the writers and the character of Frasier carried over from Cheers (Angel had that advantage as well), but pretty much the entire cast is fantastic. David Hyde Pierce is especially hilarious as Niles, and it's amazing how quickly he manages to fit in his role. I also love Roz and Daphne, both of which being incredibly likable in their own. Even the dog, Eddie, is a more memorable character than in most shows I've seen. When the title character who had been established eight seasons prior in Cheers is one of my least favorite in the cast, that's how you know this is a damn good cast.
While Season 1 isn't my favorite of the bunch, there are still a bunch of episodes that I adore, especially near the end:
The Good Son: I first watched Frasier pretty early on, with most of the other shows I've seen being other sitcoms like Friends, The Office, Parks & Rec, and 30 Rock. They didn't have very great pilots, so The Good Son absolutely blew me away with how seamless it all felt. This is how you write a TV pilot, it quickly and efficiently introduces the characters and shows the viewer their quirks through dialogue alone, and best of all, it's just plain funny! And as someone who didn't watch Cheers, you can go in completely blind without worrying about being lost.
The Show Where Lilith Comes Back: Frasier brought back a bunch of characters from Cheers, but Lilith was easily the best and most enduring of the lot. Her dynamic with Frasier is super entertaining, especially in this episode which has her disrupt his radio show in a hysterical sequence. I also like the more emotional and heartwarming ending, which resolves their conflict in a sweet note.
A Midwinter Night's Dream: This episode was one of the few farcical episodes of the season and a taste of what to expect from the future of the series. We finally get an exploration of Niles' feelings for Daphne and it's just great. It perfectly balances hilarious comedy as Martin and Frasier try to stop him from making a mistake and some genuine moments like Daphne giving Niles a kiss.
Frasier Crane's Day Off: This episode was just hilarious. It feels like the perfectly blend of Frasier's different genres, showing how Frasier being sick influences his job. Gil makes his first appearance, we get to see Niles run the radio show for a bit, and Frasier trying to take back his slot while on drugs is just plain hysterical.
My Coffee With Niles: This was one of the most unique season finales I've seen to date. It's a real-time bottle episode where Frasier and Niles just sit at a cafe together and reflect on the past year. It's not dramatic or climactic, but it fits. I like that Niles finally talks about his crush on Daphne with someone, I like that the other members of the cast appear in the cafe, and I like that Frasier decides that he is happy. It's a fun homage to My Dinner With Andre, and a surprisingly satisfying finale that perfectly fits a show where the protagonist is a psychiatrist.
While it's light on plot and hasn't grown into its iconic farcical structure yet, Frasier's first season is a solid start for the series with great writing and characters right from the get-go.
3/5 Stars
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