Episode Rankings: Frasier

I don't think I need to say that Frasier is a fantastic sitcom. It's smart, well-acted, and filled with brilliant farcical episodes. At its best, Frasier feels almost Rube Goldberg-ian, with every single line managing to pay off in the second half of the episode in the funniest way possible. This is my ranking of all the Frasier episodes in Seasons 1-7 and 11. I'm not including Seasons 8-10 because they are bad.

1. Ham Radio (S4.18)
2. The Ski Lodge (S5.14)
3. Something Borrowed, Someone Blue: Part 2 (S7.24)
4. Three Valentines (S6.14) - I could watch a whole silent film with David Hyde Pierce in it
5. Mixed Doubles (S4.06)
6. Moon Dance (S3.13)
7. Goodbye, Seattle: Part 1 (S11.23)
8. The Matchmaker (S2.03)
9. Shutout In Seattle: Part 2 (S6.24)
10. The Two Mrs Cranes (S4.01)
11. Merry Christmas, Mrs Moskowitz (S6.10)
12. Halloween (S5.03)
13. Back Talk (S7.10)
14. Visions Of Daphne (S6.22)
15. First Date (S5.20)
16. My Coffee With Niles (S1.24)
17. An Affair To Forget (S2.21)
18. Perspectives On Christmas (S5.09)
19. Dark Side Of The Moon (S7.21)
20. Three Dates And A Breakup: Part 2 (S4.20)
21. Goodbye, Seattle: Part 2 (S11.24)
22. A Midwinter Night's Dream (S1.17)
23. The Innkeepers (S2.23)
24. The Maris Counselor (S5.13)
25. Something Borrowed, Someone Blue: Part 1 (S7.23)
26. Shutout In Seattle: Part 1 (S6.23)
27. The Last Time I Saw Maris (S3.08)
28. Frasier Crane's Day Off (S1.23)
29. Decoys (S6.16)
30. The Fight Before Christmas (S7.11)
31. High Crane Drifter (S3.17)
32. Adventures In Paradise: Part 2 (S2.09)
33. Daphne Hates Sherry (S4.21)
34. The Dinner Party (S6.17)
35. Crock Tales (S11.22)
36. Look Before You Leap (S3.16)
37. They're Playing Our Song (S7.13)
38. Room Service (S5.15)
39. Are You Being Served? (S4.22)
40. Frasier Lite (S11.12)
41. The Show Where Lilith Comes Back (S1.16)
42. Three Dates And A Breakup: Part 1 (S4.19)
43. Roz In The Doghouse (S2.12)
44. Travels With Martin (S1.21)
45. Dial M For Martin (S6.03)
46. High Holidays (S11.11)
47. Voyage Of The Damned (S5.06)
48. Chess Pains (S3.18)
49. To Tell The Truth (S6.15)
50. The Good Son (S1.01)
51. Good Grief (S6.01)
52. Dark Victory (S2.24)
53. The Seal Who Came To Dinner (S6.08)
54. Boo! (S11.16)
55. Out With Dad (S7.15) - Just a worse The Matchmaker
56. Death And The Dog (S4.12)
57. Adventures In Paradise: Part 1 (S2.08)
58. The Impossible Dream (S4.03)
59. Daphne's Room (S2.17)
60. RDWRER (S7.12)
61. No Sex Please, We're Skittish (S11.01) - Best course correction of all time.
62. Shrink Wrap (S3.02)
63. The Life Of The Party (S5.22)
64. When A Man Loves Two Women (S6.21)
65. Guns And Neuroses (S11.09)
66. A Lilith Thanksgiving (S4.07)
67. Where There's Smoke, There's Fired (S3.21)
68. How To Bury A Millionaire (S6.07)
69. And Frasier Makes Three (S11.20)
70. The Candidate (S2.07)
71. Agents In America: Part 3 (S2.22)
72. Love Bites Dog (S4.02)
73. Morning Becomes Entertainment (S7.19)
74. Maris Returns (S11.07)
75. Frasier's Imaginary Friend (S5.01)
76. Sweet Dreams (S5.24)
77. Roz, A Loan (S6.09)
78. Frasier Grinch (S3.09)
79. Can't Buy Me Love (S1.14)
80. Author, Author (S1.22)
81. The Kid (S5.04)
82. The Show Where Diane Comes Back (S3.14)
83. To Kill A Talking Bird (S4.14)
84. She's His Boss (S3.01)
85. Oops (S1.10)
86. You Can Go Home Again (S3.24)
87. The Club (S2.18)
    
88. The Apparent Trap (S7.09)
89. Secret Admirer (S6.06)
90. Flour Child (S2.04)
91. Dr Nora (S6.20)
92. Dinner At Eight (S1.03)
93. Murder Most Maris (S11.08)
94. Something About Dr Mary (S7.16)
95. Odd Man Out (S4.24)
96. The Show Where Sam Shows Up (S2.16)
97. Where Every Bloke Knows Your Name (S5.10)
98. Father Of The Bride (S7.02)
99. Frasier's Curse (S6.02)
100. Dad Loves Sherry, The Boys Just Whine (S4.09)
101. You Can't Tell A Crook By His Cover (S1.15)
102. Coots And Ladders (S11.17)
103. Come Lie With Me (S3.12)
104. Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (S3.05)
105. The Doctor Is Out (S11.03) - Just a worse, worse The Matchmaker
106. Head Game (S4.05)
107. The Botched Language Of Cranes (S2.06)
108. Sleeping With The Enemy (S3.06)
109. Match Game (S11.18)
110. The Gift Horse (S5.02)
111. The Perfect Guy (S5.17)
112. Roz's Turn (S4.17)
113. Martin Does It His Way (S3.03)
114. And The Whimper Is... (S1.18)
115. The Show Where Woody Shows Up (S6.13)
116. The Unnatural (S4.16)
117. A Word To The Wiseguy (S3.15)
118. I Hate Frasier Crane (S1.04)
119. Roz And The Schnoz (S5.21)
120. To Thine Old Self Be True (S7.20)
121. Someone To Watch Over Me (S2.19)
122. Whine Club (S7.17)
123. A Man A Plan And A Gal: Julia (S11.02)
124. Taps At The Montana (S6.18)
125. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do (S5.11)
126. Space Quest (S1.02)
127. It's Hard To Say Goodbye If You Won't Leave (S3.10)
128. Mamma Mia (S7.01)
129. A Crane's Critique (S4.04)
130. Retirement Is Murder (S2.13)
131. Party, Party (S5.23)
132. Frasier Loves Roz (S3.22)
133. Rivals (S7.06)
134. Four For The Seesaw (S4.13)
135. The Babysitter (S11.04)
136. The Crucible (S1.06)
137. Guess Who's Coming To Breakfast (S1.13)
138. Radio Wars (S7.03)
139. Adventures Of Bad Boy And Dirty Girl (S3.07)
140. First Do No Harm (S6.05)
141. Bad Dog (S5.18)
142. Beloved Infidel (S1.08)
143. My Fair Frasier (S5.07)
144. The Unkindliest Cut Of All (S2.02)
145. Duke, We Hardly Knew Ye (S2.05)
146. Leapin' Lizards (S3.04)
147. Caught In The Act (S11.15)
148. Three Days Of The Condo (S4.11)
149. Good Samaritan (S6.11)
150. The Zoo Story (S5.12)
151. You Scratch My Book (S2.15)
152. Here's Looking At You (S1.05)
153. Police Story (S3.20)
154. Miss Right Now (S11.19)
155. Hot Pursuit (S7.18)
156. Give Him The Chair (S1.19)
157. Selling Out (S1.09)
158. Slow Tango In South Seattle (S2.01)
159. Miracle On Third Or Fourth Street (S1.12)
160. IQ (S6.19)
161. A Tsar Is Born (S7.07)
162. Our Father Who's Art Ain't Heaven (S4.08)
163. Breaking The Ice (S2.20)
164. Roz's Krantz & Gouldenstein Are Dead (S4.15)
165. The Focus Group (S3.23)
166. Burying A Grudge (S2.10)
167. I'm Listening (S11.06)
168. Desperately Seeking Closure (S5.08)
169. The Three Faces Of Frasier (S7.21)
170. Detour (S11.21)
171. Ask Me No Questions (S4.23)
172. The 100th Show (S5.05)
173. Seat Of Power (S2.11)
174. Death Becomes Him (S1.11)
175. Hot Ticket (S6.04)
176. Frasier Gotta Have It (S5.19)
177. Liar! Liar! (S4.10)
178. Crane Vs Crane (S3.19)
179. Everybody's A Critic (S7.04)
180. The Ann Who Came To Dinner (S11.13)
181. The Placeholder (S11.05)
182. Call Me Irresponsible (S1.07)
183. Big Crane On Campus (S7.14)
184. Sea Bee Jeebies (S11.10)
185. The Friend (S3.11)
186. Fool Me Once, Shame On You, Fool Me Twice (S2.14)
187. Our Parents, Ourselves (S6.12)
188. Beware The Greeks (S5.16)
189. The Dog That Rocks The Cradle (S7.05)
190. The Late Dr Crane (S7.08)
191. Fortysomething (S1.20)
192. Freudian Sleep (S11.14) - What the hell was this episode?! That was terrifying!

Frasier (Season 11)

After three pretty bad seasons of Frasier, the original showrunners and writers finally returned for the series' final outing. For many people, Season 11 is a strong return to form for the series. For me, while it is definitely an improvement, it's a far cry from Frasier at its best. 

The season starts by immediately course-correcting from the awful Season 10 finale, as Roz immediately waltzes back into KACL as if nothing ever happened. Right from that moment, you can tell the writing has definitely improved from Seasons 8-10. Once Julia is removed from the scene one episode after, this season mostly focuses on bringing everyone's storylines to a close, and it does so in pretty great fashion. Martin dates and eventually gets married to a new character named Ronnie, who I think is perfect for him. Niles and Daphne finally have a kid. Frasier dates a girl named Charlotte who he ends the series moving to Chicago to be with. I think the season does a good job of bringing everyone's character arcs to a satisfying close. However, there is one story arc I'm not so sure about, and that's what happened to Maris. In the middle of the season, Maris has to go on trial after accidentally killing her love interest. It takes an otherwise interesting premise of Niles reuniting with his ex-wife and takes it way too far, which pretty much sums up my problems with the entire season.

To put it simply, as much as I had a problem with the darker tone of Seasons 8-10, Season 11 went in the complete opposite direction to the point where it feels like the show became a cartoon. Aside from the bizarre Maris stuff, there was episodes like Caught In The Act, Detour, both of Ann Hodges's appearances, and worst of all, Freudian Sleep. If New Position For Roz isn't the worst episode in the series, than it's definitely Freudian Sleep It tries to be a "dream episode" like Buffy's Restless without being nearly as funny, sharp, insightful, or offbeat, instead feeling incredibly disturbing and bizarre (Niles kills a baby? Frasier kills Niles? Daphne inflates?! What the hell was that episode?!). Even the episodes that are generally considered to be highlights like High Holidays, The Doctor Is Out, and Boo! really just don't quite do it for me. As a whole, I think the writing is an improvement over the last three, and the season does have a few episodes I genuinely enjoy, but there are some incredibly painful lows here that prevent me from calling Season 11 a return to form. 

Despite my gripes with the season, there are a few episodes that I can definitely say I enjoyed: 

No Sex Please, We're Skittish: Similarly to the premiere of Community's fifth season, the sheer impact of having genuinely sharp writing on Frasier again was just such a breath of fresh air. I already said how much I loved how the show brushes Season 10's ending under the rug in the coolest way possible, but this episode also has Niles and Daphne learn the latter is pregnant. It's a strong start that may have given me too high expectations for the rest of the season.

Frasier Lite: KACL ensemble episodes are always a treat, and while I know Frasier Lite is fairly unpopular, I found it to be so much fun. Watching the entire KACL staff (including Bulldog) work at trying to loose weight was just a ton of fun, and it led to a suitably frantic ending. This isn't one of the show's best episodes, but it's definitely one of the most rewatchable.

Crock Tales: Yes, I know the wigs in this episode are really bad (Roz's actress claims that was the point), but Crock Tales manages to be incredibly fun in spite of it. I like the concept of following a single object back through time, using it as a focal point to see how the characters have grown throughout the series. Crock Tales is funny, heartwarming, and bittersweet, working really well as a penultimate episode.

Goodbye, Seattle: Frasier's series finale isn't one of the greatest of all time, but I think it's mostly really satisfying. Frasier's goodbye to KACL was incredibly heartwarming, as was Daphne having her kid and Martin getting married. I like how chaotic most of the episode was, it felt like the show was giving us "one last farce" before it goes. Frasier's split-second decision at the end of the finale was a solid dose of character development, though it also ended up being one of the few ambiguous endings that left me aching to know how it all turned out.

Overall, I know a lot of people loved Season 11, but I really didn't. I think it ends the series on a good note and is definitely a strong jump in quality from the last three seasons, but it still feels like the writers are out of ideas to the point where the show became way too cartoonish this season.

2/5 Stars

My ranking of the Frasier seasons is:

6 > 4 > 5 > 3 > 7 > 2 > 1 > 11 > 10 > 9 > 8

My ranking of the Frasier finales is:

7 > 11 > 6 > 1 > 2 > 5 > 3 > 4 > 9 > 8 > 10

Favorite Episode: Ham Radio

Frasier (Seasons 8-10)

Frasier's lead writers left the show between Seasons 8-10, and it absolutely showed. These seasons were a slog to watch. They had some good episodes, but most of these seasons were either depressing, unfunny, or just plain destructive to the characters. Thus, I won't be reviewing each season in their entirety since I feel the same thing can be said for a lot of them:

Season 8: This is my least favorite season in the series just because of how oddly downbeat and mean-spirited it is, and it shows in the season premiere. Niles and Daphne are together as of Season 7, but both Donny and Mel try to ruin their lives because of it. I like that they needed to work out the ramifications of the events of the finale, but it came at the cost of the comedy. That's my big problem with most of this season, there's no comedy, it's more of a drama than anything else. It also feels like the new writers were trying to be way smarter than they actually were with introspective episodes like Frasier's Edge and Cranes Go Caribbean that feel more pretentious than they are actually insightful. Not to mention, Jane Leeves' real-life pregnancy being brushed off as her getting fat, the completely attitude 180 that Donny faced, and unnecessary characters like Daphne's family that seriously overstayed their welcome. Season 8 is just plain bad, a shell of what Frasier used to be.

Season 9: While this season doesn't really have any highlights, I also don't think it did anything all that bad either. It's nowhere near as offensive as Seasons 8 & 10 at points, and it's actually kinda funny sometimes. My favorite episode from the season is probably The Proposal, which isn't anything amazing, but it feels like more of a Frasier episode than anything in the last one and a half seasons. I think Season 9 does Niles and Daphne getting engaged justice, along with Roz's dating life. Her relationship with Roger was great, especially the episode that deals with their breakup. The penultimate episode even deals with Frasier and Roz sleeping together in a surprisingly tasteful way that doesn't betray the characters. I think it still isn't an amazing season, the Moon family still has too much focus, but it's an improvement on Season 8, for sure.

Season 10: This season is my favorite of the three, but mostly because it has the most good episodes. I liked the premiere where Niles and Daphne get married three times, along with the arc where Niles gets heart surgery for being one of the seasons' few attempts at drama that actually kinda got to me. I also like how the season deals with the show's lingering questions like why do Frasier's dinner parties always fall apart? and how is Martin the father of Frasier and Niles?, while using them to further strengthen the family dynamic. However, I think the season completely botches up the ending with the Julia arc, which pretty much destroys Roz's character. What I liked about Roz and Frasier sleeping together last season is that they both acknowledged it was a bad idea, so having Roz suddenly be jealous after Frasier's many girlfriends just feels so out of character. It's an awful finale with an awful cliffhanger (thought I did like Daphne and Niles's subplot where they get rid of the Moon family once and for all).

There aren't many amazing episodes in these three seasons, but there are a few I liked:

Daphne Returns: This was the one good episode of Season 8 for me. While I hated Daphne's fat camp storyline, I'll admit that her return and subsequent argument with Niles had some of the sharpest writing in quite some time. It's the only episode of the season that made me consistently laugh, so I thought it's worth noting for that alone.

Star Mitzvah: Easily my favorite episode of these three seasons and one of my favorites in the series, Star Mitzvah is just so inventive and funny to me. The final sequence where Frasier accidentally delivers the Bar Mitzvah speech in Klingon is predictable, but oh so hilarious. And there are a ton of other cute moments like Lilith actually getting emotional for once and Eddie finally going to KACL for the first time.

Rooms With A View: I already discussed my opinion of the heart surgery arc. It might be a bit on the emotionally manipulative side, but I think the show deals with Niles's situation in an incredibly respectful manner that gives all of the cast their own ways to cope. It's not a funny episode or one I'd like to see anytime soon, but I'd glad I saw it.

Daphne Does Dinner: The opening scene in this episode was probably the funniest in all of the these three seasons, we get to see the climax of one of Frasier's typical farcical dinner parties with zero context whatsoever. I kinda wish the episode went in a In Medias Res route so we could see what happened, but I like what the episode ended up being, a meta commentary on said disastrous dinner parties as Daphne tries to hold one herself. 

Overall, Seasons 8-10 ain't good. They have some solid episodes and interesting plots, but the writing and comedy is just poor, and at their worst, they have too many awful side characters, assassinate the good pre-existing characters, and include poorly thought-out drama that feels like a drag to watch.

Generally around 1-2 Stars out of 5

Frasier (Season 7)

Having gone on for seven straight seasons, Frasier is predictably starting to drop off in quality a bit. However, when it comes to the characters, the show's still got it when delivering the show's most pivotal moments.

Season 7 has been a long time coming, a season that's almost entirely about Niles and Daphne. Coming after last season, Daphne is getting married to Niles's divorce lawyer, Donny. Meanwhile, Niles finally tries to move on from Daphne and starts dating a girl named Mel. I don't quite like Mel (definitely not as much as the deceptively kind-hearted Donny), but I think she works to make the viewer desperately want Niles and Daphne to finally get together. And halfway through the season, in one of my favorite episodes in the series, Frasier accidentally tells Daphne about Niles's prior feelings for her. Seeing Daphne have to deal with this revelation and figure out whether or not she likes Niles back is incredibly interesting, and the tension continues to heighten throughout the season. It all culminates in a fantastic finale which has a married Niles and an almost-married Daphne finally confess their feelings for each other and drive away in a winnebago, leaving poor Donny at the altar. It's a fantastic turning point for the series and absolutely deserves its recognition as one of the greatest sitcom cliffhangers ever made. In case you haven't noticed from all my reviews, Niles and Daphne's relationship is one of my favorite aspects about Frasier, and the increased focus on them this season allows for some of the best drama and plot in the series to date.

As for the standalone episodes, however, this season is a bit more hit and miss. There are some highlights like RDWRER, They're Playing Our Song, and Out With Dad, but this season also includes a lot of incredibly rough ones too, such as The Dog That Rocks The Cradle, The Late Dr Crane, and Big Crane On Campus. But even worse than the straight-up rough episodes is the fact that Season 7 frequently ends up feeling kinda mediocre. When this season isn't dealing with Niles and Daphne, there really aren't too many episodes that truly stand out for me. It definitely doesn't help that this is the season where Frasier starts to drop the farcical structure a bit, which is a shame since that's what the series ended up becoming known for. As a whole, it does feel like Season 7 was starting to run out of steam a bit, and the show runners were beginning to run out of ideas (Out With Dad just feels like The Matchmaker but not as tightly-written). Given the fact that the showrunners and writers left after this season, I wonder if they felt the same?

Still, there were some high points this season regardless, some of which being my favorite episodes:

Back Talk: Back Talk starts off so unassuming, it's an episode about Frasier's back pain, what could possibly come of it? And then halfway through, Frasier, high on painkillers, loudly tells Daphne that Niles likes her. It's such a shocking twist because it comes out of nowhere, and the fact that the show only doubles down on this reveal rather than try and return to the status quo makes it even more legendary.

The Fight Before Christmas: Coming right after Back Talk, The Fight Before Christmas is both more subdued and more grand. The episode takes place during a big Christmas party that utilizes all of the characters in entertaining subplots, but it lacks the shocking twist of Back Talk. Rather, this episode is all about Daphne coping with what she learned and what she should do about it.

They're Playing Our Song: One of the few comedic episodes this season that I'd actually call great, They're Playing Our Song feels the closest thing to a sequel to Ham Radio, as Frasier tries to make himself a theme song. The escalation up to Frasier bringing in a giant goddamn orchestra is so fun to watch, and the big performance scene is one of the funniest in the season.

Dark Side Of The Moon: This episode is probably Jane Leeves's greatest performance as Daphne, perfectly selling the stress and frustration that she has to deal with, between the looming wedding, knowing Niles likes her, and her family's arrival. It's a funny episode that also manages to be character-driven, and the ending that reveals that Daphne really might like Niles back was excellent.

Something Borrowed, Someone Blue: As I mentioned above, this is a fantastic ending to the season and my favorite finale of the whole series. Deserving its hour-long length, Something Borrowed, Someone Blue brings the romantic tension between Niles and Daphne to a stunning head in an episode that's funny, dramatic, shocking, and ultimately heartwarming. Once again, the final scene where the two drive off in the winnebago is absolute perfect.

Overall, Season 7's main storyline is probably the best in the series, especially when it comes to Niles and Daphne. However, the season also has far more mediocre episodes than the last few, holding it back from being one of the show's best.

3/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 6)

Season 6 is my favorite season of Frasier. Even if it doesn't reach the heights of Ham Radio or The Ski Lodge, the way it juggles incredibly compelling drama with tons of hilarious episodes and clever experiments makes it nearly flawless for me.

Frasier's sixth season is far more plot-focused than the ones that came before, and signals a much darker tone for the series from this point onwards. The season starts with Frasier out of a job and Niles's marriage crumbling to pieces, and the first half is mostly about the two of them getting their lives back under control. This segment of the season is really bleak, maybe a bit too bleak given how things never end up going right for the two brothers. However, it's also some of the best drama the series has done yet. The second half of the season is even better, especially once Niles divorces Maris only for his divorce lawyer to end up with Daphne. It's such a painfully cruel twist of fate, but a well-executed one at that, and it all leads to a fantastic final two episodes for the season. Meanwhile, Martin gets a girlfriend in Bonnie (who's fine but nowhere near as entertaining as Sherry), and Frasier ends up with two girlfriends. The season ends on a bit of a downer note as all three Crane men end up alone by the final scene, but I think it works as a low point before some of the characters (Niles specifically) start to really find love in the second half of the series. As a whole, I think the extra dramatic focus this season is fantastic, even if I can understand if it might be too much for some people.

Thankfully, this season still manages to be incredibly funny as well, packing in tons of hilarious episodes throughout. Unlike Season 5, there really aren't too many downright weak episodes, with nothing to the level of Beware The Greeks. Season 6 really seemed like it was willing to experiment with structure a bit more outside of the standard farcical episodes, with episodes like Good Grief, Three Valentines, The Dinner Party, and When A Man Loves A Women playing around with time jumps and vignettes to great effect. Frasier's more experimental episodes have usually been a success more often than not, and I'm glad this season doubled down on them. My only real gripe with the season's comedy is that it does come at odds with the drama at the first half of the season, since it can feel a bit like the show is kicking Frasier and Niles while they're down. However, on their own merits, the episodes in that first half are still really funny, and the sheer amount of fantastic episodes scattered throughout the season are still more than enough to prevent the season from falling into full despair. 

There are so many amazing episodes this season that I can't even begin to describe all of my favorites, but this is a fair list:

Good Grief: I actually really like it when Frasier explores psychiatric subject matter (next season has an Oedipus complex episode), but I think Good Grief does it the best, using the five stages of grief as a framing device to watch Frasier deal with losing its job. It's a nice balance between incredibly funny and really sad, a good mission statement for the season as a whole.

Merry Christmas, Mrs Moskowitz: While Frasier's Christmas episodes are generally well-liked, this is considered by many to be the best in the series. Frasier pretending to be Jewish is a really funny idea for a farce that's executed really well, with tons of memorable scenes like the cartoonishly dramatic parental interactions to Niles popping out of the bathroom dressed as Jesus. But it's the little things that make this episode fantastic too, like the joke about Jewish wine that makes me laugh way more than it should have.

Three Valentines: As a whole, I think the three vignettes for this episode are all funny in their own way, but let's face it, the silent skit with Niles is easily the highlight, and ranks with some of the best moments in the series. It's a fantastic showcase of David Hyde Pierce's physical comedy chops and the way it escalates along with the classical music in the background is nothing short of masterful.

To Tell The Truth: I already mentioned this episode earlier, it's the one where Niles losing Daphne to his lawyer Donny right when he's able to finish his divorce with Maris. As a whole, this episode is pretty tense and dramatic as Niles gets the closest to confessing his feelings to date, and as much of a gut punch as the ending is, it's still such a strong twist.

Decoys: While many people dismiss Decoys as "The Ski Lodge Lite", I think this episode still manages to be really entertaining on its own merits, with Niles's plan to pair Donny up with Roz being incredibly fun. I also just really love the subplot about Frasier not wanting to kill ducks, which intersects with Niles's storyline in creative ways.

The Dinner Party: This real-time bottle episode poses an interesting question: Can Frasier pull off a farce entirely off-screen? As it turns out, the answer is yes. The Dinner Party is pretty much entirely composed of dialogue between Niles and Frasier, but thanks to their performance and the insanely sharp writing, watching their dinner party crumble to pieces before it even starts is hysterical.

Visions Of Daphne: This episode is pretty low on humor, as a matter of fact it's pretty unfunny. However, I think the emotional impact and character drama is absolutely fantastic. The tension throughout the episode builds as Donny's proposal nears and you don't know if Daphne will say yes. Sadly, she does, culminating in that perfect final scene with the dragon which solidifies that she's with the wrong person.

Shutout In Seattle: While it's not as downright shocking as last episode, Shutout In Seattle does a good job of tying up loose ends for the season, as Niles, Martin, and Frasier all end up single in the solemn but hopeful final scene. This episode has Bulldog's departure which genuinely caught me off guard as I had no idea his actor was leaving. It's one of the show's better finales, and the last to lack a cliffhanger.

Overall, even if Season 6 can get a bit too bleak at times, I think it does a great job of blending its dramatic and comedic elements while still allowing the show to experiment in interesting ways, making it my favorite Frasier season of the bunch.

5/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 5)

For me, Seasons 4-6 of Frasier are the show at its peak. They all contain some of the funniest episodes of the series. However, I think Season 5 is the weakest of the three, since can be pretty uneven at times.

Frasier's fifth season is the first to really have a concrete storyline throughout, as early on in the season, Roz reveals she's pregnant. As far as pregnancy storylines go, Roz's isn't anything amazing as it does stay in the background a lot. However, I think the most interesting part is Roz learning that she is pregnant and dealing with that revelation. The show spends a lot of time on Roz discussing the pregnancy with the father and figuring out if she wants to raise it on her own, and I think that leads to some really fascinating character work for her. Meanwhile, Martin's and Niles's relationships finally come to an end this season. It's a shame Sherry had to leave since I really liked her as a foil to the Crane brothers, and Martin doesn't get quite as much to do after their breakup. On the other hand, I'm so glad Maris and Niles are finally getting divorced as it leads to some of my favorite storylines in the series, though that comes next season. Oddly enough, this season's finale doesn't actually deal with any of the season's major storylines. Rather the season ends with Frasier accidentally getting the entire KACL staff fired. Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic cliffhanger, but it also has pretty much no set-up throughout the season. 

Still, this is Frasier, and most of the season is still comprised of standalone farcical episodes. Season 5 has a ton of strong episodes, some of which rank among the best and most iconic in the series (The Ski Lodge, in particular, is easily the definitive Frasier episode). However, I think this season also has some pretty low weak points as well, especially compared to the season that came before it. Beware The Greeks is a particular sticking point for me, since I'm not a fan of episodes that introduce never-mentioned-before family members who will never appear for the rest of the show. It's especially noteworthy given that it comes directly after three of the best episodes in the season. I also felt Frasier as a character was pretty weak this season, as his flaws (like his ego) are way more prevalent than they usually are. This results in some episodes like "Desperately Seeking Closure", "The 1000th Show", and "Frasier's Gotta Have It" where I just ended up feeling really frustrated with him. Still, I don't want to sell this season too short, as it is still absolutely one of the best so far. The high points are so unbelievably high that they do a solid job of cancelling out the weaker episodes.

Even with the weaker episodes, this season of Frasier has some fantastic episodes at its best:

Halloween: This was such an incredibly entertaining episode that managed to balance a farce full of hilarious misunderstandings, goofy Halloween costumes, and Niles/Daphne shenanigans with a massive plot development about Roz being pregnant. Easily one of the most iconic episodes of the series, Halloween is a really strong start to the season's main storyline.

Perspectives On Christmas: This episode is incredibly well-constructed and clever, with each main character telling their own story about a disastrous Christmas, with each storyline connected with the other four. Even without the gimmick, this would be a super entertaining episode, but the nonlinear and experimental structure makes this episode far more memorable than it would have been otherwise.

The Maris Counselor: I'm a big fan of the "Niles freaks out about Maris" episodes because they manage to mix frantic humor with genuine drama. Similarly to episodes like The Last Time I Saw Maris and Are You Being Served?, Niles discovering that Maris is cheating on him with their counselor is incredibly funny until it hits you that their marriage truly is over. 

The Ski Lodge: While my favorite episode is Ham Radio, The Ski Lodge is a close second for me. Once again, this is a brilliantly constructed Rube Goldberg machine of a farce about unrequited love, with each character involved having feelings for a completely different person. Martin accidentally stoking the fires was great, as was the frantic running through rooms that ended off the episode.  

Room Service: I know this episode is a bit divisive as why would Niles and Lilith sleep together at all? Aside from the fact that it makes perfect sense since both of their marriages are over, I love that this episode pairs up two characters that you'd never expect to share an episode together, and Niles and Lilith play off each other incredibly well. The second half where the two try to hide that they've slept together was just such entertaining and frantic, making this a strong followup to The Ski Lodge. 

First Date: The token Niles/Daphne episode is yet another series highlight, as Niles and Daphne get a lot of adorable moments together as they set up for Niles's fake date with his neighbor. Even with the farcical humor and hilarious payoff of Niles's neighbor actually showing up, the moment that really stuck to me was just Niles and Daphne singing "Heart And Soul" while chopping up food, a testament to how strong their chemistry is.

Overall, Season 5 has a solid main storyline and a ton of fantastic episodes, but its weak points make the season a bit more uneven than the one that came before.

4/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 4)

At this point, pretty much every season of Frasier has been an improvement on the last, and Season 4 is no exception. It's not just the best season yet, it's one of the best in the whole series.

Season 4 of Frasier pretty much continues the storylines that were being set-up in Season 3 along with adding in a few new ones, with a strong focus on the characters' love lives. Niles's relationship with Maris is still incredibly strained, Martin gets a new girlfriend named Sherry, and Frasier is beginning to realize that his love life has hit a bit of roadblock. Niles's storyline is probably the most interesting here, as he spends most of the season either struggling to get over Maris or trying to get back into the dating scene, both of which lead to a ton of great comedy. However, I did feel a bit disappointed when Niles decided to just try to make it work with Maris again at the end of the season, pretty much just resetting things to the status quo of Season 3. I also quite liked Sherry, she works well with Martin as well as being a great foil to Frasier and Niles. It's also worth noting Season 4 is the first Frasier season to end on a bit of a cliffhanger, though I think I still prefer the more reflective finales of the first three seasons.

Season 4 is the point in which Frasier starts to use farcical storylines nearly every other episode, resulting in one of the most consistently funny seasons in the series. There's barely a single weak episode throughout, nearly every one is well-acted, sharply-written, and cleverly plotted. As a matter of fact, I think the stretch between Ham Radio and Are You Being Served? might just be the best stretch of episodes in the entire show. I also think this season does a great job of utilizing the show's entire cast, juggling between episodes focused on Frasier's family and episodes focused on KACL. Minor characters like Bulldog, Gil, and even the family dog Eddie get their own focal episodes this season, all leading to my favorite episode Ham Radio which unites the entire cast, bringing the two usually disparate parts of Frasier's life together. As a whole, I think Season 4 just feels like Frasier at its most confident and complete. 

Being one of my favorite seasons of Frasier, it's only natural that there's a lot of strong episodes:

The Two Mrs Cranes: Season 4's first episode is already one of my favorites in the series. The Two Mrs Cranes is on of Frasier's best farces as Daphne's reunion with her ex slowly becomes more and more chaotic as more of her friends get involved, layering lies on top of lies on top of lies. With sharp writing and great comedic acting, this premiere is an absolute classic, in my opinion. 

Mixed Doubles: Nearly every season has had at least one episode focused on Niles's feelings for Daphne, and I think they're all some of the best the show has to offer. Mixed Doubles already has an entertaining premise about Daphne dating a doppelgänger of Niles, but what really elevates the episode is the heartfelt and genuine talk between Niles and Daphne at the end.

Ham Radio: This is my personal favorite episode of Frasier, and if you've seen many of my previous reviews, you might be able to piece together why. Not only is a fantastic farce, with tons of moving parts that all play into the final few minutes, but it's also a farce about the cast teaming up to attempt a radio play. There is so much crammed into Ham Radio, subplots for nearly every character in the series while still letting us hear the entire radio play performance. Ham Radio is a relentlessly hysterical episode of Frasier that leaves me doubled over in laughter every time I watch it.

Three Dates And A Breakup: This big double-length episode also has a really funny premise, with Frasier going on three dates and them going the exact same way every single time... all culminating in Sherry botching them up. Aside from that, though, the subplot about Martin's fear of being with a women other than Frasier's mom gave him a lot of depth. 

Daphne Hates Sherry: Similarly to Ham Radio, so much happened in this episode. Daphne and Sherry's arguments were ridiculously entertaining, Daphne sleeping over at Niles was super nice, and I loved the ending of the episode which had Frasier meditate the cast from his bubble bath.

Are You Being Served?: Niles freaking out about Maris is always a fun time, so the storyline about Niles breaking into Maris's house adds some light to the otherwise grim reality of his impending divorce. Once again, I think the fact that Niles and Maris get back together right after this episode undercuts it a bit, but it doesn't mean Are You Being Served? isn't still stuffed with great moments of hilarity.

Overall, Season 4 is just a really strong season of Frasier, packed to the brim with hilarious and well-written episodes while being tied together with a cohesive theme.

5/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 3)

Season 3 of Frasier is easily the best season yet, implementing more overarching storylines and including tons of fun and entertaining episodes.

Frasier's third season is the first one to have a bit of a storyline, at least for its first half. The season introduces a new station manager named Kate, who starts out ruining Frasier's show and blossoms into a temporary relationship only for Kate to leave midway through the season. I think the Kate arc is fine, it's nice to see a bit more serialization in Frasier but I've never found Kate to be an interesting character or one of Frasier's more interesting love interests. It's Niles's storyline that I found really appealing, as a few episodes into the season, Maris wants to divorce him. This storyline stays a bit more in the background and isn't resolved by the season's end, but Niles's issues with Maris give the great character a lot more focus. Even better, now that Niles's relationship is on the rocks, the show can give his romantic subplot with Daphne a bit more focus as well.

My biggest problem with Season 3 is how it manages to drop so many of its storylines around the middle of the season, with Kate leaving and Niles's problems with Maris slowly becoming less relevant. As a result, the season ends up peaking around the middle, with a final third of the season that is pretty much entirely episodic, not entirely a bad thing until I realized that most of the season's best episodes were around the middle section anyway. Still, the final few episodes weren't awful, I like the flashback-heavy finale that shows how much the cast developed, but it's a bit disappointing coming after Seasons 1 & 2 which seriously peaked in their last few episodes. In terms of overall quality, however, Season 3 is probably the most consistently strong season yet. Its low points weren't nearly as low as the lowest points of the first two seasons, and its highest point was Moon Dance, my favorite episode up to this point. The dialogue and writing was as witty and sharp as usual, and the main cast ended up being as endlessly lovable as ever. 

Once again, there were some top-notch episodes this season, particularly in the middle section:

The Last Time I Saw Maris: This episode blew me away the first time I watched it. I knew that Niles and Maris would have to divorce eventually, but I didn't expect the seeds to be planted so early on in the show! But aside from the shock factor, this was just another genuinely funny Niles and Maris farce that allowed the former character to make a bit of a fool of himself in thinking the latter got kidnapped.

Moon Dance: It never really became important until this episode, but Niles and Daphne are probably my favorite couple in TV ever, or at least they're up there. David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves have so much chemistry and some of my favorite Frasier episodes are devoted to the two. Moon Dance has a similar buildup to many other Frasier episodes, but rather to a hilarious bit of chaos, it builds up to one of the sweetest moments in the series with Niles and Daphne's impressive tango and first kiss. I ship it so much!

Look Before You Leap: This is the greatest Leap Day episode ever made and there's no contest. I love how Frasier convinces everyone to take big leaps of faith only for them to pretty much all turn out disastrous, culminating in Frasier taking his own big leap of faith only to embarrass himself on live TV in one of the series' funniest payoffs.

High Crane Drifter: While this episode is probably most known for Daphne's iconic annoyingly catchy "Flesh is burning" song, I really like the concept of this one. Frasier snaps at someone for being inconsiderate and is suddenly named a hero, with tons of people following his lead by getting revenge on people that did them wrong as well. I'm a big fan of Frasier episodes that spiral out of control like this, especially when Frasier himself is the main victim.

Chess Pains: This episode is just plain cute. Frasier driving himself crazy after repeatedly losing against Martin is a joy to watch (do you see a trend in these episode picks?), yet the episode never feels repetitive in spite of its premise. Every time Martin wins at chess manages to be funnier than the last. I also love the subplot of Niles replacing Maris with a dog, who looks like a perfect visual representation of the many hilarious descriptions of Maris that have been made throughout the show.

Overall, Season 3 is yet another improvement with a greater focus on Niles, more storylines, and a general increase in quality, even if not all of its attempts at serialization work.

4/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 2)

For its second season, Frasier still hasn't quite developed a plot yet, but it did solidify the farcical structure that the series would become known for.

Season 2 of Frasier is pretty much more of the same for the show. Not only is there no overarching storyline once again, it might even be worse than the first season, which at least had the character development of Frasier and Martin adjusting to living with each other. Frasier's second season, on the other hand, is as episodic as episodic gets. Pretty much every episode is its own individual story, which means that the general level of quality can fluctuate. Thankfully, none of Season 2's episodes are worse than the worst that Season 1 had to offer (Fortysomething), and its high points are even higher. Aside from the general improvements in dialogue and writing, what makes Season 2 a marked improvement on the first is the fact that Frasier had finally figured out how to work out its structure.

Starting this season, most of Frasier's episodes are farcical, meaning that they start with a simple misunderstanding or premise that slowly spirals out of control and builds to a bombastic and usually hilarious finale. These farce episodes usually the funniest in the series, and the best of the bunch feel like intricately-crafted Rube Goldberg machines where every line and set-up ends up being paid off near the end of the episode. Despite this new emphasis on farce, the characters never feel like they're being used as plot devices, most of the comedy during these episodes feels genuine because the show lets the characters just bounce off each other as they are. As for the moment to moment jokes, Frasier is well-known for its intelligent and highbrow humor that can sometimes take a bit of time to get, lots of wordplay and tricky references. I've always liked that this show settled for witty wordplay rather than mean-spirited snark, simplistic meta humor, or raunch, there's definitely a part of me thinks Frasier is why I like puns so much.

At its best, Frasier's second season has some of the most iconic episodes of the series:

The Matchmaker: The first two episodes of Season 2 were pretty bland, so imagine my shock when Episode 3 was the best one yet, by a longshot! The Matchmaker is probably the first true farcical episode of the series, mostly being about Frasier being mistaken by his station manager. What makes this one so great is how oblivious Frasier is. Throughout the episode, he makes all of these subtle statements that can be interpreted in completely the wrong way, it's a perfect showcase of just how witty Frasier's comedy can be.

Adventures In Paradise: While I'm not sure it needed to be a two-parter, this episode signals Lilith's return, and a great one at that. I like that the development between the two has continued from the last Lilith appearance, with this episode's storyline being about Lilith accidentally ruining one of Frasier's dates. The ending is excellent too, with Frasier forced to accept Lilith's getting married before him, and a surprise cameo from Diane from Cheers (in a dream sequence, though).

Roz In The Doghouse: I've always loved the side characters who work at KACL, so it's nice to get an episode that focuses on one of them. This episode has a fun concept of Roz leaving to be Bulldog's producer, and I enjoyed the sequence where Frasier shuffles through a bunch of bad producers. But the best scene is easily the mini farce near the end where Bulldog misinterprets Roz and thinks she wants to sleep with him.

An Affair To Forget: Niles has always been my favorite character in Frasier and this has always been one of his best episodes. It takes a fairly rote concept of Niles thinking his wife Maris is cheating on him and turning it into a hilarious mess of a final act with sword fights, mistranslated languages, and a wrecked chandelier. It's easily one of the funniest sequences in any Frasier episode ever.

The Innkeepers: Once you get past the initial surprise that Frasier and Niles actually bought a restaurant, you get another one of the show's funniest farces where their plan slowly and painfully spirals out of control. There are a ton of funny moments here like Frasier shoving Bulldog to the corner of the restaurant, Daphne killing an eel, and of course, that chaotic ending where absolutely everything goes wrong. An absolute classic.

Overall, while Season 2 of Frasier is still painfully episodic compared to the show's later seasons, it solidified the show's main structure and produced some of Frasier's most iconic episodes.

3/5 Stars 

Frasier (Season 1)

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