Kelsey Grammer Gets Candid About ‘Cheers’ And What He Actually Thinks About The Show

As the Frasier reboot’s second season fast approaches, Kelsey Grammer shared his thoughts about the original show during a recent Q&A session at the Quad Cinema in Manhattan. Kelsey recalled gunning for another role in Brothers, however casting director Gretchen Rennell pitched Cheers to him.

Kelsey claimed that he was unimpressed at the time, having seen the pilot at his bartending job and deeming it lame. Fast-forward to now, Kelsey undoubtedly owes his success in Hollywood to Cheers, which ran for 11 seasons until 1993.

Kelsey Grammer had to be convinced for ‘Cheers’

With Kelsey’s judgment of Cheers before getting cast, Gretchen had some selling to do, and he eventually agreed to go on tape. Kelsey then met Ted Danson and Shelley Long, after which he joined the table read, which ended awkwardly because no one laughed throughout his scenes.

Underwhelmed, Kelsey said he was leaving to see if he would get some laughs in the street and jetted off to San Diego. Surprisingly, he won the gig but accepted with the aim of fixing the show. Kelsey debuted his role as psychiatrist Frasier Crane in season 3’s premiere, and the rest is history.

Kelsey was originally meant to be on Cheers for just six episodes; however, he became a regular cast member throughout the show’s run and even had his own spin-off, Frasier, which lasted 11 years. Frasier was revived by Paramount + last year, with Kelsey’s character moving back to Boston from Seattle.

The sequel came with some controversy, from the wardrobe change to David Hyde Pierce’s absence, which caused a dent in the plot. Kelsey was sad about his TV brother’s choice to stay off the show, having done his best to convince him. David had simply moved on from playing Niles Crane and did not give any concerning reason for opting out.