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A Touch of Class: A Frasier Retrospective

José

1,492,523 views

Unlike Cheers, Frasier was a show I actually watched when I was younger. Revisiting was surprising, insofar that it held up better than I expected, even if it very much is a reflection of where sitcoms were in the 90's.

This is the second longest show I've covered, so I'm sure people will notice I missed a lot of stuff. But I did my best to get everything I could in there. All the videos I referenced are linked below.

Also, a tip of the hat to "Frasier: A Cultural History" by Joseph J. Darowski and Kate Darowski for being particularly useful when doing research on this video.

Little Hoot's Video: Frasier Is Bad, Actually
Matt Baume's video: Frasier & Sitcoms of the Gay '90s

My video on Cheers: Where Everybody Knows Your Name: A Cheers ...
My video on Roseanne: Roseanne of The Conners, A Leftist Reading...

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0:00 - Intro
7:57 - The Pilot Episode
12:14 - Frasier
30:47 - Cheers Cameos
37:28 - Martin
48:40 - Eddie
50:14 - Farce in Frasier
53:01 - Niles and Daphne
1:18:47 - Representation
1:24:32 - Roz
1:35:17 - The Finale
1:42:23 - Frasier in the Future

20 Comments

@CeeBee781 1 year ago

This is my ultimate comfort show. These characters are like friends and family to me. They just don’t write sitcoms like this anymore. I love that they didn’t underestimate the audience, didn’t compromise on the pretentious, effete characters. The dichotomy between Frasier and Niles and everyone they loved was comedic gold, and their being so alike highlighted their insecurities and competitiveness, making them each other’s rocks one minute, and worst enemies the next. This show could not be better.

@JT-in-Austin-25 3 years ago

When Niles takes over the radio show for a while, he has one of the best lines ever: "Unlike my brother, who's a Freudian, I personally am a Jungian. So, there'll be no blaming mommy today!"

@joemcascio 1 year ago

People don’t know how remarkable it is to have the main cast entirely unchanged for this long. No additions, no subtractions. It was great.

@echolot 2 years ago

"Roz Doyle is a tough character to pin down."

Niles: "Oh is she now?"

@jamieparker2393 8 months ago

Unlike alot of sitcoms which have a few teething issues, Frasier seems to have been a rare one which was complete from the first episode. All the characters, writing, editing and production style were unique and fully constructed from the beginning.

@deliquescencemusic 4 years ago (edited)

Niles was one of the best written characters of the era, played by one heck of an actor. It was always a treat watching Hyde Pierce take his weekly turn being Niles.

@ghosthoarder98 4 years ago

One of my favorite jokes in Frasier was learning that his mother named him and Niles after her lab rats.

@VoxTE2186 4 years ago

The scene that speaks to me the most of the polar opposite personalities between Marty and his boys is the scene when Frasier and Niles are ridiculing a family dinner for the aesthetic, food and vibes and Marty reminds them that just because their mom was very much like them, she still enjoyed the little things in life. Like a good beer and a football game. And telling them how disappointed their mom would be if she saw how they acted.
I think it really propelled their character development later on in the show when Marty invites Frasier and Niles to Duke's for the establishments final moment as we can see how much Frasier and Niles begin to appreciate the little things Marty enjoyed himself.

@tcraigy 4 years ago

The funniest scene I remember from the series is when Niles was pretending to have a child by carrying around a sack of flour in baby carrier. Niles becomes so involved in this form of pretend that he starts to have nightmares. In this nightmare Niles's "baby" is kidnapped and the kidnappers started sending him muffins.

@arturodelarosa4394 3 years ago

Frasier is probably the best Sitcom to come out of the 90s, forget friends, forget everything. Frasier has it all. The comedy rolls smoothly of the story but is never cheap, there is always a bit of smarts in it. a bit of class, much like Frasier himself.

@E.B.J.S. 4 years ago

Frasier was a sitcom that always appreciated and never underestimated the intelligence and sensibility of the average viewer.

@ay2257 4 years ago

Its amazing that despite his hard drinking, womanising, and behind the scenes arguments Eddie always brought his A game to set.

@SusanMerry-t6i 1 year ago

This was the best comedy we have ever had. Thank GOD they did so many.

@jackmcd277 4 years ago

Niles fencing Gunther is the best stunt work ever

@amandaredd3057 2 years ago

That episode when Niles tries putting Daphne's parents back together JUST to try and make Daphne happy and it dawns on her that he'd do anything for her? Oh man, right in the feels ❤❤

@littlelimax3739 4 years ago

My favorite moments were always David Hyde Pierce doing physical comedy, whether he was climbing a tree in an elevator, or setting the couch on fire.

@matthewbaken7669 3 years ago

John Mahoney was very much like his Martin character, down to earth and never taking himself too seriously. I used to see him occasionally dining at a local family restaurant in a near west suburb of Chicago. While he had many accomplishments in his career, he was extremely humble and down to earth. Often he even dressed similar to the Martin character, dockers and button down casual shirt. When I was diagnosed, he began venturing out less and less. I missed conversations with him. When he passed, it was very sad and painful news that hit a lot of people who got to know him casually over the years, including myself. I’ll always remember him respectfully and fondly. I cannot imagine anyone having a single bad word to say about him.

@mbanerjee5889 4 years ago

David Hyde Pierce was the star of Frasier. Aside from being absolutely hilarious, it's his sincerity that really sold the Niles/Daphne romance.

@Mrgop 3 years ago

Niles always seemed to have the best lines. "Roz's bed is easier to get into than a community college!"

@A-small-amount-of-peas 3 years ago

I remember being so crushed for Niles when he misunderstood Daphne after their dance and then a few years later I became an adult and found out for myself how crushing it can be and I've been both parties in that situation and I'm sure I'm not alone there