Television Frasier Appreciation Thread

032Devil

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As much as I love frasier, I would have to pull for seinfeld over it. My top three would be:

1. Seinfeld
2. Frasier
3. Friends
1: ......
2: ......

1,000 Friends

Rarely, have I come across something as so over-rated as Friends. Shite "comedy" of epic proportions.
 

SER19

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IMO its the most intelligient and wittiest programme ever. absolute quality once you get to know the characters. i always used to just flick by it on tvbut once i got a couple of boxsets i got addicted. nothing comes near it
 

B Cantona

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yes i couldn't see how seinfeld was rated over frasier.
We have similar tastes Erica. Seinfield just leaves me completely cold, I simply don't find it amusing. And some of the things they have roaring canned laughter too, I'm left wondering what the hell just happened!!!

The first video that Brad posted in this thread is a classic example. It's not situation comedy, but rather a string of cheap crappy gags. It's not even funny, it's light entertainment - that's all it is.
Not sure about this Weaste. Watch the whole episode. Perhaps the set up includes a few 'gags', but Frasier is about the most 'situational' comedy I've seen. They set up the classic farce, and then they just let it go. There's been a few great episodes mentioned in this thread that go by that style
 

B Cantona

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1: ......
2: ......

1,000 Friends

Rarely, have I come across something as so over-rated as Friends. Shite "comedy" of epic proportions.
I used to love Friday nights on Channel 4, they'd run Friends, and after it an episode of Frasier

Friends is very different, but it's still funny in its own right. It's a different type of comedy, so you might not like it purely on that basis. It didn't always remain strong for me though, you had some real hit and miss seasons, especially towards the end as they ran out of storylines, given everyone had pretty much slept with everyone they could. Best seasons for me were around 3-4, the height of the Ross and Rachel thing, culminating in Chandler and Monica getting together

I enjoy watching both, but Frasier is much better comedy for me
 

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Thought it was one of the most crisply written shows of all time when it was on and absolutely loved but whenever I've watched repeats recently it's left me a bit cold.

This is largely because the era of the laugh-track sitcom has passed us by and the better comedies of recent years (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Scrubs, Arrested Development) have been far more sophisticated in the way they're written and the way the situations are constructed.

The gag every three line rhythm stands out like dog's balls when I watch the re-runs.

Still a good show though.
 

Alex

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Thought it was one of the most crisply written shows of all time when it was on and absolutely loved but whenever I've watched repeats recently it's left me a bit cold.

This is largely because the era of the laugh-track sitcom has passed us by and the better comedies of recent years (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Scrubs, Arrested Development) have been far more sophisticated in the way they're written and the way the situations are constructed.

The gag every three line rhythm stands out like dog's balls when I watch the re-runs.

Still a good show though.
All good shows Melbourne I agree, both are actually good sitcoms which are rare today
 

Count Duckula

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I never liked Seinfeld, couldn't get into it. Which is odd because I quite like Curb Your Enthusiasm.

But Frasier is one of my all time favourites. I actually prefer it to Cheers, which is rare for a spinoff.
 

032Devil

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I used to love Friday nights on Channel 4, they'd run Friends, and after it an episode of Frasier

Friends is very different, but it's still funny in its own right. It's a different type of comedy, so you might not like it purely on that basis. It didn't always remain strong for me though, you had some real hit and miss seasons, especially towards the end as they ran out of storylines, given everyone had pretty much slept with everyone they could. Best seasons for me were around 3-4, the height of the Ross and Rachel thing, culminating in Chandler and Monica getting together

I enjoy watching both, but Frasier is much better comedy for me
Comedy is comedy.

The very earlier series were amusing, occasionally funny but later series were embarrassing devoid of any humour/jokes.

Friends should have been axed something like half-a-dozen series before it finally was. It was a tired, hackneyed and it's plots were stretched thinner than rubber band could.

I also found the programme rather incestuous, what with the characters close relationships. It was almost like outside their cocooned existence these seven very attractive people weren't sexually interested in anyone else except each other.

Weird!
 

Count Duckula

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Comedy is comedy.

The very earlier series were amusing, occasionally funny but later series were embarrassing devoid of any humour/jokes.

Friends should have been axed something like half-a-dozen series before it finally was. It was a tired, hackneyed and it's plots were stretched thinner than rubber band could.

I also found the programme rather incestuous, what with the characters close relationships. It was almost like outside their cocooned existence these seven very attractive people weren't sexually interested in anyone else except each other.

Weird!
Who was the seventh? I honestly don't remember a seventh!
 

Striker10

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I'm glad it ran for so long - there's no happy medium half the time though. Some shows you'll wish ran for longer, some you'll wish didn't. It won't be for everyones tastes but there were plenty of great moments.

The pranks ones good too where they got frasier singing that silly song down the phone :)
 

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Love Frasier, and IMHO I think Friends was good fun too, nothing to be taken seriously, but if you're in the mood for some light hearted 'stupid' comedy at the end of a tiring day it served the purpose v.well.
 

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Frasier crash tackling the trumpeter after Niles proposes to Daphne is one of the greatest moments in television history.
 

Wibble

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Cheers light.

Designed to be watched by people who found Friends too edgy.
 

Dave89

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Cheers light.

Designed to be watched by people who found Friends too edgy.
Or who found Friends incompatible with a positive IQ?




Kidding, I actually like friends, I just think that Fraiser is the king.
 

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Still love Frasier - can't get enough of it. Apparently they're mulling a re-boot? :drool:
 

SteveJ

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Worth watching just for the minor characters (Bulldog, Gil etc), let alone the leads.
 

Olly Gunnar Solskjær

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I'm not convinced either, it does make sense though I guess with the ending from the original. Then again he could return to Seattle for Marty's funeral and decide to stay.
It could work I guess. Just feels like too much would be missing to me. Still, I guess I would have to give it a watch if it does happen!
 

buchansleftleg

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Looking back at Frasier most of the episodes still hold up. The only ones that have dated heavily are some of the dating episodes where Frazier or Niles or both are trying to impress/ bed a woman.

In these episodes (that often are staged like a farce with multiple doors, hiding in cupboards etc) the writing seems a bit boorish and the female characters very weak.

Ironic given how well written Roz is in the series that they do occasionally have really thin and reedy portrayals of some women.

Howevwr these episodes are in the minority thankfully.The seal who came to dinner is a personal favourite of mine.
 

Keeps It tidy

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Looking back at Frasier most of the episodes still hold up. The only ones that have dated heavily are some of the dating episodes where Frazier or Niles or both are trying to impress/ bed a woman.

In these episodes (that often are staged like a farce with multiple doors, hiding in cupboards etc) the writing seems a bit boorish and the female characters very weak.

Ironic given how well written Roz is in the series that they do occasionally have really thin and reedy portrayals of some women.

Howevwr these episodes are in the minority thankfully.The seal who came to dinner is a personal favourite of mine.
I think Frazier is probably the best pure sitcom maybe ever but, I agree with the point about Female characters. On their own Roz and Daphne were great characters but, they only had them interact when they were talking about men. And out of all of Frasier's love interests with the exception of obviously Lilith and
Roz
the only other interesting love interest in my opinion was Frasier's high school crush played by Jean Smart. The rest were mostly just concepts and even the Jean Smart character started off as a concept before she was developed a bit more. The Felicity Huffman character had layers but, they really struggled to make her the least bit likable.
 

SteveJ

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I might be reading too simply into this, but isn’t the point of making Frasier’s love interests unremarkable to heighten the feeling of forever alone because he knows it won’t work out anyways? Like why think too deeply into relationship with X when past experience dictates X won’t be around long.
Yep. Even in more serious shows/films and novels there's a solid reason why they are so strictly focused on the main characters; and, besides, the others characters are often subtle reflections of the main ones' traits or potential traits. Anyway, sometimes a character's 'silence' - a lack of given depth or expression - speaks volumes of eloquence (examples range from, say, the secondary role of women in True Detective S1 to the absence of native voices in Heart of Darkness).
 

buchansleftleg

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I think Frazier is probably the best pure sitcom maybe ever but, I agree with the point about Female characters. On their own Roz and Daphne were great characters but, they only had them interact when they were talking about men. And out of all of Frasier's love interests with the exception of obviously Lilith and
Roz
the only other interesting love interest in my opinion was Frasier's high school crush played by Jean Smart. The rest were mostly just concepts and even the Jean Smart character started off as a concept before she was developed a bit more. The Felicity Huffman character had layers but, they really struggled to make her the least bit likable.
Yes his high school sweetheart was a great character, as was Madeleine who he went to Bora Bora with, or Mercedes Reuhl's "dirty girl" character in "sleeping with the enemy". They were intelligent, sexy and even raunchy episodes but never felt sleazy like some of the "farce" episodes.

I suppose it is the nature of writing teams that some episodes will be hit and miss and the female characters seem to suffer more in those episodes from being mere plot devices .
 

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People have generally given up on the multi camera type sitcom but, Frasier used the medium to make every episode feel like a play. And with the exception of Jane Leeves the main cast all of them had theatre backgrounds.
 

RORY65

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Best sitcom ever. Every character is a goldmine. Dialogues are actually smart and intelligent yet funny.

Though not a fan of Niles/Daphne linkup, they were so much fun before.
When I occasionally pretended I was ill to avoid school, this was by miles the highlight of the sitcoms on Channel 4 in the morning (way ahead of the other options of Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Will and Grace etc.). It would definitely be a contender to be in my top 5 sitcoms of all time although I completely agree with you that it lost something once Niles and Daphne became a couple.