I'm Listening

All television series should go out this well!
"Frasier" remains one of the most best-acted and literate shows to ever air on the small screen. With the pivotal cast of Kelsey Grammer ("Frasier"), David Hyde Pierce ("Niles"), Jane Leeves ("Daphne"), Peri Gilpin ("Roz"), John Mahoney ("Martin"), and the irreplaceable Moose and Onzo ("Eddie"), the show was never condescending to the audience, requiring that viewers step up to the plate to enjoy some of the wittiest repartee to be found in the history of television. Of course, the show had its share of truly funny sight gags but these never overshadowed the delicious dialog and, for that, the excellent writing staff received well-earned honors in the forms of its numerous Emmys and Golden Globes.

This eleventh and final season has to be considered one of its best, not only in resolving character issues but in overall humor. The writing staff and the cast were magnificent, dolling out consistently funny and poignant tales. When other shows resulted in "stunt casting" to...

Frage is always great...but this could have been better.
First of all, I would like to say that I came late to the Frasier game. I started watching it after syndication. What always impressed me about Frasier is that the show seemed to have hit the ground running. Most TV shows need to warm up in the first season before they get really good, but Frasier was excellent from the very first episode. I was rarely able to catch the show during its normal time slot and when it wasn't being shown on the other channels as much, I stopped watching.

However, I was able to get a hold of Seasons 1 - 3 on DVD and fell in love with the show again. And I have now seen the shows of this final season (which I never saw when they first aired). The shows of this season were great and I found myself cracking up like I did when watching the older episodes. Episodes that stood out for me were "Murder Most Maris", "High Holidays", "Boo!", "The Doctor is Out", "Maris Returns", "No Sex Please, We're Skittish", and "Caught in the Act". However, I...

The Stars Shine One Last Time...
Recapturing at least some of the magic of the first seven seasons, "Frasier" goes out in a blaze of glory with this final, wonderful 23 episode season.

Not hard to believe since some of "Frasier's" best writers come back into the fold like Joe Keenan with his contrabution, "The Doctor is Out". An instant classic in the mold of the second season farce, "The Matchmaker", this one has a great performance by Patrick Stewart and begs the question "would you change your lifestyle for three weeks on Capri in Bertalluci's villa?"

Other delights include the return of Maris in a very funny two parter ("Maris Returns" & "Murder Most Maris") along with "Boo!" when Frasier, tired of being scared by his father, manages to spook Martin to the point of a "cardiac event" (wearing a very creepy and disturbing clown makeup & suit). "Caught in the Act" brings back "Nanny G", Frasier's first wife (as seen previously in a "Cheers" episode) played by a very randy Laurie Metcalf...

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