As insiders claim Kelsey Grammer’s ‘low-budget’ Frasier reboot is ‘Z-list’ – FEMAIL reveals what the original cast has been up to over the past 18 years – and which of the sitcom’s beloved stars WON’T be reprising their roles
- The Frasier revival was given the greenlight by Paramount+ three months ago after years of talk
- Grammer, 67, is executive producing and reprising his role as Dr. Frasier Crane
- But he is the only original cast member whose return has been announced
- Insiders claim the reboot is missing big stars and has ‘Z-list’ writers and producers, RadarOnline reported
- As fans await the sequel, FEMAIL has revealed what the cast has been up to since the show ended in 2004
Fans are excitedly awaiting Kelsey Grammer’s reprisal of his titular role in the highly-anticipated Frasier reboot, but he is the only original star whose return has been announced.
The revival was given a greenlight by the Paramount+ three months ago — 18 years after the critically-acclaimed NBC sitcom went off the air — but the magic may be gone due largely in part to the missing ensemble cast that made it a hit.
Insiders familiar with the new show, helmed by Grammer, claimed the set was running on a low budget with novice actors and writers, RadarOnline reported.
‘With the Paramount+ Frasier reboot, you’re getting the actor you know and love in his most famous role, but you’re not getting much else,’ the sources said. ‘There will be no lavish sets and none of the beloved faces fans held dear. Even the writers and producers are Z-list.’
The highly-anticipated Frasier reboot is reportedly missing the original ensemble cast that made it a hit. Pictured left to right: John Mahoney as Martin Crane, Jane Leeves as Daphne Moon, Moose as Eddie, Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane, David Hyde Pierce as Dr. Niles Crane, Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle, Dan Butler as Bob ‘Bulldog’ Briscoe
Insiders claim Grammer’s sequel for Paramount+ is low rent, lacking in lavish sets, and helmed by Z-list writers and producers
Original cast members David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, and Peri Gilpin (left to right) will not be a part of the show
Grammer is executive producing, but there isn’t much known about the new series aside from the fact that it will follow Dr. Frasier Crane in a new city and will feature new characters.
Original cast members David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, and Peri Gilpin, who played Frasier’s brother Niles, housekeeper Daphne, and producer Roz, will not be a part of the show.
Frasier’s father, Martin, also won’t be returning. The character was played by John Mahoney, who died at the age of 77 in a Chicago hospice in February 2018 due to complications from throat cancer.
Their absence, Grammer said, will be dealt with in the sequel.
‘We’ll certainly be responsive about the fact that there was a brother and such. But the new world for Frasier is one of new friendships — and some new twists and turns he didn’t know were still in there,’ he explained in October.
With most of the Frasier cast missing from the upcoming revival, FEMAIL has revealed what the show’s stars have been up to over the past 18 years — and why some have no interest in reprising their roles.
Dr. Frasier Crane, played by Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer, 67, made a name for himself playing psychiatrist Frasier Crane on both the NBC sitcom Cheers and its spin-off Frasier, which aired from 1993 to 1994. He is pictured on the show (left) and now (right)
Grammer made his debut on Cheers in 1984 and appeared on the show for nine seasons. He is pictured with the cast in 1987
Kelsey Grammer, 67, made a name for himself playing psychiatrist Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom Cheers after his character debuted on the show’s third season in 1984.
Frasier started as the love interest of Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), but he went on to marry Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth) and have a son, Frederick.
When Cheers ended in 1993, Grammer continued to play the character in the spin-off show Frasier, which picked up after his divorce from Lillith.
The critically acclaimed series chronicled Frasier’s life after he moved back to his native Seattle, Washington, and reconnected with his father, Martin, and rival younger brother, Niles.
Grammer captivated audiences and won four Emmys and two Golden Globes for his portrayal of the psychiatrist-turned-radio host. He reportedly made $1.6 million per episode during the show’s last two years.
Frasier ended in 2004 after 11 seasons and dozens of awards.
Grammer went on to star in blockbuster movies such as X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Transformers: The Age of Extinction.
The actor also appeared in the TV shows Back to you, Boss, and Proven Innocent, and voiced roles in Toy Story 2 and as Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons.
Grammer won four Emmys and two Golden Globes for his portrayal of the psychiatrist-turned-radio host on Frasier. He reportedly made $1.6 million per episode during the show’s last two years
In recent years, he has starred in a number of Christmas movies, including Christmas in Paradise and The 12 Days of Christmas Eve in 2022.
Paramount+ announced last year that Grammer will be reprising his role as Frasier for its upcoming reboot. He was the only star from the show who was said to return.
Grammer’s success followed a tragic family history that led to him abusing drugs and alcohol before eventually ending up in rehab.
His parents divorced when he was two, and he and his sister Karen were raised by their mother and grandmother in New Jersey.
Their grandfather died from cancer when Grammer was 12, and two years later his biological father was shot dead by a madman who’d set fire to his car. The culprit, Arthur Niles, was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a psychiatric facility.
In 1975, Grammer’s sister Karen, then 18, was raped by four men and stabbed to death, with her body dumped in a trailer park. He was 20 at the time and had to identify her body. Speaking at the ringleader’s parole hearing in 2009, he said his sister’s death ‘very nearly destroyed him.’
While studying at the prestigious Julliard School of performing arts in New York, he was expelled when he stopped going to classes and began abusing alcohol and drugs. He later told Oprah Winfrey that his alcoholism was initially the result of his depression after Karen’s murder.
Tragedy struck yet again in 1980, when two of his half-brothers, Stephen and Billy Grammer, died while scuba diving off the coast of St. Thomas. Stephen suffered an embolism after surfacing too quickly, but Billy’s fate remains unknown. Rescue teams believe he was eaten by sharks.
Grammer has been married four times and has seven children with three different women. He wed dancer Doreen Alderman (pictured in 2011) in 1982, and they had one daughter, Spencer, a year later. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1990
Grammer married former exotic dancer Leigh-Anne Csuhany (pictured together) in 1992, but their marriage only lasted a year. He claimed she used to spit in his face and once threatened to kill him
Despite his big break with Cheers in 1984, Grammer continued to abuse drugs and alcohol and was arrested three times for drunk driving and cocaine possession between 1988 and 1992. On one occasion, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Grammer has been married four times and has seven children with three different women. He wed dancer Doreen Alderman in 1982, and they had one daughter, Spencer, 39, a year later. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1990.
In 1992, he had a second daughter, Greer, following a one-night-stand with makeup artist Barrie Buckner. He married former exotic dancer Leigh-Anne Csuhany that same year, but their marriage was short-lived.
Grammer claimed Csuhany used to spit in his face and once threatened to kill him. They split when she was three months pregnant, which allegedly prompted her to try to take her own life, resulting in a miscarriage of their baby.
In 1995, the actor was accused of raping his child’s babysitter, who was 15, but the case never made it to trial as the grand jury decided not to indict him.
The following year, Grammer checked himself into the Betty Ford Center to finally deal with his addictions to drugs and alcohol. He went on to marry model and dancer Camille Donatacci in 1997, a year after meeting her.
The couple lived in a lavish Malibu mansion and had two children, a daughter Mason, 21, and a son Jude, 18. They were still married when he became involved with British flight attendant Kayte Walsh after meeting her on a flight from Los Angeles to London.
Grammer married model and dancer Camille Donatacci in 1997, a year after meeting her. They had a daughter, Mason, and son, Jude (pictured in 2008). They divorced in 2011 after he left her for flight attendant Kayte Walsh
Grammer wed Kayte Walsh weeks after his divorce from Camille was finalized, and a number of public spats ensued. The couple went on to have three kids, Faith, Kelsey, and Auden
It was reportedly love at first sight, and Grammer convinced her to go on a date with her. He wed Walsh weeks after his divorce from Camille was finalized, and a number of public spats ensued.
During an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s talk show, Grammer claimed he and Camille ‘hadn’t had sex in a decade’ before their split.
He also said he was behind her being cast on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, calling it his ‘parting gift’ to her.
‘It was my way of saying, “Look, you always wanted to be famous. Here you go,”‘ he told Piers Morgan on CNN.
Camille was filming the second season of the reality show when he left her for Walsh. In retaliation, she made public allegations that he was a cross-dresser and that they ‘just didn’t mesh sexually.’
She never signed a prenuptial agreement and left the marriage with a $30 million divorce settlement. Still bitter, she tweeted in June 2018 that her ex-husband ‘acts like I never existed.’
Grammer and Walsh went on to have three kids, Faith, 10, Kelsey, 8, and Auden, 6.
Walsh later admitted that she convinced her husband to get his name tattooed on his crotch to ensure he doesn’t stray.
‘Maybe it was based on the idea if ever I thought maybe a peccadillo outside the marriage was a good idea,’ Grammer told O’Brien, ‘that whoever it might be would read that this particular piece of equipment was already signed, and owned, by someone named Kayte.’
Daphne Crane (née Moon), played by Jane Leeves
Jane Leeves played Daphne Crane (née Moon) on all 11 seasons of Frasier. She is pictured on the show and in 2019
Frasier’s brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce), became obsessed with Daphne and the series followed their slow-burning love affair, which culminated in them getting married
Jane Leeves, 61, was an original cast member and appeared in all of the show’s 11 seasons. She portrayed Daphne Moon, a live-in housekeeper and physical therapist who was hired by Frasier to help his father, Martin.
Frasier’s brother, Niles, became obsessed with Daphne and the series followed their slow-burning love affair, which culminated in them getting married.
The English actress was nominated for an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for her work on the show and reportedly earned $400,000 per episode.
Six years after Frasier ended, she took on the role of Joy Scroggs in the TV Land comedy Hot in Cleveland. She played the character from 2010 until the series ended in 2015 after six seasons.
Leeves is currently starring in the Fox medical drama The Resident. She has been playing orthopedic surgeon Kit Voss since the show premiered in 2018.
Leeves married her husband, Marshall Coben, a TV executive, in 1996, and they have a daughter, Isabella, and a son, Finn
Leeves’ former co-star David Hyde Pierce is her son Finn’s godfather. They’re pictured together in 2016
Leeves is currently starring in the Fox medical drama The Resident. She has been playing orthopedic surgeon Kit Voss since the show premiered in 2018
Reports of the Frasier reboot had fans questioning if she would be reprising her role as Daphne, but she insisted she wasn’t interested.
‘I have no idea, but I won’t be leaving The Resident to do that if it happens,’ Leeves told Entertainment Weekly in 2021. ‘There’s a lot of pieces that have to come together to make [the revival] happen.’
Leeves married her husband, Marshall Coben, a TV executive, on December 21, 1996, and they have a daughter, Isabella, and a son, Finn.
Her first pregnancy with Isabella was written into the Frasier plot as a weight-gaining problem for her character caused by stress over her relationship with Niles.
As a sign of how strong her relationship is with her Frasier co-stars, Peri Gilpin was in the delivery room during Isabella’s birth and is her godmother. The friends also live next door to each other in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, David Hyde Pierce and the late John Mahoney are Finn’s godfathers.
Niles Crane, played by David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce starred as Niles Crane, Frasier’s rival brother, in the sitcom. The actor is pictured on the show (left) and in December 2021 (right)
The actor won four Emmy Awards for the role and earned a reported $1 million per episode during the show’s last two seasons
David Hyde Pierce, 63, played Frasier’s brother, psychiatrist Niles Crane, and their characters’ competitive relationship provided much of the sitcom’s comedy.
The actor won four Emmy Awards for the role and earned a reported $1 million per episode during the show’s last two seasons.
Pierce was still on series when he played astrophysicist Henry Newman in the 2001 comedy Wet Hot American Summer, which starred Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd.
A year after Frasier ended, he appeared in the stage production Spamalot in 2005 and played Lieutenant Frank Cioffi in the musical Curtains in 2006.
In 2007, Curtains opened on Broadway, and he won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance.
That same year, Pierce came out as gay and confirmed he was in a relationship with Brian Hargrove, a television writer, director, and producer, following increasing speculation about his sexuality.
When accepting his Tony Award for curtains, he thanked ‘my partner, Brian, because it’s 24 years of listening to your damn notes. That’s why I’m up here tonight ‘
The couple married a year later in 2008.
A year after Frasier ended, he appeared in the stage production Spamalot in 2005
In 2007, Pierce came out as gay and confirmed he was in a relationship with Brian Hargrove, a television writer, director, and producer. The couple married a year later. They are pictured together in 2019
From 2014 to 2015, Pierce played Frank Prady on the CBS legal drama The Good Wife. He later appeared in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, the docuseries When We Rise, and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.
Pierce most recently played Paul Cushing Child in the HBO Max limited series Julia, which premiered last year and featured his former Frasier castmate Bebe Neuwirth.
The actor was promoting the series last June when he was asked about the Frasier reboot and whether he would consider doing a spin-off with Niles and Daphne.
‘No one ever approached me about it so it wasn’t something I turned down,’ he told New York Magazine. ‘But it was also not something I was looking to do, so I wasn’t an engine behind it, either.’
However, RadarOnline reported last month that Pierce had demanded a larger role in the reboot and more pay.
‘David has become a huge star on Broadway,’ a source told the site. ‘He doesn’t need the show, so he decided to leverage his appearance to the hilt. In the end, he overplayed his hand and lost.’
The fallout with Niles led to the show scrapping a big reunion scene and instead opting to move Dr. Frasier out of his Seattle hometown to a new city with a brand new cast.
‘They were all excited about coming back and were devastated when they found it wouldn’t be happening,’ an insider told the outlet.
Roz Doyle, played by Peri Gilpin
Peri Gilpin, 61, played Roz Doyle, the long-suffering, quick-witted producer of Frasier’s radio series. She is pictured on the show (left) and in 2019 (right)
While on the show, she founded a production company, Bristol Cities, with her Frasier co-star and dear friend Jane Leeves
Gilpin is also a prominent Democrat and showed her support for Joe Biden via her Instagram page in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election
Peri Gilpin, 61, played Roz Doyle, the long-suffering, quick-witted producer of Frasier’s radio show throughout the series.
She founded a production company, Bristol Cities, with her Frasier co-star and dear friend Jane Leeves. One of their projects included an American remake of the British comedy sitcom The Vicar of Dibley starring Cheers regular Kirstie Alley.
After Frasier ended, Gilpin starred in the ABC Family drama Make It or Break It, which premiered in 2009. Her performance as mom Kim Keeler earned her a Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series.
The actress also appeared in the TV series Medium, Desperate Housewives, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
Her most recent projects include the documentary The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 and the dark comedy Kevin Can F**k Himself, both of which were released last year.
Gilpin married painter Christian Vincent in July 1999, and they welcomed twins born via surrogate in May 2004.
In addition to acting, she has been an advocate for cancer research following her mother’s death from leiomyosarcoma in 1997.
Gilpin is also a prominent Democrat and showed her support for Joe Biden via her Instagram page in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.
Martin Crane, played by John Mahoney
John Mahoney played Frasier’s father on the sitcom. The actor died at the age of 77 in a Chicago hospice in February 2018 due to complications from throat cancer. He is pictured on the show (left) and in 2001 (right)
The late John Mahoney played Frasier’s father on the sitcom.
In 2000, he was awarded a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work on the show, and he was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.
Mahoney was born in England in 1940 and moved to the U.S. when he was 18 years old. He worked as an English teacher and an editor of a medical journal before he pivoted to acting in the 1970s.
The actor’s first major film roles were in Tin Men and Suspect, both of which were released in 1987. He also appeared in the movies The American President, Say Anything… and Eight Men Out before he was cast in Frasier.
Most recently, he had a recurring role in TV Land’s Hot In Cleveland. He played Roy in six episodes between 2011 and 2014.
Mahoney was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and died due to complications from the disease in 2018. He was 77 years old.
Bob ‘Bulldog’ Briscoe, played by Dan Butler
Dan Butler played Bob ‘Bulldog’ Briscoe, a volatile and macho sports presenter who hosted the how that followed Frasier’s at the radio station KACL. He is pictured on the show (left) and in 2019 (right)
Butler is pictured with Stars In the House host Seth Rudetsky and his former Frasier castmates in 2020
Dan Butler, 68, played Bob ‘Bulldog’ Briscoe, a volatile and macho sports presenter who hosted the how that followed Frasier’s at the radio station KACL.
Prior to being cast on Frasier, he played not one but two different characters in the Hannibal Lecter franchise. He was cast as Jimmy Price in the 1986 film Manhunter and later took on the role of Roden in the 1991 blockbuster The Silence of the Lambs.
While Frasier was airing, Butler provided the voice of Mr. Simmons in the Nickelodeon show Hey Arnold! He later reprised the voice role in Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, which came out in 2017 — 15 years after the cartoon ended.
After Frasier concluded, he co-wrote, co-directed, produced, and starred in the 2007 faux documentary Karl Rove, I Love You.
In 2010, Butler married his partner, actor and director Richard Waterhouse, after coming out to his family in his 20s.
As a stage actor, he appeared in Rob Roth’s Warhol/Capote in 2017 and the Broadway revival of Tom Stoppard’s Travesties in 2018.
Butler’s most recent film role was in the 2022 film Blonde, which starred Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe. He played Monroe’s agent I.E. Shinn in the adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ historical novel.
Bebe Glazer, played by Harriet Sansom Harris
Harriet Sansom Harris had a recurring role as Frasier’s manipulative talent agent Bebe Glazer. She is pictured on the show and in 2018
Harriet Sansom Harris, 68, had a recurring role as Frasier’s manipulative talent agent Bebe Glazer in the series.
She started out as a Broadway star and won a Tony Award in 2002 for her performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Harris had notable guest roles in TV series such as Ally McBeal, Ellen, Ghost Whisperer, and Six Feet Under. She also played Martha Huber’s sister Felicia Tilman in Desperate Housewives in 2004.
Her film appearances include Memento, Addams Family Values, Nurse Betty, and Phantom Thread.
In 2019, she played Ingrid in the series Ratched, and last year she had parts in the shows Hacks and The Mysterious Benedict Society.
Kenny Daly, played by Tom McGowan
Tom McGowan had a reoccurring role as KACL station manager Kenny Daly. He’s pictured on the show (left) and in 2011 (right)
Tom McGowan, 63, had a reoccurring role as KACL station manager Kenny Daly.
His character was a successful DJ who suffered a breakdown after he divorced the mother of his children. In real life, McGowan has two kids with his wife, Cathy.
The New Jersey native has a string of theatre and TV credits to his name, including Down the Shore, Monty, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Everybody Loves Raymond, and The Good Fight.
McGowan received a Tony Award nomination for his role in La Bete in 1991.
The actor also played the Wizard in the original Second National Tour production of Wicked in 2009, and he has reprised the role on multiple occasions, including in London’s West End from 2015 to 2016.
McGowan most recently made an appearance on an episode of the TV series American Auto last year.
Source: Read Full Article