It’s like he’s never been away. Kelsey Grammer is back as psychiatrist, epicure and weapons-grade narcissist Dr Frasier Crane in the returning sitcom, 19 years after the last series finished, and a staggering 39 years since he first appeared as a supporting character in the ingeniously simple Boston barroom comedy Cheers.
Sure, Grammer’s hair is thinner and greyer, but his beetling brows, bulldog grimace and immaculate comic timing are unchanged. The quantity and quality of the verbal and physical gags, performed in front of a live studio audience, remains reassuringly high. But after 19 years, the ‘sit’ in the sitcom has required some adjustment.
