As a result of time is a flat circle and Kelsey Grammer has alimony funds to make, we’re getting one more season of Frasier. Whereas the Paramount+ reboot doesn’t come again till September, a trailer for Season Two simply dropped, giving followers a peek on the return of Roz, Bulldog, Gil and a bunch of different characters who frustratingly aren’t named “Niles.”
However — and I totally acknowledge that that is clearly on the backside of the listing of issues to get upset about on the earth proper now — the trailer ends with an change that feels fully out-of-step with the bigger continuity of the present.
Once we see Frasier return to his previous studio at KACL in Seattle, he introduces Bulldog to Freddy, and Freddy tells the host (who one way or the other hasn’t been canceled prior to now 20 years): “I used to hearken to your present on a regular basis as a child. Huge sports activities fan.”
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Okay, to begin with, Bulldog has already met Freddy, again when he was a child in Season 4 of the unique present. In one of many character’s uncommon endearing moments, Bulldog tries to speak up Frasier’s nonexistent softball abilities, in order to not make him look dangerous in entrance of his son.
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You’d assume that present day Bulldog’s response could be extra stunned at how a lot Freddy has grown, versus what looks like an introduction between whole strangers.
Weirder nonetheless, Freddy’s declare that he was a giant fan of Bulldog’s as a child feels completely at odds with the character we noticed on the present. And never simply because he principally grew up in Boston and certain wasn’t listening to a lot Seattle radio. When he did meet Bulldog, Freddy was principally simply unimpressed by his subpar intelligence. He by no means confirmed an curiosity in sports activities as a baby, and was at all times depicted as a giant nerd. Though, admittedly, because the present progressed, he did ultimately develop into a giant nerd who additionally dressed like The Crow.
Frasier 2.0 has proven us that Freddy grew as much as develop into a jock firefighter, in a conspicuous try and engineer the identical form of father-son, blue-collar versus elite mental battle that Frasier shared with Martin Crane.
Honest sufficient. However that doesn’t imply that they get to rewrite the historical past of the character.
Certain, this will likely simply be a minor continuity error, however Frasier has beforehand gone out of its approach to treatment minor continuity errors, corresponding to when Sam Malone visited the present and the writers went out of their approach to give you an answer for why Frasier by no means talked about having a brother on Cheers, and as soon as claimed that his father was lifeless.
Freddy’s sudden Bulldog fandom additionally calls consideration to what’s arguably the present’s largest downside: Freddy doesn’t really feel like the identical character. In any respect.
It looks like an enormous missed alternative that the present didn’t simply solid Trevor Einhorn (Freddy from Season 4 onwards). He’s nonetheless a working actor; along with scoring a recurring function in Mad Males, simply earlier this yr he confirmed up in Curb Your Enthusiasm to berate Larry David about his group texting etiquette.
Bringing again Einhorn would have imbued the brand new Frasier with an precise sense of that means and goal. No offense to the man who landed the half, Jack Cutmore-Scott, however altering up actors on this key function solely furthers the sense that the present is much less of a continuation of Frasier and extra simply one other run-of-the-mill Kelsey Grammer sitcom (of which there have been many) that occurs to include the Frasier branding.
Though no official clarification has been given regarding Einhorn’s lack of involvement, co-showrunner Joe Cristalli beforehand claimed that “the function we created wasn’t essentially the identical Freddy we initially noticed.”
Yeah, that’s an issue.
And throwaway traces that completely alter the present’s historical past gained’t clean issues over, both. Followers are properly conscious of what occurred in previous episodes of Frasier, even when they principally use them to go to sleep to.
You (sure, you) ought to observe JM on Twitter (if it nonetheless exists by the point you’re studying this).
