♥♥♥♥♥
+ 3rd Best Title of the Year
+ Returning TV-series of the Year + Best Sitcom of the Year + Best Washington State Movie
 |
| Your favorite TV family, the Cranes, return under a black umbrella on this poster for David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee's Frasier season 2 |
Frasier season 2 follows the masterpiece first season from creators David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee (Wings (1990-97), all).
The second season paddles around in the same waters that were stirred up during the first 24 episodes. Some new corners of the lake are explored here and there, but nothing really changes for our leads, despite psychiatrist Niles Crane's (David Hyde Pierce (Wet Hot American Summer (2001))) verbalized wish for an affair with his father Martin's (John Mahoney's (Tracey Walks On... (1997), TV-series)) live-in physical therapist Daphne (Jane Leeves (Phineas and Ferb (2009-13))), which, however, doesn't go anywhere, even as Niles' wife Maris (who, amusingly, remains unseen) has an affair with her fencing instructor (in episode 21, An Affair to Forget.) I find it a little sluggish - for a considerable 24-episode season - and I find that as viewers of this terrific sitcom, we'd like to see a bit of development in each season, - and a bit more than we get here in season 2. Also, and maybe it's a related issue, some of Niles' Daphne-jokes get to be a little wearying here.
The series' protagonist, Seattle's top radio therapist Frasier's (Kelsey Grammer (Modern Family (2017), TV-series)) son Frederick could have been a welcome break, if he was introduced, but - perhaps symptomatic for the yuppie shrink, - the son is wholly absent.
The season nevertheless still has so many bright moments and great episodes (see the long list of them below here) that Frasier continues as an absolute hit in its second run, wherein Frasier again and again makes a fool of himself on and off the air.
Episode 12 (Roz in the Doghouse) has a radical style shift with a montage of awful producers that Frasier goes through, as he is attempting to replace his producing partner Roz (Peri Gilpin (Stars in Shorts: No Ordinary Love (2016))).
Ted Danson (CSI: Cyber (2015-16)) turns up in one episode (episode 16: The Show Where Sam Shows Up) as Sam from Cheers (1982-93), the sitcom that Frasier is a spin-of from. Unfortunately the season's last episode is a mediocre round of arguments following Martin's birthday in Seattle, as the city suffers a power outage.
Guest stars and callers in the second season include James Spader, Lili Tomlin, Sydney Pollack, Art Garfunkel, Kevin Bacon, Macaulay Culkin, Nathan Lane, Tea Leoni, Gary Sinise, John Lithgow, Shelley Duvall and Harriet Sansom Harris (Robot and the Monster (2012), TV-series) as Frasier's agent Bebe, who proves that Frase does have a sex life by getting him into bed.
Best episodes:
Episode 1: Slow Tango in South Seattle - Written by Martin Weiss (8 Simple Rules (2002-04)); directed by James Burrows (Romantically Challenged (2010-11))
The first episode is about the time when Frasier lost his virginity to his piano teacher
Episode 2: The Unkindest Cut of All - Written by Dave Hackel (Wings (1990-93)); directed by Rick Beren (House Rules (1998), TV-series)
Martin's dog Eddie gets neutered, and Niles later gets lost in a Seattle park.
Episode 3: The Matchmaker - Written by Joe Keenan (Out of Practice (2005-06)); directed by Lee
A farcical mix-up episode in which Frasier by an accident gets to date his new station manager boss Tom!
Episode 5: Duke's, We Hardly Knew Ye - Written by Linda Morris, Vic Rauseo (Roomies (1987), TV-series, both); directed by Burrows
Martin's regular hangout Duke's bar is closing to be torn down, and Daphne hooks up in a park.
Episode 6: The Botched Language of Cranes - Written by Keenan; directed by Lee
Frasier ends up in a storm because of his on-air rant about Seattle's less-than-stellar weather, and columnist Derek Mann is again the nemesis.
Episode 8 and Episode 9: Adventures in Paradise: Part 1 and Part 2 - Written by Ken Levine, David Isaacs (Becker (1999-03), both); directed by Burrows
A two-parter in which Frase's love vacation to Bora Bora is spoiled by the second coming of his icy, bitchy ex-wife Lilith.
Episode 15: You Scratch My Book... - Written by Keenan; directed by Andy Ackerman (Superstore (2016), TV-series)
Frasier falls for a trite psychologist writer and is again forced to choose between his personal and professional integrity - and his animal instincts.
Episode 17: Daphne's Room - Written by Morris, Rauseo; directed by Lee
Daphne is close to leaving the Crane family, because they constantly and unintentionally barge into her room.
Episode 20: Breaking the Ice - Written by Steven Levitan (Stacked (2005-05)); directed by Philip Charles MacKenzie (Normal, Ohio (2000), TV-series)
The Cranes go ice fishing, and Martin, who can be a bit paradoxical with his almost schizophrenic sentimentality, finally says that he loves his sons.
Episode 23: The Innkeepers - Written by David Lloyd (Cheers 1982-93)); directed by Burrows
Frase and Niles open a restaurant called The Happy Brothers (in French, of course), and EVERYTHING goes wrong.
Related post:
David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee (creators): 1994 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Frasier - season 1 (1993) - The perfect sitcom arrived
Cost: Unknown
Box office: None - TV series
= Uncertain - but certainly a TV hit
[Frasier season 2 was first shown from 20 September 1994 - 23 May 1995 on NBC, and it spans 24 episodes of an average 22 minutes, totaling approximately 528 minutes. Shooting took place in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with establishing shots from Seattle, Washington. The series' cost grew during its run, and the cost per episode at its closure after 11 seasons was reportedly 5.2 mil. $ (124.8 mil. $ for the 24 episodes), of which 60 % went to its regular stars, of which Grammer commanded an impressive 1.6 mil. $ (amounting to 38.4 mil. $ for the season). Still, with syndication, foreign sales, home video etc., the series was likely a great asset for NBC. The season's rating's lowest were 21.3 mil. US viewers and its highest were 36.4 mil., which was on the show with Danson. The season fell in the Nielsen ratings ranking from the first season's #7 to #15. The season won 5/9 Emmy nominations, was nominated for 4 Golden Globes and many other honors. The third season started showing in September 1995. Grammer at the time also acted in an episode of the TV-series documentary Biography (1995) as George Washington and voiced a character in the animated short Runaway Brain (1995). 62,444 IMDb users have given the show an 8.0/10 average rating.]
What do you think of Frasier's second season?
No comments:
Post a Comment